Evaluating Emerging Technologies Assessment

Caitlin Lyons

7445: W02
The purpose of
Flocabulary is to build
vocabulary knowledge
that will be applied to
reading comprehension
and increase academic
achievement.
 “Flocabulary is a learning program for all
grades that uses educational hip-hop music
to engage students and increase
achievement across the curriculum.”

What is Flocabulary?
https://www.flocabulary.com/what-is-flocabulary/
 What is Flocabulary?

- Standards-based videos We all know the Water Cycle song that

- Instructional activities helps us remember the order and
- Vocabulary flash cards vocabulary words. But combine an
- Games engaging tune, memorable lyrics, and
- Read & Respond
exciting visuals, and you get a whole new
- Quizzes
- “Lyric Lab”
kind of comprehension! See for yourself!
- Student creativity tools
https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/water-cycle/
- Unique music videos for all subjects
- Teacher Resources
Listen to the Experts

Research shows that “music facilitates

memorization and recall of academic content,
while the use of hip-hop and other
culturally-relevant media increases student
engagement”.
https://www.flocabulary.com/what-is-flocabulary/
 “Vocabulary knowledge is
important because it encompasses
all the words we must know to
Why is Vocabulary access our background knowledge,
Knowledge express our ideas and communicate
Important? effectively, and learn about new
concepts.”

- Sedita, 2005, p. 2-5

What Flocabulary Offers:

- Catchy, engaging music videos help students learn and comprehend

concepts from multiple subjects and standards, such as:

- Theme: https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/theme/
- Elapsed Time: https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/elapsed-time/
- Civil War: https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/civil-war/
- Internet Safety: https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/internet-safety/

- Their library contains a variety of videos that directly correlate with

Common Core Standards for Math and ELA
Shared Technology Vision
Avery’s vision for technology use is to
support and engage student learning.

By utilizing Flocabulary, students are

introduced to a new way of learning or
reviewing. Videos can be viewed as a hook
to a lesson, used to reinforce a concept,
remediate, or used for review.

Videos are also compatible with a variety of

learning platforms such as Canvas and
Google Classroom, making it easy to input
and assign a video for students to view
independently.
Usability in the Classroom

- Videos and activities connect to standards from Kindergarten through 12th grade.

- They also provide lessons on multiple Social-Emotional Learning, Health and Wellness,
Racial Justice, Financial Literacy, and much more.

- Elementary students would primarily benefit from this resource when implemented
within a lesson in the classroom.

- Middle and High School students could use it independently or within a classroom
setting.
Usability in the Classroom

- To best use this emerging technology, teachers and students

would need access to one or more of the following:
- Projector with speakers such as a Smart Board or Promethean
- Laptops (students can partner up or complete independently)
- Headphones
- Learning platform such as Canvas if teachers want to assign or
post the video and resources as a review
Training & Technical Support
Flocabulary offers different forms of training, such as:

- In-Person Trainings
- Writing Rhymes for Academic Purpose (WRAP)
- Flocabulary Training Templates (for professional
development or training others)
- Teacher Training Video

Follow this link to access training videos and slides:

http://blog.flocabulary.com/training-and-pd/#1490039459246-963a
c857-1542

They also have staff on-hand to answer any questions

by email or phone:
- info@flocabulary.com
- (718) 852-0105
Limitations

While this emerging technology is a great resource for teachers and students,
schools should be aware of all videos offered. Some videos touch on hot topics
such as racial justice and “The Week in Rap” which could pose an issue
depending on someone’s views and opinions.

Teachers should always view a video before presenting it or assigning it to their

class.
 Cost
Lite (Best for Individual Teachers) --- $10/month

School (Most Popular with Teachers & School Admins) --- Must Contact for a Quote

District (Smartest Choice for Multiple Schools in a District) --- Custom Pricing
Funding Options

- Avery’s School Talent Show could

put funds raised towards the
purchase of a yearly subscription.

