Technology and Education

After reading about educational technology and browsing several examples, it seems that the importance of technology in education is twofold: engagement and preparedness. Technology has great potential top engage students in the material to a degree that may have been otherwise impossible through traditional mediums. For example, many students dislike writing assignments. Technology like UDL book builder allows students to create and publish digital books that can include animations and audio. Many students who would otherwise be disinterested in writing may jump at the chance to publish their own UDL book.

Preparedness for the future is the second reason that technology is vital in the education field. When high school students graduate, they are entering a vastly different world than their parents entered upon graduating high schools. A vast majority of jobs use computers in some capacity. Thus, it is a necessity that students have experience using common technologies such as word processors and Excel. Furthermore, with the emergence of websites like YouTube, students with experience in video recording and editing have opportunities to create their own careers and become their own bosses. Due to the constantly changing and evolving nature of technology, it is more important than ever that teachers are knowledgeable and skilled with the most current technology in order to prepare their students for life after school.

UDL Book Builder Lesson Plan

Prezi: Using Technology to Support Literacy

Prezi: Using Technology to Support Literacy

Graphic Organizer Lessons

KWL LessonVenn Diagram
Main Idea Lesson

Week 10: Assignment #5

Writing About A Complex Text

QR15 & DIBELS

QR15: The QRI5 is an informal reading inventory that looks to show the conditions when a student can recognize words and comprehend a passage properly as well as the conditions when students cannot recognize words and comprehend a passage properly. 

DIBELS: DIBELS is a set of procedures used to assess students’ literacy skills from kindergarten through 6^th grade. As DIBELS is designed to be used regularly, thus, the assessments are typically only 1 minute long. 

Similarities: Both QR15 and DIBELS are designed to determine which students are having difficulty in their literacy development. Thus, there is crossover between the types of skills both assessments target such as reading fluency and comprehension as well as word recognition. Neither program is designed to be an intervention program.

Differences: The assessments in DIBELS are designed to take typically 1 minute to administer. QR15, on the other hand, tends to take at least 15 minutes to implement depending on what is being assessed. Also, DIBELS is a norm referenced assessments, meaning that there are benchmarks that DIBELs is looking for students to achieve by certain steps in their academic career. QR15 only compares students to themselves. For example, a 4^th grader who reads at a 2^nd grade level will be assessed at a 2^nd grade level rather than a 4^th grade level. Finally, DIBELS is only designed for k-6^th grade whereas the QR15 is designed for K-12^th grade. 

Implementation in the Classroom: Though DIBELS and QR15 are different, they can both be used in the classroom. DIBELS is designed to be quick. Teachers can use DIBELS to assess students on a regular basis to determine if they are on pace in regards to their literacy acquisition. Since the QR15 takes a bit longer to implement, it can be a great tool to use after using DIBELS to determine exactly where the problem areas lie for a student. For example, if a DIBELS assessment deems that a student is not reading fluently, a teacher could assess the student with the QR15 to determine at which reading level the student is currently at. With that knowledge, the teacher could assign the student with appropriate level texts that will not bore or frustrate the student.