Blue Devil 2.0

Teachnology for K-5 Teachers

Free App of the Day

November13

World's Worst Pet - Vocabulary on the App Store on iTunes

 

World’s Worst Pet

Help your students build a rich vocabulary of essential words! World’s Worst Pet exposes students to over 1000 Tier Two words at 6 different levels through four engaging games. Aligned to the Common Core, this app provides student-friendly definitions, a playful narrative, a fun reward system and thought-provoking writing prompts!

World’s Worst Pet is part of i-Ready— an award-winning, blended learning program published by Curriculum Associates. Learn more about i-Ready at i-ready.com/empower.

FEATURES

World’s Worst Pet is structured to provide repeated exposures to a cluster of conceptually related target words.
• Teaches more than 1000 words across five grade levels, from grades 4 – 8 with content available for students who are working a level behind
• Student-friendly definitions provide clear explanations with rich examples that illustrate how each word is used.
• Engaging narrative and reward system keeps students motivated
• Activities include word context, word sort, synonyms, and antonyms.
• Students see the same word multiple times in a single set of activities.
• Includes Spanish cognates
• Includes immediate feedback
• Uses a real human voice not synthesized robotic speech
• Aligns with Common Core State Standards
• Writing prompts provide an opportunity to use words in types of writing identified by the Common Core

RESEARCH BASE

World’s Worst Pet leverages best practices from Reading research
• Targets Tier Two words, selected from research-based lists.
• Also targets domain-specific words, including science and social studies words.
• Teaches words in conceptually related clusters
• Provides clear student-friendly explanations
• Provides multiple exposures and repeated practice across a variety of contexts
• Helps students make multiple connections between words and their experiences.
• Explores word relationships, including synonyms and antonyms
• Includes Spanish cognates such as vehículo for vehicle or numeroso for numerous
• Includes writing prompts focused on the target words in each cluster

ALIGNED TO COMMON CORE

World’s Worst Pet develops concepts, skills, and strategies as targeted by the Common Core.
• “The importance of students acquiring a rich and varied vocabulary,” write the authors of the Common Core, “cannot be overstated.”
• Tier Two words are central to understanding complex text, and World’s Worst Pet provides multiple exposures and repeated practice in these words.
• Aligns with vocabulary standards in these sections of the Common Core State Standards:
o Reading Standards for Literature
o Reading Standards for Information Text
o Language Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Free App of the Day

October29

TVOKids Spelling Fleas (6-11) for iPad on the App Store on iTunes

Spelling Fleas

From iTunes:

Help your child gain the power and confidence to read and spell with five unique games featuring The AmazingSpelling Fleas.

Beat the clock to gain more points or play in practice mode. These mini-games focus on the following expectations of the Language curriculum: spelling, vocabulary, reading comprehension and phonics. This learning App will teach your child to read without them realizing they are learning! They’ll be having too much fun. This game is designed for children ages 6-11.

About TVOKids
Ontarians rate TVOKids as the most trusted and most educational media brand in Canada when it comes to delivering content to children. TVOKids is available on-air and online at TVOKids.com, an award-winning website that’s home to over 160 educational games that help make learning fun. All TVOKids games and activities are based on the Ontario school curriculum, are student and teacher-tested and are developed in collaboration with TVO’s on-staff educator and other experts from across the province.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

October3

 

CSI Literacy Library for iPad on the iTunes App Store

NO LONGER FREE!  SORRY (MAKE SURE YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG SO YOU GET INSTANT ACCESS TO FREE APPS!)

CSI Literacy Library

**Originally $124.99!**

From iTunes:

The CSI Literacy Library contains 25 engaging, leveled, chapter-length texts specifically designed for developing readers in grades 3-5. Either at home or in the classroom, readers can develop their comprehension skills with interactive tools.

This app is part of the CSI Literacy series, which builds comprehension, vocabulary, and world knowledge across a variety of subjects in fiction and nonfiction.

For readers 8–11+.

Featuring interactive tools for:
• Annotation, highlighting and drawing
• Zooming
• Note-taking
• Pop-up video
• Glossary
• Index

Grade 3 Titles
Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees
Terrifying Beast of the Deep
Aliens: Uggles Meet Wopples
Taken for Granted
Underwater Worlds
The Boy Who Saved Too Much
The Right Angle
Who Did It?

Grade 4 Titles
The Science of Sleep
What a Mess!
Big Bugs, Bad Bugs
The Garden
Atolls
Ice Pilots
Infinity
The Man Who Changed the World

Grade 5 Titles
Hissy Fits
It’s a Deal
It’s a Numbers Game
Who Knew?
A Guide to Time Travel
Monster Hunting
Crash!
Diary of Invisible Me
The Great Earth Magnet

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Free App of the Day

July26

7-26-2013 11-50-52 AM

 

From iTunes:

Let’s make a story! From the creators of Toontastic (iTunes Hall of Fame, NY Times “Top 10 Apps of 2011”), Toontastic Jr. Pirates is a playful storytelling tool for swashbucklers and scallywags as young as 3 to create their own pirate cartoons. Pick a beginning, middle, and ending – then animate your story just like a puppet show, recording your voice while you move the characters onscreen!

