Literature Circles with Subtext

As a part of a recent iPad planning day, I was fortunate to participate in a Google Hangout with some colleagues about the free iPad app Subtext and some tips and tricks for using it in the classroom.

Image: www.subtext.com

Subtext is a free iPad app that allows teachers and students to share, annotate and discuss the same e-reading materials. Teachers can also add notes, discussion questions and quizzes to the reading, which students can see and respond to within Subtext.

I came away from this Google Hangout with some great ideas and resources for getting started with Subtext.

Getting started with Subtext:

Here's a helpful 5-minute introductory webinar from the Subtext website:

Welcome to Subtext: 5 Minutes from Subtext Video on Vimeo.

There is also a more in-depth intro and training webinar on the Subtext website.


My vision for using Subtext with students:

I am really excited to try out Subtext with two of my English learner classes - one of which is a small group of 6th graders, and the other is a 3rd grade class.  Both groups are focused around social studies content, so I'll be using Subtext to share e-reading materials about WWII (Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr) and the three branches of the government.

Image: http://blogs.sd41.bc.ca/learningtech/files/2012/02/lit_talk.jpg

In both classes, I am hoping to use Subtext to help facilitate a variation of literature circles.  I haven't used literature circles with either of these classes yet this year, and I am still working to develop the specifics on how they might work best with Subtext.  I'm thinking we'll all start out with the same literature circle roles to get the hang of how they work, and all of the cool ways we can use Subtext to make literature circle roles easier and more intuitive.


My favorite features of Subtext so far...

• The app will read a text aloud to you (great for English learners!)
• You can save and share websites to read together with students (free nonfiction!)
• You can connect Subtext with your class Edmodo account for easy access
• You can add a 'Save to Subtext' button to your browser's bookmarks toolbar to save material from the web to your shelf
• The Subtext support team is very helpful and responds quickly to questions
• Subtext will give you one free book from Google Books!

A few challenges with Subtext...

• Subtext is only able to read epub files at this point - they are hoping to come out with PDF compatibility by this summer or next fall
• Books have to be purchased from Google Books - paid per student 

Here are a few other resources and blogs that could help you get started with Subtext:

• Edmodo's Subtext App
• EdTechDiva's Review of Subtext
• Greg Kulowiec's Blog Post on Subtext and Custom ePub Files
• Subtext Mentioned on EdSurge

How are you using Subtext in your classroom?  Do you use other e-reading apps with students?  

Annotating with Skitch

I have always been a big (ok, huge) fan of sticky notes -- yes, the yellow squares of paper that you can write on and stick anywhere -- I love them.  Plain and simple.  I think it's because I tend to come up with random thoughts, questions, or connections and love to have a spot to jot them down and stick them so I can come back to them later.  Or, maybe it's because they're so small that you have to limit to-do lists to bare essentials and abbreviate notes with shorthand and symbols.

Therefore, it probably comes as no surprise that I also enjoy incorporating sticky notes into lessons I teach at school.  One of my favorite ways to use sticky notes with students has been to facilitate students' interaction with a text -- by taking notes / annotating what they read, and then sticking the notes to the text (or textbook) for easy reference at a later time.

This practice makes for quick note checks (did you get 5 notes on that topic?), formative assessments (turn in your most important note on this topic), reorganization of ideas (try flip-flopping your 2nd and 3rd sticky notes), recording collective brainstorming (write what you already know about this topic and stick it on the board), etc... (for more innovative and impressive uses of sticky notes in the classroom, check out this Edutopia blog post by Ben Johnson: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/sticky-note-teaching-tool-ben-johnson).

But, I have come across a few important limitations with sticky notes in the classroom --

1. sticky notes eventually loose their sticky-ness
2. sticky notes can be a great record of learning, but are difficult to share with those outside of our classroom

image: http://inthelifeofanerd.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/skitch.jpg

So, I did some checking and soon discovered...there's an app for that! (actually there are several great annotation apps out there!) 

Skitch happens to be my favorite iPad annotation app to use with students because it is very easy to pick up and use and is also very easy to share and save.

First step:
Students select the background image they would like to annotate.  They can use a photo, map, blank screen, or capture an image from the web.

Second step:
Students use the annotation tools (arrow, text, shapes, highlighter/marker, pen color, blur, crop) to take notes and annotate the text or photo to show thoughts, ideas, questions and / or connections.

From: Great Source ACCESS History - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

From: National Geographic Explorer, Pioneer Edition. January, 2013

Third step:
Students save their annotation, either to the iPad to to their Evernote account.

