Final Update!

Welcome Back All!!

You have followed along with us over the past four sessions of our inquiry project. We really appreciate your attention and interest in our project.

This is the final session in which we will be doing the research on our topic. We will be presenting all of our information and hopefully teaching others about what we have learned.

We started this inquiry project with a question: "why use reading apps within the classroom? And should those apps be targeted more towards the individual or the class?"

As future educators, we wanted to know how to help benefit students as they learn the basics of reading and understanding what they read. To find our answer, we looked at different academic articles and explored a variety of different apps that can be used in the classroom. 

After all of our research, we have found that we should use reading apps in the classroom. By using reading apps, we will be incorporating technology into the classroom. We will also be providing the students with a different way to learn reading comprehension, phonological and phonemic awareness, and as well as learning sight words and using levelled readers. 

Apps can be used by both individual students and whole class environments. Students can use apps for individuals to support their individual needs while whole groups can be engaged in conversation based on the apps that they are using. 

The research that we have completed has shown us that we should use these apps in a classroom, and we will be doing so in our future classrooms. 

We appreciate your support as we have completed this inquiry project. We are glad that you followed along and hope that you have learned something alongside us. 

- Rick, Leah, and Elizabeth 

Why Use Reading Apps In The Classroom? Weekend Exploration!

Welcome Back

After we as a group explored some of the reading apps on the weekend  we began to see why reading apps were becoming so important within the 21st-century classroom.

Reading apps in a way truly allow for us as future educators to further support our students in a variety of ways. We saw how these reading apps could truly make the difference in the lives of those students who might be having a hard time when it comes to reading. An example of this would be those students who might be dyslexic, there are apps designed just to assist them in their reading. However, we also saw how certain apps can make a difference for the entire classroom. Another example of a reading app that could help the entire classroom RAZ-Kids. RAZ allows for the teacher to set the app up for each child's reading level within the classroom. The app also allows for the teacher to monitor each student's progression while they are reading their books.

There are currently a wide variety of reading apps that cater specifically to helping those students when it comes to reading. This is something that not only surprised us but surprised us in a good way. We were so happy to see that there were actually reading apps out there that were specific designed to help specific students needs.

Before we started our research we really believed that reading apps were generic and used just for reading. However, after some exploration, we truly began to see how reading apps actually could help build skills, support students and even help support teachers.

Here is a list of Reading Apps just catered to helping those students with dyslexia (like we previously mentioned)

• Articulation Station (K-G2)
• Read2Go
• Clicker Docs (G3-G4+)
• Dexteria — Fine Motor Skill Development
• Dyslexia Quest
• Dyslexia Toolbox
• Spy Sam Reading Series 

Here is Raz-Kids website: https://www.raz-kids.com/ (They have a website to support their app)

As our research time gets smaller and smaller (we only have 1 research session left!) we can slowly see our inquiry question being answered. We are truly beginning to see the beneficial factors of reading apps within the classroom. However, we also see how these apps benefit not only the classroom but also the individual students. As future educators, our hope is that these reading apps both for the individual and for the whole classroom will allow for us to create an atmosphere where the love of reading is abundant.

Research for Classrooms

Apps can be used for individuals, but it can also be used effectively for whole class instruction. There are benefits and issues when using apps in classrooms, as there are with all types of instruction, and teachers should be aware of them to effectively teach and use iPads and apps in the classroom.

Using technology in the classroom can help with students' engagement and motivation, though it will not automatically lead to an increase in their achievement levels (Northrop & Killeen, 2013). Teacher's should use apps for a specific purpose, and not just to be able to use technology. Studies have found that children's understanding and comprehension is the same when being read to by a teacher and an iPad (Northrop & Killeen, 2013). Children learn best from iPads, and in general, when they are in the Zone of Proximal Development and can work at their learning level independently (Northrop & Killeen, 2013). Teachers should be aware that being able to use the app effectively does not mean that they are understanding the content or comprehend meaning from the text (Northrop & Killeen, 2013).Teachers should also make sure that the app is teaching the children what they want them to learn, as some apps have limitations and incorrect information. Teachers should also know that teacher's effective instruction is still a very important part of their students learning, and should not be replaced by the app (Northrop & Killeen, 2013).