FREE TRIAL
Toontastic Jr. Pirates comes with 3 FREE scenes to inspire your child’s imagination and, with a simple one-time in-app purchase, parents can unlock all 12 scenes for kids to remix their own pirate adventures. Dig for buried treasure with Crazy Bearde on Pirates Cove, sail the high seas with Bonnie Flintlock on the Cutlass, and defend the landlubbers of Hardtack Harbor from the attack of the Barnacle. Avast!

STORYSHARE
Want to create a story with friends and family? Check out StoryShare – a groundbreaking new feature in Toontastic Jr. that enables kids to connect, play, talk, and create stories collaboratively with friends and family anywhere in the world! Simply type in Grandma’s email address, have her login to Toontastic Jr. on her iPad, and… SHIVER ME TIMBERS! You’re connected – just like a telephone, but with TOYS!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Free App of the Day

June5

Composer Pro for iPad on the iTunes App Store
Composer Pro

From iTunes:

The professional version of Demibooks® Composer, the 1st iPad-based interactive book app authoring software.

Produce rich interactive content with Composer Pro-the tool used by many independent storytellers and leading publishers such as McGraw-Hill Education and Kane Miller Books. Use Composer for interactive presentations, tutorials and design prototypes.

Designers & authors can apply a sophisticated set of features-realistic physics, advanced animations, conditional behaviors-to create rich immersive experiences with their images,text,sounds,movies and visual effects. Best bit? No coding required!

Publish book apps created in Composer Pro to Demibooks Storytime, our curated multi-publisher store on the iPad. Storytime is promoted by Usborne Books & More, our direct-to-consumer sales partners. Submit your finished book app to Demibooks Printshop service at demibooks.com/printshop.

• “This may very well be the single greatest iPad creation tool yet”-iPadCurriculum
• “Demibooks Composer brings a similar [to Hypercard] capability of easy creation to anyone who would like to publish an interactive iPad book”-TUAW
• Featured in O’Reilly Tools of Change, Digital Book World, Book Industry Study Group’s Digital Show & Tell

FEATURES

+ New for Composer Pro
• Revamped user interface
• 200+ bug fixes
• Rich media library with thumbnails and alphabetical jump navigation
• Better book navigation in My Books
• Change Dropbox accounts
• Add images and other media via Dropbox
• Add-objects menu
• Improved page editing and navigation controls
• New behaviors:
– Move objects by specific pixel amounts
– Go to a specific animation frame, advance/retreat by one frame
– Easy behavior loops
– Static physics objects
– Editable global gravity
• Metadata for Demibooks Storytime
• On Page Audio
• Particle Effects
• Springs
• Backup to iPad

+ Familiar features from Demibooks® Composer
• Portrait or Landscape book
• Add images from iTunes or the Photos app
• Add voiceovers, music and sound effects
• Add videos (mov,mp4,m4v,3gp)
• Add animations (zip or by frame)
• Add or create text
• Build pages, navigation system and index objects
• Set up complex behaviors in Effects Editor through series of triggers and actions
• Add web links
• Add motion, functions and wait to media
• Make objects move in life-like fashion via motion eases (‘bounce’, ‘elastic’ and ‘swing’), make them draggable, or have them react to the accelerometer via Physics
• Preview directly on the iPad
• Export via Dropbox & iTunes

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Free Apps of the Day

May31

 

Treble Cat HD - Learn To Read Music for iPad on the iTunes App Store

 

Treble Cat HD

From iTunes:

Treble Cat is a highly entertaining game designed to help kids and adults learn how to quickly identify notes in the treble clef. This will help to effortlessly improve sight reading skills.
This game has been designed and created in collaboration with professional musicians and educators.

 

Kindergarten and First Grade Reading NonFiction for iPad on the iTunes App Store

Kindergarten and First Grade Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension

From iTunes:
Reading Comprehension Science for Kindergarten and First Grade has twenty stories about the science related young children’s daily life. You can also create and add your own stories to the app.

Each story has about 90 – 120 words. Each story introduces new vocabulary and concepts, and is followed by a set of exercises that measure the student’s comprehension. The exercises include multiple choice questions, true/false questions and matching exercises that ask the student to match words or concepts with their definition.

The app allows unlimited individual users, and provides detailed reports on each student’s progress. The app can be configured to email the progress reports to a parent or teacher.

There are two modes: Practice Mode and Test Mode. In practice mode, the student is given visual and audio feedback as they answer each question. 

You can create and add your own stories, along with images and questions. You can sync all the data (stories, images, questions, user accounts, reports, etc.) to your dropbox account, and import all the data to another iPad.

This app helps develop reading, vocabulary and comprehension skills.

This app is ideal for self-paced learning or home schooling. You should encourage your child to work at his or her own pace, and make learning fun!

