Read Theory is "a K-12 online reading comprehension program that present assessments to students at a 'just right' level" ("Online Reading Activities | ReadTheory", 2019). The program uses algorithms to ascertain reading levels of students, therefore providing them with reading activities at their individual level. The best part? It is free.
Classroom Screen is a terrific class management resource. Projected on a screen or whiteboard, it is essentially a digital screen which contains a range of tools handy for classroom teachers. Tools include a stoplight to indicate noise level (red = no talking, orange = quiet whispering, green = inside voices), a noise monitor, clock, timer, random name generator, work symbols (silence, whisper, ask neighbour, work together), and text and drawing tools.
One resource I have discovered is Boom Writer. I have not yet used this, however, would like to try it with my students in 2019. It is a web-based writing platform which encourages collaboration in both writing and reading. Collaboration is one of the most effective learning strategies (Iglesias Rodríguez, García Riaza & Sánchez Gómez, 2017). Some of its features include: StoryWriter, which encourages collaborative writing; WordWriter, to improve vocabulary; ProjectWriter, for group writing assignments; and Grading, which provides rubrics for teachers.
References
Online Reading Activities | ReadTheory. (2019). Readtheory.org. Retrieved 1 January 2019, from https://readtheory.org/
Roblyer, M., & Doering, A. (2014). Pearson New International Edition. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. Harlow, England: Pearson.
Iglesias Rodríguez, A., García Riaza, B., & Sánchez Gómez, M. (2017). Collaborative learning and mobile devices: An educational experience in Primary Education. Computers In Human Behavior, 72, 664-677. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.07.019
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Hi Laurie
ReplyDeleteI found your mention of Classroom Screen very interesting. Can you edit which widgets appear on the screen? For example, for adults, the traffic light widget is not appropriate, but I saw a timer there that could be useful for presentations, or for showing how much time was left on a particular activity. Also the random name generator for groups. Do you have students use the draw function on a Smart Board? I imagine this would provide a wide range of interactive opportunities for them. Thanks for your information.
Thanks for your comments Karen. Yes, the screen is customisable. You can use any combination of widgets on the screen. I haven't tried using it with students writing on the interactive whiteboard - maybe I will give it a try!
DeleteHi Laurie thanks for your very informative post with some great web based technologies, I had not heard of any of these and am very interested in using these in my classroom, I do have some questions about these resources!
ReplyDeleteRead Theory looks very interesting and I really like the fact that it is free! Does your school use this or have you just used this in your own classroom? Can you match any of the information obtained on assessments in line with the Australian Curriculum? Are there any limitations with this web based technology?
Class Room screen is an amazing resource! You have made my day by letting me know this exists, in our school we have IWB’s with very little software and this has caused them to be used for nothing more than a projection screen, but having this resource I can already see how I can better utilise the IWB in the classrooms that I teach, do you use this web based technology? Have you any tips on maximising the use of this?
I would be very interested to see Boom Writer being used in the classroom, I really like how is enables collaboration amongst students. What subjects do you plan on using this resource in?
It was great reading about the resources that you suggested. I have used something similar to Classroom Screen but it has now been discontinued so I am very excited to see this resources as will a number of the teachers at my school. I'm very interested the Boom Writer and I love the ability to have my students collaborate in an online environment. Do the students have to login or is it a teachers account? I am curious about students safety/privacy.
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