Möller (2015) highlights the accessibility of apps and iPads or tablets. Before starting to use apps in the classroom, teachers must check the availability of tablets for their class to use. Many disadvantaged children do not have access to this type of technology at school (Möller, 2015). Möller (2015) notes that while technology has it's place in the classroom, important methods of learning, such as conversation, must still be done to enhance learning. When using apps and technology, being aware of how they can be accessed and by who is important. Using apps in the classroom that students can then use at home for free is a great way to extend the students learning and to involve parents and families (Möller, 2015).

Technology can be a great tool to use in the classroom, but teachers must remember that it is just a tool, and shouldn't replace instruction or conversations in class. Technology and apps have many benefits, as students can work at their own level and it can motivate them. But apps are not a magical teaching tool that teachers can place in front of their students and expect amazing results. As long as teachers are realistic about the reality of technology, it can be a good resource to use in the classroom.

References

Northrop, L., & Killeen, E. (2013). A Framework for Using iPads to Build Early Literacy Skills. Reading Teacher, 66(7), 531-537. doi:10.1002/TRTR.1155 

Möller, K. J. (2015). Apps in Literature-Based Classroom Instruction: Integrating Reading and Response through Traditional and Digital Media. Journal Of Children's Literature, 41(1), 54-60.

Research for Individuals

As a part of our inquiry process, we want to know if reading apps are appropriate and helpful when it comes to individual students.

iPads and tablets can be very helpful for children with Autism in a variety of ways. Apps can help children with Autism communicate with others, as they can use apps that have photos or words for them to indicate to. Many apps are also customizable, which is helpful as children with Autism have unique needs (McGrath, 2013). Some apps are helpful as they help children write by exercising their hand, or have flashcards to help with reading sight words (McGrath, 2013). There are also apps that show videos and asks children comprehension questions to check for their understanding.

Children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities often have issues when it comes to reading. Using apps that are on an iPad or tablet helps children feel like they fit in with their class as they are able to participate more (Ullman, 2014). Technology such as iBooks or Read2Go can help children with learning disabilities as it can do different things, such as read it aloud for them, change font, text size and colour, and can be highlighted (Read2Go, 2012). Apps can also be used for children who need speech- language therapy, as there are apps to help when therapists aren't available (Ullman, 2014).

Using apps and technology can help students not feel different, but special because they get to use technology (Ullman, 2014). The technology also helps hide the fact that they are working and reading at different levels than their peers, as no one can see what they are reading (Ullman, 2014).

One issue that appears in research is that teachers need to be aware of the down falls of using technology. One of the issues is that speed reading apps can help with identifying sight words, but not with comprehension (Szokan, 2014). There are also a lot of apps out there, and not all of them may be beneficial or helpful for everyone, so teachers should test out apps before letting their students use them.

Apps can be a good tool for students who are struggling to use in the classroom. There are many different ways that technology can help individuals, and so it may take some time to find an app that benefits that specific individual. Teachers should also be aware of both the benefits and the downsides of using apps and technology with individuals, so that they can make informed decisions.

References

McGrath, R. (2013). Autism? There's an App for That. Young Adult Library Services, 11(2), 20-24.

Ullman, E. (2014). HELPING CHILDREN TO HELP THEMSELVES. Tech & Learning, 34(6), 36-37. Read2Go. (2012). Technology & Learning, (7). 20.

Szokan, N. (2014, December). Apps intended to speed up reading rate may reduce comprehension. Washington Post, The.

App Exploration

Hello!

This post will center around showing images from a few apps. We thought this would be a good idea since by exploring the apps as a group we were able to really see from a future teacher perspective how beneficial they could be to a classroom.

