Ferryway 2.0

Third grader solves a math word problem for her classmates

Students will have more opportunities to think and create digitally as we enter our third year of Expanded Learning Time (ELT).   The Ferrway School has used the ELT grant over the last two years to integrate technology into classroom instruction.  A quick review of blog posts from last spring highlight some of the innovative approaches that teachers used to inspire their students.  Technology Specialist, Robert Simpson, who coordinates the effort with the school’s Technology Leadership Team delivered a short multimedia presentation during an opening day meeting of all faculty and staff.  Download PDF (840kb)

The presentation gave an overview of last year’s activities which targeted grades 3-6.  All students in grades 3-6 had multiple lessons that incorporated the use of the Qwizdom Student Response System.  Qwizdom helped teachers engage all students during their lessons by requiring that they respond to questions embedded in a PowerPoint presentation.  The image to the left shows a third grader solving a math problem based on a question that students each answered using a remote.  Once students saw the correct answer displayed they demanded to know how to solve the problem.  To complement classroom instruction, several Ferryway teachers who completed the digital media workshop class created online multimedia presentations.  Ms. Ambrose, a third grade technology leader, created a dynamic MCAS presentation that students watched with their parents in their homes.  A 3.5 minute photo slideshow was shown composed of pictures documenting last year’s technology integration efforts.  The slideshow was created with Adobe Photoshop Elements, a software program available on the school’s mobile HP laptop cart.

One challenge that teachers face as they confront the vast universe of digital tools is where to start.  A handout on becoming a better digital media teacher was distributed featuring a concept map.  The online version is available on the Ferryway wiki.   Teachers were encouraged to register for the fall digital media workshop series to build their skills.

Based upon student surveys we know that a majority of our students have Internet access in their homes.  One interesting idea to harness the technology skills of your students is to challenge them to create a tutorial on a difficult area of your curriculum.  The idea was presented by Alan November at this year’s National Educational Computing Conference.  I created a  concept map from my notes and shared it as a handout.  What 5 subject areas do your students need more help to master?

The Earth in peril from My CTRL Z

We are pleased to announce that we received an Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) grant this summer.  Ms. Prince and Ms. Mahoney, our 5-8 art teacher, both attended a week-long summer institute on youth mentoring and digital media.  The AYV program provides over $35,000 in software, equipment, training support, and curriculum resources.  The Ferryway AYV program will focus on students in grades 7 & 8. We watched My CTRL Z produced by Vivekavardhini High School students living in Bagalore India for inspiration.  Our students will have the time, technology resources, and 21st century curriculum experiences to learn how to communicate in a media rich world.

Stay tuned to the Ferryway blog to see how we are doing.

When the fourth grade students participated in the Biome SRS project this year, they did not have access to computers.  Thus, they were unable to do the in-depth research they conducted the previous year.  As a result, this year’s students did not perform as well on the Final Lost Vertebrates Activity.  This activity requires the students to decide where an “unknown” animal belongs.  Prior knowledge of the animals’ physical adaptations and how they are used to help it survive in their biome is needed to complete this activity.

Having students use the computer to investigate and discover on their own, the connection between the world’s biomes and the animals that inhabit them is crucial to having this project be successful.

However, the “Think, Write, Pair, Share” addition to the Qwizdom unit this year, as well as the “I see…It means..” proved to be very successful.  It provided children with more social involvement and required them to actively write what they were observing and learning, compared to just listening.  Students working cooperatively in groups were able to provide reasonable information and could justify their answers even though their biome choice may have been incorrect.

What a difference a day and a Dell make. When Ferryway School first opened in 1999 we were designated as Malden’s “Technology” School: two fully stocked computer labs, a library computer center equal to the lab resources, and teacher and student computers in each classroom.  We prided ourselves on that “technology” moniker and as the K-4 computer teacher, I hoped that we would not be the technology school in name only, but that we would be able to utilize our new tech resources to make a measurable improvement in our students educational careers.

We have made important strides in that direction through motivated staff, school administration which has fostered technology use, and our school designated technology “guru”, Bob Simpson, who has helped us coordinate our resources, led tech related professional development for staff, guided us through public and corporate grant opportunities, and now is promoting what we hope will turn into a school wide WEB 2.0 mentality.

