Using New Technologies u02a1

I interviewed another teacher, Sandy, who lives in a different area of Iowa. I choose this teacher because she not only has years of experience in the classroom, but is constantly integrating web 2.0 technology tools. When on the phone, she decided to discuss the website www.storybird.com with me. Coincidentally, this is a tool we both utilize in our classrooms.

Recommendations from other teachers is one starting place for Sandy when looking for a tool to use in her Gift and Talented and/or English as a Second Language students. Sandy stated that when she chooses a web 2.0 tool, the first thing she does is filter it through the Iowa Core. She determines if it aligns with the standards for the grade in which she is working with. If it does, then she bases her decision on student interest as well as ease of use for educators.

Fortunately for Sandy, she does not typically need special permission from administration to implement new tools. Using her own good judgement and checking the user agreements for age of use is how she avoids obstacles with technology tools. For example, Storybird is geared towards educators and students, the user agreements allows for children 13 and under to operate it, and she tested the website before presenting it to her class.

Sandy has a few pieces of advice for other teachers looking to incorporate Storybird into their projects. Focusing on the writing or editing process is the best use of Storybird. The explicit instruction model works extremely well when introducing this tool to upper elementary or middle school students. For example, first, Sandy shows the class how to operate the website in a whole-class setting. Then, together, the class makes a trial story together employing the information they learned from the previous step. Together, students walk through each step of the story making process on the website. Now, students have the ability and confidence to create their own story on their own. During the last phase of explicit teaching, Sandy explains how her students can self and peer edit their pieces of work. 

One last piece of advice Sandy gives is Storybird is a great tool for differentiating instruction because students have the ability to work at their own level. Each student has a differing writing ability and can be fairly graded on their individual abilities when employing this web 2.0 tool. Teachers can easily scaffold each student at their level. For example, when writing a story, some students are able to include a beginning, middle and end, while others have mastered this skill and can move on to including dialogue. Here are a few examples of Sandy's student's work.

I agree wholeheartedly in all that Sandy stated. I find it extremely important to check the user agreements before implementing any new tool. The safety and security of my students is a top priority. I also recognize testing the tool for alignment with standards is also important. It is good to have students using technology tools, but there should always be a purpose. One additional way I determine the validity of a tool is thinking about where it falls on the SAMR scale. If I am going to use a tool with my students, I want to ensure I'm using it with the goals for my students and an end in mind.