Grant overview

The Common Core State Standards
expect students to use technology to conduct research projects, to collaborate
on shared writing projects, to produce and publish writing, and to provide
ongoing feedback. Students are also expected to demonstrate their individual
writing process, including revision, rewriting, editing their own work. To
really accomplish these goals, technology should be incorporated into the
Language Arts classroom on a consistent and frequent basis. Google Chromebooks
provide a way to accomplish this because they allow students to access Google
Drive to write and store documents and presentations as well as to conduct
research. Students can also use Chromebooks to create webpages and interactive
content. Chromebooks are ideal for the text-based world of the ELA classroom
because they allow us to access Google Drive, they provide keyboards for
students to use in their writing, and they allow us to access video clips from
YouTube and other sources, which will help students prepare for the Smarter
Balanced assessment. For my grant, I received 20 Chromebooks to use in my
Creative Writing, Sophomore and Senior English classes. In each of these
classes, students will use Google Docs to compose their essays and other
written work, automatically tracking their writing process and revision history,
as well as providing a way for students to engage in thoughtful peer revision.
Students will no longer need to bring written copies for each student in a peer
revision group, and all changes and suggestions will be available to the
student and teacher to see as they work. Students will also complete research
projects, shared writing projects, including publishing their projects and
responding to one another’s work.