- The Media Center has allocated

funds for teaching and reading
resources that could potentially be
used towards a subscription.

- Teachers could put out a proposal

on DonorsChoose.org to raise funds.
Meeting Standards
- Lessons are created to directly align with standards from Kindergarten through 12th
grade in all subject areas.

- Math and ELA videos and activities are aligned with Common Core Standards.

- Wide range of videos to help teach students about internet safety, coding, and more.

- Activities are available to promote student technology standards, such as the Lyric Lab,
games, and Vocabulary Cards. Students can also create their own videos as an
extension activity.

Visit this link to view lesson and standard alignment: https://www.flocabulary.com/standards/ela/k/

Promoting Learning Goals
- Each video and lesson is designed with a specific learning goal in mind that
teachers can use to enhance their instruction:
- Teachers can use a video as a hook to a new concept or skill
- Students can view a video and Vocab Cards as a review before a test
- Teachers can embed a video into their learning platform (Canvas) for students to
view at home as a flipped-classroom concept
- Teachers can assign the Vocab Game, Read & Response, or Quiz as a quick
check or assessment grade
- Students can participate in Project-Based Learning by creating a song in the
Lyric Lab and publishing it on Music.ly, TikTok, or other music apps
- Encourages higher-order thinking skills through applying and creating products
outside of the resource
- Provides weekly news updates through “The Week in Rap” and “The Week in
Rap Junior” to communicate locally and globally
Click Here for Full Document
 “Stahl and Fairbanks (1986) cite frequency as
an essential element to vocabulary
Listen to the instruction that is effective in improving
reading comprehension. Other research
Experts: suggests that repetition in vocabulary
instruction can support reading fluency
(Jenkins et al., 1984; Topping & Paul, 1999)
( p.10-11)”.
“The Word Up Project is built upon best
instructional practices as well as upon
what we know about student
engagement and motivation. Research
suggests that use of a program like The “For English language learners, providing
Word Up Project will provide students multiple exposures in varied instructional
with the skills and knowledge they contexts is essential. For these students, it
need to meet the increasing literacy is particularly important that vocabulary
demands of the 21st century ( p.29).” instruction incorporate oral, reading, and
writing activities (Francis, Rivera, Lesaux,
Kieffer, & Rivera, 2006a) ( p.9).”
 91%
Of students agree that after watching a Flocabulary video they have a better
understanding of what they’re learning.
 97%
Of educators are able to engage the “most challenging to engage students” when
using Flocabulary.
 25%
Increase on state reading tests after using Flocabulary.
Implementation Plan of Emerging
Technology

- Teachers can attend a virtual training session that includes a curated

PowerPoint by Flocabulary that breaks down the purpose, research,
and implementation guidelines for using the emerging technology in
the classroom.
- Teachers can set a goal to use Flocabulary at least once a week during
their instruction or on their learning platform.
Reflection

- I have used Flocabulary to help engage students and strengthen my instruction in the
past. My students always loved it and often got excited when I would put it on. I also
noticed they had a firmer understanding of the concepts, especially my English
Language Learners or EIP students. However, after digging into the emerging
technology, I learned that it can be used for so much more than an occasional video. It
is research based, well thought out, and can be used as an assessment tool. I also
found the idea of using it within Project Based Learning very interesting; I had never
thought about that before.
- This experience improved my professional practice because it taught me what I should
look for when evaluating an emerging technology before bringing it into the classroom.
It also helped me realize other ways technology can be used within the classroom. I’m
excited to use this again with my students, especially with Digital Learning!
Works Cited

Educational Hip-Hop. (n.d.). Retrieved July 6, 2020, from https://www.flocabulary.com/

Farr, R., Ed.D, Conner, J., Ph.D, Haydel, E., & Munroe, K. (n.d.). The Word Up Project: Multisensory

Instruction to Build Vocabulary Proficiency and Reading Skills. Educational Research Institute of

America. Retrieved July 6, 2020.