Zearn

Zearn is an integral part of teaching for many educators. It is a great supplemental online program that can be added to any curriculum. The intended use of the program is to begin with whole-group instruction. Students then work in class independently or may be able to have a partner or two when doing digital lessons. Small groups may be possible accompanied by a teacher to help "deepen, extend, and remediate" all based on the comprehensive reports of student progress. The great thing about Zearn is that it allows an educator to individualize a students' experience and also allowing them to practice what they are lacking in the most. Zearn enables students to master the skills with repetition while understanding the lesson material on the surface level. When blended with direct instruction and quality hands on practice, Zearn provides the needs of a good learning environment that students need to master mathematics and also get in some practice. This program can be used by various educators and for all levels of learner, Zearn allows students to really strive for more and achieve their goals.

BrainPOP

BrainPOP is an educational to to put in your teaching arsenal. For many young teachers this site will be a nostalgic trip but for your students, it offers an easily accessible site with loads of different materials. It has extensive content on most subjects found in primary and secondary school. Graphics also illustrate the content that is being clicked on by students, allowing for clear structure of the website. An amazing quality of this website is how it structures and displays the information when you have reached a subject. The UI (User Interface) is extremely impressive. Let's say you have reached Polynomials after going from Math to Algebra, It presents you with clear cut options on what BrainPOP provides. For every micro-subject they provide. there is an available movie, quiz, related readings, vocabulary, game and more. 

A negative aspect of the site is that it requires funding to fully access the content. Some of the content is free and most of it requires  subscription to play. Another gripe with this content is the ambiguous difference between what is free and what is not. For a teacher, access to the full website will cost $230.00 for a year and for a school, it would cost $1,895.00. I think this would be an amazing site for a school to buy, allowing for unlimited access to the site.

Quizup

     QuizUp is an app for mobile devices where you can take quizzes made by other users about any topic you can think of! I used to spend hours on this app taking quizzes about T.V. shows that I watched or even books that I've read. There is also an option to make your own quizzes, which can be useful to educators to make quizzes about different material that they are covering. You can face random opponents form anywhere in the world. The only critiques I have to make about this app is that there isn't much sensitivity to the chat option and if using this in class, students may be distracted by other quizzes. Some pros of this app is that it is free to use, and students can take this on the go to take quizzes wherever they may be. Overall, I really love this app and think it has the potential to be a great technology tool for educators. 

https://www.quizup.com

Newsela.com

There has been a pretty significant push stemming from the Common Core Standards to include some form of reading in all content area.  No longer is reading proficiency only expected in English or ELA classes but also in science and math etc.  Luckily, we have Newsela.com as a great resource for grade appropriate and content specific articles.  And most articles are free!

Looking for an article relevant to math and appropriate for 8^th grade?  Look no further – just click here!  Within a couple of clicks, teachers and learners can specify the content area as well as the Lexile level you need, and “Poof”, a number of articles that you can choose from are presented.  Another great thing about the site is that you can have everyone in your classroom read essentially the same article but at varying Lexile levels.  This way, all students get the same content but without the struggle.  Check it out!  

Go SoapBox

Have you ever been a student that has been afraid of asking questions in front of your fellow classmates?  GoSoapBox is a web based teacher tool that students and teachers can use in the classroom to keep the lesson more engaging and to make the activities more interactive.  To use, just sign in and make you lesson with an accompanying quiz or test.  The student sign in by clicking in on join event.  Students can sign in using a tablet, smartphone or computer.  There is a free version up to 30 students but it can get pretty pricey.  From thirty-one to seventy-five students, the price is $99 dollars.  You can make different polls, quizzes, create discussions and have Q&A with the students.  The questions that students ask are confidential so no one has to feel embarrassed or ashamed for not knowing something. The student can also notify if the teacher if they are confused of if they can understand something in real-time.  If may not have the quirkiness of Kahoot or Quizizz but the anonymity and lack of embarrassment of students more than makes up for lackluster graphics.

