Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Apps for the Classroom


Actively Learn is a program that allows you to take specific texts like short stories, articles, etc. and add notes and questions for students to read and respond to.  Teachers can evaluate students’ responses and students can also comment on each other as well.  Several of our Communication Arts teachers use this software but it has great application to any course/curriculum that requires thinking critically about text.  See the link below for getting started.

Edmodo provides a safe and easy way for teachers and students to engage and collaborate for free, anytime, anywhere. With over 40 million users, Edmodo is the largest, fastest growing social platform for education. Awarded the 2013 EdTech Digest Award for Best Product, Edmodo makes the idea of a paperless classroom a reality. Kristin Justis is one teacher in our building who has used this app.
Use Edmodo for:

• Secure classroom discussions
• Posting assignments
• File sharing and uploading

Key Features:

• Classroom activity feed
• Student progress tracker
• Educational resource library
• Professional learning networks
 ExplainEverything is a tool for creating video like tutorials. Students or teachers can take photos or images, annotate them, record voices over them and explain different concepts that way. It could be good for giving students directions or for having students explain what they’ve learned.  Click below for online tutorials:

Kahoot
This free app allows teachers to create and play quizzes, discussions or even surveys (which are called Kahoots) using any device with a web browser… including a laptop, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android, Chromebook, Windows Phone or PC.  Without needing an account, everyone in the room quickly joins through their personal device, seeing their name appear at the front.  Answering questions in real time through an easy-to-use interface, they play against each other aiming to top the on-screen leaderboard, while you facilitate and discuss the content.  Formatively assess individual knowledge and adapt learning to suit!  Mrs. McPartland and Mrs. Winship are two colleagues who have used this program to help students review their material.  Check out the link below for how to get started.


LastPass is a free app that can be used to store all of your usernames and passwords.  It will store all your data and you can review at any time.  Click on link below for more details:





Padlet is a free and easy way to create and collaborate in the classroom. It works like a sheet of paper where you can put anything (images, videos, documents, text) anywhere, from any device (pcs, tablets, phones), together with anyone.  This is great for getting feedback from students regarding content (e.g. each student can respond to a prompt).  Click on the link below for a short video tutorial.


Screencast-o-matic is a free online resource that allows you to record your computer screen with audio.  This is a great tool if you need to create a video tutorial that illustrates new software or computer technology for students.  The recent Sharepoint tutorials , for example, were created using this program.

ShowMe is a free app (basic) that allows you to record voice-over whiteboard tutorials and share them online. ShowMe can be used as an interactive whiteboard substitute.  There is also a library of ShowMe Lessons by content area on the website.  Several features allow you to use this application for the flipped classroom.  Check out the website below for more information including the library of lessons and video tutorials:

Socrative is a free student response app that allows you to assess students in real time using a poll, race, or exit slip type platform.  Scores are calculated in real time and you can create as well as share your assessments with others.  Brian Santos, Chris Witthaus, Diane Fingers, and Shelly Parks are some of our teachers who have used this program before.  Below is a link to a video tutorial:




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