Digital Running Records: The Development and Exploration of an iPad App for Early Literacy Assessment and Instruction

• In Event: iPad Apps and Early Literacy Development

Abstract

This is the second iteration of a design-based study, which initially sought to provide a rich, thick description (Geertz, 1973) of the reflective practices that resulted from the implementation and use of ICTs during literacy coaching observations. The first iteration involved a group of literacy coaches replacing their traditional forms of note-taking (paper/pencil) on coaching visits with the note-taking application Evernote. During this iteration, the study was extended and an iOS iPad application for taking running records (Clay, 2002) was developed based on identified needs that appeared in the data. The intent of the study was to “address practical problems, develop workable solutions, and accomplish valued goals” (Reinking & Bradley, 2008) and the development and use of the running record app achieved this. The methods employed were “systematic but flexible and were aimed at improving educational practices through iterative analysis, design, development, and implementation, based on collaboration among researchers and practitioners in real-world settings” (Wang & Hannafin, 2005).

Prior to the development of the app, the participants expressed frustration at their inability to capture the nuances of the students’ oral reading as they transitioned from paper-based coaching notes to digital coaching notes. While the participants improvised as best they could, they felt they were not accurately recording students’ reading behaviors. As a result, the app was developed to assist with early literacy assessment and instructional practices.

The technology afforded a variety of options that could be integrated into the app, most notably the digital recording of the child’s voice. A traditional running record is a static document that reflects the child’s reading behaviors as recorded by the teacher. The app however, syncs the child’s voice to the marks made by the teacher using a stylus on the iPad. When the record is replayed, the coach and teacher are able to see the shorthand appear as the child’s voice plays. Additionally, the formulas for computing accuracy rate, self-correction rate, and words per minute are embedded.

Findings suggest that digital running records present new possibilities. For example, the coaches all stated that replaying the digital running record after the observation provided a natural starting point for collaboration between teacher and coach. Coaches also reported that the replay function supported teachers’ understandings about taking and analyzing running records. The syncing of the child’s voice with the shorthand allowed a way for teacher’s to check their records against the child’s reading to ensure they were correct. Being able to replay the record allowed the coaches and teachers to reflect more deeply on the ways in which children processed text and this better helped the coaches problem-solve with the teachers. Additionally, the coaches felt the application assisted teachers in their instructional decisions and furthered teacher self-reflection.

Finally, the findings of this study can help shape our understandings about the ways in which educational applications can be developed to support practice through user-centered design.

Author

• C.C. Bates, Clemson University