Tune into Technology: Getting Techy with Reading

Today I have a duel linkup for you again! Just think, more blogs that you can be exposed to if you haven't found them already!

First up, we have Michelle from Big Time Literacy! She is running a month long blogging challenge so today we are on day #8!


I'm also linking up with Kristin, from iTeach 1:1 for their Tune into Technology Tuesday. This is a great way to share ideas about how you integrate technology into various content areas. Check out her site for the schedule!
     

Today's Tune into Technology topic is.......Reading!

This past year, my school/district started following the Reading Workshop instructional method by Lucy Calkins. My goal this year was to do the best I could to combine my passion of technology, with her units of study. So below, you will find some examples of how we used tech during our reading instruction, but feel free to visit the 1:1 Reading tab on my blog for even more ideas.

1) One of my big plunges this past year was getting my 5th graders to blog. I thought they may find more meaning in their responses if they had the opportunity to share their thoughts with the world. One easy way I also tried to connect with today's techy learners was to incorporate hashtags. This really ignited the light bulb in their head, it was something they had seen and could relate to. So, they used their hashtag about something or a section in their book to be their inspiration for their blog.
As for blogging, my students used Blogger. It connected perfectly with their student Google account, so we jumped in, in hopes they could hold onto it and expand upon it for future grades.

2) Another challenge I faced this year was transitioning my 5th graders into the format of a group mini lesson on the floor. This was something I found they really struggled with to sit there, mostly because of their age. I saw a Tweet come out about a program called Nearpod, so I decided to investigate and give it a try. I began practicing with it in math, getting them used to the program before introducing it into reading, they really liked it! Mostly because it is a slide-show format that keeps them all on the same page, then they can answer confidently at their own table on the dry erase portion without the worry of their neighbor seeing what they wrote.

So, the time came to giving it a try in class, coincidentally it was also the same day I was being observed. ha ha I played with a few more options this time, giving my administrator an advanced warning. Using technology, you never know what may happen. The students brought their iPads to the mini lesson and we had a discussion about character point of view. Students annotated text from the book, watched videos from Disney films, and held discussions with one another about what they viewed. This got them really excited and engaged!

 

3) My third idea I want to share with you today is just giving your kids the option to have fun with the technology and reading. The reading workshop is about sharing and there are a ton of apps and websites on the devices that allow them to do that. I had students that loved to create advertisements for their books using iMovie or comic making programs, some preferred apps like Tellagami, iStopMotion or Puppet Pals.