Technology in literacy instruction

Technology Grant / Literacy

iPads for Literacy Instruction in Grade 2

Young children live and participate in a world that is filled with a wide range of technologies. Development of technology moves at a rapid pace and now, more than ever, technology has become easier to use, more powerful, and available at lower costs. Technology is an "unremarkable feature" in children's lives (Parette, Quesenberry, and Blum, 2010.) It is the intent of the second grade team to procure iPads for students to enhance teaching of literacy skills.

Maple Avenue School is located in southern New Hampshire. The town has a population of approximately 2,700 people. It is a working-class town with limited employment opportunities. Most people commute to neighboring towns to work at the area hospital, one of two factories or small businesses. An old mill building was recently converted into low-income housing, which has brought an influx of families with young children, including school-aged children, to the community. Maple Avenue School has 397 students, 68% of whom participate in the free/reduced lunch program. The school population is predominantly white, with under five percent of the population comprised of African-American, Hispanic, and Asian children. Many students come from single-parent households and a few are residing with other family members (e.g., grandparents). Two families, with a total of seven children, live in a local homeless shelter.

Maple Avenue School failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards for two years in a row. The students are considered at-risk. Based on models identified in the current literature, the school plans to spend $10,000 to purchase iPads and applications (apps) for the second grade as a response to the achievement gap. Educators believe the technology will help identify struggling readers faster, use time previously spent calculating and reviewing reading assessments to work with students ("iPads help…, 2012). Because teachers will be able to conduct more assessments in less time, they will be better able to use assessment results to inform instruction. Implementation of iPad technology will offer students another learning tool and help meet state standards for technology use.

The current literacy program includes leveled readers, daily phonics work with the Wilson Fundations program, the Fry sight word list, and the 6 Traits writing program. Students are assigned a reading level in the fall based on the results of an initial running record as well as scores and recommendations from the first grade teacher. Students are informally assessed on a rotating basis when the teacher listens to students read aloud. Students are allowed to progress to the next level when the teacher believes students are fluent; it is the philosophy of the second grade team to work towards mastery rather than struggle at the next level. The Fundations program provides the structure for a half-hour, whole class phonics lesson. The program combines various activities including reading aloud, word games, and listening and dictation activities. Sight words are taught five words at a time. Each teacher has a word wall, to which sight words are added each week. Every day, the teachers incorporate a sight word activity for at least ten minutes to give students practice reading the words. Each classroom teacher conducts writing activities in his/her own way but uses the structure of the 6 Traits program to ensure all students have instruction and practice in the elements of good writing.

Teachers assess sight words and complete running records in September, January and May. Students who receive special education services or Title I instruction are assessed more often, but these assessments are conducted by others, not the classroom teacher, and information is not always shared in a timely manner.

The $10,000 requested would be spent as follows:

20 iPads @ $399.00 [iPad 2, wi-fi, 16GB] = 7,980

20 Big Grips* frame for iPad 2 @ $34.95 = 699

Apps:

Team Budget = $1,000 1,000

3 Individual Teacher Budgets @ $107 321

TOTAL 10,000

The second grade team will meet with the superintendent, the reading specialists, Title I teachers and special education teachers on a workshop day to research and select apps and books for literacy instruction. These will include some apps for assistive technology as well as tools for running records and some language games. Teachers will also have a discretionary budget to make their own app and book selections without approval or recommendations from the team.

The use of the iPad will engage students and help them enjoy reading more. Teachers will be able to individualize instruction by providing students with interactive apps suited for them. Greater student engagement frees the teacher to work more intensely with individuals or small groups. Students will be more motivated to read, write and spell when using the apps, and the teacher can also incorporate educational games as rewards for finishing work. This will save considerable time for the teacher as s/he will not have to spend as much time putting together reading centers and games, collections of books for self-selected reading, and worksheets. Use of the iPad will save resources such as paper, pencils and crayons (all of which are provided by the school and not individual students) and help solve some of the storage problems in small,

*Source: Amazon.com overcrowded classrooms.

Parents, communities and government leaders are placing increasing pressure on school systems to improve academic achievement, whether or not a school is considered "at-risk," as is Maple Avenue School. iPad technology offers many possibilities in educational settings. Currently, there are nearly half a million apps available; some are designed specifically for educational use while others can be adapted for use in the classroom. The technology is new, however, and there is not enough data available to support its efficacy over the long-term. Only time will tell if the iPad really makes a difference to the nation's students. Maple Street School believes, however, that sufficient anecdotal evidence exists to demonstrate that iPads can be an integral part of successful literacy instruction. The goal of the iPad program is to raise the number of second graders who finish the school year successfully reading at exit level (Level 18), sight word recognition at least 90%, and improved performance on the reading and writing sections of standardized tests.