Videolicious – make movies in just a few steps!

Description: *FREE app at time of post *  Videolicious is extremely user-friendly and intuitive.  This app guides students through movie-making in just a few steps.  In no time at all, students can import pictures and videos, record themselves, and add theme music to make stunning videos in the classroom.  There is a tutorial that shows you how to use the app when you first open it, and this tutorial can be revisited again and again by clicking on the little graduation cap in the bottom right-hand corner.

Compatible with the following device(s): iPad and iPhone

Implementation in classroom:

– Activity idea:  Due to the creative qualities and versatile functionality, this app is perfect for cross-curricular activities!  For example, students can upload pictures that they’ve annotated through Skitch and turn those pictures into an educational video by recording their presentation of the content over the slideshow.  To develop ELA literacy skills, this app can be connected to a writing piece.  Teachers can have students work in groups to pick a topic (related to whatever content is being taught in class), research information and negotiate roles, write a script/narrative, and perform/create something on videolicious as a final product.  Students’ writing must match the disciplinary literacy skills corresponding to the content area.

– Time allotment:  Time spent on this app can be anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour depending on the depth/complexity of the teacher’s assignment.  This could be a project that spans for days/weeks.

– Potential standards (CCSS/NGSS) addressed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 5 here.)

– Student groupings and management:  This app is perfect for individuals, pairs, or groups.  Groups of three can complete the aforementioned activity.  To manage the time spent on this project, the teacher can arrange check points with students to ensure pieces of the assignment are being finished in a timely manner.

– Additional materials needed: paper/pencil or any other materials they may need to produce their work

– Accountability/assessment:  Smaller group sizes lead to higher accountability for each student.  For assessment, students can produce individually or collaboratively written pieces along with their final video.

– Tips/reminders: Videolicious offers the ability to share videos via email, facebook, youtube, and twitter.  Teachers must be cautious to ensure students do not post inappropriate content or subject themselves to Internet safety issues.

Other information:

*All photos are screenshots from the app and belong to the app creators. Use of media is only for educational/informative purposes in hopes to increase awareness of the app’s potential application in elementary classrooms.  Please notify me if I should remove said photos.*

Toontastic – fun story creator!

Description: *FREE app at time of post *  Toontastic is a fun-filled, beautifully designed app that walks students through the creative writing process.  Students create a setting, pick main characters, create a climax, create a resolution, and more.  Students can easily animate their characters while recording their voice to tell a story.  This is perfect for beginning writers or students who may need some extra help/motivation with the planning process.  Also included in this app is a helpful “parent’s guide” that teachers can also use.  This feature provides lots of information regarding how to help children get the most out of this app, which includes questions to ask.

Compatible with the following device(s): iPad

Implementation in classroom:

– Activity idea:  This can be a fun, creative pre-writing strategy used in the classroom.  Young students can play around, creating/recording their stories on Toontastic, then follow up this activity with a written version of their stories including as many descriptive details as possible.  By interacting with the story and creating visuals, students have a more concrete foundation to spark their creative narratives.  Alternatively, students can also write their stories (including all parts of the plot) before having the opportunity to turn their stories into an animation.

– Time allotment:  about 20-30 minutes on the app

– Potential standards (CCSS/NGSS) addressed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

– Student groupings and management:  Individually, in pairs, or in groups.  Depending on the number of iPads in the classroom, students may have to rotate stations to use this app (or take turns using it while other students are working on something else).  Students must be able to work independently/cooperatively when handling the iPads.

– Additional materials needed: Possibly pencil/paper

– Accountability/assessment:  Students have a writing section to this activity that the teacher can assess

– Tips/reminders:  The options for characters and settings are extremely limited unless you purchase the full edition (or the school edition).

Other information:

– Preview this app on iTunes!

– There’s a school edition for $9.99

*All photos are screenshots from the app and belong to the app creators. Use of media is only for educational/informative purposes in hopes to increase awareness of the app’s potential application in elementary classrooms.  Please notify me if I should remove said photos.*

Skitch – draw/type on photos!

