A Time For Reflection

         I was very hesitant about blogging as a professional and in terms of student blogging. As Pernell Ripp @pernilleripp said in a twitter chat one night, there is a huge pressure for teachers to meticulously micromanage every blog post to ensure that every piece is high quality, exemplary work that is suitable for public viewing. However, that’s not real. Peeking into a child’s writer’s notebook reveals all of their story seeds, their creative process, their progress over time. A classroom blog should be the same way. I am really, tremendously proud of my students’ blog and the 21,000 views it’s gotten since its induction in February. I wish I had done it sooner! Parents have been leaving comments, as have students in other classes in our school, other teachers in our school, students in other COUNTRIES. It has opened doors and possibilities to my students that I couldn't have imagined. Was there fear on my part? Yes. How would the blog be received by parents, administration, and the overall community? There is a lot of fear about privacy, safety, and appropriateness online. Initially, I really stressed the importance of our role as trailblazers in our school for student blogging, how important it was for us to dispel those fears. To prove that blogging is a beneficial, safe, way to authentically foster literacy in the 21st century! Students have been posting EVERYTHING from things we’ve learned about in school, to opinion pieces, to journaling, to websites they’ve created. It has been incredible to open this door and watch the students run through it.

       Professionally, I was concerned about voicing my opinions about educational topics on a blog. After all I’d already been given a slap on the wrist by posting on facebook, “Just curious teacher friends, what’s the largest class size you’ve ever had?” What would happen if I even mentioned being a teacher somewhere else? Well, nothing happened. Funny, when you disconnect with the district (remove them as an employer on social media) “big brother” stops watching. Am I hesitant to say certain things still? Yes. I choose my words carefully, treading lightly. However, I’m also willing to stir the pot a little, to express my political concerns with the Common Core and SBAC testing. I’m not venting about the kids, I’m advocating FOR them. In fact, I recently decided that my next blog post will be about SBAC: A letter from the kids. Parents, administrators, teachers, and politicians are speaking out about SBAC and the Common Core, but the ones whose voices are silent, are the kids. I’m publishing on behalf of them. Their voices deserve to be heard. They’re the ones taking the test for the next 9 years, not us.

I think every teacher should know that technology is scary for all of us. Not because of online predators, or risque websites, but because of the persecution and scrutiny of our profession. If anything, EVER, bad happens to a child, the finger comes pointing back to us, whether it’s a scraped knee on the playground, a forgotten lunch box, or a less than desirable standardized test score. However, to succumb to fear is to do a disservice to the children. The digital world is here, and it’s going to impact their generation more than any other generation before them. As Kathy Cassidy (2013) mentions in “Connected from the Start,” we can’t expect the child to cross the street without scaffolding that experience. We teach them the rules of the road. How to look both ways before crossing. We hold their hands when they’re small.  We watch from the sidewalk when they get a bit older. Eventually, we trust them to cross without us watching. But if we teach them to fear the road, to cower at the sight of cars- they’ll be stifled.We have to become leaders in ways we haven’t had to in the past, and even though it’s scary, we’ll do it, because our loyalties lie where they always have- with the children.

Story Bird

     During the course of this semester, I was exposed to a variety of technological tools supporting literacy that I am confident will positively impact  the growth and learning of my students. Story Bird is one such source that I utilized in an effort to reach a struggling writer. Story Bird a digital story telling website that provides students with artwork that they can utilize the create the story of their choice. Students can begin by choosing what style of book they'd like to write- a chapter book, a picture book, or a novel. Next, they choose an artwork style that will lead them to a series of pictures to choose from. For example, if students click on a princess, they will have choices that all revolve around that theme, castles, dragons, and knights will appear. They can then use those pictures to inspire the text for their story and "publish" it for others to view.
     Shawn is one of my very intelligent students who has ADHD and some difficulty completing written tasks. Fortunately, he is a computer savvy student who is able to manipulate technology with ease. During writer's workshop, I looked around the classroom and noticed Shawn struggling to come up with an idea. I decided to invite him to pilot this new program to see its impact on struggling writers.
     Initially, Shawn was very overwhelmed by Storybird. Although the program is easy to use, the artwork selected significantly drives the direction of the story. He was also frustrated by pictures, which were laid out in a scattered table-top manner, requiring users to slide them back and forth to reveal those hidden beneath. He was annoyed that the artwork was hard to locate (as it was moveable) and that the pictures available didn't always meet the vision he had in his head for his piece. For a student who is rigid and distractable, it didn't seem like this was the best program to use.
   However, despite being initially frustrated, Shawn eventually found some pictures that really inspired him to get writing. In some ways, Story Bird was more like a puzzle of artwork that the "writer" needs to sort through, order, and string together with text. Once he was able to  find his pictures, order them, and link them, he was on a roll. In fact, his frustration soon grew to an infectious enthusiasm that pulled other kids over to the computer. What began as an independent project, soon became a group project, with 3-4 classmates on surrounding his computer making suggestions for character motivations, wording suggestions ("what if he calls the pigs 'plump' or 'juicey?'"). Eventually, Shawn, with the help of his group, came up with a clever story that had a beginning, a middle, and end that made sense, had a message, and built upon character traits and motivations.
      In terms of the Common Core, this activity hit a variety of standards. Because Shawn was writing (relatively) freely within the program, he was demonstrating standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3-
"Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences." In addition, Story Bird also forced Shawn to correctly order his story, and therefore he hit upon standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.A- "Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally." He also was able to provide closure to his story, which is a skill for standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.D- "Provide a sense of closure." By nature of the program, Shawn also worked within standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.6 "With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others." The second part of that standard unfolded naturally as other students became interested and motivated in the topic at hand.