 

Math Tools for iPad on the iTunes App Store

Math Tools for iPad

From iTunes:

Counting, multiplying, timetables, number bonds and calculation skills. Math Toolbox teaches them all and more. Kids, Parents and Teachers love it!

This is a first class collection of interactive resources that have been designed by teachers and students to compliment pre-school and primary school math learning in 3-11 year olds.

Perfect for use in the classroom or for home learning, Math Toolbox is a collection of familiar math learning tools that allow young people to:

* Learn to count
* Practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and times tables
* Develop an understanding of number ideas and number values
* Create number bonds
* Learn to use and practice multibase and number bond theories
* Challenge themselves through setting numbers and operations to create complex equations

Teachers With Apps Review
May 8th 2013

“This is an amazing set of math manipulatives, all together in one concise, take along, fit in your pocket, use anywhere, anytime tool set! This app is drop dead gorgeous, which makes it all the more fun to work with. Each tool has a quick drop down box that succinctly explains, How do I use this? The students we worked with didn’t question a thing, they loved the variety of different tools and made up all kinds of game play of their own. The dice are our personal favorite, as we have been using them forever to practice different operations and they are extremely popular with the kids, as well. This app is well worth the investment. It has a long shelf life, is easy to navigate, the visuals are great, and the possible activities are endless! Do not miss this one!”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Free App of the Day

May16

Another Monster at the End of the Book

From iTunes:

** Brought to you for FREE
by a trusted Sesame Street sponsor **
** 2012 Parents’ Choice Gold Award! **
** Winner of 2012 Appy Award: Best Book App! **
** Reached #1 in Books! **
** Reached #2 in Top iPad Apps! **

There’s something waiting at the end of this book. Could it be…a monster?!? Loveable, furry old Grover is about to find out—and he’s bringing his equally loveable and furry friend Elmo with him!

In this sequel to the best-selling, chart-topping Monster at the End of This Book app, Grover invents giggle-worthy ways to prevent readers from getting closer to another monster hiding at the end of this story. But an ever-curious Elmo asks for your help to slip past Grover every time.

Young readers will delight in the very funny push-and-pull dynamic of this interactive story. And parents will know that their little monsters are reading, laughing, and learning with trusted, beloved Sesame Street characters.

Built with groundbreaking technology and bursting with innovative activities woven right into the story, Another Monster at the End of This Book will provide hours of tap-happy fun for kids (and grown-ups!) of all ages.

This app’s many features include:
– All-new animation featuring the voices of Grover and Elmo
– Engaging activities that build vocabulary and spatial-relations skills
– Word highlighting for beginning readers
– Intuitive finger-tapping, so little ones can play independently
– Bookplate personalization so you can add your child’s name!
– Parents’ tab to help you and your child get even more from the app experience

This app is being brought to you for free by a trusted Sesame Street sponsor. There is a brief message from the sponsor in the app. This message is intended for parents and designed so that children can easily close it, skipping right to the story. If you’d like to make this a message-free experience all the time, choose the “Purchase Sponsorship-Free Version” offer inside the app.

That purchase, as well as any link that could lead outside the app, is locked behind a protective “baby-gate” to create a safe reading and play space for preschoolers.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Wonderful Website

May15

Read Write Think

I have used this website for years now and I am excited by the changes and growth that has occurred.  At ReadWriteThink, their mission is to provide educators, parents, and professionals with access to the highest quality practices in reading and language arts instruction by offering the very best in free materials. There are tons of free resources for you to use.  Two of the latest additions to this site are “Student Interactives” and “Mobile Apps“.  

Student Interactives

“Engage your students in online literacy learning with these interactive tools that help them accomplish a variety of goals—from organizing their thoughts to learning about language—all while having fun.”

These are great to use with your interactive white boards and may be great for mini-lessons during workshop.  The site also has a bunch of lesson plans and the mobile app, “Trading Cards” is already installed on your iPad cart.

Happy tech trails Blue Devils!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Wonderful Website

May13

This week is Children’s Book Week.

“Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year, commemorative events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes — wherever young readers and books connect!

Children’s Book Week is administered by Every Child A Reader, a 501(c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to instilling a lifelong love of reading in children. The Children’s Book Council, the national non-profit trade association for children’s book publishers, is an anchor sponsor.”

This is the official site for CBW.  It contains links and resources to help you celebrate in your class.  You and your class  can vote for your favorite book, test your skills with Children’s Book Week puzzles, write with great authors who have started a story and you can help them finish the tale with  Story Starters, and much more!

Happy tech trails Blue Devils!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Wonderful Website

May6

 

Great for NJASK prep!

Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for K-5 students and teachers. They focus on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. Your class can watch our engaging 15-minute videos, and try the online interactive activities.

Behind the Lesson provides teachers with information and teaching resources for each strategy. Watch their 10-minute professional development videos, and explore the Web site for lesson plans, video and audio clips, downloads, and more.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
« Older Entries

Skip to toolbar