Description: *FREE app at time of post *  Skitch allows you to snap a photo or upload a photo you have in your camera roll, annotate it (with drawings, stickers, and text), and share the annotated photo in a variety of ways.

Compatible with the following device(s): iPad and iPhone

Implementation in classroom:

– Activity idea: This app can be used across academic subjects, but I particularly mention science for this activity idea.  In science, students can snap a photo of a textbook page, and annotate over the photo with highlighting, labeling, and more.  Then students can save the photo into camera roll and do some “app smashing,” the act of using the product from one app to make a product in another app, to do a voiceover.  The photo can be uploaded into an app like VoiceThread or ShowMe where they can show the annotated picture and record their voices describing the differences between extracting information from illustrations/pictures and extracting information from the words in text.  Questions to consider: How are these two mediums related in a science book?  Why have both?

– Time allotment: 30 minutes

– Potential standards (CCSS/NGSS) addressed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.6 Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.

– Student groupings and management: Individuals or pairs.  Students must be able to stay on task and work independently/cooperatively.  If there are a limited number of iPads in the classroom, there can be an iPad center where pairs/individuals sign up on a list.  Students will then wait their turn to use the app while working on other class activities.

– Additional materials needed:  A textbook or something else that includes pictures and text.

– Accountability/assessment:  Students will produce a product that teachers can listen to, see, and grade.

– Tips/reminders:  I recommend having a stylus readily available for students who may have trouble annotating pictures by using their fingers.  Also, because this app can share content online, teachers must be cautious about student safety and what they publish.

Other information:

– Preview this app on iTunes!

*All photos are screenshots from the app and belong to the app creators. Use of media is only for educational/informative purposes in hopes to increase awareness of the app’s potential application in elementary classrooms.  Please notify me if I should remove said photos.*

Science360 – surround yourself with science

Description: *FREE app at time of post *  The National Science Foundation (NSF) brings you a myriad of science- and engineering-related images and videos to explore in the Science360 app.  Students can choose media from the 360 view, search tags for content, or look through the newsfeed for the latest uploads.  When viewing each image/video, there is a caption button that students can press to find out more information about the topic, and all media can be saved (click on the star) to easily locate information later.

Compatible with the following device(s): iPad

Implementation in classroom:

– Activity idea: This app would be great to use as part of a scientific literacy development project.  Students can work in groups to explore the media offered in this app.  These videos can spark science-related questions they may want to pursue or present interesting information that makes students curious.  Groups pick a topic/question/problem they want to learn more about, and then conduct research using multiple print or digital sources.  Each student records notes along the way.  When finished with the researching phase, groups must create a digital project (movie, slideshow, etc.) that includes visuals, text, and voice to demonstrate their ability to integrate the information they learned.

– Time allotment:  App time can vary depending on how long the teacher gives groups to view/explore.  This project can be broken up into pieces that spans days/weeks to fit the needs of the students/teacher.

– Potential standards (CCSS/NGSS) addressed:

Various NGSS topics are addressed in this app.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

– Student groupings and management: Groups of 3-4.  Teacher might work with students to create a general outline of the time they have for each phase of the project in order to manage students’ progress.  Students might have to meet checkpoints like submitting their topic/question (with the image/video that inspired them), finishing the research phase, finishing their report, planning their project, and finishing their project.

– Additional materials needed: Possibly other apps/devices depending on availability and student choice.

– Accountability/assessment: Teachers can have each individual write a report (standard assessment) or participate in a wiki that allows the group to collaboratively write a report together (alternative assessment).  In the wiki, the teacher should be able to track the contributions each student made to the final product.

– Tips/reminders: Any time teachers have students researching online, they must ensure students’ safety and privacy.  Remember to remind students about Internet safety, and potentially choose websites that are age-appropriate for them.

Other information:

– Preview this app on iTunes!

– This app requires wifi or 3G to stream videos.

