Featured App: Subtext
What does the app do? The Subtext app allows reading to be a collaborative experience. Teachers can layer in support materials into any text, and students can ask questions of the teacher and peers by leaving comments on the text itself. Beyond scaffolding the reading process, Subtext gives teachers a clear view into understanding where students struggle, and what passages and topics interest them most. Additionally, this allows quieter, more introverted students the opportunity to participate in discussion without feeling the pressure of having the speak up in class all the time.
Benefits: Subtext is not only beneficial to students, but it is beneficial to the teacher as well. When working with a more difficult text, this not only allows the teacher to help supplement reading with materials that can aid in student understanding, but students can communicate with their peers and/or the teacher by asking questions and posting comments to the text itself. This can offer further insight into where students are struggling with a text or what aspects of a text they find particularly intriguing, thus allowing teachers to accommodate their lessons to the students' needs and interests. As mentioned previously, quieter, more introverted students, as well as kinesthetic learners, benefit as they are now given an opportunity to participate in class discussion without the pressure of having to constantly speak up in class. Finally, this app allows the teacher to track where students are in the text to monitor their progress and participation.
Lesson Uses: This app can be used to supplement reading homework, especially with more complicated texts, and represents a hybrid form of flipping the classroom. It could also be used in the classroom to create a form of silent discussion, or people could reference materials, questions, or comments in order to create a verbal in-class discussion. These uses represent ISTE and KTS 6 standards by facilitating student learning through the use of technology, as well as communicating student learning and understanding through interaction with the text itself by holding discussion and posing questions. It opens up options for the designing and planning of instruction that allows for a more equitable class environment through a Universal Design for Learning that caters to all learning styles.
SAMR Level: Modification. With the use of this app, a teacher is able to accomplish the same tasks as they normally might want to engage in for a text: discussion, asking questions, asking for clarification, providing supplemental materials, etc. However, this app completely modifies the way that all of these things are accomplished and streamlines the process. It allows the reading process to become more involved and interactive as students have access to information and an opportunity to discuss and ask questions at the time it is relevant rather than before or after the fact. Finally, this modified format also encourages text annotation in a way that also allows the sharing of ideas.
TPACK Model: Subtext is a particularly powerful classroom tool because of its ability to enhance and encourage classroom discussion by not limiting it to the short time that students are actually in the classroom. Through this technology, reading becomes a collaborative experience where ideas and questions can be shared, and teachers can providing supplemental materials to expand student knowledge and provide necessary clarification, thus enhancing and enriching the content the teacher is presenting. This also enhances teaching pedagogy by offering teachers insight as to where their students are having difficulty with a text and which parts they find particularly interesting or enjoyable. With this information, teachers can modify and accommodate their lessons to meet students' needs and interests.
Benefits: Subtext is not only beneficial to students, but it is beneficial to the teacher as well. When working with a more difficult text, this not only allows the teacher to help supplement reading with materials that can aid in student understanding, but students can communicate with their peers and/or the teacher by asking questions and posting comments to the text itself. This can offer further insight into where students are struggling with a text or what aspects of a text they find particularly intriguing, thus allowing teachers to accommodate their lessons to the students' needs and interests. As mentioned previously, quieter, more introverted students, as well as kinesthetic learners, benefit as they are now given an opportunity to participate in class discussion without the pressure of having to constantly speak up in class. Finally, this app allows the teacher to track where students are in the text to monitor their progress and participation.
Lesson Uses: This app can be used to supplement reading homework, especially with more complicated texts, and represents a hybrid form of flipping the classroom. It could also be used in the classroom to create a form of silent discussion, or people could reference materials, questions, or comments in order to create a verbal in-class discussion. These uses represent ISTE and KTS 6 standards by facilitating student learning through the use of technology, as well as communicating student learning and understanding through interaction with the text itself by holding discussion and posing questions. It opens up options for the designing and planning of instruction that allows for a more equitable class environment through a Universal Design for Learning that caters to all learning styles.
SAMR Level: Modification. With the use of this app, a teacher is able to accomplish the same tasks as they normally might want to engage in for a text: discussion, asking questions, asking for clarification, providing supplemental materials, etc. However, this app completely modifies the way that all of these things are accomplished and streamlines the process. It allows the reading process to become more involved and interactive as students have access to information and an opportunity to discuss and ask questions at the time it is relevant rather than before or after the fact. Finally, this modified format also encourages text annotation in a way that also allows the sharing of ideas.
TPACK Model: Subtext is a particularly powerful classroom tool because of its ability to enhance and encourage classroom discussion by not limiting it to the short time that students are actually in the classroom. Through this technology, reading becomes a collaborative experience where ideas and questions can be shared, and teachers can providing supplemental materials to expand student knowledge and provide necessary clarification, thus enhancing and enriching the content the teacher is presenting. This also enhances teaching pedagogy by offering teachers insight as to where their students are having difficulty with a text and which parts they find particularly interesting or enjoyable. With this information, teachers can modify and accommodate their lessons to meet students' needs and interests.
List of Classroom Apps:
1. Pixntell
"This is a great storytelling app. Students can use their own photos or those from the web along with their recorded voice to create a personalized video that’s ready to share. The free version allows you to use four images, but you can add more with the paid version."
2. Bluster
"Students build their vocabulary while they battle the elements. This has different beginning levels which makes it great for easy differentiation."
