Using NowComment to Meet the Demands of the CCSS updated from: HCESC Tech Conference 2013  English Language Arts  Content Area Literacy Standards

Goals for this session: Participants will be introduced to the NowComment web- based document discussion tool. Participants will understand the features and multiple uses of NowComment for instruction and assessment in many content areas, with a focus today on English Language Arts. Participants will be guided through an exploration of NowComment using their own laptop or tablet. Participants will investigate the use of this tool as a scaffold to support students in engaging in the "close" reading required for the Common Core State Standards and PARRC assessments.

What IS NowComment?

Key things to know about NowComment: NowComment is free, a project of public interest group Fairness.com LLC. NowComment’s design requires students to articulate a main/summary point for each comment, which helps them think critically about what they contribute to the group discussion The focus on sentence- and paragraph-specific comments aids close reading (though whole document comments are allowed). NowComment has many teacher-friendly features (e.g. sorting comments to make grading easy, private replies, students can upload their own documents) It is very easy and intuitive to use. If you have a mobile device with you, you can easily sign up for a free account now!

Users are teachers as well as students. Any user can easily create workgroups as desired, facilitating both small group and whole class assignments. NowComment is most often used in colleges and universities as an online tool for students to engage in group discussion about a text, particularly informational text, but ANY genre is appropriate. (Another plus for college and career readiness expectations held by CCSS and PARCC). This tool has proven to be effective and very engaging for students from Middle School to College, and could very easily be used effectively, with support, for students at ANY grade level/age. Who can/should use NowComment?

Help Files (videos and text tips): NowComment Basics (a video) shows how to upload, comment on, and invite others to documents. Text overviews and a few other videos cover essentially all aspects of NowComment usage. Let’s take a look at the basics:

Benefits of NowComment Alignment to Common Core State Standards expectations Many ways to utilize NowComment in the classroom Use of NowComment at Nagel Middle School o Personal experiences (Mary) o # of students within building engaged in ongoing use o # of teachers using the tool as instructional and/or assessment tool A classroom teacher’s perspective

First experience with NowComment. Human Family Mid-year assignment “The Father of the Chicken Nugget” Near the end of the year assignment “What Poe’s Publishers Could Not Imagine” Student analysis/response samples:

Turn and talk to the person next to you about the classroom implications of the NowComment tool. In relation to CCSS in Reading: Literature and Reading: Informational text. Determine the CCSS anchor statements that can be addressed or enhanced with the NowComment tool. Share out Turn & Talk

Free Accounts:

If you have a laptop/tablet, take the next minutes to explore the NowComment site and generate question you would like addressed and/or comments relevant for the group to consider. If you do not have a laptop/tablet you can join someone that does in investigating the site. Next, turn and talk to someone sitting near you to discuss at least ONE (1) question and ONE (1) comment related to the tool, its use, or potential for use in YOUR classroom/school/role. Share Out Exploration

What questions do you have about the features or capabilities of NowComment? What questions do you have related to classroom/student/teacher use? Questions:

Fall 2013 New Features Upload PDF documents for commenting User authentication by your school’s Learning Management System (e.g. Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas) via LTI. Adding new material to existing documents reminders of assignments and their due dates Daily Digest of notifications

If you have questions about using NowComment with your students feel free to contact Fairness.com directly: For tech support questions go to: Metro Cincinnati educators can consult with Dr. Lisa Campbell for NowComment usage and support and Common Core Standards, and with Mary Moore about her in-class experiences with Ongoing Support:

HCESC will facilitate a online presentation with Dan Doernberg, the developer of NowComment, December 5th &12th, If you would like to stay connected with other area educators/ consultant(s) and NowComment staff in ongoing networking opportunties please select this option on the Exit Ticket. Additional networking/support opportunities:

Thanks for your time and attention today!