Writing Across The Curriculum
Project
Subject Area: Practicum
Grade Level: BAS - undergraduate students
Description of productivity tool:
We chose Tackk as a productivity tool to teach our students about reflection paper. Tackk is a website that allows anyone to create a page and includes many different formats such as writing, links, video, picture, audio file and media. Also, anyone with the link can comment, so students will able to interact with each other. Personally, we used Tackk to introduce reflection topic because many students get confused between reflection and journal sometimes.
How the productivity tool (Tackk) impacts learning
Technology has proven itself over the years to be really effective in the education sector as it improves learning. A lot of teachers around the globe use technology in their classroom almost on daily basis. Technology makes it easier for both teachers and students to research and communicate with each other and with other people worldwide. It gives the institutions unlimited access to the internet. Tackk is used to support teaching and learning, through the infusion of technology into today’s classrooms and a digital learning tool.
Tackk supports the best practices in hand on devices and expands course offerings, the learning experience, and the learning materials. It also supports learning 24/7, it builds the 21st-century skills, increases students engagement and motivation and accelerates learning. Tackk can improve learning in multiple ways, it can expand the choices of research and gives the teachers and the students more option than the books could. When students are given the access to appropriate technology, and when it used in thoughtful ways, students can gain in learning and technological readiness regardless of their backgrounds.
How the productivity tool (Tackk) impacts teaching
An example of a method for teachers to use Tackk is through collecting lots of resources on a topic or a concept for a lesson and post the materials on Tackk. Then below that the teacher can post a link to a survey where students can give feedback on theory thoughts and what they have learned from the resources or the topic. Tackk can also be used as a training website; trainers can share their resources with other teachers for a training workshop or as a presentation to follow up from training. Also, teachers and trainers can create blogs where other teachers can post their experiences and sample lessons. Students can create Tackk for publishing essays, presenting a presentation, publish a newsletter. Another idea for lower literacy students some teachers in the general studies programs can create a vocabulary website for their students. They can post some vocabulary words and ask students to find images or audios and definitions of these words and keep this log for future references. Teachers can measure the impact of using vocabulary list on Tackk on improving students’ literacy skills.
Standards
Students nowadays are preparing to go into the world where colleges and businesses are demanding more than before. To ensure that all students are ready, the Common Core State establish clear, consistent guidelines for what every student should know and be able to do in math and English Language Arts.
The standards were written by experts and teachers from across the country and are designed to ensure students are prepared for today’s entry-level careers, and workforce training programs. The Common Core focuses on developing the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills students will need to be successful. These new standards also provide a way for teachers to measure student progress throughout the college year and ensure that students are on the pathway to success in their academic careers.
The NYS common core standards
This assignment meets the NYS common core standards in:
Text Types and Purposes.
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
- Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome.
- Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and characters they encounter in their teaching practice.
- Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of teaching practice.
Production and Distribution of Writing.
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and readers.
- Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and readers.
- Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
ISTE standards
This assignment meets the requirement for the ISTE standards for students as well as teachers:
- Demonstrate creativity and innovation.
- Demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
- Use digital media and environment to communicate and reply to others to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
- Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
- Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
- Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
- Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems in their reflections by using digital tools and resources.
- Promote students reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning and creative processes.
- Promoting students’ reflections by using collaborative tools by asking students to reply to each other.
- Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
- Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning and assessing their own progress.
- Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
- Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.
- Contribute to the development, communication, and implementation of a shared vision for the comprehensive use of technology to support a digital-age education for all students.
- Model effective classroom management and collaborative learning strategies to maximize teacher and student use of digital tools and resources and access to technology-rich learning environments.
Note: All standards have been taken from Taskstream and ISTE website.
Link for our productivity tool (example)
Detailed Description of the Instructional Activity
In the beginning, we include a picture that illustrates the topic and to introduces the meaning of the reflection paper. Then, our Tackk headings include the following:
- Text: to define the meaning of reflection
- Bottom: a website that includes more information about the topic.
- Link: of an eHow website that shows steps with pictures.
- Video: to show how to write the reflection paper with supporting documents.
Audio file: a podcast that mentioned some important points of how to write a reflection paper. Also, it matches the audio learners style who like to listen to some recommendation.
4- eBook:
- eBook (reading): an e-book of reflection which will give a better idea for our students to understand reflection.
- Padlet link (media): to make it more interactive, we let my students practice to write short reflection during the class, and we can comment online.
4- Task:
- Text: to give an outline of the task.
- Padlet link (media): to assess their understanding of all materials in my Tackk page. We will let them post a link on Padlet page of their Tackk that includes their reflections during the Teaching Practice.
References:
Beasley. (2012, December 29). Reflection paper podcast [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/drbeasley/reflection-paper-podcast
Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. (2013). Reflection: Turning experience into learning. Routledge.
Golden, M. (n.d.). How to write a reflection paper. Retrieved from Wiki How website: http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Reflection-Paper
ISTE standards. (2016). Retrieved from ISTE website: http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards
LoveYourPencil. (2012, September 22). Writing a reflection [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/WjLa2sJjla0