In recent years, however, we have been slowed by an aging computer population. As our computer skills and interest in digital media/communication have increased, our decade old “granddaddy” desktops, running Windows 98 (first edition), have not just made execution of our plans an issue, but have dampened staff and student motivation. Many student classroom computers sat encrusted in a layer of dust, used and unloved.

I prayed to the “Computer Gods” for years for deliverance from our sorry desktop state…and recently my prayers were answered. We all left for April vacation and returned to a school desktop wonderland. My lab, which was becoming a computer graveyard, was transformed into a stable of healthy young Dells, ready to run fast and free.  All classrooms underwent a similar transformation. We were back! We were once again “the technology school”. The excitement from staff and students was palpable.

I truly see 2009-2010 as Ferryway’s walk on the WEB 2.0 “wild side”: wikis, blogs, homework and assignments crisscrossing the network, drop boxes, and vastly enhanced cooperation in our digital universe. We now have the technology in place to more effectively make use of our award winning teacher created online educational units and to roll out a comprehensive digital school community. What a difference a day and a Dell make.

I usually don’t accept any talking or getting out of line while walking in the hallway, however when my class sees Mr. Simpson, they can’t control themselves.

Is he coming to our room?

Is it time to do Qwizdom again?

Please, please, can we use it today!!

The look on my students’ faces when we see Mr. Simpson is priceless.  They smile ear-to-ear and have a look of excitement and hope that they will be the students participating in Qwizdom.

Our most recent Qwizdom experience was a great success.  In my first experience with Qwizdom, I tackled a Literacy lesson.  This last time, I took on what I thought would be a more difficult task with Qwizdom: MCAS Math Prep.  After creating the Qwizdom presentation and using it with my class, I realized that Qwizdom was a wonderful tool to use to better my instruction in math.

Prior to implementing the lesson, I was concerned about how students would show their work, which was something I had stressed over and over again through the course of the year.  The students were able to easily write down their answers on a piece of graph paper and then select their answer on their remote.

Now, that all the third grade classes have been able to experience using Qwizdom, we, as a team, have been able to take a look at how each class has performed on the same lesson.  The other teachers and I used the Graph Slides to better plan our upcoming Math review to help prepare students for the May MCAS exam.

We found a multi-step question involving fractions to be extremely difficult.  The students had to find one-third of 12 and then subtract what they found from the total of 12.  They also had to be able to figure out that the person in the story gave away one-third, meaning they kept two-thirds for themselves.  The wording of the question required lots of pre-thinking in order to figure out where to go with the problem.  It required students to find a fractional part of a whole number.  The students also had to be able to realize that if you were giving away one-third, you must be left with two-thirds.  This is definitely a difficult problem to solve, but one the students must be able to complete on the state math exam.

It was clearly displayed through the “Graph Slides” that the students struggled with this problem.  There was no one wrong answer that a majority of students across all third grade classes seemed to choose.  This let us know what we needed to cover was how to approach the solving of this problem from the very first step.  I saw my students struggling while trying to solve it, so I put some images and number sentences on the board while trying to talk through getting the problem started aloud.  I think that this helped some students in my classroom who were completely stuck on where to go.  Another teacher let her students work through the problem the best they could and then had a group discussion of strategies after they entered their answers.   This led to great discussion of the different problem solving strategies that students could use to find the answers.  It also allows us, as teachers, to see that many students need review on multi-step word problems and using fractions.

Personally, I found the Answer Slides to be an extremely helpful teaching tool.  It allowed me to highlight numbers and vocabulary from the questions to show the students what they should be looking for in the questions.  It also allowed me to place number sentences on the slides to show how to solve the questions.  On some answer slides, I was able to pose questions to help those students that were confused or answered incorrectly to start asking themselves the right questions to get to the correct answer.

The morning after the Math lesson, I asked students to write down what they thought of the Qwizdom experience.  Here are some of their responses:

I think that using Qwizdom for lessons is a good way to get better and better at subjects because you won’t need to pass out work, do the work, and pass in the work.  You just need to pass out the remotes, get it ready, and start.

I liked Qwizdom because it’s easy and I like seeing if I got it right or wrong right away!

