Quick and Easy CCSS Technology Strategies

One of session presenter Bill Ferriter's passions is finding ways to give students opportunities to use digital tools to practice essential skills.  To that end, he's constantly developing tech-driven learning experiences centered around the Common Core.  In this portion of the workshop, we will examine the role that two free #edtech tools can play in introducing students to skills required by the Common Core.

Teaching Students to Evaluate Reasoning using Scoop.it

http://www.scoop.it

http://www.scoop.it/t/nyc-soda-ban

http://www.scoop.it/t/is-space-exploration-worth-th

Regardless of grade level, mastering the literacy objectives outlined in the Common Core State Standards for History and the Sciences depends to a large extent on a student's ability to identify the differences between facts, opinions and reasoned judgments in a text and to identify places where authors support their core positions with convincing evidence.  Developing these skills in students requires a TON of practice.  Students need to read nonfiction text with a critical eye time-and-again before these dispositions become second nature.  

Scoop.it -- a service that allows users to curate public collections of weblinks around individual topics -- is a digital tool that session presenter Bill Ferriter is using to give students multiple opportunities to evaluate the reasoning that authors use to take stands on controversial topics.   What makes Scoop.it unique is that it automatically searches for new content that users might want to add to their public collections and then makes adding that content -- along with a short written description of why it is worth believing -- easy. 

Recently, two of Bill's students used this handout to create a public collection of resources related to the New York City soda ban and to the costs of space exploration.  Notice that Bill's students posted a short annotation to every resource, explaining both the author's position and the rationale for adding that resource to their public collection.  Bill wrote about his experience with Scoop.it in the classroom here.

Teaching Students about Speaking and Listening Using VoiceThread

http://voicethread.com

http://ed.voicethread.com

One of the keys to creating highly engaged classrooms is giving students opportunities to wrestle with key ideas together.  Not only are today's students driven by opportunities to interact with one another socially, but social interactions allow students to refine and polish their positions on controversial topics -- skills emphasized in the Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards.  "An important focus of the speaking and listening standards is academic discussion," argue the authors of the Common Core.  "Formal presentations are one important way such talk occurs, but so is the more informal discussion that takes place as students collaborate to answer questions, build understanding and solve problems."

In session presenter Bill Ferriter's classroom, wrestling with key ideas together and learning more about the role that reasoned discourse and academic discussion can play in society starts and ends with VoiceThread.

VoiceThread - VoiceThread is a simple tool for creating asynchronous conversations built around a wide range of digital content.  With just a few clicks, teachers can have their students working together to think about quotes, images and videos connected to the controversial issues that they are studying.  Need an example of what VoiceThread conversations can look like in action?  Then check out this  student VoiceThread conversation titled Why Do People Hate.  Use the handout titled VoiceThread in Action to guide your reflections.

The following handouts can help you to structure more effective VoiceThread conversations in your classroom:

Previewing an Asynchronous Conversation (pdf)- According to the Common Core State Standards, successful participation in conversations depends on coming to conversations prepared to make contributions.  This handout -- which is designed to be used by students BEFORE they jump into asynchronous conversations -- can help to make that preparation easy.  It asks students to identify strands of conversation that they agree with, disagree with, and are excited by.  

Commenting in an Asynchronous Conversation (doc) (download PDF here) - Teaching students about thoughtful discourse starts by introducing them to the kinds of actions that effective participants take to move collaborative conversations forward.  This handout details four different types of comments that students can add to asynchronous conversations.

Reflecting on an Asynchronous Conversation (pdf) - It is important for students to recognize that learning from a collaborative conversation doesn't end as soon as the conversation is over.  Instead, effective participants in collaborative conversations are constantly reflecting on the thoughts and ideas shared by peers -- a practice reinforced by this handout.  

Scoring Student Participation in Asynchronous Conversations (pdf) - While session presenter Bill Ferriter NEVER grades student participation in classroom conversations, this rubric outlines key indicators that can be used by teachers who ARE interested in rating the work that their kids are doing in asynchronous spaces.