1. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Council
2/28/2019 3:27 AM
Beyond Texts, Tweets and #Tags: Digital Tools to Inspire Students and Support the ELA Classroom
Many of us today have gotten used to ing, texting, tweeting – but are we integrating digital tools and technology in our classrooms? Using digital tools with our students can be challenging. Why? It takes time to teach students the skills, and do we even have the technology available in our classrooms? I think one thing we do know is that our students are very engaged when they are using technology.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Council
Lisa McIntosh - ELA NCDPI
February 25, 2016
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

2. Technology and Engagement
“Technology will never replace good teaching, but it does have the potential to enhance good teaching and engage students.”
David Meticus and Susan Nelson Wood
Florida State University

3. Kids Speak Out on Engagement and Technology
"I believe that when students participate in "learning by doing" it helps them focus more. Technology helps them to do that. Students will always be extremely excited when using technology.“
"I like to explore beyond the range of what normal textbooks allow us to do through hands-on techniques such as project-based learning. Whenever I do a project, I always seem to remember the material better than if I just read the information straight out of a textbook.“
"Another way is to make the curriculum flexible for students who are more/less advanced. There could be a list of project choices and students can pick from that according to their level.“
“I like how we use technology in class. It puts things in a new perspective and makes you think differently.”

4. Let’s Poll with Mentimeter
Grab your phone
Go to
(Click on Mentimeter)
3. Enter the code:
Type in your answer…
Question: Name a digital tool that you have used with your students.
Go to website: Enter the code:

5. Digital Literacy is the ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information. It is the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers.  NCTE
Digital literacy is not about the skills of technologies, but how we use our judgment to maintain awareness of what we are reading and writing, why we are doing it, and whom we are addressing.
Digital literacy focuses on helping students choose appropriate images, recognize copyright licensing.
Sometimes, there is confusion about digital literacy and digital skills. Are they the same thing? No, there is a difference. Digital skills focus on which tool to use and how to use it. For example: After students have the skill to use multiple platforms, they are able to choose which platform to use for the support they need.
Example: When is it best to do a Google search instead of asking a question on Twitter?

6. Technology in the Standards
R.CCR.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
W.CCR.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
W.CCR.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
SL.CCR.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
SL.CCR.5 Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

7. Ideas for Incorporating Technology in the ELA Classroom
Purposeful, integration requires clear thinking about why a particular technological tool makes sense in a given learning experience. Considering the ultimate aims of the curriculum, what medium and method work best?

8. Tools for Collaborative Learning
Google Docs Students work on one document simultaneously from different devices and comment on shared documents.
Padlet Students work on this digital corkboard simultaneously from different devices by adding images, videos, text, PDF’s, links, and audio messages to a shared space.
Coggle Multiple students edit the content simultaneously and from different devices using this free concept mapping tool.
Wiggio Students work in groups to collaborate on projects, and the teacher can assign tasks, poll students, and share files.
Titanpad Students work on one document simultaneously. No
sign-up required, you can just start writing instantly.
Each tool allows for students to contribute individually to shared creations. They can be used for collaborative inquiry work, peer feedback work, and collaborative composition work. These tools support students in learning from and with each other.

9. Tools for Creating Multimodal Representations
PowToon
Powtoon is a great alternative to powerpoint when creating a presentation.
You can create up to a 5 minute presentation for free.

10. Flipsnack www.Flipsnack.com
Flipsnack is a great tool to share and present information. It’s like an online magazine.

11. LiveBooklet You can make up to 10 booklets for free.
View Livebooklet with Google Chrome or Firefox.

12. ZooBurst Create your own interactive 3D pop-up books!!
ZooBurst is a digital storytelling tool that lets you easily create your own 3D pop-up books. ZooBurst provides students with new ways in which they can tell stories, deliver presentations, write reports and express complex ideas.
ZooBurst contains a powerful “classroom management” feature for teachers that lets them easily set up protected, safe spaces for their students. Teachers can assign usernames and passwords to their students without having to input any sensitive or personal information, and can manage and moderate student work in a protected environment.

13. Infographics
A great resource for sharing information with others is infographics. Infographics communicate information where as a poster tends to be more inspirational or surface level. Infographics are optimal for visual learners and are part of Visual literacy - which is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image, extending the meaning of literacy, which commonly signifies interpretation of a written or printed text.​
The standards also support the use of infographics in Reading Standard 7, Writing 2, and Speaking and Listening, Standard 2.
Having students create infographics as a product for research is another option for the typical research paper.
Use of Infographics strengthen critical thinking and synthesizing skills.
They are useful for integrating literacy content with science, history, or math lessons, creating a cross-curricular activity.
Counselors and mentors may use an infographic that serves as a visual resumé of a student’s learning experiences.
administrators can use infographics to capture data snapshots of the school for parent presentations or professional development.
Besides the reading of infographics, knowledge of how to create these complex texts are equally important. Given the ease with which these texts can be shared, a well-designed artifact can lead to increased collaborative engagement and supportive dialogue.
Easel.ly is a great tool to help your students – ready-made templates or they can start from scratch.
PiktoChart
InfoGram
All of these tools are free.