I love, love, love Qwizdom!

I would like to do it again!

A few months ago there was a New York Times article about a group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) physics professors who decided to transform physics instruction.  They were frustrated by decreasing attendance in their introductory physics courses, not to mention a failure rate between 10 to 12%.  The traditional lecture hall format had to go, replaced by smaller classes focused on interactive, collaborative learning. (Technology Enhanced Active Learning)  It also helped that they received a large donation, which was used to engineer a new learning environment that included white boards, digital displays, round meeting tables, and lots of computers.  The most exciting part of the transformation included the use of a student response system.

A similar significant change on a somewhat smaller scale is happening here at the Ferryway.  We’ve been using the Qwizdom Student Response System (SRS) in grades 3-8.  The system consists of a computer, projector, handheld remotes, a special teacher remote, and software similar to PowerPoint.  I’ve been working with a group of teachers to collaboratively integrate lesson content onto a series of slides.  The projector allows teachers to display content such as bar graphs, maps, digital images, and video clips onto the classroom white board.  Students often use markers on the projected display to underline important vocabulary words or circle details found in images to build their observational skills.  Presentations become interactive when a question slide appears, causing each student remote to display a set of responses.  The ever popular multiple-choice question;  A, B, C or D, can easily be programmed.  Students make their selection and wirelessly send the responses.

To learn more about Qwizdom at the Ferryway, listen to a 3-minute podcast or review lesson handouts by visiting the Ferryway School wiki.  Also, some of our Ferryway teacher are blogging about their Qwizdom experiences.  Thanks Mrs. DeSantis, Ms. Ambrose, Mrs. Shelton, and Mrs. Urban for sharing.

We have started off the new year in Social Studies trying to integrate technology within the classroom whenever the opportunity allows.  First, most textbook lessons are being enhanced with powerpoint visual presentations.  Geography terms, concepts, cultural diversities and people from all over the world can be brought into the classroom using rich visual pictures, animation and sound.  Students in my class have just finished studying about land use conflict in the Amazon rainforest.  We researched 6 different groups that use the rainforest resources and the issues surrounding deforestation, sustainable development and traditional ways of living.  During this unit, I was able to bring teachertube into my classroom to show my students videos created by other students on deforestation and ways to save the rainforests.  This jumped started much enthusiasm for a project based on “saving the rainforest”.  Students could present their ideas about saving the rainforest, traditionally using poster board or mural designs, or step outside the box and “wow” me with technology. Many of the students did powerpoint presentations, some created videos and 1 group designed an interactive website.  I was astonished at how much the students know about technology.  While the technology based presentations were being done, students were engaged and learning. The projects were varied in subject matter and were very interesting due to the current information students could activate from the computer.  It was a huge success! A second way we are using technology in Social Studies is that most quizzes are administered using Qwizdom.  Students have become very familiar with using Qwizdom as an assessment tool.  They have a paper copy of the test to read and answers are electronically recorded.  Students have practiced reviewing their answers and can change an answer if necessary.  Once complete they can get their final score immediately.  It is truly a wonderful way for teachers to see in real time who understands the concepts that were taught and what needs to be reviewed.  It’s immediate feedback for both the teacher and the students.  Plus, we are saving the rainforest by conserving paper by recycling the test for other classes to read and having no answer sheet!  Lastly, I am encouraging all my students to use technology whenever possible and to share their wealth of knowledge with their classmates!  Looking forward to our future lessons surrounded by lots of technology!!!

Students, Stephanie, Hantha and Kamila research Brazilian nuts from the Amazon rainforest.  They found that certain brands of ice cream are made from these nuts.  Their motto,”Save the Amazon…Eat Brazilian Ice Cream.  As an added treat the students shared samples of the ice cream with their classmates.

The 6th grade teachers organized a winter vacation jeopardy game using Quizdom.  Students played 2 rounds of jeapody answering questioned based on the 6th grade content.  Subjects included Math, Science, Social Studies, English and Poke Fun at the Teachers!  Once again, the students enjoyed the game of Quizdom Jeopardy while actively engaged in learning.   The students were very well behaved and had a wonderful time playing.  Congratulations to Caitlyn Applin for “winning it all” for her homeroom by answering the final jeapody question correctly!  The 6th grade team would like to extend our sincere thanks to Mr. Simpson for his time and effort spent bringing fun and technology to our team and students.  Also, we would like to wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday.

