ECI508


 * [[image:movingpencil2.gif]] || In ECI 508: Teachers as Leaders I chose to research the impact technology had on reading instruction. My purpose for this project was that I was teaching a diverse class of third grade students who often struggled with completing grade level reading projects. Each week, every third grade class would assign a project called a Reading Ticket that directly correlated with the selection from the text we were reading that week. It began by having the students read the story and answer questions. From this point, there were three different columns containing various projects for the students to choose from. Although I think the concept behind the Reading Ticket was appropriate, I found that many of my non-proficient readers were unmotivated to complete the projects. Many times these students would either not submit a project, or they would submit a project that was incomplete. As a result, I used technology as a way to motivate these students, and I even saw some growth in reading.

Click below to see an example of the original reading ticket:

Click [|here] to view an example of the technology ticket I created to engage non-proficient readers in becoming more motivated to complete the weekly Reading Ticket assignment.

__**Research Question**__: How can I effectively use technology to promote reading proficiency in non-proficient students?
Click below to see my research paper that provides insight to the research question above:

Conclusions: Through this inquiry based project I found the majority of my students were more motivated to complete the Reading Ticket using the computer rather than completing the paper copy. It was also interesting, because the twelve non-proficient readers I surveyed at the end of this project really enjoyed it and wanted to continue using the online version of the Reading Ticket. Also, upon grading the work from those twelve students surveyed, I found that only one student received a lower score using the online Reading Ticket. The remainder of the population earned a proficient score, or higher using the online version.

Through this research I have learned that students tend to be more motivated to read and complete assignments with the use of the computer. While my class worked on this project I noticed that there was no complaining about having to complete the Reading Ticket, and the class actually argued with me when our Reading block had ended because they wanted to keep working on the assignment. Also, I noticed a higher quality of work than when the students completed the paper copy. The students seemed more willing to put forth extra effort to produce a product that reflected their overall understanding of the story. Lastly, the non-proficient readers used illustrations to help them understand parts of the story that they were unsure of, as well as the assistance of some of the software programs. Please view the coinciding graphs that depict my research results as well as examples of student work from completing the paper copy of the Reading Ticket as well as the online version: ||  ||