Standard: CCRS:
Alabama Reading Standards 9th-10th.
Standard:10 [RI. 9-10.3]. Standards:14-15 [RI. 9-10.6]. Standards: 18-19 [RI. 9-12.9]
Alabama Writing Standards 9th-10th.
Standard: 10a-10f [W. 9-10.2f]
Google Classroom
https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/google-classroom
-Google Classroom is a tool to help with communication and assignments for the teacher and students. It is a free app that can be accessed as an app on your phone, tablet, or computer. It could be used in the elementary setting, but more suitable for grade levels 6-12. Teachers can ask discussion questions, post polls, videos, worksheets, and many other activities. It is a great tool to use for differentiated instruction as well. Teachers can post journals and documents with document-based questions to assess students reading comprehension. Assignments can be graded on a 0-100 point grading scale, and teachers can look at each students' work, comment on, and make corrections and send back to the student. Quizzes and tests can even be assigned on Google Classroom through Google Forms and the teacher can get an automatically generated response sheet by the students to quickly see most missed questions. I feel that Google Classroom is a huge asset in the classroom because of its' flexibility and organization. Also, I feel that it really helps students that struggle in classroom discussions because they can respond to questions on Google Classroom and provide more in-depth responses.
Nearpod
https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/nearpod
-Nearpod is an interactive presentation tool for teachers to use to get immediate responses in class. It is essentially an interactive power-point that teachers can post poll questions, open-ended discussion questions that students can respond to during the lesson. Teachers can put maps or questions up that students can draw on, and teachers can put time limits on each question or assessment method they use. This is a free app (some of the premade presentations do have a small cost to them) and is compatible with all devices and could be used in the K-12 setting. I have only played with the app a few times and have not actually used it in class, but I work with a few teachers who use it and absolutely love it. I have also seen demonstrations of Nearpod being used and it looks very good. I can see how it can make just general presentations much more engaging and helpful for students in the classroom!
Math and English IXL
https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/ixl-math-and-english
-IXL is a great way to break away from the traditional pencil and paper approach to Math or English from the K-12 grade levels. It can also be used as a tool for Science and Social Studies up to the 8th-grade level. It can be accessed by subscription to the website or an app. Teachers can load questions or worksheets that can provide feedback, prizes, and progress goals for the students. I have not personally used this app because my subject and grade level does not compare with IXL, but I have heard many teachers give high praise to this app. Many teachers love the fact that as the student progresses and the closer he or she gets to completing the assignment, students really buckle down. If a student starts missing questions after a certain percentage completed it will take the students back near the start of the assignment. I feel that is a great way to keep the students focused and paying attention to detail.
Personal Choice
-My personal choice between the three apps that I reviewed would have to be Google Classroom. Yes, it is the app that I have a great deal of experience with, but its wide array of different capabilities is amazing! I the fact that I can post multiple-choice questions or quizzes/tests on there. I can also put PDF documents and primary sources for students to read and answer all while being able to put reminders like what we did the previous day in class or post the notes from previous days on the home page. I can put Edpuzzle videos that have questions that relate to the video that students can answer. It is just a great tool with soo many options in the classroom!
Google classroom makes me wish I taught older students! We are 1:1 Chrome book in 1st grade and it is tough to teach them all the ins and outs. I wish I could put assessments and things on there though google classroom but they just aren't ready. Parents need to be able to see their assessments. I do use it in stations though for students that can handle it. I also tried nearpod this summer.
ReplyDeleteI love using Nearpod for my the days where I am providing instruction. When I have used it in my classroom it makes traditional lectures so much more engaging for the students. I like using the app for a quick assessment of student learning. I would recommend you try to use this in your classroom when you can. You can even upload previously created power points or google slides into the app.
ReplyDeleteI have never thought of using IXL in my classroom. I know that we have to pay, but I feel like it might be worth it. I feel like students would focus more when they realize that they might have to start over. Also, I feel IXL will keep my students focused while working on the current standard being taught.
ReplyDeleteNearpod is a great app. You can also use it to have live and open collaboration with students. I am a literacy coach in Tuscaloosa City and my teachers use it all of the time. One way that you can use it is to find a meaningful video that correlates with your standard and you can pause it and ask those quality questions to make sure that students are understanding where you are going with the lesson. Also, it allows you to imbed those quality questions within the video so that you can set it to pause itself and those quality questions can pop up and students can type in their answers and you can display and discuss them with the rest of the class. Great app reviews!
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