Resource: https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-apps-for-kids/
Learning about and exploring eBooks this week has made me rethink asking for eReaders instead of Chromebooks from my PTA as mentioned in my first blog entry. I will be honest, I don't think I can recall a time when I've seen eReaders being used in an elementary classroom so discovering how easily they could be incorporated was exciting to read about. And to be even more transparent, I haven't even personally used an eReader until this past week! A friend that is an avid reader and uses her Kindle often was so kind as to let me borrow hers so I could see how they work. Below is a picture of the one she has (Currently $65 on Amazon right now). In using her eReader, I found it very easy to use and enjoyed reading a book digitally that was not on my laptop. I also loved how light the Kindle was, that I could read at night and not need an overhead light on, and could carry multiple books that didn't take up all the room in my teaching bag. I also learned that she has purchased the Kindle Unlimited subscription which I believe is also important to consider when factoring in overall costs in the classroom. Without this, I'm not sure how much each book would cost.
The books I explored this week were from freebooksy.com but in using the site, I discovered that the books were basically direct links to amazon.com so it seems Amazon is a great place to look for digital books. The other site I explored was ereaderiq.com, which I found to be much more overwhelming than the previous two and it also included links to Amazon. The five specific children's books I read on the Kindle this week were Catpuccino Adventures, Go to Bed, Ollie!, Ara the Star Engineer, Denny and Penny, and I Spy Halloween!. All these books were easy to use, but one complaint I have was that the pictures were only in black and white. In purchasing one in the future, I would like for my students to have a device that has color. I also did not experience any additional interactive features so I'm not sure if it relates to the book itself or the style of Kindle I was using? Overall though, for just the pure pleasure of reading the book, the Kindle was enough. The font was large enough to see well from a distance, it was easy to navigate between pages, and also switching between books.
At my school, we use Chromebooks and iPads as our main technology devices. I have used a variety of educational apps that have been fun for students to use and learn from. Some of my favorites for my students (K-4) are
Starfall,
Teach Your Monster,
Hooked on Phonics,
Reading IQ, and
Khan Academy Kids. While some apps are free, others do cost money or have additional add-ons that cost money so it's always important to check ahead of time before downloading. Students love these because it makes learning fun and engaging. They enjoy playing games and challenging themselves. These apps could also be used at home too which is a bonus! Some apps that caught my attention that I want to further look into are the ones aimed at comprehension. It does seem that majority of these start at $1 and up so if anyone has any recommendations for those that are worth the money, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Since I'm a reading interventionist, I could see how eReaders and eBooks would be a great alternative for my students to use for small group learning. I could incorporate both apps and eBooks together for a full digital literacy lesson. I would definitely try it out with my fourth graders first, to work out any issues that may arise because of how familiar they are with technology, and then work my way down to kindergarten. I would have to also consider time and how much it would take to train the students to use the devices, actually using the devices, and having a backup plan for when the devices don't work. Ideally, I would love to plan a few lessons with my school's Library Media Specialist so that she can support me in my learning and if any troubleshooting issues occur. In the future, I plan on working towards more technology integration back into my classroom once I obtain devices to use 😊
Amazon is not only my favorite for shopping, but now for reading as well! A kindle is a great investment and an excellent resource to have.
ReplyDeleteI immediately thought of small groups when I was reviewing the websites and apps during this module. I am a classroom teacher, which would mean I would need some independent group options during any "small group" time setting. The ease of differentiation and skills available is so helpful in both guided and independent groups!
Asking the media specialist for support is a great idea! I think the literacy coaches could also support in this - specifically the implementation.
Good luck this year and thanks for sharing :)
Hello Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI am an avid user of an e-reader (Kindle Paperwhite) and I love it. It's very convenient to read at night and I read all of my library books (Libby app) on this device. I think using e-readers with your intervention students instead of Chromebooks is an idea worth looking into. I think that computers can be incredibly distracting for students and it can make it hard for us to monitor them while we are teaching a lesson. The thing with e-readers is that there are so many less distractions and students can't "wander off" to other websites. I had brought up to my administration the idea of getting an e-reader to every student and having a school collection of books on each device. I teach in an area where it is really rare for students to have books at home, we don't have a school library, and the students all really struggle to read. If you are comfortable with it, and if you have enough, you could have parents sign responsibility forms for the devices and send them home for students to practice reading.
- Kirsten Cady
I really enjoyed reading your post! I also am new to the e-Reader. I usually prefer having the book in my hand when I read. When I actually started using an e-Reader this year, I realized that there were definitely some benefits. I loved that I could read anywhere at anytime. While I have many book lights - it is much more convenient to have the light built into the device. I also subscribed to Kindle Unlimited - which gave me a lot of access to different books. I wonder if showing students that this option exists might spark some increased interest in reading. E-readers provide students with enough technology to appeal to their status as "digital natives," while keeping out some of the distractions of online reading platforms. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
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