I have decided to start this blog to help other teachers like me who need to learn how to effectively use apps in the classroom. I have been experimenting with a large variety of apps to figure out which ones are best to use with my third graders in preparation for our upcoming 1:1 devices. I am going to post a review of each new app I try to this blog. Hopefully, you will find the reviews helpful. I want to share my ideas and would love to hear ideas from all of you.
One of the very first apps I experimented with was EduCreations. I LOVE this app! It is so easy to use and can serve a wide variety of purposes. It is a great presentation tool for every subject. I tend to use it most with math. When you start the app, it basically looks like a blank whiteboard. Then, you are able to add text, pictures, and video. You are also able to draw or write on the page in different colors. You can add multiple pages and can change the background to imitate lined paper or grid paper. After adding text and pictures, there is a record function for students to explain their work. You can save drafts and save the finished products. The best part is that the app includes all of these features for FREE! Of course there are upgraded features you can choose to purchase, but that is not necessary.
Click here to get the EduCreations app.
Another app that I have recently discovered and fallen in love with is an app called PuppetPals. It is also a free app. There is a paid version, but the features are not really any better than the free version. This app is also simple for my third graders to use. Most of them figured out what to do before I did! It basically lets kids put on a digital skit. They can choose pre-made characters and background scenes, or can use pictures to create their own characters and settings. After the characters and backgrounds have been selected, students can record their voice telling a story. They are able to change the background and move the characters around as they record. When they are finished, they have essentially created their own little animated movie. This app would be great for reading and social studies, in particular.
I have spent the past two weeks teaching my students about the causes of the American Revolution. I chose to use this app as a final project to assess what students have learned about the causes and the colonists' reaction to each cause. My students researched additional information about the three acts we have been studying (Stamp Act, Tea Act, Intolerable Acts) and then created a storyboard for their skits. Once their storyboards were complete, every student created a Puppet Pal to explain each Act from the colonists' perspective and what the colonists did in retaliation to each act. I then gave students an opportunity to present their skits to the class and used a rubric to grade the final product. My students loved this project. They had fun with it and learned way more than they would have if they had just listened to me talking about the acts the whole time.
Click here to get the PuppetPals app.
