Using Web 2.0 Tools to Improve Literacy

Skills

CESD Team 7Teri Patterson, Jody Watson, Cherra-Lynne Olthof, and Kim Gramlich

Question

Is the use of Web 2.0 tools in an elementary classroom setting effective in improving student

literacy skills?

Goal: choose a variety of Web 2.0 tools to use with our students, focusing specifically on tools that best fit our curricular objectives

Teacher and students need to keep in mind that the purpose of this particular use of technology was to monitor the development of student reading and writing skills

Abstract

Several action research projects have been completed on the use of Web 2.0 tools with students.

Our project is different because of our specific focus on the improvement of student literacy skills.

Very little research has been done on the connection between Web 2.0 tools and student reading and writing skills.

Setting a Context

A large project such as this would be most effective and gain the most results if used over the course of an entire school year.

A complete and well-developed action research plan was put together.

We picked and chose specific parts of the project to implement to accommodate our 3-month time period.

Mini Implementation

Objectives and Assessment

Use a variety of Web 2.0 tools with our students in ways that relate to our curriculum

Monitor students’ reading and writing skills with the hope of seeing a definite improvement over the course of the project

Main Objectives (1)

Document using surveys, interviews, videos, samples of student work, and anecdotal notes

Engage students and ensure the students have an audience to share their work with (classmates, friends and family, pen pals, school division, the world)

Main Objectives (2)

Reading and writing skills rubrics: completed at the beginning, middle, and end of project by both students and teachers

Google Docs Form: online survey Student interviews Recording videos and taking pictures Anecdotal notes Samples of student work

Methods of Documentation

Implementation Plan

January to February: begin to prepare, create reading and writing skills rubrics, create Google Docs Form, select students to interview

February to Mid-April: project work, use Web 2.0 tools in meaningful ways, complete the rubrics + survey + interviews, document

Mid-April to May: gather data, put together presentation, present information at PLP culmination

Mini Implementation Plan

Evaluation and Results

Group: spread across schools and divisions, so it was difficult to meet face-to-face

Did not lose sight of our goal to use Web 2.0 tools to further develop student literacy skills

We chose our own ways to implement and document the use of Web 2.0 tools

Come together to share our overall impressions

Completion

Kidblog and WordPress: student blogging

Glogster: demonstrate knowledge in a glog

Gmail: email pen pals, classmates, teachers

Google Docs: collaborate

Google Sites: build websites to show learning

Web 2.0 Tools (1)

Instant chat: communicate with people

Voice Thread: demonstrate learning

YouTube: students film tutorials and post onto the Internet

Wikispaces: student wikis, online portfolios

Fakebook: create profiles for historical figures

Web 2.0 Tools (2)

Allowed us as teachers to research a variety of Web 2.0 tools

Students enjoy working on computers so they were receptive to trying new things

All students found at least one tool that they were drawn to (different learning styles)

Our Impressions (1)

Having an audience made a HUGE difference

Smaller projects were well-received, whereas larger ones were too overwhelming

Students preferred working individually or with a partner – lost focus in small groups

Our Impressions (2)

Conclusions

Based on the results of our mini implementation, we can conclude that the use

of Web 2.0 tools in an elementary classroom setting can lead to an

improvement in student literacy skills.

Knowing that they had an audience played a huge role in how much effort and time the students spent on their work

Bigger audience = better work

More accurate information, demonstrating higher level thinking, writing with proper sentences and conventions

Audience

Instant chat: students admitted to not caring about proper spelling and sentences

Email: still a limited audience, but better literacy skills than instant chat

Creating a blog, Glogster, website, wiki, or video that could be viewed by anyone clearly led the students to focus more on demonstrating strong literacy skills.

Literacy Skills

Smaller and shorter time-framed projects were more well received by the students and kept them focused on their reading and writing skills

More complex and longer time-framed projects were overwhelming to students and focus on literacy skills seemed to be lost

Types of Projects

Variety of learning styles = variety of Web 2.0 tools need to be used

Blogs and Google Docs may be well-liked by students who enjoy writing, whereas Glogster and Voice Thread may be well-liked by students who are more visual and auditory learners

Variety of Web 2.0 Tools

Overall, students enjoyed using the computers and experimenting with new Web 2.0 tools

“Technology makes learning more fun”

Expressed wanting to use technology even more in their learning

Student Opinion

Artifactsand

Documentation

Used to monitor and evaluate students’ reading and writing skills before, during, and after the project

Completed by both teachers and students

http://tinyurl.com/424ar65

Literacy Skills Rubrics

Used to gather students’ opinions about the use of technology, Web 2.0 tools, and their reading and writing skills

Completed before and after the project by all students

http://tinyurl.com/446rmah

Google Docs Form

CESD Team 7: Project Details was compiled using a Google Doc so that our team could collaborate anywhere and at anytime

http://tinyurl.com/3fqpwps

PLP Wiki: includes project links http://plpcanadian10.wikispaces.com/Chino

ok%27s+Edge+Team+7

Project Details

Student interviews – completed throughout the project

Mid Interview #1: http://youtu.be/PRBzk9SIczQ Mid Interview #2: http://youtu.be/WqNFtXPW7KM End Interview #1: http://youtu.be/vnhSOELXKug End Interview #2: http://youtu.be/UFTVz79ByS0 End Interview #3: http://youtu.be/EIB1Onx5nb8

Students using Web 2.0 tools: http://youtu.be/XXEfiriiWZc

Videos

Students using Web 2.0 tools

Pictures

Students created glogs demonstrate their learning in various ways – text, pictures, video, audio

Enjoyed greatly by the students! Students viewed and commented on each

other’s glogs, shared with friends and family Example of Gr. 6 assignment:

http://spruceview6.edu.glogster.com/glogster-assignment/

Glogster

Students each had their own blog to post their responses to poems, as well as post their own poems

Classmates responded to each others’ posts

Shared blogs with parents and pen pals

http://kidblog.org/MsPattersonsClass/

Kidblog

Blog by the teacher (Cherra-Lynne Olthof) to discuss how her Grade 8 class came together to discuss a current event

Students took this forward by using the main words to create a Wordle

http://cherraolthof.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/obamas-speech-a-grade-8-perspective/

WordPress and Wordle

Student video filmed with a Flip camera

Designed to be used by other students as a tutorial to help solve a single-step equation

Video link is posted to the class’ wiki page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxHR12x_efw

YouTube

Websites created by small groups of Grade 6 students about poetry devices

Required the students to research poetry devices, learn how to build a website, cite their information, etc.

https://sites.google.com/a/cesd73.ca/poetic-devices-group3/

Google Sites

Teacher-based wiki: students can access information and use as a communication tool

www.olthofgrade8.wikispaces.com

Online portfolios: created by students http://cremonagrade8.wikispaces.com/

Wikispaces

Grade 8 students created fake online profiles for historical figures

http://www.classtools.net/fb/28/Sc634Z http://www.classtools.net/fb/39/Le94ab http://www.classtools.net/fb/48/LeKCVa http://www.classtools.net/fb/46/TVfL3J http://www.classtools.net/fb/38/lU6lBc

Fakebook

Thank you to everyone in the PLP who helped us throughout the year,

especially during our action research project. It was a

great experience!

CESD Team 7Teri Patterson, Jody Watson, Cherra-Lynne

Olthof, and Kim Gramlich