Easybib is a site and now an app that makes citations for students less of a headache. This app also has the ability for note-taking abilities and validating certain sources to make sure students are using credible sources within their research. It is free but you can upgrade to a premium versions that will allow you to cite in different formats like Chicago and APA. This app is available on iphones and androids. This app is age appropriate for middle schooled-aged student and older. Any student working on research papers could use this app as a valuable source. I believe the app review is credible because is reviewed by many who are in the educational and business world. It shows a chart on its user ratings on how easy it is to use or setup, and even rates the level of support you get compared to other sites. The review is setup a lot like our class blog. Visitors on the site can see all post about all the pros and cons of the app, so there should not be any surprising when trying this app for the first time with a little amount of reading. What I like best of about the review is it compared another one of my app choices, and provided a chart of side by side comparison between the two and what companies and other user liked best about both.
Quizlet
CCSS, ELA-Literacy. RH.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
Quizlet was once just a site and now it also has an app. This app allows student to make flashcards for any particular content they choose and play different games with terms made and even tests to study. It is free, but you can pay for a premium version which allow teachers to see student progress and even place students in classes. This premium version also show data of the most missed questions on reviews and tests given to student which will reveal what content teachers may need to reinforce before moving forward in the curriculum. This app can be used by any school-aged student since it does so much and it easy to use in my opinion. This is also available on your iPhone or android. This app review is credible because this was just updated just a few a months ago so the information is still the most relevant. The site at the bottom show how they test apps, analyze, and put their editorial principals into work to the public. This company does in hope to become a more reliable source for app analytics in order to keep sponsorship money from advertising shown on the site.
Mendeley
CCSS, ELA-Literacy. RH 9-10.9: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
This is an app that allows to search particular topics for research and find sources you can use. Once you search a particular content the app will pull up articles and even how many times particular sources were cited showing how useful and credible sources can be compared to others. The app looks similar to our library search engine and will cite resources if you need it. You annotate resources you find and even share sources with other into a PDF with others. This site is free for users but you can pay for a premium version like the other two for capabilities like more citation plug-in options. This app is age appropriate for middle schooled-aged students on up and is compatible for iphones and androids. I believe this was credible source because Trust Radius always keeps their data up to date at all times. It has links on where you can see how their process is broken down on their reviews to remain credible and reliable. Their goals to become a reliable source for businesses to use a source to make smart decision and take their review into account. What I liked best about this review was its many filters of parameters you can review the app. These filters include the date when it was last reviewed, relevance on topic and the size of each user.
All three of these apps are a great resource but if I had to pick one I would have to with Quizlet. The other apps are great resources for citations, but they are limited to just research papers. Quizlet makes any content you wish into flashcards. The terms used have saved definitions from other users you it cuts down on your work creating your own. It will create tests with multiple attempts providing self-regulation and own pacing on reviews. The app allows terms to be used in games which provide an additional hook encouraging more student involvement in their own education. The biggest advantage I also see with Quizlet is it can be used by students of almost all ages from kindergarten to college students. In times of remote and virtually learning, links to content can easily be used by teacher and students alike to share, and there not much openness for user errors with this app.
Good choice of apps. I am familiar with both Easybib and Quizlet, however I have never heard of Mendeley before. I like that it explains how credible some resources are to others. As a middle school English teacher, my students struggle with comparing and contrasting sources when conducting research. They normally go towards the first thing Google recommends without giving much thought to the credibility of the website. I especially like the feature that allows students to annotate the articles.
ReplyDeleteI would be very interested in using this in my classroom. Thanks for the review!