Home Reading Clips
The past few weeks we have been thinking of ways in which we can collect data on whether the iPads are indeed enhancing the learning of our children over the year. Most of the studies suggesting so are anecdotal in nature and because one-to-one iPad programmes are really just beginning in schools, hard data is difficult (though not impossible) to find. In our classroom we are limited by a small sample size, uncontrolled variables (including the novelty of the devices), and the fact that our cohort last year was somewhat exceptional, so comparisons between years may not be conclusive.
Over the past few days, I decided to stop thinking about how we can collect data on whether or not the iPads are helping our kids learn and decided to start thinking about how we can use the iPads to collect data on how they are learning.
Thus.... home reading video clips began tonight.
I love reading one-on-one with my students, and each year decide to use ERIC (everybody reads in class) time to read with students individually. Ideally, this would happen each day. In reality, though today's ERIC involved bee stings, solving remnants of playground hill disputes ("he's ONLY the potions master... that DOESN'T mean he gets to decide who mashes up the dead slug!!!!!!"), and excitement over the latest soccer games and first choir practices.
Tonight, and once a week until the end of the year, my students will record a clip of their home reading on their iPad, and email it to me. They can record the clip as many times as they want, and will choose from a selection of levelled books, books from home, and library books. I will store a selection of recordings in personal folders and will be able to listen to a progression of their reading fluency over the year. VERY excited about this, as it will be amazing to think in June 'I want to hear how Lucy was reading at the beginning of the year' and be able to hear an actual recording rather than relying on hurried notes from reading sessions. It will be great to be able to have the time to email students back feedback about their reading, or chat with them the next day in school about their reading strengths, goals to work on, and just about their general enjoyment of the books they are reading. Optimistic that our students will have more motivation to practice their oral reading at home as well! Shauna (my grade three iPad teaching buddy) and I remarked today on how neat it is to see students in their home environment with pajamas and cats walking by as it is a very different reading environment than the classroom.
Here are a couple samples of the first reading clips received on my email tonight (will have to figure out how to flip videos upside down!)