*All photos are screenshots from the app and belong to the app creators. Use of media is only for educational/informative purposes in hopes to increase awareness of the app’s potential application in elementary classrooms.  Please notify me if I should remove said photos.*

SimpleMind+ – organize your thoughts

Description: *FREE app at time of post *  If you’re looking for a quick and easy digital tool to make concept maps, SimpleMind+ will do the job.  The interface is very user-friendly, and students can click on the help section in the top right-hand corner if they need explanations for any symbols.  Students have control over the color scheme, bubble placement, line placement, and zoom-in/out viewing features.  Also, students can add small notes to bubbles if they choose to elaborate on the content in the bubble with more text.

Compatible with the following device(s): iPad and iPhone

Implementation in classroom:

– Activity: Concept maps are great tools because they help students organize their thoughts in various ways.  Therefore, this app can be integrated into any subject area.  This versatile app lends itself to cross-curricular planning of writing, presentations, research steps, and more.  Concept maps can also be used as visual communications tools as an alternative to narrative writing.  The use of this app is really up to the teacher and students.

– Time allotment: 10-30min depending on the depth of the map

– Potential standards (CCSS/NGSS) addressed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3a Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.

– Student groupings and management: Individual, paired, small group, or whole class.  Students can take turns adding branches to the map if working in pairs or small groups.  As a class, the teacher can create the map as he/she guides students with questions to help create it.

– Additional materials needed: None

– Accountability/assessment: The final product shows students’ understanding of the concepts at hand.  If working in groups, students can also initialize the bubbles they individually contributed to the group map.

– Tips/reminders: The free version of this app is somewhat limited.  You can’t share the map unless you take a screenshot or buy the desktop version of SimpleMind, and you don’t have as much control over the features.  If you choose to buy the upgraded version, you can add images, hyperlinks, pages, and more.

Other information:

– Preview this app on iTunes!

*All photos are screenshots from the app and belong to the app creators. Use of media is only for educational/informative purposes in hopes to increase awareness of the app’s potential application in elementary classrooms.  Please notify me if I should remove said photos.*

Math vs Zombies – zapping zombies one equation at a time!

Description: *FREE app at time of post*  Although Math vs Zombies is probably meant for children, I found this app to be really fun (especially when playing with my 3rd grade niece who kept screaming and frantically adding with her fingers)!  Basically, cute/quirky zombies are coming to get you, and the only way to change them back into humans (and save yourself) is to solve math equations correctly.  There’s nothing like a little urgency to get those brain juices flowing! Students using this app can choose from four basic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  Within each Operation Level, there are six mini levels and a boss level to beat, and the equations become progressively more difficult between mini levels.  Also, the difficulty level can be set to easy, medium, or hard by clicking on the gear in the bottom left-hand corner of the main menu.

Compatible with the following device(s): iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone

Implementation in classroom:

– Activity idea: Students can use this app to practice fluency with operations in all grade levels.  This app could be used during Preferred Activity Time (Fred Jones, 2007) or math centers.  Students must begin from level one in whichever Operation Level they choose and progress to following levels based on successful completion.

– Time allotment: Unrestricted. This game can be played for 10 minutes or more depending on classroom needs/activity.

– Potential standards (CCSS/NGSS) addressed:

CCSS.Math.Content.2.OA.A.1 Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.

CCSS.Math.Content.3.OA.C.7 Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.

– Student groupings and management: Individually or in pairs.  Students must be able to stay on task and work independently/cooperatively without too much assistance from the teacher.

– Additional materials needed: Possibly mini whiteboards and dry-erase markers, manipulatives, or paper/pencil.

– Accountability/assessment: The teacher might require students to show work or jot down math equations that they struggled with during the game.  If students struggled with math problems, they can do a follow-up activity in which they work through the equations by drawing, using manipulatives, or simply using paper/pencil.

– Tips/reminders:  This app won’t save level-achievement data for different students because it does not offer the option of signing in as a different user.  Students may have to keep track of their completed levels by writing them down.  Also, this is a “skills practice” app, which is limited in functionality.  Once students beat all the levels, there’s not much more they can do with the app.  However, it’s still a fun review/practice of skills.

Other information:

– Preview this app on iTunes!

