Tech EDGE: Mobile Learning in the Classroom Podcast
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Tech EDGE is a partnership between the Nebraska school districts and the teacher education programs at both the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Concordia University. The UNL Mission is to “Create a generation of teachers who are effective and confident using new technologies to prepare the students of Nebraska to participate and lead in tomorrow’s global society”. With over 300 podcast episodes to select from, there is something for everyone to learn in these informative tools.
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Shari Lovitt: 1st & 2nd grade teacher at Wheeler Central Elementary School
Nearpod: The first app that has stood out to me is called Nearod. Nearpod is a free app, can be found in the App Store, and could be used for all grade levels. Once downloaded, you are asked to create a teacher account, join a classroom, or log in through other vessels. I created a teacher account and was immediately greeted with a “Getting Started With Nearpod” slideshow. This slideshow was packed with useful information as a new user. Nearpod helps you engage your students with interactive lessons by combining slides, multimedia content, and assessment tools. Nearpod gives the teacher the ability to display the same thing on every single device in the room, once joined. When everyone in the room is connected to a device, they can enter a code to join the “classroom”. Because of the Nearpod Live Lesson, the teacher controls the pace of the lesson, and what the students are looking at on their screens. One of my favorite tools is the Virtual Reality Field Trip that can be added to the lesson. The teacher can insert quizzes and see the scores of each student connected to the classroom. They can also allow the students to draw on the app, or provide open ended questions the students must type to answer. There are endless possibilities when utilizing Nearpod in the classroom, and I am sure I will be using it in mine. Epic! The second app to catch my attention was the Epic! app. Epic is a free app, can be found in the App Store, and could be used by children 12 and under. Epic! is a digital library for children, with over 25,000 high quality ebooks, audiobooks, learning videos, and quizzes. The students are motivated with badges and rewards when they accomplish the assigned readings. The teacher can track the progress of a student and keep a close eye on the areas they may be struggling in. Epic! encourages the students to find books they may have an interest in, and really grow as young readers. My favorite part about this app is the teacher involvement because I think that is very important when using technology in the classroom. Sushi Monster is the third and final app I did research on. Sushi Monster is a free app, can be found in the App Store , and could be used by students ages 4+. Sushi Monster is a app to practice, reinforce, and extend math fact fluency in engaging and challenging problems. This app includes 12 sequenced levels, including: 7 addition levels, 5 multiplication levels, 4 rounds in each level, 14 target numbers per round, and the ability to replay each round with new numbers. The students can build self efficacy by receiving points, stars, and trophies to unlock new levels and advance. Math is not my area of concentration, so I greatly appreciate this new found knowledge about great math apps for children. Teachers could use this app when providing in-class assignments, or as a method of assessment after a math chapter has been completed. |
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