3. Mad Libs
"The classic word game comes to the iPad. My students practice their parts of speech and stretch their vocabularies loving the funny payoff that is generated at the end."
4. FaceTalker
"The possibilities are endless with this app. Make still photos and images talk using this app along with your voice recording. Easy enough for an elementary student to use. Imagine having a raccoon narrate his own animal report."
5. Pic Collage
"Have your students create collage-style posters for their reports and presentations. "
6. Prezi
"Prezi allows your students to turn out slide-style presentations with flair. With a little modeling they can easily add text, images, and animations to share what they have learned about any given topic."
7. Grammar Up
"Selected by Apple for its 'High School Survival Guide,' this iPhone and iPad app provides a quiz system with over 1,800 grammar questions in 20 different categories. Older students can use the quizzes to help prepare for various tests and exams by going through categories of questions or they can simulate the test environment with random questions. The quiz format and real-time error feedback provide students with the opportunity to improve their strategies for grammar success."
8, Mobile Air Mouse
"Any teacher who uses technology-based visual aids will appreciate this app that turns an iPhone or iPod Touch into a wireless universal remote that controls all media applications. With Mobile Air Mouse, teachers can control presentations, slideshows, or an interactive white board from anywhere in the classroom using a minimal amount of equipment."
9. Subtext
"I always wanted a way to make reading a collaborative experience, especially when the text itself is very challenging. Subtext has the answer. Teachers can layer in support materials into any text, and students can ask questions of the teacher and peers. Beyond scaffolding the reading process, Subtext gives teachers a clear view into understanding where students struggle, and what passages and topics interest them most."
10. Diigo
"Diigo annotator allows you to save, annotate and share bookmarks easily!
Save and sync
You can use Diigo annotator to save web pages to your Diigo account and the bookmarks will sync across your devices so that you can access them anytime, anywhere later.
Annotate while reading
Diigo annotator allows you to annotate web pages with highlights and sticky notes. The annotate button will pop up at the bottom when you save a page via the extension and disappear after several seconds. Just click the button to annotate!
Clean reading
Readability mode aims to improve your reading experience by removing ads and unnecessary information. It is the default reading mode when you open a bookmark within the app.
PDF reading
You can read your saved PDF files within the app directly and we will consider supporting PDF annotation in the future!
Share easily
You can share your bookmarks with annotations to others through email or IM or send it to other apps easily."
Save and sync
You can use Diigo annotator to save web pages to your Diigo account and the bookmarks will sync across your devices so that you can access them anytime, anywhere later.
Annotate while reading
Diigo annotator allows you to annotate web pages with highlights and sticky notes. The annotate button will pop up at the bottom when you save a page via the extension and disappear after several seconds. Just click the button to annotate!
Clean reading
Readability mode aims to improve your reading experience by removing ads and unnecessary information. It is the default reading mode when you open a bookmark within the app.
PDF reading
You can read your saved PDF files within the app directly and we will consider supporting PDF annotation in the future!
Share easily
You can share your bookmarks with annotations to others through email or IM or send it to other apps easily."
11. VoiceThread
"I’m finding more and more uses for this app. I originally began using it in my flipped classroom for at-home lectures that I embedded into my class website. My students are now using it for a audio-photo-essay of their Digital Saturation Papers (they are using photos and recording audio directly from the essay). It is web-based and is also a free app- your account syncs seemlessly between the two."
12. TweetDeck
"Make tweet accounts for Romeo and Juliet. As you read in class, have students tweet possible thoughts Romeo or Juliet is thinking. Tweetdeck allows the viewer to see multiple tweets easier. I’ve found it’s better to use it with groups rather than individuals if you have classes with more than 30 students."
13. EasyBib
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"EasyBib is the world's best and most accurate citation generator...You can create the perfect citation for 56 different source types (databases, newspapers, etc.)."
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14. Essay Grader
"Essay grader comes with a bank of pre-written comments and helps teachers cut down on grading time without writing the same comments over and over again by hand...After assigning a grade, teachers can then eMail the grade sheet directly to the student or export it to the computer for editing and printing."
15. Book Creator
"This popular app is used in schools across the country and is a great tool for creating a published piece of writing. Students can add photos, videos, text, and illustrations to each page of the book they create. There is an option for adding a voice recording to individual pages so that students can use narration to set the tone of their scary or whimsical story."
16. iSource MLA
"Need to check and make sure you’re using appropriate MLA style? No worries, this application will ensure you never lose points on a works cited. If your classes don’t use MLA, there’s also an APA version available."
17. Outliner
"Create to-do lists, track a project or lay out an entire research paper using this productivity tool — a great way to make sure you’re on task and your papers flow well."
18. myHomework
"For students who have trouble remembering due dates, this application can be a lifesaver. Simply enter in your assignments for each class, and the app will help you track them."
19. Question of the Day
To spark creativity and give students a starting place or inspiration for their creative and/or free writing.
20. Common Core Standards
"View the Common Core State Standards in one convenient FREE app! A great reference for students, parents, and teachers to easily read and understand the core standards. Quickly find standards by subject, grade, and subject category (domain/cluster). This app includes Math standards K-12 and Language Arts standards K-12. Math standards include both traditional and integrated pathways (as outlined in Appendix A of the common core) and synthesizes Language Arts standards with the Corresponding College and Career Readiness Standards (CCR's)."