 

*All photos are screenshots from the app and belong to the app creators. Use of media is only for educational/informative purposes in hopes to increase awareness of the app’s potential application in elementary classrooms.  Please notify me if I should remove said photos.*

Mad Libs – a fun classic

Description: *FREE app at time of post*  The Mad Libs app will be familiar to anyone who has played the paper version before!  If students have not been exposed to this activity prior to playing with this app, they’re in for a fun treat.  Students will apply/develop their knowledge of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in a humorous way.  Instructions and a quick review of the parts of speech are fond on the home menu.

Compatible with the following device(s): iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Implementation in classroom:

– Activity idea: Students can complete a Mad Lib and then discuss why the final product is humorous.  Typically, the final product is humorous because students’ words don’t match the context of the sentence and end up twisting the story in strange ways.  From this, students can then discuss what words might more properly fit into the context of the sentence, which helps develop one of the six traits of good writing: word choice.

– Time allotment: 30 minutes

– Potential standards (CCSS/NGSS) addressed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1a Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.

– Student groupings and management:  Individually, in pairs, or in groups.  If there is limited access to iPads in the classroom, this app can be used in centers or during Preferred Activity Time (Fred Jones, 2007).

– Additional materials needed: Paper and pencil.

– Accountability/assessment: The teacher can have students write down the words and parts of speech they originally use to fill in blanks.  Students can then draft a more sensible form of the story, underlining the new words they substituted and possibly explaining why they chose the new words.

– Tips/reminders: Mad Libs does not filter correct/incorrect input (i.e. if a student inputs a singular noun even though Mad Libs requested a plural noun, the program will allow the student to continue on despite the error).  However, if the student clicks on “hints” in the top right corner of the screen, the app will provide several examples of words that fit the category.  Students can choose one of these words if they cannot think of an alternative.

Other information:

– Preview this app in iTunes

– You can use voice recognition to enter your words!

*All photos are screenshots from the app and belong to the app creators. Use of media is only for educational/informative purposes in hopes to increase awareness of the app’s potential application in elementary classrooms.  Please notify me if I should remove said photos.*

The Farmer’s Lunch Story Creator – for early readers!

Description: *FREE app at time of post*  Farmer’s Lunch Story Creator is a great reading/writing app for young children.  This app features a short, interactive story that has three options: 1) students can listen to the narrator read the story (words are highlighted as the narrator speaks, and there are sound effects and music to accompany the story), 2) students can read the story themselves and record their own voices, and 3) students can use characters and speech bubbles to create their own stories.  Students can also test their comprehension by taking the quiz that follows the story.

Compatible with the following device(s): iPad

Implementation in classroom:

– Activity idea:  Farmer’s Lunch can be a great app for independent (or paired) reading time in Kindergarten or first grade.  If there are limited iPads in the class, students can explore this app in centers or on a one-by-one rotation throughout an extended period of time.  Students begin with the first reading option (narrator reads to them) as they follow along, and then move to retelling/recording when comfortable enough to read alone.  This app can be revisited to record reading as well as create stories in the third option (the story creator allows students to type text or choose from “key words”).

– Time allotment:  15-30 minutes

– Potential standards (CCSS/NGSS) addressed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2 Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

– Student groupings and management:  Individually or paired.  This can be an independent, exploratory activity, or the teacher can manage small groups of students using the iPads to guide them through the activity.

– Additional materials needed: None necessary.

– Accountability/assessment: Teachers can have students take the quiz in the story and/or record themselves reading the story (which can be played back for the teacher to assess).

– Tips/reminders:  The app includes a tab that describes how parents/teachers can help students get more out of reading.  This feature is located in the top left-hand corner of the main menu.

Other information:

– Award: BETT 2013 Primary Digital Content Award

– Preview this app on iTunes

*All photos are screenshots from the app and belong to the app creators. Use of media is only for educational/informative purposes in hopes to increase awareness of the potential application in elementary classrooms.  Please notify me if I should remove said photos.*

Civic Quotes – U.S. leaders

Description: *FREE app at time of post*  Civic Quotes offers great quotes from historic U.S. government leaders regarding democracy, citizenship, and more.  Along with these quotes come primary source photographs, source citations, short biographies of leaders, and quizzes to test students’ knowledge.

