I had a training this week as I am lucky enough to have been selected to help pilot Scholastic's iRead program! We are the first district in the state to launch the program, and one of a few in the nation! How exciting!!! Scholastic iRead is a breakthrough digital program designed to ensure mastery of all foundational reading skills of the Common Core that launched just last year in a few school districts on the East coast.
It is Scholastic's K-2 program, somewhat similar to their Read 180 and System 44 programs. It is a digital reading program for everybody to use, with personalized learning paths that students can either fast-track through or repeat if needed, covering 5 main principles of early reading. It provides a ton of data for teachers, which the program combines with online resources and activities in one place-woohoo! I'm SUPER jazzed up about it and can't wait to see what impact it has for my students this year.
I'm most intrigued by the auditory/visual piece. Independent learning with correct audio and visuals to boot--yes please! The gaming theory behind it is amazing-everything from the activities themselves to the graphics easily draw you in and I think will be a huge motivator for my students! I am also really intrigued by the family component-it has lots of ways that students and their families can be actively learning at home.
Truthfully I'm a little nervous about the time commitment of learning a whole new program, as I think as teachers we always have a lot on our plates. And I know that they will be watching my data closely--which I think is a little unnerving for any teacher! But I have faith in my teaching foundation and I feel like this program will be an added benefit to all of my students-even if it means more work for me. They do provide a lot of teacher support, with the trainer coming to visit my in my classroom at least 8 times this upcoming year. That makes me feel comforted that if I am unsure of anything I can get support and feedback quickly.
My favorite part of the training is when the instructor mentioned how they are striving to take the best of technology and the best of teaching and blend them together. Exactly what we believe here at thetechieteachers and what I strive to do every day in my classroom! Make sure to follow us to hear the latest about the program and how it is working in my classroom! If you use a Scholastic program in your school we'd love to hear any feedback or tips about it all!