     An analysis of Shawn's story reveals that this was a tool that truly allowed him to be successful in starting and finishing a free-write narrative within one class period. He had a clear sequence of events, logical elements to his story, character motivations, character thoughts, and a resolution/lesson learned. Typically, Shawn struggles getting started, and is unable to complete the story in full. The ability to take something which was an are of weakness, and turn it into an area of strength was a huge celebration for Shawn. He eagerly asked if he could share his story with the class, which of course, prompted even more enthusiasm for writing and for the Story Bird website. This program has allowed me, as a teacher to reach a student with incredibly diverse needs. I am confident that, although this program still has some flaws, it is a valuable tool that allows students with multiple needs to reach writing goals.

Check out Shawn's story here!

 
    

Why should they buy in?

I recently read an article by Curt Dudley-Marling in the text Closer Readings of the Common Core. Dudley-Marling did a great job of pointing out the positives about the CCSS (“standards matter… teachers must know what they’re aiming for if they’re going to provide students with appropriate instruction,” p.93) while pointing out the inevitable flaws.

He says that “high standards and testing linked to those standards have never done much to improve the quality of schooling… or the professional lives of teachers (p.92).”
He also states that “the standards will be a cudgel with which to continue the assault on teachers and the teaching profession,” (p.96)
and that “in the likely scenario that the CCSS fail to lift achievement in high-poverty schools, the new tests will function mainly as evidence of the failure of teachers,” (p.98).

Herein lies the issue with the CCSS- the high stakes testing attached to them. When one of my students asked me this fall about the SBAC test (“Does it go on our report card? Do we need to pass it in order to pass 3^rd grade?”) I found myself struggling to offer a politically correct answer, so I answered truthfully. In third grade friendly language, I had said something like, “no, you don’t need to pass this test for any personal reason. It doesn't go on your report card. It doesn't tell us if you’re ready for 4^th grade. Actually, the test is really to see if teachers are doing their jobs. If the test asks you to answer 2+2 and you get it wrong, the people in charge will say, ‘oh that Mrs. Banville isn't doing her job, her students don’t even know 2+2!’ And then I would probably be asked to not be a teacher anymore. I would lose my job.” Then one of my critical thinking students Colin said, “Well that’s not really fair Mrs. Banville. What if we’re just having a bad day and we don’t test well? Like what if I’m tired that day or sick?”  I remember saying, “that’s the thing Colin. It isn't fair. The test is a quick snap shot, it doesn't know you like I do. I know you can do 2+2, and I know if you’re having an off day. So if Mrs. Dixon (our principal) came to me and said, ‘Colin doesn't know 2+2!’ I could say, ‘oh yes he does Mrs. Dixon. Look in his math notebook, look at all the great things he can do!’”

            The SBAC test virtually has no effect for students. They can test horribly and it would have no consequence for them. Which is a fact another one of my students, Shawn, picked up on. He said, “so we can just fill in random answers if we want and it won’t matter?” Yes, I had told him. But then of course I put my teacher hat and spoke for a while about how important it is to always do your best in anything and everything you do. But deep down, my long lost teenager self was rebelliously shouting, “random answers! Down with the system!” I would never buy into this test if I were a kid. Never. So, my long winded question is, given the high stakes attached to the SBAC assessment, what is in it for kids? Why should they buy in? Why should they spend 8 hours on a grueling rigorous test if it makes no difference to them in the long run anyway?