Over the past month I have been looking for apps to use with my students in the classroom. The biggest problem is finding time to research free apps that will be educational for students.It has been a busy year. I found a few apps that I would like to try with students, mainly in the area of math. These apps are devoted to building math fact fluency which are mainly drill and kill for basic addition and subtraction facts. I think students might be more motivated to practice these facts with an ipod instead of normal flash cards.
The other ones I found are geared to telling time and counting money. Both of these are important skills for students to learn and develop as they are necessary skills that all students need to learn.
I am taking part in this opportunity so I can have at least 5 ipods in my classroom next year. I think students could truly benefit from working with apps in a variety of subjects.
I did also find a few language arts apps that have stories built in for students to read and listen to. I am hoping to find more apps geared to reading and phonics that students could use independently or in a small group. I do think an ipod could truly motivate students and could be a great way to differentiate and challenge students on the same topic.
This past year, I also spent numerous hours creating Promethean board flipcharts in regards to spelling. During reading instruction, students could independently use the flipcharts to practice their spelling words. I did find that when I used these flipcharts, students on average did an excellent job on end of the week spelling tests. When I did not use the flipcharts, I did notice a decrease in spelling scores for those weeks the flipcharts were not used.
I am excited to continue my work with the spelling flipcharts into next school year as well as being able to add the ipod component to my reading and math instruction. Will it be motivating for students? Will they be more engaged as they will have the opportunity to work with the ipod in the classroom?
No comments:
Post a Comment