14. PicLits
PicLits.com is a creative writing site that matches beautiful images with carefully selected keywords in order to inspire you. The object is to put the right words in the right place and the right order to capture the essence, story, and meaning of the picture.
Free style option allows your words to be displayed in a more creative way.

15. Storybook Maker Storybird
Can make, illustrate, and narrate e-books on topics of their choice
Can publish 3 different ways – PDF (no interactivity), multimedia book, or book within the Storybook Maker library to share with users around the world
Students could use images from text, their own images, and their own words to tell a story of an issue that they read about (for example bullying). They would not simply retell – but critically analyze in order to present a message to others about that social issue that was presented in the text that they read.
Storybook Maker – elementary
Storybird - secondary

16. Digital Opportunities to Wonder and Think Deeply
Mystery Photos
Use this activity as a hook to introduce a lesson or unit.
After students have had time to talk about their informed guesses, reveal the whole photo.
Think about what this image might be.
What evidence in the picture makes you think that?

17. Umbonia Spinosa
These thorn bugs are related to cicadas, and use their beaks to pierce plant stems to feed upon their sap. Their strange appearance still poses many questions to scientists. (Image credits: Colin Hutton)
Read more: 
Share text set on Animals with Special Abilities.

18. Resources for Mystery Photos
Jigzone
Ugly Bug Contest
Pics4Learning
Journey North for Kids
Nanoworld Image Gallery

19. More ideas using technology:
Making History of Us…. In an electronic learning journal, students take turns posting to the class listserv for all to read and respond.
These are the Days…. Using a digital camera, students take pictures to record experiences throughout the school year. Pictures can be arranged and sorted in an attempt to better understand the phenomenon of experience over time.
Ideas for Self-Analysis…. Using video cameras and tape players help students document their learning and reflect on experiences.
These are the Days….. Becomes like a documentary…
Ideas for Self-Analysis – In writing classes, these recorders can capture student writing as it is read aloud. Students have learned to see themselves as writers by watching videotaped sessions of writing workshops. In guided self-analysis, they are asked to make notes on what they notice. Certain observations have been especially powerful. For example, listening to the rhythm of their language in terms of sentence fluency and word choice has improved editing skills, and watching the response of the audience as writers read their work has also provided feedback about effective conventions.

20. Exhibits of Community History…
Exhibits of Community History….. Technological tools such as tape recorders, cameras, video cameras, computers, and scanners provide students with the means for collecting data and supporting research.
Students can collect old photographs, read historical local documents, conduct oral histories, and create a community display for public libraries.
Using Art and Photographs…. Students can use paintings and photographs as inspiration for a short story or poem.
Students can look for a piece of art which reflects the theme of a work they are reading, and reflect on the paintings and their connection to the work through reader response journals, response papers, or explanatory essays.
This site houses the National Gallery of Art Collection.
Artsedge

22. Balancing Text and Tech
Transferring practices: Model for students how to navigate, interact, and apply thinking strategies with text onscreen.
Mentor texts/tech
Anchor charts
Think sheets
We know the best way to improve reading proficiency is to spend more time with text, so we should provide every opportunity we can to do this. So… it’s not really a debate on print versus digital, but an investigation into how we can guide students to become better readers across all types of text and tech. We should give them both print and digital and then teach them to navigate each effectively.
For years, we’ve known that volume, choice, response, and explicit instruction have become our guiding principles for reading text. We need to apply those same principles to digital reading. Many times, strong print readers are not strong online readers. Students need to be aware of the similarities and differences between text in print and text online.
Mentor texts/tech: Using mentor texts to teach students what good reading and writing looks like and sounds like is a best practice. So…. We can expand this practice to include mentor tech and find high-quality exemplars of blogs, book trailers, and online discussions to share with students to help them craft a vision for thinking and learning in digital context.
Anchor Charts: Create charts and visuals that support developing technology users and give them a place to refer to for a quick reminder as they build proficiency.
Think sheets: Pair text and tech to support students as they engage in new, complex skills. When students are reading on a device, they often annotate on paper; when reading on paper, they may respond or track their inner conversation on a device.
Amplifying thinking: Embracing all opportunities to build comprehension. We have to teach students to closely read images and to annotate a short video just as we would with a piece of text.
Text and tech – it’s not either/or - it’s both.
We have to balance text and tech so that the lesson focuses on student thinking rather than using the tool!!

23. Resources for Balancing Text and Tech
Wonderopolis
Newsela

24. Site will help with differentiation. Graphic organizers like Bubbl
Site will help with differentiation. Graphic organizers like Bubbl.us ……
Offers Writing Tools that engage reluctant writers.

25. LiveBinder: Free Technology Tools for Teachers

26. We are ALL Unique!

27. Common Core Explorer

28. NCDPI ELA Resources LiveBinder

29. Mind-Opener Resources in 90 seconds…
Adapted from CBS Your World in 90 Seconds
This presentation is done in Powtoon.

30. CONTACT INFORMATION
Julie Joslin, Ed.D.
Section Chief
English Language Arts
Anna Lea Frost, M.Ed.
6-8 English Language Arts
Consultant
Lisa McIntosh, MSA
K-5 English Language Arts
Angie Stephenson, M.Ed.
9-12 English Language Arts
Kristi Day, M.Ed.