Description of Intervention
This research project investigated the use of iPads as an instructional tool to develop kindergarten students’ early reading subskills. Before reading subskills were practiced using the iPad and through participation in other classroom centers, content was explicitly introduced and reviewed with students in whole- and small- group settings.
At the beginning of October 2013, the iPad was first introduced as a learning tool to all of the students in the participating kindergarten classroom. In a whole- group setting, on the classroom meeting rug, I held up the iPad and asked students to describe what it was. It was then explained to the students that the iPad was going to be used as a tool to practice the skills necessary to learn how to read. During the introduction of each literacy center activity during the first month of kindergarten, the students and I discussed the skills required for reading. Together the students were able to comprise an accurate list of skills they must learn and practice to become successful readers. They noted that to read, you must learn and practice, “picture walks, letter sounds, sounding out words, letter names, drawing pictures, writing words and sentences, rhyming words, syllables, high-frequency words, and read the same book more than once.” The discussion continued with children sharing their experiences and use of the iPad at home.
The next day, with my guidance, the students participated in discussing guidelines to follow while using this new technology in the classroom. Once the guidelines were established, I modeled the appropriate behavior for using the iPad. I asked the students what they noticed about my behavior as I engaged in using the iPad as a learning tool. I then had students take turns to model and notice appropriate behaviors with the iPad. The students’ expectations were recorded; and each child wrote his or her name on the chart to abide by the guidelines when responsibly using iPads to learn in the classroom.
A gradual release of responsibility model was then used to successfully my students to use this new technological tool as a learning device in a careful and deliberate way. After the introduction to this tool was complete, I modeled for the class, under a document camera that projected the image of my iPad onto the SMART board. I demonstrated how to turn the iPad on, access an app, and press the home button to close an app. The first apps students used were to reinforce letter recognition and letter sound connection. In a teacher-led learning station of heterogeneous groups, the iPad application ABC Go Go, a game that is full of creative sounds and environmental print and pictures, was modeled to students using a think-aloud process. In addition to the skill being practiced, this app was used to explicitly teach how to hold and handle the device, as well as how to use the swipe and tap function of the iPad to navigate the activity within an app. While I remained at the iPad station, social interactions were facilitated, skills being taught were expanded, and observations of student performance were made for the students in my group. While some students worked in the teacher-led iPad station, the kindergarten aide monitored as other students used manipulatives in more traditional classroom centers to practice the same early reading subskills as in the iPad station.
The next day, all students participated in homogenous guided-reading groups and engaged in the traditional, multi-sensory reading centers during the designated literacy block. The iPads were placed on the tables for all students to independently engage in the ABC Go Go app upon their return from music class. Students used the iPads at the same time every day, when students returned from out of class activities. The kindergarten aide and I monitored the whole group of students as they successfully maneuvered through an iPad application for the first time on their own. Because students displayed the appropriate behavior while using the iPad application so quickly and effortlessly, a new app was introduced the following day. Again, students met in a teacher-led iPad station while rotating to the traditional independent reading centers. I demonstrated playing ABC Magic Phonics, a game where a phonetic photo image is matched with each letter, then students practiced independently. On the third day of intervention, students used the most recently introduced app, ABC Magic Phonics, for five minutes, and then were given the choice to continue, or also play ABC Go Go for the remaining 10 minutes.
Due to the observed success and ease of use, on the fourth day of the intervention, a new iPad application was modeled to the whole class instead of in small groups. Students played this new app, ABC Alphabet Phonics, a game to learn the ABC’s by sight, sound, and touch, for five minutes. After five minutes, students were given the choice to play the newly introduced app or the previously introduced.
At the end of the first week of the intervention, students were assigned a numbered iPad, taught how to take out and put it away in the cart, and how to carry it safely while walking. During this session, they were allowed to choose any of the three of the introduced apps to practice reading subskills.
Throughout the next six weeks of this research project, students were introduced to two new reading apps in the whole-group setting twice a week. Students were first instructed to practice the newly introduced application and were then able to choose from the previously taught applications. Students practice early reading subskills using Phonics Genius, Little Matchups ABC Alphabet, ABC Magic Phonics, Alphabet Learn, Abby Monkey Letter Quiz Adventure, LetterQuiz, abcWOW!, Little Writer for Kids, Rhyming Bee, Sentence Reading Magic, Silly Sentences, and Cimo Spelling. During the eighth week, students practiced previously introduced apps, and were introduced to the app Doodle Buddy, a virtual whiteboard slate. This app was used to practice writing letters, consonant-vowel-consonant words, high-frequency words, and short sentences. These skills were practiced after oral directions to students and modeling on the SMART Board by me. For the remaining two weeks of the research project, students had the opportunity to independently engage in any of the 16 applications to practice early reading subskills.