LiveBoard is an interactive whiteboard teacher’s can use to create multimedia content for their students. LiveBoard is similar to a powerpoint but is much more interactive. Teachers are able to write all over the slide, but then can create a new one so they do not have to erase what they started. Within the slides, there are many features such as a clicker, pen, shape maker, eraser, and the ability to insert images. A recording feature is also available so the teacher can go over the content as they would in class. They can record as many videos as they would like. Additionally, students are able to leave comments on the slide/video and teachers are able to answer those as soon as they are able to. Teachers are able to make a new “slideshow” for every topic. Furthermore, they are able to share the slideshows with as many students as they would like.  With LiveBoard, there is a free and a paid version which costs $10 per month. The free option has all the important features, but the paid version has extra bonuses. I have loved using this application and would definitely recommend it.

Prodigy

Prodigy is probably one of the coolest educational websites I know that kids can use for free. It's basically this online world that challenges students with each other in order to keep reaching higher levels. The game allows them to build their own character, name them, pick a pet, and battle with their school friends in the classroom or at home!

 Now, what makes it educational are the battles themselves. Students must answer a series of math questions to "battle" each other. Every correct answer equals a hit their opponent takes. That goes on back and forth until one battler finally loses the battle by running out of health. The more battles you win, the higher levels you unlock, and the higher level you are, the harder it is for people to take you down! The battles consist of math questions tailored to the players level. The questions come with 3 chances and hints if the player is stuck. If the question is answered incorrectly, the player loses their chance to take a hit at their opponent. This game is cool because of how interactive it is. It lets students play with their friends in different realms the game lets you unlock. It lets you join forces with your friends to battle another duo for a tag team battle. This site offers so many cool features that kids love!   

Technology for Homeless Students

Even though there is the danger that vulnerable populations would sell or "barter away" devices like iPads and laptops, the benefits of allowing these students access may outweigh the concerns.  I currently tutor older students preparing for the GED, and during our orientation, the director for educational services indicated that some of the participants were homeless.  If they had an iPad or laptop for their personal use, the stress over traveling to the center would be alleviated.  Moreover, I would have more opportunities to work with them as questions came up by using technology like Skype.

Link

Khan Academy

Khan Academy, a Non profit online resource tool with the mission to provide a a free, world- class education for ALL ages, anywhere. this website offers practice exercises, instructional videos and a personalized learning dash board that allows students to keep track of their progress. Khan Academy also allows you to learn at your own pace, while learning subjects such as math, reading, social studies, science and more. I do believe they  have more helpful resources and focuses on mathematics. Khan Academy also shows you your errors, as well as helps break down problems. A customer survey held in 2018 with 1503 respondents posted 90 percent of teachers and students who have used Khan Academy (the impact) report it is an effective learning resource.

Readability Formulas

As teachers, especially in the content areas of math and science, we can sometimes forget that readability of the subject matter can have a significant effect on the success of a student.  Quite often we are handed text books and other materials that we have to work out of but other times we can actually choose materials from outside sources.  So how do we know if the content we choose is appropriate for the varied reading levels found within our classrooms?  

Luckily we have online resources like Fry Graph and Raygor Graph Readability Tool which is based on the well-known readability formula developed by Edward Fry.  The super easy to use calculator allows you to enter samples of text from the document you are interested in using and calculates the reading level of the content in a jiffy.  The tool also provides other information such as total number of words, repeated words, unique words etc. all of which contribute to the readability of the content.  This tool should be in every teacher’s toolbox since a busy teacher can assess the readability of what she plans to present within seconds and adjust accordingly so that all learners can benefit from the material. 

Seussville

The colorful and easy to read Seussville is an online platform that is a great place for classrooms and even families to explore. Visit the Cat in the Hat, Yertle the Turtle, the Lorax, and all of the Dr. Seuss favorites that are loved by so many. This is awesome website that offers internet fun for the family whole also providing a lot of activities that appeals to young children of all ages and grades K-5. When being used by an educators users can adventure the many areas of Seussville or simply click on Seussville University to be introduced to the subjects available for Pre-K to first grade students. These subjects are reading, math, science, and reasoning.
The colorful characters and timeless rhymes of Dr. Seuss are showcased in the interactive games available on the website. These games will take any individual at any age on a joyful adventure. There are also activities and printable games that helps to bridge the gap between family refrigerator door and the media.

