(Also called HudsonAlpha iCell) Using the iCell app, “students can choose between animal, bacteria, or plant cell from the main screen. Explanatory text has three options: basic, intermediate, or advanced. Students can zoom in or out and can rotate cells for a 360-degree view of the cell. Basic text typically gives one or two short sentence descriptions of structures, intermediate gives longer descriptions with additional vocabulary, and advanced gives very detailed descriptions with challenging vocabulary.”
Platform: iOS, Android, Windows Cost: FREE Grades: 5-12
The Tech Edvocate includes the app in their article on recommended tools for teaching biology. It’s also included in this STEM series sharing the best science apps for iPad. Finally, this review of the app from Emerging EdTech includes several instructional ideas for using the app in the classroom.
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their picks for Best Apps for Teaching & Learning 2019. “Apps recognized foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration and are user friendly to encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. “
“Nearpod is an app that helps you create interactive lessons in a 1:1 setting. Save prep time by easily importing existing lessons (pdfs, jpegs, ppts) and adding interactive features such as Virtual Field Trips, 3D Objects, Quizzes, Polls, Open Ended Questions, etc. Customize every lesson to meet the needs of your students.”
Platform: iOS & Android Cost: FREE Grades: All
Nearpod has a blog with many ideas for using the app in the classroom. This article from Apps in Class explains the app with more details specifically for teachers. Class Tech Tips goes through several ways to create interactive lessons, including one specifically focused on reading, in this article. Finally, Teach Beyond offers this intro to using the app with suggestions for ways to begin without getting overwhelmed.
Watch this video (2:37) to see how the app works:
https://youtu.be/g3GVkM_GVa4
If you are interested in the best apps for your library, media center, or classroom, you can read our 2019 series here or find all past apps discussed in our archives.
The community you serve is a group of kids who need access to all sorts of good information and training in good resources. And it’s also teachers, administrators, staff, and parents. It is keeping up with state standards, with books that are good and books that are required in class. Increasingly it’s about working with technology, figuring out how to best implement it and make it work across the community of users.
We can’t make all of it easier, but the American Association of School Librarians provide some guidance for you to use, and to share with your administration.
An important part of working in a school library is being a leader and doing constant advocacy. That work involves reaching out to the people in the community to keep telling them what you have to offer, and how you can help them to accomplish their goals. Using these standards can be a good step toward making that happen!
“The AASL Standards framework reflects a comprehensive approach to teaching and learning by demonstrating the connection between learner, school librarian, and school library standards. Three sets of standards (Learner, School Librarian, and School Library) make up the AASL Standards Integrated Framework featured within the National School Library Standards. Use the resources here to familiarize yourself with the structure and get started using the standards in your practice.”
We know that not every school can master every step here – money and time are still limiting factors for a lot of schools. But CMLE is here to help you to provide with assistance in building your library, including scholarships, minigrants, policy writing, in-person visits, meetings with your colleagues as your advocate, or other things that might help you move forward!
You can watch this video to get started, or share it with your colleagues:
Designed to empower leaders to transform teaching and learning, the National School Library Standards enable personalization for every learner and school librarian, allowing you to continuously tailor your school library to local needs, your own strengths, and learners’ benefit. These resources will help you get started on your journey.
The app Libby (yay, a library app! Yes, we are slightly biased) is “an app that simplifies digital ebook borrowing from Overdrive with a public library card. Easy taps and swipes get you to the ebooks and audio books you want. If you belong to several public libraries, you can enter cards for each of them and easily switch back and forth between collections. But there’s more: the app includes an impressive built-in ebook reader and an audiobook player. You can set up wishlists and you can opt to send books to your Kindle for reading.”
Platform: Android, iOS Cost: FREE Grades: All
This article features twelve tips to help you get the most out of the Libby app. If you are curious about how Libby works, you can read this list of FAQs on their website.
In June, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced their Best Apps for Teaching and Learning 2018. The apps encourage qualities such as creativity and collaboration, and encourage discovery and curiosity.
The app Clips allows you to “turn your iPhone into a video production studio with Clips. Create and edit dynamic videos with the ability to add subtitles, animated stickers, filters, and music, all within the app. Videos are easy to make and share via text or social media.”
Platform: iOS Cost: FREE Grades: All
This article from Ed Tech Team covers both the app and also instructions on how to flip your classroom by creating Clips videos. The author is a high school teacher and believes this app can be extremely useful to students. “By having videos that prepare them for lectures, engage and entertain them, reinforce instructions, and highlight key concepts, our students are being set up for success.”
Common Sense Education has this review of the app, which contains pro/cons along with ideas for ways to use the app for teaching like for recording book reports or making presentations in foreign languages.
Watch this quick video to get an idea of all the cool capabilities that come with Clips:
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