Assignment 3 Application of Design Change

Learning outcomes, activity and evaluation (an explanation)

By completing this activity, my students will demonstrate their achievement of the following learning outcomes:

1. Improve their writing skills (grammar, spelling and punctuation).

2. Be more familiar and practice a Foreign Language, in this case, English.

3. Learn how to collaborate with their peers by creating a collective story.

4. Review and criticize constructively their classmates work.

Activity proposed:

- 1st outcome:To fulfill the first of the learning outcomes above mentioned the students have to write a story collectively. With each student’s contributions (2 sentences per student taking into account the Introduction, Plot and Ending parts. The contributions must be 1 every week during two weeks. The students must also correct 2 of their peers, one correction per week).

- 2nd outcome: Since my students cannot have more opportunities to practice English outside the classroom, it would be very interesting to use the creative writing to be more familiar with this foreign language. They feel free to make mistakes because the role of the teacher is being a guide or a facilitator, and their classmates are going to be their teachers, and another source of knowledge.

Learning outcomes, activity and evaluation (an explanation) II

- 3rd outcome: This is essential since my students feel that without their participation the activity cannot be done.

The activity tries to be collaborative not competitive, because each contribution is welcomed and valued by me and encouraged to be so by the students.

- 4th outcome: My students used to be graded and corrected by the teachers. In this case, the roles have changed, since I am the guide and observer of their work, and they are going to correct each others’ sentences. Rudeness is going to be penalized in the final mark.

Learning outcomes, activity and evaluation (an explanation) III

How the activity and the students are going to be evaluated? At the beginning of the activity each student is going to have a copy of the rubric to be aware of what to expect from the activity and from themselves.

Items 1. Poor 2. Fair 3. Good 4. Very good

Use of the writing skills (organization of ideas, grammar, spelling and punctuation)

The sentences are not organized, and the grammar, spelling and punctuation is not appropriate at all.

The sentences are quite organized. The grammar is appropriate, but the spelling and punctuation is very weak.

The sentences are well organized. The grammar is well used and the spelling and punctuation are properly used.

The sentences are really well organized. The use of grammar, spelling and punctuation is excellent.

Respect other languages while practicing it in class

The student does not respect the language at all. S/he undervalue it.

The student respects the language but s/he shows lack of motivation towards it.

The students not only respects the language but feels motivated to use it.

The student respects, loves and is eager to propose activities using the foreign language.

Collaboration and particpation

The student does not write a collaborative writing but an individual story.

The student writes collectively but only once, not twice as asked.

The student writes collectively twice and is motivated to do so.

The student not only writes collectively twice, it is motivated to write as many times as possible.

Revision and criticism of the peers work

The student is rude when correcting their peers and does not offer feedback.

The student offers feedback to the classmates and shows kindness.

The student not only offers feedback but encourages the peers.

the student offers feedback, encourage the peers and offers help.

The activity before & afterThe activity was at first explained as followed:

-The teacher proposes the creative writing activity, in this case using the LMS called Edmodo, which will be fully online.

BEFORE:

-The teacher explains in class how to use Edmodo properly, since students are not familiar with it.

- Simulate, in the computers’ room, they are doing the activity (writing a simple sentence in a specific space from the tool), each student must participate twice, with 2 sentences per student. One contribution and peer correction per week. At the end of the second week the story must be finished. They will be graded by their contributions and peer corrections.

The teacher’s perspective

-It will save the teacher’s time, since students are going to correct each other’s work and the amount papers to correct will be reduced.

Students’ perspective

- Quiet or weak students feel free to write whatever they want in only 2 lines knowing that without their contribution is essential to build up the collaborative creative writing.

- They can feel more engaged since the school is close to their everyday life, using new technologies (Edmodo looks like Facebook).

AFTER:

In the previous explanation, student work tracking is not being taken into consideration.

- Thus, as a teacher I will look at their contributions in the tool everyday for 2 weeks and check everyone is participating. From the first day I will encourage those students who are not participating, see why this is happening and find a solution.

LITERATURE AND OTHER EXPERIENCES

TO SUPPORT MY PRESENTATION

Literature found in the Internet to support my activity

- In Edmodo’s blog, there are varied experiences of multiple teachers sharing their experiences with the tool. Thus, I found an experience that supports the benefits of my online activity. The teacher, whose name is Anthony J. Garcia and works in Florida states that “Edmodo’s easy to use interactive design increases the likability factor of any subject exponentially. This in turn escalates student participating and learning.”

- He also says that “Besides having to use complete sentences and demonstrate the correct use of punctuation and spelling, they are required to include pictures and links to websites, and/or videos related to their specified interest.”

- His “students are required to respond to high interest articles with their opinions, and provide additional digital resources that piggyback upon previous responses. All posts are reviewed and critiqued on our interactive white board.”

So, Anthony J. Garcia supports my online activity since it not only improves the writing skills but also critical thinking.

Literature found in the Internet (II)

In a website called www.educatorstecnology.com I found a range of resources and uses to work with Edmodo.

- One of them is related to writing in which it is said that the tool is very useful because it “provides your students with an enriching writing environment where they can compose collaborate and share their writing projects with peers teachers and family”.

In Lizzie Pinard’s blog reflectiveteachingreflectivelearning.com I discovered a very interesting idea which is essential to support my ideas on the online activity I planned for my students.

- As she says “For learners in contexts where there is not a lot of opportunity to use English outside the classroom, a genuine communicative situation is created”. Also “quieter learners may feel more comfortable expressing their opinions in writing and doing so may help build up their confidence to increase spoken production later on”. I can add that as my students are afraid of writing, doing such a collaborative (and almost anonymous) task can prevent them from be ashamed of their productions, thus, be more self-confident in the near future.

afdA colleague experience to support my activity

A colleague experience:- Before using this tool I asked for information and experience a colleague who worked in the same school as me and was using the tool. She utilizes it to comment on critically with her students the English language listening and writing activities proposed by her, which consisted of watching videos of funny cartoons and songs. This teacher told me how the students were participating, since they were more engaged in the subject. They also used Edmodo to upload and show their recorded at home role plays. Thus, she gave me the motivation that I was looking for, for me and for my students.

- The present writing activity is supported by the experience of others who are successful using it.

- So, I use Edmodo as a blog, where my students can communicate among themselves and with me as in a sub-hub, that is to say, when I am out of class, give them extra academic support or provide updates to students who are absent from class.

Practical considerations- Access to technology: Edmodo is a free tool, easy to use and to set up. Since my students are 12-13 years old, as a school we need the parents’ consent.

- Cost: The institution do not need to pay any euro to use the tool, even to maintain it.

- Skill level required: Every pupil has a different level of technical skills required to use the tool, so some of them demand assistance and support.

- Accessibility: They can get access to it at school and at home. In case they do not have computer or internet at home (which some of them do not have) the activity can be done only in class.

- Technical support for the students: For those students who do not have any experience using the tool, the tool itself provides support and FAQ. However, as I mentioned in slide 3, a simulation is going to be done pretending they are doing the activity anticipating to the problems they may have.