Newsletters 2014-15 Focus newsletter, [3] spring | Page 3

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE PAGE 3 ‘Turnitin’ software helps students write better papers With more than 600 pages of students’ papers set to roll onto her desk over the next few weeks, Colleen Dhennin looks back to the days she’d need boxes to carry all the papers from her car to her home in order to begin grading essays. Now, those essays are as light as a “cloud,” said Dhennin, an English 11 teacher at Anoka High School (AHS). Thanks to Turnitin.com, English teachers throughout the Anoka-Hennepin School District are finding new ways to provide feedback, review submissions, work with students and compile proper citations using the new software. “It’s definitely been a big change,” said district technology facilitator Tom Skoglund, who helped bring the software on board for high school teachers a little more than three years ago. “If you look at just the most basic instruction, students can respond immediately to something a teacher does to their essay out on the cloud,” he said. “All they have to do is log in, check their paper and see what changes need to be made.” In that sense, Turnitin is more of an instructional software, even though it has a much different reputation. One of the main features of Turnitin is an “originality check” feature, which compares a student’s essay to thousands of other essays submitted across the country, and particularly within a geographic region. While that tool is helpful, teachers and administrators say, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. “Really, it’s about teaching students how to cite those sources better within an essay or report once it’s submitted. It’s not always about catching plagiarism,” said Holli Moseman, department lead at AHS and 10th grade English teacher. “Really, it’s an instructional opportunity. The kids know the software is there. And yes, you still get a couple who try to pull off something even though that work is clearly not their own. But as they get to see how the software works, they can see that this is there to help them, more than hurt.” And, like everything else, the technology has made life a bit easier for everyone involved. “There are three main pieces to it. The teacher assessment and review is one. The originality check is another. And the third is that students can conduct peer reviews of submitted work. That’s pretty important to kids and a step in the process that sometimes makes them think again about what they’re submitting,” Skoglund said. “And for the kids, everything is immediate. As soon as a teacher makes a revision, it’s there, and the student is notified. That’s what they’re used to. That’s their world.” Since its first year, the software has caught on with more and more teachers in the district, Moseman said. But seeing the advantages of having all that paper up in the cloud, rather than on a dolly truck, is appealing all on its own. Holli Moseman, 10th grade English teacher and English department lead at Anoka High School, uses her iPad to go through an essay with a student via the Turnitin software. Steve Slavik, teaching and learning specialist for the district’s language arts department, oversees the 200 to 250 teachers who use the software the most. “They [teachers] can use it in the classroom, as well,” he said. “There’s always an opportunity to take a work and show students, one-to-one, how to do something better. And the software helps illustrate that really well.” The Turnitin program will continue to grow, Slavik said. Middle school teachers started utilizing the software in 2013, and now peers are taking over the training process. “I think next fall you’ll see training geared at both the teacher who has used it for the last couple of years — unlocking some the features her or she might not have discovered, and training for the teachers who are just new to Turnitin. But the users who are working with it love it, so it’s not going anywhere,” he said. ■ ‘Bridge to College’ program puts Anoka High School freshmen on fast-track to earning college credit Programs in which students earn college credit in high school are gaining popularity, and now Anoka High School (AHS) is getting freshmen ready for that opportunity with a new program that sets them on the right course. “Bridge to College” started at AHS this year. Freshmen are offered a college foundations math class, which is a threetrimester course of intermediate algebra that also contains elements of college foundational skills to help students develop better study skills and habits. The program targets students in the so-called academic middle — or the middle 60 percent — who haven’t completely acquired the skills needed to succeed in college courses, in most cases. For a student like ninth-grader Josie Vessey, it’s made college credit classes — such as Advanced Placement (AP) and honors courses, something students normally wouldn’t think about until their junior or senior year — an option much earlier. “I think one of the things that I noticed was that I wasn’t the best studier coming into high school. My notes weren’t as strong as they could be,” she said. “And I think this really gives me the skills I’ll need not only in math classes along the way, but when I get to college too.” Teacher Pat Pangborn, who leads the intermediate algebra class, said the three-trimester format has allowed math teachers to develop a different kind of relationship with the 350 freshmen students who are, in terms of the Bridge program, “in the middle.” “We won’t really know the full effects of the program until these first students get to college, but you can see the impact the relationship-building has on these 350 kids who are in the program. It’s 350 students we get to know better, and you can see it in the classroom every day,” Pangborn said. “And it will increase proficiency in ninth-grade math, and beyond. These skills they’re learning are applicable in other classes. Basically, the more kids you have taking these college courses while they’re here means more kids going on to get a college degree once they leave Anoka, and that’s a great thing.” Another great thing — with 350 freshmen students getting set for college credit classes via Bridge to College, and another 200 already at or above college level — it means the vast majority of AHS’s nearly 600 freshmen will be prepared for college and college-level high school classes by the time they’re sophomores next year. An exciting highlight for the Bridge to College students came in early April, when a contingent visited St. Cloud State University (SCSU). It was a first-hand look at the campus, classrooms, math programs and other important information that these students will need should they pursue college credit later on in their high school career. Anoka High School college foundations math teacher Pat Pangborn, left, works with freshmen Natalya Yukhimchuck, middle, and Josie Vessey, on some math homework. “I think for me it was something I always thought about, and the trip there just kind of showed it’s a really good option, if you can keep yourself motivated to do it. To see how college works and how a day goes for a college student was really interesting,” said freshman Natalya Yukhimchuck. The Bridge to College program will continue to grow next year, as AHS adds a similarly structured English college foundations course for these students in their sophomore year. In years three and four, students who complete the Bridge to College courses will be allowed to register in concurrent enrollment courses (courses that provide high school and college credit) through either Anoka-Ramsey Community College or SCSU. “Beyond the notes, I think the program just pushes you to think about college and getting that head start,” Vessey said. “That’s helped so much.” And with all of the success with the AHS Bridge to College program, the district is looking to expand it to Andover, Blaine, Champlin Park and Coon Rapids High Schools in coming years. ■