We also thought that showing some images from the apps could help make them come alive more for those of you reading our blog!


Hope you enjoy them as much as we did exploring them!

Raz-Kids App/Website

Reading Rainbow Skybrary Family 

Read Me Stories- Children’s Books (New Books Daily)

Bob’s Books Reading Magic Series

These are only a few of the many reading apps offered for teachers to use in the classroom or for them to use to help individual students

*Screenshots were taken from an iPad after downloading the apps. All these apps can be found/downloaded from Google Play or Apple App Store.*

*Apps shown include: RazKids, Reading Rainbow Skybrary Family App, Read Me Stories App, and Bob’s Magic Series App*

List of Reading Apps

Welcome back!

Now that we have defined truly what a reading app was, we decided to explore some of the reading apps available. Here we have 2 lists, one focusing on apps for the classroom and one for apps that centered around the individual

Here is a list of reading apps that is centralized on helping the entire classroom

"LightSail”
- Comprehension and questioning
- connects with libraries and such
- K-12
- Allows teachers to add text assessment into books, then instantly delivers the data to the teacher's account
- Shows how long the read for and how many texts they have read so far

"Epic: Unlimited Books For Kids"
- Free for educators
- Designed for 12 years and under
- Unlimited access to over 15,000 children's books
- offers Read to Me and Audiobooks
- badge/award system
- Trackable reading progression of individuals in the class

"Bob Books Reading Magic Series"
- $5.49 in costs.
- It can be used for a wide variety of learners
- helps students by sounding out the words
- uses animation to bring to life reading
- Has 32 illustration stories for students to explore

"Read: Kids learn to read and write in the classroom"
- Costs 3.99
- Designed for 4-8years old
- Allows for teachers to monitor the students reading
- Audio reading feature

Finally here is list of apps that are centralized around the individual

“Learn with Homer”
- Comprehension help for ages 3-6
- Over 200 ebooks for students to explore
- Printable worksheets for teachers to print off based on the ebooks they read
- Step by step reading method
- Students can record themselves reading the ebooks


“Sight Words”
- Practice reading sight words
- Fun and engaging voice artists for kids to enjoy
- Teachers can create their own lists/cards for students to work on
- Combination of audio, voice and written words
- 5 unique game modes to challenge students (2 cards at a time vs 6 cards etc)

"Articulation Station"
- Grade level from K to Grade 2
- Designed to help students with dyslexia
- Students can create profiles
- Can work in groups of 6 on the app
- Voice recording and playback features
- Flash card and matching activities to keep students engaged

"Bookster"
- Narration is provided by other students
- Read along mode that highlights words as students read them
- Recording features as students read the book
-  Turnable pages so that students can mvoe at their own pace
- Interactive pages that can be accessed just by touching

These are some of the reading apps we explored during our research periods. Each one of these apps brings something unique to the learners. For example: "Epic Unlimited Books For Kids" allows for the classroom to always have books at the pier fingertips for all students". In addition, " Articulation Station" can truly help those few students who have dyslexia.

One thing we noticed while researching the apps is the role that price can play on the decision. Some reading apps can be free whereas others can be costly. This could be a leading factor on which reading apps might be used within the classroom. This is something educators will have to take into consideration if their funding is limited.

Stay tuned as we continue our research!

-Rick, Liz, Leah



* The information about all these apps were taken from downloading the apps through the Google Play and Apple App Store*

Our Inquiry Question

Every inquiry project started with a starting point!

Our starting point was our inquiry question which was: "why use reading apps within the classroom? And should those apps be targeted more towards the individual or the class?

We decided to focus on this topic since all three of us had an interest in technology and literacy. We wanted to know more about these types of apps since from experience in our practicum we all noticed the high usage of technology (iPads, Smart Boards etc). Our hope is to find out how these apps could be used within the classroom and to what degree they benefit the students (individually or as a whole class).

This is where our journey begins and when we started researching! So follow along with us as we truly explore this question throughout this blog.