Introduction

1. Keys to 21stCentury Engagement in Language Arts Genevieve Di Giulio Graduate School of Education, Touro University California Results The initial question that asked students to rate their interest in classwork prior to the infusion of technology, yielded 65% of the scores at four or five, where five equates to a response of “highly satisfied/interested.” Yet, when the question was asked in a different manner, only 22% of students scored a 4 or higher. The first results didn’t show any significant increase in satisfaction over using the few digital tools. However, the second question did. It may be important to note that students gave a higher rating on the first question rather than the third. In addition, 68% of students rated their level of interest at a four or higher while working on the Webquest and 77% rated use of a blog at a score of 4 or higher.Students rated their satisfaction with student-responses on paper and with the blog at a 67% and 68% satisfaction, respectively. Further, when asked in a yes-no format, 86% of students believed that the blog formatwasa valuable format for learning and sharing ideas. Finally,asubstantialdecrease in students’ off-task behavior was noted. Figures 1: 77% of the students rated their level of interest in writing a blog response at a “4” or higher on a 5-point scale. Figure 2: 68% of the students rated their level of interest in researching through a Webquest at a “4” or higher on a 5-point scale. Figure 3: 86% of the students surveyed believe that blogs are a valuable format for learning and sharing ideas Conclusions Students’ survey responses to these technological additions were highly positive, such that the first question may be flawed. They reported increased interest and curiosity over the lessons in their optional written responses. My informal observations matched their responses. I noticed decreased off-task behavior and noted an increase in complex peer-to-peer responses of the blogs as instruction was adapted to student-needs. In addition, students responded to more than the required reactions to other peers’ blog responses. Introduction • Driving Question & Action Research • Will student engagement increase when blogs and a WebQuest are implemented in an eighth grade language arts classroom? Reflections Teachers’ new awareness of students’ needs offers an avenue for presenting material in a new and innovative way. In order to engage students, we must integrate technology because, as one student stated, “…most of our use today is through technology.” Equally important is the necessity to provide students with the opportunity to enhance their 21st century skills, including collaborating, creating, questioning and reflecting. As an entry to utilizing technological resources, this action research on blogging in the classroom offers many new insights. Most important, it shows the power technology has to spark and maintain student-interest. In addition, technology provides instruction in skills students need in order to be more successful outside of school. As students progressed through the blog entries, some were naturally able to respond in a concise and complex manner, with clear reflection in their answers. However, others treated the blogs as they would have on a social networking site. If the teacher strategically targets specific language arts skills then students will hone their answers to fit an appropriate collaborative structure. In this manner, teachers are better able to assess student needs and adjust teaching as necessary. Students’ survey responses offer suggestions for effective adaptations related to presenting the lesson and proceeding through it. The surveys offered the students the opportunity to have ownership in the class and reflect on their own learning process. The power of this process resides in knowing the technological tools and learning objectives and always reflecting to adjust teaching practice. After fifteen years of teaching, it became abundantly clear to the researcher that the needs of the students have changed. The best methods for applying 21st century skills in the 8th grade language arts classroom was unclear. However, students’ waning interest in the traditional coursework and curriculum confirmed that change was necessary. This change was validated the day that a five-minute YouTube video on how to complete an advanced Google search was presented in class. Not a riveting topic, yet, surprisingly, all 36 students were glued to the screen and even chose to take notes. It was then that the focus of this study was set to explore ways to leverage technology as a tool to engage students in the language arts curriculum. Across the nation, with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (2010), technology has become elevated in the general curriculum. Teachers need to refine and alter student access to the content material and how they present what they know and understand. Digital tools and resources naturally support this endeavor. Project Overview An Accelerated language arts class of 36 students was observed over a one-week period. The observations were conducted at the beginning of a unit before students read“The Diary of Anne Frank” play. Students were given a WebQuestto research WWII and Anne Frank’s biography to fill in a gap in students’ knowledge of this time period. Students were then prompted to refer to their new knowledge and personal impressions in a blog format on a daily basis. They were required to also respond to at least one other student’s blog each day. Research Methods Observational and survey methodswere used to collect data on the driving question. An observational research approach was used throughout the project. Aten-question anonymous online survey that addressed student-motivation and perceived value in using the technological resources was given and 35 of 36 students responded. Seven questions were rated on a five-point scale of level of interest. Two questions were a yes-no format and there was one fill-in response.Time-on-task and the number of behavior corrections required were also collected. Background and Need Strong teachers know their students and utilize this knowledge to create opportunity forstudents to make connections to curriculum. Most of the eighth grade students at the school in the study are digital natives. To that end, it was imperative that instruction match their interest. For these students, technology drives their world, and as such, should be central to making learning meaningful for them. If students lack interest in the curriculum, then this new knowledge won’t enter their long-term memory (Marzano, Pickering, & Heflebower, 2011). Furthermore, our technological world demands that these students meet the 21st-century learning needs that will ensure success beyond school. In fact, 70% of U.S. jobs require specialized knowledge and skills, including collaborating, communicating in many forms and developing new products and ideas. The onset of the Common Core State Standards include this need, as multiple studies have shown achievement gains increase with problem-oriented curriculum that includes a performance assessment (Darling-Hammond, 2010). A disheartening statistic that invigorated my search for change comes from the National Assessment of Educational Progress’ report that, 34% of 8th graders demonstrated a “solid” or “superior” score in reading abilities (Ferriter & Garry 2010). If we strategically leverage technology as a tool, it may improve both students’ language arts skills and their 21st century skills. Literature cited Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future. New York: Teachers College Press. Ferriter, W., & Garry, A. (2010). Teaching the iGeneration: 5 Easy Ways to Introduce Essential Skills with Web 2.0 Tools. Bloomington: Solution Tree Press. Marzano, R.J., & Pickering, D.J. (2011). The Highly Engaged Classroom. Bloomington: Marzano Research Laboratory. Students’ Anonymous Survey Responses “I definitely liked the blog responses and seeing what others had to say about what you wrote. It really made me understand it more. I liked how you could see what others had to say too. And seeing what the they said about yours or what they said about other people's blogs as well.” “Well I think that making a response or doing a survey on Webquest and blogs, for me it makes it less boring to do tasks. Paper and pencil is just plain.” “I like using the webquest because most of our use today is through technology.” Acknowledgments My appreciation to NapaLearns and Napa Valley Retired Teachers Association for providing the financial support to pursue my desire to truly become an innovator. For further info: Please contact Touro University @ www.tu.edu. More information on this and related projects can be obtained at www.learnovationlab.org