Using Technology with Reading

Teachers around the world are looking for innovative ways to capture their students attention and to teach them 21st Century Skills along with our required content.  I've attended a few workshops on how to add technology to our classrooms and am excited about the possibilities.  If you don't use any technology with your students, you are not preparing them for their future.  If we teach to yesterdays world, students won't have a chance at survival in this fast paced, technology based world we live in.  I sat in an Engaging the Net Generation workshop from the Schlechty Center and listened to a panel of students talk to a room full of educators about their experiences in school.  That was the most powerful 20-30 minutes ever!  One student explained to the educators in the room that while we think of technology as an option to squeeze in occasionally, they see it as a necessity.  Technology is their everyday world. To them, the technology component is a requirement.

As educators, we have to step up to the plate and provide these students with the best education possible.  That includes using technology!  I teach 2nd grade and my students, although very young, come in already pretty tech savvy.  Use their tech knowledge to help build yours.  Learn from each other!  Take risks!  Be honest with your students and let them know that you are learning too.  They will respect you for it.

I've been looking for ways to use Technology in all content areas of my classroom.  This past year I created a "Reading with Technology" Tic Tac Toe board of activities.  I started using this tic tac toe board with my highest Guided Reading groups.  These students were already able to decode, read with meaning, and summarize.  They were reading well above grade level and I was looking for something to engage and challenge them.  A friend of mine, Kyersten Karbowski, had created a tic tac toe board of reading activities for our grade level the year before.  (Thank you again, Kyersten!) So, inspired by her idea, I changed the activities to be technology based products the kids could create.  I chose apps that we already had on our classroom iPads.  Many of the apps I had already introduced to the class through other activities.  A few of the apps, I introduced to their reading group alone.  Now, they were able to have some choice and to show some creativity in ways to respond to their reading.  I soon realized, this activity was not only great for my higher readers. This was something that everyone in my class could do and enjoy.  It provided some choice and a great deal of differentiation.  It could be used whole group, small group, or as a one on one project for reteach or enrichment. The students who were familiar with some of the apps the whole class had not yet learned became experts.  They helped other students learn how to use the apps.  Students were reading for meaning, responding to literature, using technology, and having FUN!  Students wanted to work on their Tic Tac Toe boards every free second they had!

Even if you don't use this board as a Tic Tac Toe board, you can still pull ideas and/or activities for kids to use.  Maybe you want to try just one of the activities with your class - that's great!  I created two versions of the board and both are attached below for FREE.  Click the link, make a copy of them, edit them and make them your own!  Enjoy and share your ideas back with me.  I plan on making more variations of these boards in the future and would love your input - new activities, new apps, better instructions, etc.  They are a work in progress!  The idea can be used in other content areas too.

The only rule I gave my students is that they may not pick 3 activities that go up and down.  This tic tac toe must go side to side or diagonal.  Why?  Because the first column is character based activities.  The next is story structure based.  The third column is mostly full of extension types of activities.  Enjoy!


Reading with Technology Tic Tac Toe

Reading with Technology Tic Tac Toe #2