At the beginning of October 2013, the iPad was first introduced as a learning tool to all of the students in the participating kindergarten classroom. In a whole- group setting, on the classroom meeting rug, I held up the iPad and asked students to describe what it was. It was then explained to the students that the iPad was going to be used as a tool to practice the skills necessary to learn how to read. During the introduction of each literacy center activity during the first month of kindergarten, the students and I discussed the skills required for reading. Together the students were able to comprise an accurate list of skills they must learn and practice to become successful readers. They noted that to read, you must learn and practice, “picture walks, letter sounds, sounding out words, letter names, drawing pictures, writing words and sentences, rhyming words, syllables, high-frequency words, and read the same book more than once.” The discussion continued with children sharing their experiences and use of the iPad at home.
The next day, with my guidance, the students participated in discussing guidelines to follow while using this new technology in the classroom. Once the guidelines were established, I modeled the appropriate behavior for using the iPad. I asked the students what they noticed about my behavior as I engaged in using the iPad as a learning tool. I then had students take turns to model and notice appropriate behaviors with the iPad. The students’ expectations were recorded; and each child wrote his or her name on the chart to abide by the guidelines when responsibly using iPads to learn in the classroom.
A gradual release of responsibility model was then used to successfully my students to use this new technological tool as a learning device in a careful and deliberate way. After the introduction to this tool was complete, I modeled for the class, under a document camera that projected the image of my iPad onto the SMART board. I demonstrated how to turn the iPad on, access an app, and press the home button to close an app. The first apps students used were to reinforce letter recognition and letter sound connection. In a teacher-led learning station of heterogeneous groups, the iPad application ABC Go Go, a game that is full of creative sounds and environmental print and pictures, was modeled to students using a think-aloud process. In addition to the skill being practiced, this app was used to explicitly teach how to hold and handle the device, as well as how to use the swipe and tap function of the iPad to navigate the activity within an app. While I remained at the iPad station, social interactions were facilitated, skills being taught were expanded, and observations of student performance were made for the students in my group. While some students worked in the teacher-led iPad station, the kindergarten aide monitored as other students used manipulatives in more traditional classroom centers to practice the same early reading subskills as in the iPad station.
The next day, all students participated in homogenous guided-reading groups and engaged in the traditional, multi-sensory reading centers during the designated literacy block. The iPads were placed on the tables for all students to independently engage in the ABC Go Go app upon their return from music class. Students used the iPads at the same time every day, when students returned from out of class activities. The kindergarten aide and I monitored the whole group of students as they successfully maneuvered through an iPad application for the first time on their own. Because students displayed the appropriate behavior while using the iPad application so quickly and effortlessly, a new app was introduced the following day. Again, students met in a teacher-led iPad station while rotating to the traditional independent reading centers. I demonstrated playing ABC Magic Phonics, a game where a phonetic photo image is matched with each letter, then students practiced independently. On the third day of intervention, students used the most recently introduced app, ABC Magic Phonics, for five minutes, and then were given the choice to continue, or also play ABC Go Go for the remaining 10 minutes.
Due to the observed success and ease of use, on the fourth day of the intervention, a new iPad application was modeled to the whole class instead of in small groups. Students played this new app, ABC Alphabet Phonics, a game to learn the ABC’s by sight, sound, and touch, for five minutes. After five minutes, students were given the choice to play the newly introduced app or the previously introduced.
At the end of the first week of the intervention, students were assigned a numbered iPad, taught how to take out and put it away in the cart, and how to carry it safely while walking. During this session, they were allowed to choose any of the three of the introduced apps to practice reading subskills.
Throughout the next six weeks of this research project, students were introduced to two new reading apps in the whole-group setting twice a week. Students were first instructed to practice the newly introduced application and were then able to choose from the previously taught applications. Students practice early reading subskills using Phonics Genius, Little Matchups ABC Alphabet, ABC Magic Phonics, Alphabet Learn, Abby Monkey Letter Quiz Adventure, LetterQuiz, abcWOW!, Little Writer for Kids, Rhyming Bee, Sentence Reading Magic, Silly Sentences, and Cimo Spelling. During the eighth week, students practiced previously introduced apps, and were introduced to the app Doodle Buddy, a virtual whiteboard slate. This app was used to practice writing letters, consonant-vowel-consonant words, high-frequency words, and short sentences. These skills were practiced after oral directions to students and modeling on the SMART Board by me. For the remaining two weeks of the research project, students had the opportunity to independently engage in any of the 16 applications to practice early reading subskills.