Fourth step:
Students share their annotation:

• create a public link (post on blog, class website, Twitter, Facebook, etc)
• via AirPlay (project and display)
• send in an email (classmates, family, friends, teachers, etc)
• save to the iPad's camera roll

Skitch provides students with a meaningful way to annotate and interact with a photo or text, while also providing options for both saving and sharing the annotations on a grander scale.  Sorry, sticky notes....Skitch's got you beat this time!

How do you use Skitch with students?  Do you use a different annotation app?  Leave your ideas in the comments section!

My next app-y goal: use HaikuDeck with students as a medium for sharing their learning...looking forward to trying it out!

Dividing Decimals and iMovie on the iPad

I have to say that one of the best parts of my job is collaborating with my colleagues -- I love working together to develop plans and turn good ideas into great learning moments for students.

One such collaborative brainstorming session occurred just a few weeks ago between myself and a 6th grade teacher.  We were meeting to rethink parts of our co-taught math class and were discussing the fact that the next unit is typically the most difficult for students.

The 6th grade teacher mentioned that decimal division and 'swooping' the decimals is often an extremely difficult concept for students to catch on to... and before long,  we had come up with an idea to help make 'swooping decimals' a bit more catchy.  (Reasoning: mnemonic devices and songs are great ways to help English learners - and all students - remember steps in a process!)

The 6th grade teacher and her son wrote the lyrics that night, and the next day, we recorded as many students and staff as we could using iMovie for the iPad.  I edited the complete iMovie on my iPad (so easy to do!) and we shared the final product with students and staff -- it was a hit, and before you knew it, 'SWOOP there it is' became a common phrase throughout the building.

Check out our iMovie and feel free to use and share as a resource for dividing decimals:

When you got a problem with

a decimal divisor

Gotta know how to divide

if you're gonna be wiser.

First multiply divisors by a

power of ten,

If it's got two places, 

gotta swoop it again.

Make divisors whole numbers- 

that's what you gotta do

Don't forget the inside decimal

Cuz you gotta swoop that, too!

Swoop, there it is (4X)

You swoop the inside decimal

the same number of places

As you did with the divisor -

Don't mess up with the spaces!

Raise that decimal up

High above that solid line

Then it's regular division

And you're gonna be fine.

Swoop, there it is (4X)

Divide, Multiply, Subtract, 

Check and Bring Down

Are what you need to do to 

To take that problem down!

And....Swoop, there it is! 

Swoop, there it is!

Swoop there it is!

Swoop there it is!

Lyrics written by Ms. Moran.

(Based on the original song: Whoomp There It Is by Tag Team)

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We are already brainstorming our next number....perhaps a science-themed re-make of Psy's Gangnam Style?!  

What are some ways you have used iMovie for the iPad to enhance learning for students?  Leave a comment to share!


Looking forward to many more creative and productive brainstorming sessions with my colleagues in 2013!
--Andrea

The Language of Math: iPads and ELLs

We've all probably heard it said that math is a universal language, however a closer look reveals that the language of math is actually very complex and can be difficult to understand without explicit instruction and opportunities for practice.

A 3rd grade teacher and I (an EL teacher) have worked to incorporate instruction on the language of math into our co-taught math class through explicit teaching of math vocabulary and daily opportunities for math talk. Because our math class has several EL students, multiple gifted students, and many other students in between, we use many differentiation strategies to give students what they need, whether it be pre-teaching, re-teaching, opportunities for practice, or acceleration on a given topic.

One of the differentiation strategies we are excited about involves the screencasting apps ShowMe and Screen Chomp on the iPads. Students who have demonstrated that they are proficient on a given benchmark are asked to choose a problem that addresses that benchmark and write out a step-by-step plan on how to solve the problem.

Then, the student grabs an iPad, chooses ShowMe or Screen Chomp, and records and narrates a screencast of him/herself solving the problem. Students can also screencast what they know about specific vocabulary words. During independent work time, students can watch a class screencast to help them understand a concept or vocabulary word they have been struggling with, or to preview the next concept we will be learning about.

Our goal is that all of our students have multiple opportunities to record and watch the screencasts, so that the iPads are viewed as a resource for everyone. The iPads provide an authentic purpose and audience for math vocabulary and math talk, and our students are engaged and invested in their learning.





Math Language: iPads and English Learners


Don't worry if you can't make it to Minneapolis for our presentation...just check out our presentation via Prezi and Camtasia:





We are very excited to share what we love about ShowMe and ScreenChomp tomorrow!
Have you used them in your classroom before?
Leave us a comment to let us know what has worked well for you or what challenges you have faced with screencasting!

Thanks so much and happy screencasting!
-Andrea