DragonBox

Dragonbox uses a visual, intuitive interface to gradually scaffold increasingly complex algebraic equations. Cleverly disguised as a game, the program moves from visually appealing images and characters to variable symbols you'll recognize from algebra class. This app and website is divided into two sections (4 to 9 years old and 9 and up) with various math disciplines to learn. Dragonbox is a brilliant means of doing so. I like the quick pace of the website and its overall gameplay. The levels get progressively more difficult, but little by little so students are able to feel successful as they progress rather than frustrated. Since the game format is so strong students are engaged and don't really feel that they're "doing math". This tech connection has helped some students who previously didn't understand balancing equations to catch on when we go back to numbers.  Think of this game as Algebra mashed up with Angry Birds. They have Regular and Advanced Math Packs at 9.99 and a Complete Math Pack at 24.99.

Assistive Technology for Autistic Students

     Since most people have access to either a cell phone or a tablet, it is a good idea to utilize these devices when working with autistic children.  Since many autistic children experience deficits in communication, it is important to have something readily at hand to avoid unnecessary frustrations and to facilitate learning whenever possible.  Certain apps contain flashcards commonly used to speech therapists to capture common events, command, and so on (I remember using those cards with my speech therapist; they were laminated, constantly falling on the floor, and were often lost).  This system is superior because the educator and student can track which cards are used most frequently and can add cards as the student's vocabulary expands.  I also agree that the device can be handed to the student as a reward to play a quick game as opposed to providing a sticker or some toy that will be forgotten on the bottom of someone's backpack.

Link

Agnitus

Agnitus is a subscription website geared toward children from preschool up until 3rd grade. They follow a comprehensive curriculum that focuses on mastering skills through series of activities, books and games. The books on the app are interactive so children can listen or sing along to nursery rhymes. The site claims it uses progression based technology in their activities which prepares students for structured learning environments. The app and website offers skill reports for parents to track their child's progress and what skills need more focus on. A monthly subscription is $6.99 or a yearly subscription is $47.99.

I feel that this is another spin off of abc mouse but at a slightly more affordable price point being only $6.99 instead of $9.99 a month. I like that website while plain looking is more focused on providing enriching activities for young children which a focus on pre-kindergarten education. I believe its a good investment for children who need extra help with mastering preschool level skills but a waste of money afterwards.

Starfall

Starfall is an educational website for grades Pre-K through 3rd that can be used to help with reading and math. The website focuses more on reading. According to the site, Starfall's founder, Stephen Schutz, struggled learning how to read throughout his childhood and because of that he was inspired to create a place to help children like his past self learn how. Starfall has been around since 2002 and in 2012 started providing its activities through apps on phones and other electronics. The concept of Starfall was to create an environment "Where Children Have Fun Learning To Read".

The website offers interactive games and online books to help kids strengthen their reading. Students can read and listen to books, practice phonics, and build sentences through the site. Math games are also available on the site as additional math practice. Starfall gives parents and teachers the option of purchasing a membership to unlock different resources. Teachers are given the option of purchasing a membership that allows them to use it in the classroom with their students. Overall, Starfall is a great option for any kid learning how to read or is struggling with reading.

Math Playground

The Math Playground is a website that has a ton of free math games available for grades 1st-6th. They have tabs titled Math Games, Logic Games, Math Arcade, Story Math, and Math Videos. When you click the tab you will be taken to a page full of games to chose from. You can also click the grade that your student are in and make the games grade specific. The site also offer other categories like word games and geography that can be found at the bottom of the page. These games can be played without a subscription. However, if you would like to have more games, be add free, save your favorite game and play in full screen mode it would be best to subscribe to the website. They have separate pricing for families and schools, that can be paid monthly, quarterly, and annually. For the family you can pay on the low end with an annual subscription of $35.88( $2.99 per. month), $4.99 quarterly or $5.99 monthly. For the school it will cost $71.88($5.99 per. month), $7.99 quarterly, $9.99 monthly. 

