TEACHnology Today
Technology Integration Newsletter-December 4, 2014
Apps in Focus: Leveling your Classroom Library
Review of Popular Classroom Library Apps
There are several different apps that help teachers to organize, level and manage their classroom libraries. There are many pros and cons for each app listed below so that you can read through them and decide if any of the free or paid apps are right for your purposes!
Many of these apps allow you to scan the barcode and receive leveling results within seconds! Before you begin, start with the expecation that no matter whether the app is free or paid, there is no app that will identify every single book in your library, and some may lack the detail you are looking for, so it will be important to do your own investigation.
Paid apps often have more information than the free apps, but each app has it's merit.
I would not expect a single resource to single-handedly level your entire classroom library, but each of the apps are able to level books found in their databases.
If you are interested in creating fancy labels for your books, Pinterest has a TON of them created by other teachers, so check it out!
Level It Books: $3.99
This amazing little library management app allows you to organize, level, and track your classroom's books in a new way. To use it, scan the barcode of any book and you will be able to view the Guided Reading, Lexile Grade Level Equivalent and DRA levels for the book. If information is not found, it can be manually searched for. The book is then stored in your personal library.
Once you have scanned in your books, you can conduct searches by grade level to find appropriate materials, and even check out books from your library to students as a way to track them!
There is also a feature that allows you to see books by level that have been recommended by other educators and to store a wish list of books you'd like to purchase in the future.
Maintain a Classroom Library
Enter a Student Roster
Recommendation
Scholastic Book Wizard: Free
If you are new to book resource apps and don't want to invest money just yet, this app is a good place to start. You can search for books by keyword, tite and author, or scan a barcode to get information. A brief synopsis of the book is included on the “Book Info” screen as well as title, author, and book level information.
The biggest complaint about this app is that it's database is limited.
Websites and Databases
A to Z Teachers Stuff Leveled Books Database: Free Online
This database allows users to search by title or author to determine the reading level for student books. Teachers have the option of searching to find Guided Reading Level or Reading Recovery Level.
Again, you won't find every book you need here (several popular titles are missing from the online resource,) it is free and helpful for some books. If you are just getting started, this resource will be helpful to you.
Scholastic Book Wizard: Free Online
This is the website that inspired the creation of the Book Wizard app. It allows educators to search by title, author, or keyword. Users can view a book’s Grade Level Equivalent, Guided Reading Level, or Lexile Measure. This would be another great place to start if you don't want to use an app.
Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Books Website: $25 per year
This frequently updated, subscription-based, on-line list contains 48,062 books submitted by over 300 publishers. Every book is reviewed and leveled using the F&P Text
Level Gradient.
15 Virtual Field Trip Apps
With technology, we have the ability to explore the world using mobile devices and show our students locations that would be normally out of reach. Using the apps below, students can access informational text, images and videos to learn about various locations. The ultimate goal is to get our students to think about those beyond our community.
Each of the apps below are awesome for exploring the world – click on each link to read more about how they can be used in your classroom!
- National Parks on Your iPad
- Interactive Maps
- Art Walk
- Earth Now by NASA
- Museum Exploration on iPads
- Atlas Apps
- 3D Atlas for iPads
- Museums of the World
- Gettysburg Virtual Tour
- Smithsonian Channel for Tablets
- Documentaries for the iPad
- Tree Exploration on iPads
- TapQuiz Maps Geography Game
- Art Museum on Your iPad
- Discovery Channel on iPads
One More Workshop: iPad-Reflector and Splashtop
Tuesday 12/9 at 7:20-7:50 AM
What Will I Learn at this Session?
- How to connect your iPad to your computer and display it on your SMART Board using Reflector and Splashtop ( I will not be going over how to download the software, but how to connect it, so if you need help with that please contact me to schedule something and I'd be happy to help!)
- A few ideas on how you might utilize Reflector and Splashtop in the classroom
- Some iPad apps that work well with Reflector
- Suggestions for adapting your current teaching methods with the SMART Board to include your iPad, allowing you to move around your classroom more freely
Year In Review
Fill Out Form Below for Individual Technology Integration Meeting
Past Editions of TEACHnology Today
September 11, 2014: Important Links, Technology Goals, Google Calendar and Chromebook Checkout, the 1-iPad Classroom and Reflector App
September 18, 2014: Important Links, Kahoot.it Tutorial, iPad App: Rhyme to Read
September 25, 2014: Digital Citizenship Image, Chromebook Checkout Refresher, iPad App: Noise Down, Bookmarking Sites: Tizmos and SymbalooEDU (with examples/resources by subject area and grade level)
October 2, 2014: Technology Goal Submission, Tutorial: Remind, Technology Workshop Opportunities, Chromebook Use Update
October 14, 2014: Technology Goal Update, iPad Spectrum, Apps for Every Classroom, Cool Tool: Planboard with Examples
October 23, 2014: Teaching Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety, iPad Reference Card (Printable), Cool Tool: Chatterpix App, Google Classroom, Apps for English and History, Sight Words on iPad, Youtube Channels for Educators
November 10, 2014: Tech Integration Request Form, Reflector and Splashtop (installation and use with your iPad and school computers), Google Calendar Refresher and links to LP School Calendars
November 18, 2014: Technology Mini-Session Poll, iPad App Suggestions with ThingLink, Thankful Turkeys with imagechef.com, Past Editions and Tech Integration Request Form
November 25, 2014: Technology Mini Session 1 Information, Planboard: Unit Planner How-To Guide, Formative Assessment with Socrative
December 4, 2014: Using Apps to Level your Classroom Library, Leveler Websites and Databases, 15 Virtual Field Trip Apps, and a Neat End of Year Activity