RATIONALE: As a Kindergarten teacher, I see a wide variety of reading abilities at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. I see some students gravitate to picking up a book and reading and some who gravitate toward other things. I've also seen some students LOVE to read to themselves, their peers, and to me but I have also seen students who seem to DREAD reading. I've found that most commonly, the students who dread reading have a hard time with it. These students are not excited or motivated to read because they find it difficult and not enjoyable. Throughout my graduate program, I have learned how technology can be incorporated in classrooms and be beneficial to student learning. Because of this, my compelling question is: How can incorporating technology in my classroom motivate my Kindergarten readers?
FINDINGS: My first year teaching was the year before I started my Master's program. I hardly used technology in my classroom (even though I work at a STEM school) because I didn't know what tools were out there for me. I also just wanted to do things how the other teachers on my team were doing them. Being in the New Literacies and Global Learning (NLGL) K-12 reading program, I learned how to use technology in my classroom from my professors and classmates who work at other schools across the state. After going to different Professional Developments (PDs) at my school that were based on technology, reading and studying tech tools for kids, and trying new things in my classroom, I soon saw that it wasn't intimidating anymore and the students enjoyed it so much! Even students who struggle in reading were motivated to grab an iPad or hop on a computer to complete Literacy activities.
FINDINGS: My first year teaching was the year before I started my Master's program. I hardly used technology in my classroom (even though I work at a STEM school) because I didn't know what tools were out there for me. I also just wanted to do things how the other teachers on my team were doing them. Being in the New Literacies and Global Learning (NLGL) K-12 reading program, I learned how to use technology in my classroom from my professors and classmates who work at other schools across the state. After going to different Professional Developments (PDs) at my school that were based on technology, reading and studying tech tools for kids, and trying new things in my classroom, I soon saw that it wasn't intimidating anymore and the students enjoyed it so much! Even students who struggle in reading were motivated to grab an iPad or hop on a computer to complete Literacy activities.