The standard I am going to research apps for will pertain to the Alabama Standards for Instructional Leaders since my current job centers around working with teachers in higher education and giving them tools to take back to their college classrooms. See original source here: alabamagms.blol.core.windows.net
The standard reads as follows: “To realize the
mission of enhancing school leadership among principals and administrators in
Alabama resulting in improved academic achievement for all students,
instructional leaders will be held to the following standards:”
Standard 3: Rationale This standard addresses the
need for instructional leaders to recognize quality professional development as
the key strategy for supporting significant improvements. Instructional leaders
are able to articulate the critical link between improved student learning and
the professional learning of teachers. Skillful instructional leaders establish
policies and organizational structures that support ongoing professional
learning and continuous improvement. They ensure an equitable distribution of
resources to accomplish school goals and continuously improve the school's work
through the ongoing evaluation of staff development's effectiveness in
achieving student learning goals. They make certain that employee annual
calendars and daily schedules provide adequate time for learning and
collaboration as part of the workday. Instructional leaders also distribute
leadership responsibilities among teachers and other employees. Distributed
leadership enables teachers to develop and use their talents as members or
chairs of school improvement committees, trainers, coaches, mentors, and
members of peer review panels. These leaders make certain that their colleagues
have the necessary knowledge, skills, and other forms of support that ensure
success in these new roles.
1. Diigo: Diigo - Better
reading and research with annotation, highlighter, sticky notes, archiving,
bookmarking & more. Consumption App
Third Party Reviews:
Diigo Website
Review | Common Sense Media
Diigo is a free social bookmarking browser extension and application for phones and tablets that help users to save, organize, annotate, and share useful websites across multiple devices. The tool can be used by students or teachers, but for my purpose, it would be used by educators. The most useful feature in this app for teachers/leaders attending professional development is the annotation feature that has the ability to add highlights and sticky notes to texts on web pages and PDFs. The bookmarked pages with annotations can be shared through email and IM. This app allows for easy collaboration and there is a version for teachers that also allows them to share pages and sites with students, so it has versatile potential. This is not an app I have personally used, but I think I may give it a go. I have so many sites that I save on my browser, and I may see how this app performs.
2. Genius Scan: Genius
Scan - PDF Scanner - Apps on Google Play File Management App
Third Party Reviews:
Genius
Scan Plus Review | PCMag
Genius
Scan - PDF Scanner App Reviews 2022 | JustUseApp Reviews
Genius Scan is an excellent app that lets users scan
documents and store them as multi-page PDFs.
There are actually multiple Genius apps (Scan, Fax, and Sign) that integrate
seamlessly with each other. The basic app is free and seems to do a great job
with few limitations, but it does have the option for users to upgrade to have
documents synchronously scanned into cloud storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox,
OneDrive, etc., automatic image cleanup, access to all three app features in
one (the ability to scan, fax, and sign), etc.
This is an app I personally have used for a long time and is excellent. It is user friendly, and I love that I don’t
have to convert the files into PDF myself. This is an excellent app for
everyone of every age needing to scan documents and save them. It was actually
a fellow educator who introduced me to the app years ago, and I still use it in
the classroom and in my professional career.
3. Splashtop: Splashtop
Remote Access Screen Sharing App
Third Party Reviews:
Splashtop
review—highly specialized remote access tools | TechRadar
Splashtop
Personal - Remote Desktop - Download (softonic.com)
Splashtop is an app that allows users to remotely access
their desktop computer from anywhere on the go. This program is known for being
easy to use and the personal access unlimited version is free for users to
access the desktop, but to access your main computer files from a device while away
from your desktop, users will need to upgrade to the $1.99 monthly subscription.
In-app subscription purchase includes access to everything from anywhere,
anytime across platforms, including access to files, online gaming, music, etc.
Reviews for this app appear to be all positive and customer service appears to
be strong. This app would prove useful for educators when it comes to
simplifying what you have to carry with you while working and the ability to
share information with others from any of your devices. This app would be best
suited for adult professionals, teachers, or college-aged students.
Mica - I love that you chose a standard that suits your professional role, which includes mentoring faculty. With a perspective geared toward professional development for teachers, these app recommendations are awesome! I'm especially interested in trying Splashtop since there are always things on my desktop that I'd love to be able to access from my laptop. I also completely agree with you that an app that scans to PDF is absolutely essential. I've never tried Genius Scan, but I have the Adobe app on my phone, and I find that I use it every single semester. Thanks for all you do for faculty at JSU!
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