Appy Friday - Remind101

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!

Coding - have you considered using it in your school?

CODING

I was a computer information systems major when I first started college back in the 1980's and I remember the pages and pages of script it took to create simple tasks in C and C++.  When I began teaching back in the 1980's I had my students use Apple LOGO to learn simple programming tasks.  Programming languages, computers, phones and other digital devices have evolved immensely. Aaron Skonnard wrote an article titled, "Cracking the Tech Job Talent Crunch by Teaching Kids to Code."  With the growth of tech jobs,  why aren't educators teaching students to code.  Coding not only requires a lot of thinking and planning, but it requires students to learn through trial and error.  Skonnard goes on to say that the market is out there for programmers, developers and computer science graduates, but there aren't enough skilled workers to handle the demand.  Shannon Miller also wrote a blog about coding titled, "One Thing I Am Going to Focus On and Learn This summer...Coding and Integrating It Into Our Curriculum." Ms. Miller also shares her focus and game plan to make this happen in her school.  I definitely see where Miller,  Skonnard and the video producer, Code.Org are coming from.  We need to be teaching students how to design, compose and test out programs.  Scroll over the image below to see some very informative videos about coding and why you should be using it at your school.  You will also find out about some organizations that target teens and girls to teach them how to code.

                                   

Shannon Miller gave me permission to embed her Symbaloo Mix titled: Coding, Coding, Coding!  In this mix she has compiled a number of coding sites that will help you implement some coding into your curriculum.

Code .Org offers programs  that will help students learn coding.  You can go to their site to see other suggestions and tools that they offer.    What ways can you incorporate coding into your classroom or library?  

Thanks to Shannon Miller for sharing her symbaloo matrix.  You can find out how Sharron will work with her staff to implement coding.  Her blog is found here: http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/

App of the Week - Inside Voice

Inside Voice by Nonlinear Ideas Inc. has been a big help this week in my library. I don't expect to maintain a silent library, but I do expect students to be respectfully quiet. And for a few students that is a challenge. They just don't realize how loud they are.

This app monitors the noise it around and sounds a programmable alarm whenever the noise level is too high. I have been using the free version, but there is an upgrade available for $0.99 that includes more alarm sounds as well as the ability to record your own sounds.

Home Screen

     

Noise Over the Limit                   Noise Below Alarm Level

WallWisher.com

Here is fun tool for gathering info from students, colleagues, etc. Visit our wall to leave a comment.

Book Trailers using Book Covers - Augmented Reality Geozet

This tool is interactive - scroll over to read and get links.

Augmented Reality in the Library with STRING

This tool is interactive - just scroll over to read and click to get to the links.

Personal Learning Progress

I recently posted about a birdwalk I took through new technology tools.  While I haven't mastered everything I mentioned, I have begun scooping with enthusiasm.  Scoop.it! is a handy way to collect and organize news and blog articles I find on the web and either want to read again or share.

I'm sort of all over the map right now with my scooping, like a kid making a sundae at Baskin-Robbins...

I see in my future separate Scoop.it! pages for my book-related scoops to keep them separate from my technology finds which could be separated from my advocacy scoops which can be separate from humor scoops... You get the idea.  

What a great classroom tool!  Teachers can create Scoop.it pages for students, rather than printing articles or sharing cumbersome links.  And we can create additional pages for different grade levels and contents when we collaborate.

I look forward to using Scoop.it! for teaching students evaluation of resources and relevancy of online information.  Students can create Scoop.it! pages that relate to a subject they are studying.  Research articles can be curated in one easy place to revisit and reread.  Critical thinking is involved in selecting the right scoops. 

So many ideas... I need to get back to my scooping...