I enjoy playing the games on this site. I feel like it keeps my mental math sharp and the geometry games help me problem solve. I think this site can be used when you have students that finish their work early as something that is fun and educational or for students that need a little more practice on certain lessons. It would also be great for a day when the class have a substitute teacher, they can do a day of fun self learning. The games on this site keeps the students motivated and striving to beat their personal best. I would recommend this site to parents for students to have fun and educational games to play during the summer break.  

Education.com

                                         This site provides numerous of activities for children preschool age all the way up to fifth graders. You can search activities by topic, arts and crafts, coloring, holidays, offline games, pop culture and events, recipes, seasonal. You can even look things up that correlate with the Common Core Standards. I thought that was a really cool feature, even though it only has language arts and mathematic standards. This covers just about all of the subjects there could be; coding games, fine arts, foreign language, math, reading, science, writing, social emotional, social studies, and typing. All these subjects offer activities in printable worksheets, online games, guided lessons, lesson plans, hands on activities, interactive stories, printable workbooks, science projects and even song videos. This website had just about everything on here. While I was exploring the website, I did run in to a speed bump. You need a subscription. I was only allowed access to a handful of activities until it brought me to a screen where I could between three types of membership, Monthly for $8 with no commitment, can cancel anytime. The Annual option was for $5 month if billed annually you'll save big and the lifetime membership for a once time fee of $160. That's a bummer for myself, because I had originally thought that this was a free site, but now knowing, I might do the monthly and try it out and see if I actually use it and make time for it all, and depending on how it goes in the classroom and how I like it, I might do the annual or even the lifetime.

FunBrain

FunBrain is an educational website for kids preschool to 8th grade. The website boasts having games, videos and books for students all for free on the site. There is also a section for parents and teachers as well. It has content on all subjects for each level in the form of games and videos that are engaging and fun. The site is easy to use with each grade level boldly displayed at the top so students can find the age appropriate content easily. A drawback of the site is there are ads everywhere which can be distracting to students or they could accidentally click on them leading them to non age appropriate sites.

I personally really enjoyed playing the games and if I was a student would be more motivated to learn if part of learning was these games... even math. I really like that they have books that students can read for free on their site because as a avid book lover I would know that buying books all the time to read gets expensive fast. Overall I feel this is a great website to use for a sub day or for parents to use at home if their child needs extra help on a certain concept or subject even though it can be played just for fun!

ABCmouse

ABCmouse is an award learning comprehensive program for children age two to eight.  They have a learning path that help the child learn through fun activities and can also be used on an app.  The curriculum ABCmouse teaches are reading, language development, math, science, technology, social studies and health.  The have a 30 day free trial but the monthly fee afterwards in $9.95.  Each membership can have up to four accounts (one for the parent and up to three children) In addition to the games they have, they also have books, songs, puzzles, drawings to color in and printables so students can practice their skills away from the computer.  Other features features include progress tracking for keeping up with the child's progress, tickets and rewards where the child can purchase items onsite and make a customizable avatar where the child can make a version of his or her self if they choose to.  Overall for children in the early grades, this website can be a solid tool towards fostering a learning environment for any child and I believe a bargain for what you recieve.

Newsela

Newsela is an instruction Content Platform that enhances learning and reading engagement in every subject. This website was developed as an educative online platform which focuses on building reading comprehension by students. The real-time assessments and high quality websites provided by Newsela for students ranging from grades 2-12 spans a wide variety of content. Some of the content provided include law, money, science, health, opinion, sports, and arts. Newsela is a well organized and useful online platform used by many educators. The website was once free but now charges around $18.00 per student.

