The implementation went well. I made sure to have the computers set up before hand the second time around. I also noticed that the students were comprehending the information verbally although it was not showing on the written assessments previously.
I have continued to see an increase in scores compared to the written assessments. For the ELL students, there has been an average increase of 25% and for the special needs students an average increase of 35%.
Some increasing more than others, but I plan to look at their final Scantron scores at the end of the year as well.
If I was to approach another project of this type, I would implement it earlier in the year to get a wider range of data. Also, I would collect more original data that gave me grounds for a project, like keeping more of their vocabulary tests.
This program has unlimited benefits. I wish I was able to explore and implement more tools. I would use this in more areas, such as for writing assignments when they have to explain the process of solving a problem. Some students struggle with writing and if I want to assess their thinking process this would help target that. This will help them not to focus , but on the content. Also, the program has a cue tool to help students with spelling. It can give five options of a word they think they are trying to spell and when they highlight that word it as says it out loud as well to make sure it is the word they want. These tools will maintain focus on the content instead of on their spelling, neatness and presentation.
The hardest part for me is figuring out how to implement a project smoothly. I struggled with the direction of this project and identifying a technology tool that would help the issues I was having in class, but once I sorted out the details and created a structure for implementation the project fell in place. Having a clean and clear outline will aid in a more successful project.
Very encouraging! I can think of several of my own students that could benefit from the different aspects of the program that you described. It is amazing how technology can be so multi-faceted and be helpful to so many different people. I like your point about getting things set up ahead of time. I know I personally can get very frustrated when I haven't taken the time to plan things out and get it set up before hand. I'm sure the more you implement, the smoother it will be!
ReplyDeleteI hope you are able to continue successfully implementing this project. I would be interested to know how the test scores turn out at the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck as you put everything together...
Recently, I have had 5 students pulled from my 1st hour to receive help with ELL. What a great benefit this could be to incorporate that into their work with their ELL coach. I am going to get in touch with her and let her know about the work that you have been doing! I think it would be great to continue this next year, so you can get a full set of data to compare.
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