The question is: is their a resource that can help educators leverage technology to improve individual and collective student learning goals; and also address how achievement of these learning goals are shared and demonstrated, digitally? I want to explore this question by framing it through ISTE Standard for Educators 6 which reads:
1) ISTE Standard 6a: Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.
2) ISTE Standards 6b: Manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces or in the field.
3) ISTE Standards 6c: Create learning opportunities that challenge students to use a design process and computational thinking to innovate and solve problems.
4) ISTE Standards 6d: Model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections.
I found a resource that I think does a significant job of addressing each of these components of ISTE Standard 6 for Educators, and supporting materials to reflect that understanding. The tool or resource that I am referring to is Writable. Writable – a web based platform – addresses 6a through the use of Google Docs and Google Suite for Education where students can write in embedded Google Docs, and everything is automatically saved to a drive for their portfolios, and exportable to Docs or Sheets. Writable addressed 6b by allowing teachers to embed technology into student learning. It also gives teachers tools they can use to streamline instruction, differentiate and customize learning, and accommodate student needs. Writable also addresses 6c by allowing students to work on multiple assignments at the same time, and those assignments can vary in rubric, videos, resources, etc. Finally, Writable addresses 6d by allowing students to review their own writing or provide anonymous feedback to their classmates. As I look and examine these features, I can see how impactful Writeable can be on addressing ISTE Standard for Educators 6, and also how impactful in can be for educators looking to leverage technology to improve the student learning goals for their class, and achieving those through a digital medium.
To reflect this through application, a 2017 research study on Writebale was done by Dr. Troy Hicks, titled Achieving Writing Proficiency. Dr. Hicks notes that “becoming a successful writer is crucial to a student’s overall trajectory in school, work, and citizenship”. He goes on to note that, “ even before the adoption of the Common Core State Standards, students’ writing had been a matter of national attention; writing proficiency remains an elusive goal for most students, with only 27% of students scoring Proficient and just over 50% writing at a Basic level”. Writeable addresses these educational concerns because it’s design is to “enable students to find success in all academic areas, and prepares students for college, career, and life”. Writeable allows students to practice writing with support and mentorship, and was constructed this way because research has proven that “targeted feedback leads students to revise with intention, a key component of achieving growth and proficiency… Writable is mindful of the needs of students as they learn to write as well as to support the teachers who guide them”.
The strategies of Writeable clearly drive student learning goals as they relate to writing proficiency. As reflected in the research done through Hicks, “Writable takes principles supported in research, and makes them accessible to teachers and students through three overarching principles:
1. Writers need scaffolded practice that connects instruction to feedback;
2. Better feedback inspires writers toward revision; and
3. Better revision leads to a writer’s growth
I like Writable as an example of technology that builds and improves individual and collective learning goals. This incredible tool develops high-quality writing instruction for teachers and students, and helps educators take a practical approach to developing appropriate learning goals around writing for their students.
Resources:
The web link for Writeable is: https://www.writable.com/academy/
The web link for Achieving Writing Proficiency is: https://www.writable.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/research-synopsis-and-pedagogy_writable.pdf
