ISCI 761: Tech Leadership: Using Digital Tools to Improve Literacy (Week 4)

         


Photo sourced from https://stock.adobe.com/images/business-man-student-character-standing-and-reading-book-by-internet-laptop-pc-computer-online-education-library-concept-vector-flat-cartoon-isolated-illustration/232858584

            Attention classroom teachers, reading interventionists, school librarians, and any other educators working directly with English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum! As we all know, assessing, monitoring, and growing students' reading fluency can be challenging and time-consuming. Now, with the technological advances presented by Microsoft EDU, fluency practice can be provided to students directly through Microsoft Teams. The Reading Progress program allows educators to upload passages at each student's reading level, then collects data for the educator while the students record themselves reading aloud. To build on this, the Reading Coach program then identifies specific words that the student had difficulties pronouncing and provides them with more practice activities for each word. This tech tool not only saves the teacher time by allowing the students to complete this activity independently, but it also pools and provides individual and whole class data for educators to build on. This program can also help to build reader confidence and allow students to take more ownership of their growth and learning. Try out this program in your school or educational setting today to help your young learners grow into stronger and more confident readers! 

If you are interested in learning more information about this program, Lisa Nielsen’s blog The Innovative Educator provides more information in her post titled,  Help Students Become Fluent Readers with Literacy Tools from @MicrosoftEDU which highlights the need for such a program due to reading deficits assessed in elementary schools. Her blog posting also includes video introductions of each program and her opinion on the importance of such a tool. As an educator, I believe utilizing a program like this would help teachers all over the country with finding the time to assess each student, easily collect data, develop data-driven learning instruction, and help students bridge reading gaps with self-directed practice at their level. As discussed in the article, A Technology Plan That Works, many schools are facing issues with forcing technology integration without first considering the needs of the students and the educators that must implement it (Overbay, 2011). This program is not overly complicated and shouldn’t make teachers feel as if this is just one more thing for them to try and fit into their already very busy days. This technology can be used in conjunction with most curriculums, focuses on student growth, fits the needs of the students, and is a free component of Microsoft Teams which many schools are already using. The integration of these programs into ELA instruction would benefit educators and students alike as the skills of fluency and intonation can be practiced and assessed with the click of a button 



Photo sourced from https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/04/microsofts-reading-progress-makes-assessing-reading-levels-easier-for-kids-and-teachers/

 

If you are interested in reading more EdTech blogs like The Innovative Educator, check out this listing!  

Our Favorite EdTech Blogs for School Librarians 


References: 

Nielsen, L. (2022, March 14). Help students become fluent readers with literacy tools from @MicrosoftEDU [web log].                                     Retrieved September 16, 2022, from https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2022/03/help-students-improve-literacy-with.html. 

OUR FAVORITE EDTECH blogs for School Librarians. PebbleGo by Capstone. (2018, November 21). Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.pebblego.com/blog/our-favorite-edtech-blogs-school-librarians 

Overbay, A., Mollette, M., & Vasu, E. (2011). A technology plan that works. Educational Leadership, 56–59. 

Comments

  1. Brandi HuckabySeptember 18, 2022 at 10:43 AM

    Hi! I so agree with you that often times we push a technology without knowing if it provides a true benefit to student achievement and if it will fit into the already overfilled plate of the teacher! The technology you have highlighted here does seem to be something that can be seamlessly integrated into most curriculums and provide relevant and useful student data for teachers! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Karen MetcalfSeptember 18, 2022 at 2:04 PM

    I enjoyed reading your post. I agree that it is difficult to see whether some technology actually improves student understanding and achievement. After 20 years in the classroom, I have seen some technology "got to use it" devices or strategies come and go. I think teachers have to have true "buy-in" to really test effectiveness.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 18, 2022 at 7:27 PM

    Thank you for sharing this resource. This would have been a lifesaver during the beginning of the year reading assessments. It is very difficult to catch everything when a child is reading and take notes. When I was a classroom teacher, I would record my students and play it back to listen for errors. This program is a game changer. I think most technological innovations in education are met with resistance because teachers don't feel supported in implementing new programs. With proper training and support most teachers will try new things if it will benefit the students and alleviate their stress.

    ReplyDelete

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