Anybody Can Learn!

I am excited about the possibilities of participation in the Hour of Code by students in all grades and schools in our district.  Last year I saw first hand how students were enthused, inspired, and rewarded by the opportunity to practice computer programming using iPad apps and the online tools suggested by www.code.org.  This year the "Hour" has been stretched to an entire week, December 8 - 14, 2014, in hopes that 100 million students around the world will experience coding...an ambitious goal, but given the tremedous support and excellent resources provided by Code.org, it's possible.  Educatators and students register now at www.code.org.  Be sure to watch the videos.  They are truly inspirational!

Unite for Literacy

With a goal of eventually including audio translations in 300 different languages, Unite For Literacy is more than just a source for online books. Committed to promoting literacy by providing books to children's' homes in Colorado, the organization launched its digital picture book library August 2013, allowing anyone with Internet access to choose from UFL’s more than 100 free e-books,.

Unlike other available e-book libraries, Unite for LIteracy books don’t require registration, downloading, or extensive searching through categories. The virtual books look like print versions with clean two-page spreads and pages that can be "turned" on a computer or any mobile device.  Each page is illustrated and includes an audio narration .

Unite for Literacy can be a great resouce for early elementary classrooms, especially in some of the first grade classrooms in the Acton-Boxborough district, where iPads are used for listening centers.  Add a shortcut to Unite for Literacy to the Home Screen, and students have instant access to quality audio-visual picture books!  Audio translations of the books are available in up to 17 languages so far, so Unite for Literacy is also ideal for ELL students.

iPad Apps for Creating eBooks

There are many different storytelling apps available for iPads that support literacy goals and encourage creative storytelling. Here are a few that I think are especially good for students to create and publish their own ebooks.

MyStory is no longer a free app, but I think it's worth the $3.99 price.  Unlike similar book creation apps, MyStory works really well in classrooms with shared iPads because teachers can easily set up multiple students as "authors." Each author can create and save multiple books, which can be shared directly in the MyStory app, opened on the iPad in iBooks, or with a hyperlink. Check out my MyStory here.

StoryPatch is a free app that guides students to build a story that includes storytelling elements such as theme, plot, and scene. When students use StoryPatch to create a story, they are given two initial choices: write a story without any help, or choose a theme to build a story with help. If they choose to get help, the app walks them through the storytelling process, giving choices for the type of story and plot developments. The script is provided, but students can freely edit any of the text, and add images. StoryPatch would be a great choice for teaching students about the elements of storytelling, and for students who have "writer's block," and can benefit from the prompts and pre-written storylines. Unlike the other storytelling apps reviewed in this post, StoryPatch does not allow audio recording. Completed stories can be read through the StoryPatch app, or shared as pdf files.

Toontastic is another great app for teaching students about the storytelling process. As they create their animated story, students are guided by the "Story Arc," which gives voice prompts for the elements of good storytelling: Setup, Conflict, Challenge, Climax, and Resolution. Students can draw their own scenes, choose from a library of scenes, or access the iPad camera roll. They also have a limited selection of characters and "toys." Instead of writing their story, students record their voices. What makes this app really compelling is the ability to animate the characters. While recording audio, students can use their fingers to make their characters move. Another plus is that Toontastic stories can be published on the ToonTube website, which provides a safe, kid-friendly forum for sharing their work. The basic app is free; The $14.99 version will unlock the "All Access Pass" that provides 200 characters, settings, and other add-ons.

BookCreator has quickly become the most popular eBook app at Blanchard Memorial School. Students and teachers extol its benefits, primarily because it is easy to use and produces professional-quality books that can be read on the iPad, and exported as a PDF or an ePub for viewing in iBooks. BookCreator projects can incorporate videos, photos and other images from the iPad Camera Roll, audio recordings, and text. Students love reading their published books in iBooks, where they can select their book from the shelf and turn pages with the swipe of a finger. This video demonstrates just how easy it is to use BookCreator. It can be used for any subject and is ideal for students of all ages. Even our preschool students have created and published with BookCreator!  BookCreator is available for $4.99 in the Apps store, with a discount for volume purchases.


Book Creator for the iPad from Book Creator on Vimeo.

Favorite iPad Apps for Video Presentations

There are so many great, and often free, iPad apps that students can use to create video presentations.  Here is a ThingLink (see more about ThingLink in an earlier post), with links to three videos explaining how students can use three of my favorite video creation apps.
Videos saved to the iPad Camera Roll can easily be saved to Vimeo, a safer, educationally-appropriate alternative to YouTube.