My Third Grade class participated in their first Qwizdom experience on Tuesday, December 16, 2008, for approximately an hour and a half. The students were extremely excited about their individual remotes, the projector, and the laptop being in the room. The set-up took a few extra minutes, with assigning the numbered remotes, but I can foresee it going much quicker next time now that the students are familiar with the procedure and that they have an assigned number.

The Qwizdom focused on vocabulary words from three stories read in our Reading Street Text. The students had had multiple exposures to the words and this Qwizdom was used as a way to assess what they remembered. The presentation featured multiple choice questions, while the students completed a written component at their seat in order to back up each answer.

One of the students favorite parts of Qwizdom was the random selection piece. Students were randomly chosen by Qwizdom to read a question, give their answer or explain what they were thinking. This was a great teacher tool as well, allowing all students to be chosen and I didn’t have to keep track of who was or was not reading. It also allowed me to differentiate who was reading what pieces.

Overall, the Qwizdom was beneficial for my students who are reading below grade-level. It allowed students to participate in the same manner as others, and it didn’t make them stand out from the rest of the class.

When it was all done, the students had been assessed, everyone had a good time, and there was no correcting and no grading on my behalf! The Qwizdom print-outs made it easy for me to see who performed well on this assessment and who needed additional instruction and exposure to the vocabulary.

Every time my class sees Mr. Simpson in the hallway, they ask when they are using Qwizdom again!

We had the opportunity to share how Ferryway School teachers use the longer school day to provide increased student opportunities to use technology to support 21st century learning in their classrooms. Mass2020 asked the Ferryway team to present at the state’s annual Expanded Learning Time summit based on our success integrating technology. During, Way Beyond Filmstrips: Using More Time to Integrate Technology Across the Curriculum, one of our effective technology integration strategies was modeled when audience members learned to use the Qwizdom Student Response System as they followed along with our projected PowerPoint presentation.  We’ve been using Qwizdom for the last five months to create interactive instruction that engages ALL students.

Principal, Thomas DeVito started the session by describing our school’s leadership goals. Moving beyond filmstrips, the audience watched a DVD of our recent George Lucas Educational Foundation profile, Turning on Technology. (Watch a streaming version on Edutopia.org)  Bob Simpson then explained how technology is used as a bridge to increase educational opportunity, to enhance enrichment, and as a tool for professional development and instructional improvement.  Fifth grade teacher, Margaret Briatico, detailed the development of the Saugus Iron Works project and showed its impact on student learning.  Finally, ELL teacher, Paul Teixeira discussed how he adapted another online curriculum project, Biome Breakthrough, to enhance language development and learning for his students. He also shared his experiences helping forth grade teachers integrate inquiry-based science and literacy instruction utilizing Qwizdom.

Experience the presentation for yourself.  Watch the multimedia version featuring slides, narration, and audience feedback.

Insert Adobe Presenter Presentation.

Download Ferryway School ELT summit handout (1MB PDF)

The students in the 6th Grade have been learning about the process of urbanization and the patterns of inequality that exist in urban areas.  As a review for an exam on this topic, I created a quizdom lesson using multiple choice,  and true/false responses.  Again student engagement is incredible.  I noticed this time that the students are now settling in with the “newness” and are really concentrating on the self-assessment that the program offers.  When students answer correctly you can see the immediate positive feedback.  When students struggle with an answer, the teacher can pace the lesson and use each question as a “teachable moment” correcting the misconceptions about the concept.  This is probably one of the most useful aspects for using Quizdom for both the teacher and the students.  My lesson also involved modeling good test taking strategies.  If the lesson is projected onto the white boards you can mark up the question showing students how to find and use the context clues within the question to help determine the correct response.  When projecting charts and graphs, students that have clearly mastered the concept can be called up to mark up the board sharing their strategies to other students that may find the concept challenging.  Overall, another successful day in Social Studies bringing technology into the classroom.  This could not have been possible without the help of Mr. Simpson and Mr. Teixeira.  Again, many thanks from the 6th Grade Team and the students!