Monthly Archives: May 2014

Drag, Drop, & Scroll!

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Technology Skills for College & Career Readiness

Are your students College and Career Ready?  Really college and career ready? That is the goal of the Common Core State Standards, but it goes beyond the academic standards. In order to be ready to enter the workforce or be successful in college, they also must master technological skills as well.

You may be thinking: my kids are on technology eighteen hours a day; they have mastered technology!  This may be true, but there are specific skills that will benefit them not only in taking PARCC (Partnership for the Assessment for the Readiness of College and Careers) or Smarter Balanced assessments.

These assessments are designed for online administration; we want the online format to be an impediment to student success, but these skills are useful well beyond the test, ensuring students are truly ready for College & Careers.  The goal should be seamlessly integrating a variety of technology to guide and assist students in learning and demonstrating understanding.

Here are ten technology skills that students will need to master for online testing as well as for their college & careers:

  1. Keyboarding—not only knowing how to type but also how use the keyboard effectively—making various punctuation marks, using the arrows, etc.
  2. Reading on a screen—read continual text on an electronic device and be able to adjust color, size, etc.
  3. Composing on a device—actually writing and entire piece or taking notes using a keyboard, computer, or other electronic device
  4. Dragging & dropping—manipulating stuff on the screen
  5. Navigating screens or tabs—clicking on tabs to move from one to another; returning to previous tabs
  6. Scrolling in multiple windows—having a text on the left with its own scroll bar (that moves the text up and down) and another window on the write to answer questions
  7. Math tools—using a calculator, ruler, protractor, etc. on a computer or device rather than in real life
  8. Writing tools—cut & past, underlining, bold, bullets, highlighting, spell check
  9. Using media—being able to stop, start, or restart videos, audio clips, podcasts
  10. Note taking—jotting down key details, text evidence, and textual information as one reads, views, or listens

How do you accomplish these during your day? Here are three very easy but useful hints for developing technology skills in your students:

  • Use an Interactive Whiteboard (SMART Board or Promethean Board) to display the keyboard and show how to make capital letters, different punctuation marks, etc.
  • Try a wireless keyboard that can be moved around the room for students to type on. (I got one at Target for about thirty bucks.)
  • Use a program such as Microsoft ® OneNote to record details and information as one reads, views, or listens.

Check out an infographic on College & Career technology.

Quick–Write!

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Are you able to stop and produce a complete, well-developed piece of writing on demand?  Chances are, you do this all the time in your job or personal life.  We write emails, reports, summaries, and many other things each day.

On-Demand Writing is one of the tools to assess whether students are College & Career Ready–whether they have mastered Common Core State Standards.

The Common Core State Standards have brought about a renewed emphasis on writing. Students will be required to write more than ever. Not only will they be required to write for extended times, but also to create shorter, complete pieces in one sitting. On Demand Writing , as this is called, is essential to help prepare students for realistic writing experiences. Research shows that most jobs require workers to do some form of writing, and much of the writing is done without an opportunity to revise, edit, or “publish” by rewriting neatly. Most of the writing we do as adults is quick; we write notes or e-mails to friends or colleagues, lists, etc. It is critical for today’s students to be able to create cohesive, thoughtful pieces which are include accurate spelling and grammar in order to communicate clearly in the workforce.

In On Demand Writing , students must complete a complete draft in a single writing session. This may be as short as 10 or up to 60 minutes. The teacher shows a brief prompt to students and sets a visible timer. Writing  On Demand pieces should address a variety of text types and purposes, including opinion, informative/explanatory, and narrative. Students may type or write their piece, and are expected to draft, revise, and edit within the time period.

Want more information or some lesson seeds or prompts to develop the ability to Write On Demand?  Download my Writing On Demand Packet!