This online platform provides very high interest yet low vocabulary access for English language learners and learning disability students to track achievements while also providing a higher level option for students who perform higher. This is also a great tool in which enables differentiation in a classroom while allowing the same content with different levels for classroom discussions. While exploring the website, students are provided with new and innovative materials that help them solve the problem of having to find articles on the internet. I highly recommend this website as it allows an entire class to access the same material at the adaptive level of each student. This is especially beneficial because each student will gain some level of comprehension and will not be discouraged by their reading abilities.

LingoDeer

 LingoDeer in language learning application. On this site/application you learn several different languages like English, French, Korean, Spanish etc. The app shows you which language course are available by the language you would like the course taught in. You learn by answering some multiple choice, short answer, and/or fill in the blank questions. It also allows you to record answers to check your pronunciation. LingoDeer separates the learning into categories such as verbs, family, greetings, food, time, numbers, etc. 

 I was not able to go very far into the levels because in March of 2019 LingoDeer switched from being an 100% free application to having the subscribers pay for access to the daily lessons.  They have a one-time lifetime option or you can pay per month. The pricing per month goes by if you want to have the subscription strictly monthly, quarterly or yearly. 

From just the little bit that I have experienced, I think LingoDeer is worth the one-time lifetime subscription payment option. If you do not have the funds to purchase that option then I would recommend waiting until you do. I do not think it wise to pay for this monthly. 

Could AI Replace Human Beings as Teachers?

     While it is exciting for some people to consider, and equally frightening for others to ponder, the idea that computers or robots could replace human beings as educators, I don't believe that this will really happen.  Robots cannot replace doctors, for example, but surgeries with more and more sophisticated technology can and does assist doctors to perform complex surgeries.  I think that robots could serve as teacher's assistants, for example, leading a particular group of students through a specific lesson, but I think human beings would still be in charge.  As the article I found suggests, human beings learn best by modeling or learning from other human beings.  Mirror neurons found in our brains dictate this relationship.  Unless the robots could replicate humans in a way in which we can't even imagine, I think it's safe to remain in the profession.

TypingClub

TypingClub is a free website that introduces kids to typing. The first lesson begins with a short video that serves as an introduction to typing. It explains how students should align their hands on the keyboard for optimal typing speed. The first activity consisted of typing f, j, and using the spacebar. After the activity, it gives the students a score that consists of accuracy, speed, and duration. It also lists the website’s goals for these. For example, the goals for the first activity were 80% accuracy, 3 wpm, and a 10 wpm speed goal. The student can compare their scores to the website's goals and see where they need to improve. The activities ease into incorporating more letters (the second lesson focuses on using k and d). There are 684 levels. The very last level consists of typing a paragraph. The student can view their stats at any time under the home page. Furthermore, there are badges students can win. One badge that can be earned is “Fiery Typist” in which the student has to type against the Typingclub speedometer. There is a premium version that includes no ads, but the ads did not appear to be a problem.

Codesters

Codesters is an exciting website that helps translate code into easy steps for students. Created in 2016, Codesters was originally a free-to-use website that granted kids easy games they could construct out of "blocks" of code, introducing code as an easy concept for most. As time went on Codesters would add more their website, including a curriculum and a Learning Management System(LMS), but this would be at the downfall to the consumer. These additional tools would be accompanied with a new cost. While the access can still be accessed for free, many of the new quirks require a membership. This does not take away from what can be gained from Codesters.

From a teachers perspective, this would be a great addition to a school. Schools can actually apply for discounted rates and get accounts for multiple students. I also believe that this could be a great way to introduce an extra curricular to a school. If your school lacks in clubs and activities students can participate in other than sports, asking for a school discount and getting 30 accounts to open a "Coding Club" would be a great investment. With one teacher that could head the club, using the dashboard and curriculum to easily access what the students are doing would be an easy task. Having the ability to function outside of the school would also be easier for the teacher in charge. Not only could you help students that would otherwise not have access to the full website, you would also be bringing more students into the school life. I would love to see a smaller school do this and cater to students that don't find themselves engaged with other activities on the premise. I support this platform and would love if there was some sort of incentive to bring more students into the user base, such as perhaps having one day a month where the "paid for" services could be free for that 24 hours.