Study Island

This year we have been (re)introduced to Study Island. I say REintroduced because our school utilized this tool a few years ago with our 3rd-5th graders, but got rid of it after a year. However, now that it is a big push in the district, we are using it again. To be honest, I am not sure how I feel about using it with primary students but I haven't explored it enough to be able to compare it to what we use currently. 

I am typically leary of programs when they are pushed as the "latest and greatest" and simply because they are connected to test scores like MAP, which is why Study Island is currently being promoted. But I am willing to give it a chance. 

My plan is to take the next two weeks to explore and see what it has to offer for my second graders. We currently use Lexia and Dreambox. Both have their pros and cons. Once we come back from spring break, I plan to try out study island with my students to see what they think. 

Here's what I do know...

Study Island connects to both ELA and math standards. It has "learning paths" designed for those students who took the 2-5 MAP test, and whose scores are connected to their individual accounts. This is really nice because it creates personalized learning opportunities for your students. However, not as convenient for the K-2 teachers whose students did not take the 2-5 test. 

There are lots of different ways for students to learn on Study Island. There are practice questions, game modes, lesson opportunities, and more. You can even connect your students to resources like Khan Academy. 

Teachers can go on and explore materials and resources for lesson planning, learning about different topics, and creating assignments for student learning. Teachers can create assignments with rubrics so that student work can be scored online, a convenient feature. 

I am sure there is a lot more for me to learn about using Study Island and that we are behind in getting started with our students using it. If any of you reading have experience or opinions on using Study Island, especially in the primary classroom...let me know!  

Comments

  1. Niki DownsMarch 31, 2019 at 1:20 PM

    Our school decided to switch to Study Island from Moby Max because of the alignment with MAP. We just switched this month, so I have no familiarity other than knowing it aligns. I hope that my school sends out an article to research or some other data/information so that I can be in-tune with what my students will be doing. I have looked through the website, but until I see it in action it's really hard to tell. If you find out anything else, I would like that info and I'll do the same for you :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GoNoodle

Image
This week I'm blogging about movement, mindfulness, and incorporating those things into academics. GoNoodle is a free resource for all of those things for anyone in a K-5 classroom. If you are an elementary teacher looking to incorporate movement into your learning or even just a few brain breaks throughout the day, you should definitely check it out!  WHAT IS GONOODLE? GoNoodle is a FREE online resource for teachers in the K-5 classroom. It provides short, interactive videos that get kids up and moving throughout the school day. Activities range anywhere from 1 minute to 15 minutes, depending on what you are wanting your students to do. You can find anything from calming videos that simply teach your students to breathe to intense workout videos that get students up and alert for the day.  WHAT KINDS OF ACTIVITIES CAN YOU DO? There are several "channels" on GoNoodle that allow teachers and students to have choice in what kind of activity they want to engag...
Read more

ClassDojo

Image
This week I'm talking about an app that does it all...behavior management, photo/video sharing, and parent communication. Class Dojo is a great way to motivate students, as well as keep parents in the loop.  I originally stated using Classdojo for behavior management. With Dojo, teachers can assign each student their own avatar to which they are assigned points. Teachers can use both positive and "needs work" points for student behavior. One of the features I like most is that you can create your own skills for awarding or deducting points. This makes the point system more relevant to your students and can allow for differentiated skills based on your students needs.  Here are some examples from my own classroom: Not only does Dojo keep track of students points, it also generates pie charts based on students behavior feedback and can be emailed and shared with parents daily, weekly, monthly, or by using set dates.  Another way you can use Dojo is by...
Read more

Blog Following - Daily Technology Warmups

This week on Erin's blog we are looking at a simple way to incorporate tech into your classroom every day. If you are using technology regularly in the classroom or are a technology teacher with a cart or a lab, doing a daily warm up can build classroom community, enhance your digital citizenship discussions, and help students practice coding, design thinking, get energized, and more! If you are a classroom teacher integrating technology the biggest obstacle you face is finding TIME. We often want our students to utilize technology but don't have the time to teach the technology itself. Erin  developed a set of   180 EDITABLE Technology Daily Warm Ups  that can meet the needs of both classroom teachers and technology teachers. What Are Technology Daily Warm Ups? A technology warm up is a short, typically 5-minute activity that can be completed during morning or afternoon meetings, bell ringers, transitions, etc. Questions and activities are technology focused bu...
Read more