Subtext in your Classroom or Library

Subtext

"Subtext is a free iPad app that allows classroom groups to exchange ideas in the pages of digital texts.  You can also layer in enrichment materials, assignments and quizzes - opening up almost limitless opportunities to engage students and foster analysis and writing skills."   I see so much potential with this app!  See what teachers say here and I will walk you through how easy it is to get ePub documents on Subtext. 

I collaborated with 5th grade teachers on a series of great tools for students to respond to the book Wonder, by R.J. Palacio.  I want to make some cross-curricular connections by bringing the disease that August had; as well as, bringing in some math and social studies.  The first thing I had to do was build my library with some articles.  You can see my library below.  

You will also have to set up your class groups.  Subtext works with Edmodo, so if you have Edmodo, it will populate your groups for you.  When you create a group, you are given a code that students will need to access their Subtext group.

When you first get subtext, it will ask you to save a link to your bookmarks bar so that you can easily convert articles.  

Next, begin searching for articles you like on the web.  I loved this article.

 When you find an article that you like click the "Save to Subtext" link and you should see this....

 When you click the Save to Subtext, you will see this next prompt asking if you want to save to one, two, or all of your groups.

Then, when you go to your library, you will see your article in ePub format.

Then you have an option to create questions for discussion.  You are given options for True or False, Multiple Choice, Polling, or Paragraph responses.  I chose a poll to bring in some math statistics.

 After a group has been given instructions to read an article, they would choose the discussion link to respond to the literature.

I found this tutorial - so I am going to include it here....

 Can you see the possibilities of this platform?  My mind hasn't stopped spinning since I have come across it.  Please share your ideas for using Subtext in your library or classroom by leaving a comment below!

SURVEY RESULTS Myth #6 - Information Skills Can Wait 'til College

This follow up post has been a long time coming.  Since the query went out in June, I have had a number of personal circumstances that kept me from the blog... not to mention it was summer vacation!

Over the past two months, I did sit down to post the results, but I felt the data was slanted with most responses from those of us in the field.  I decided to wait until school resumed to seek additional input.

I am not back at school, begging students to take the survey, and the numbers have not jumped significantly.  College students would probably be the best target, but it is time to lay this myth to rest and move on.

Here is a summary of the responses I received:

What is your age?
	5-8 0 0% 9-11 0 0% 12-15 0 0% 16-18 3 3% 19-22 3 3% 23-29 8 7% 30-36 10 8% 37-45 13 11% 46-55 39 33% 56-65 34 29% 66+ 5 4%

What is your sex?
	Male 12 10% Female 106 90%

Please indicate your highest level of education
	K-12 Student 0 0% High School/GED 2 2% Some College 7 6% Associate Degree 4 3% Bachelor Degree 16 14% Master's Degree 84 71% Doctoral Degree 2 2% Professional Degree 3 3%

What is your field of work?
	Education - paraprofessional 13 11% Education - professional 86 73% Education - administration 2 2% Professional 7 6% Homemaker 2 2% Student 5 4% Health Care 0 0% Construction 0 0% Military 0 0% Retail 0 0% Other 3 3%

How comfortable do you feel searching for a book in the library catalog and then finding it on the shelves without assistance?
Not comfortable - somebody please help Piece of cake!

How comfortable do you feel searching for and finding an appropriate online source of information?
I take the top item returned... or just guess I know how to evaluate websites for reliability

How comfortable do you feel when looking for a periodical or journal article using a full-reference database?
A what??? No problem!	1 - A what??? 2 2% 2 0 0% 3 2 2% 4 1 1% 5 2 2% 6 5 4% 7 12 10% 8 25 21% 9 - No problem! 68 58%

At what age were you first taught to navigate a library?
	Early Elementary School (K-2) 42 36% Upper Elementary School (3-5) 35 30% Middle School/Jr. High (6-8) 10 8% High School (9-12) 10 8% College Freshmen 5 4% College - after first year 0 0% Graduate school 1 1% I was never formally taught - I figured it out myself 15 13%

At what age were you taught to use online resources (web evaulation, databases, etc.)?
	Early Elementary (K-2) 3 3% Upper Elementary (3-5) 3 3% Middle School/Jr. High (6-8) 5 4% High School (9-12) 4 3% College Freshman 4 3% College - after first year 10 8% Graduate school 40 34% I was never formally taught. I figured it out myself. 49 42%

Do you think you learned at the optimal, appropriate age?
	Yes 60 51% No, I wish I had been taught earlier 58 49% No, I think it could have waited until I was older 0 0%

At what age do you think students should be taught to use a library and its resources (print & online)?

Who should teach a student how/where to locate and evaluate information?
	People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.