How would you approach another project like this type differently?
Obviously, if I were to do another project of this type, I would like to implement it at the beginning of the school year. For this project, I considered the class as a whole, and as a whole, the class struggled with reading informational text. Next year, I would like to find individual student needs and find a way using technology to address them. I also, from the beginning, would keep a Raz-Kids folder to track individual student progress throughout the entire year to keep in their portfolios. The progress would count school usage as well as home usage.
Lessons learned?
Technology is not always dependable. We had major issues with our laptop carts this year. Also, even though some may think websites like Raz-Kids are basically student operated and they can be let go independently, they still need to be closely monitored. I had some students who liked to "fake read" and pick any answers they wanted on the quizzes. I also for next year, need to post and recognize high scorers, high achievers, and students who accessed the website at home often because everyone deserves praise and needs motivation!
What ways will you endeavor to do the same project again? What will you change?
I will for sure utilize Raz-Kids in my classroom for all students. They need all the help they can when it comes to reading comprehension and one way to improve on that is reading books at their level. As I mentioned before, I want to focus on individual student needs with some aspect of technology rather than just lumping the class together as a whole, keep progress folders in their portfolios, and publicly recognize individual student successes and achievement.
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You are absolutely right about starting this project in the beginning of the year. It was challenging to try and fit this in now, along with all of the end of the year chaos that takes place. I also became frustrated with non-reliable technology. Our school computer lab needs some major updates, and it adds additional stress on top of the project itself. It is frustrating enough to have to monitor the kids who are "fake reading" like you mentioned. I also often think they should be able to do something independently and it doesn't always quite work out that way. Best of luck with the rest of your project! Have a great end of the school year!
ReplyDeleteAshlee
Hi Allyson,
ReplyDeleteThis is the third time I have tried to post!! I want to say firstly, well done on a very thoughtful reflection. There were so many things I could connect with. I smiled when I read about how you often think that children can do things independently, and of course they can't!
You seem to have so much in common with Ashlee, in terms of outdated computers and lack of time. Also, how you are targeting individual needs is really important. I also liked your idea of praising and recognizing achievement – that’s so important.
Good luck with Razkids! Hope it works out for you and your students.
Sarah