Compatible with the following device(s): iPad

Implementation in classroom:

– Activity idea: The instructor can present one of the civic quotes (or students can collaboratively choose a quote in groups).  Students will then discuss their interpretation of the quote and consider the speaker’s/author’s purpose and/or intent based on the historical period and events of the time (external research might be conducted).  The significance of the quote should also be discussed.  After discussion, they will then individually (or as a group) pretend they are the historical figure from which the quote was derived and write narratives in his/her perspective.  These narratives can describe the historical figure’s beliefs, elaboration of the quote, and/or perception of events.  Alternatively, here’s a neat link to the Library of Congress for ideas/questions for working with primary sources!http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/

– Time allotment: This activity can be a part of a writer’s workshop lesson that spans several days.  However, the time spent on the app can be as short as 15 minutes.

– Potential standards (CCSS/NGSS) addressed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.6 Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

– Student groupings and management:  Individually or in small groups.  Students must be able to stay on task and work independently/cooperatively toward the lesson objective.

– Additional materials needed:  Students may need additional research resources.

– Accountability/assessment:  After using this app, students will produce a written assignment for accountability/assessment. 

– Tips/reminders: The photographs that accompany the quotes do not necessarily/explicitly connect to the content in the quotes.  The primary source photographs may be a separate talking point.

Other information:

– Civic Quotes website.

– Lesson plan for teachers!

*All photos are screenshots from the app and belong to the app creators. Use of media is only for educational/informative purposes in hopes to increase awareness of the app’s potential application in elementary classrooms.  Please notify me if I should remove said photos.*

American Revolution Interactive Timeline – the name says it all!

Description: *FREE app at time of post*  The American Revolution Interactive Timeline app is exactly that – a very interactive timeline!  This beautifully designed timeline features dozens of artifacts (artwork, manuscripts, weapons, clothing, etc.) that include informative captions, video podcasts, and the ability to zoom in for a closer look.  At the bottom of the timeline is a navigation tool that allows students to skip to certain years, and clicking on the “i” button after zooming in on an artifact gives students more information.

Compatible with the following device(s): iPad

Implementation in classroom:

– Activity idea: Groups of students can be assigned a year (or short span of years) to explore within the timeline.  They should read about the events and artifacts that are featured during that time span, then think about questions that will give them more insight into the events/artifacts.  After brainstorming questions, they will conduct online research, read their textbooks, and read other informational texts that will help them gain more knowledge.  After doing so, the group will create a product that informs others about what they learned and they will present their findings.

– Time allotment: Depending on the depth expected, the project can span days or a couple weeks.  The timeline is really a jumping off point (engagement tool) that can last a simple 15-30 minutes.

– Potential standards (CCSS/NGSS) addressed:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

– Student groupings and management: Individually or in small groups.  Students must be able to stay on task and work independently/cooperatively without too much assistance from the teacher.  If the number of iPads is limited, the American Revolution Center also offers a web-based version of the timeline for computer use.

– Additional materials needed: Pre-found websites and other resources may be necessary to help students conduct research, and additional apps/technology may be needed if students are to produce a digital presentation of their work.

– Accountability/assessment:  As with all group work, accountability is essential.  Students can have assigned roles within groups, and then grade themselves and each other during a reflection process.  They can also turn in individual assignments related to their group work for assessment.

– Tips/reminders: This app does not provide in-depth information on events and artifacts.  It is most effective as an interest builder and mini-activity within a larger lesson.

Other information:

– This app has over 70 photographs that can be enlarged and manipulated, and it doesn’t require a network connection after initial installment.

– The American Revolution Center offers lesson plan ideas for teachers!

– Preview it on iTunes!

*All photos are screenshots from the app and belong to the app creators. Use of media is only for educational/informative purposes in hopes to increase awareness of the potential application in elementary classrooms.  Please notify me if I should remove said photos.*