Tech EDGE: Mobile learning in the classroom
This week, I am reviewing Tech Edge Mobile Learning. I was able to choose one out of several hundred podcasts that go through different learning apps you can use in your classroom. The University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska partnered with Nebraska school districts to bring innovation to teaching. Dr. Guy Trainin uses these podcast to help teachers learn how to incorporate iPads in the classroom. This is especially important, because we live in a society where students even at the elementary level have personal smart phones or have access to tablets and more. To be effective teachers, we need to incorporate technology in our classes because we are going towards a full technology future. With these podcasts you can come up with engaging activities that relate to your objectives. There is a variety of podcasts from early childhood, reading, math, science, to English language learners and more. The best part is that they are completely free. If you need to find more innovating ideas to effectively integrate technology in your class you can find all types of podcasts at their YouTube channel and subscribe so your always notified when they upload another podcast. They are also located at ITunes U.
After searching through some Language art podcasts I found two apps I would like to review Duolingo and Phrasalstein. The first app is Duolingo, which is an app that can teach you several different languages. I chose Spanish to play with, but they have English, German, French and a few more. I really liked how they use pictures with the Spanish words underneath and that you can even have them speak the words. The first level is really basic Spanish terms. For example, he is el in Spanish and she is ella. A great thing about this app is you receive medals for passing levels. Which, can help build your students confidence and have them returning for more. Another, reason I really like this app is that it involves higher thinking by having you type the words or sentences in English if it is in Spanish, and so forth. You can use this app with your English language learners(ELL) and help them learn English or teach your English speakers a foreign language. A great idea would use it to help English speakers learn the language of an ELL student to help with community in the classroom. Overall, a really great app for all ages and it is free. Also, available on all devices all you need is a google account and it will transfer all your accomplishments to keep playing at home. You can download it here.
The second app is Phrasalstein, which is an active app that helps English Language Learners learn verb phrases in English. You can choose to set it to the language they speak like German. It will show verb phrases in English with a Halloween themed video of like Frankenstein doing something. You have to click the verb phrase he demonstrated. You can also see the verb phrase in the language you set it in. That is a great tool to help them understand how it is translated from their language to English. The app is another great app for all ages and grade levels. It is also free like Duolingo and accessible on all mobile devices. I think the best part about this app is that it is really engaging for students and perfect for the Fall when all students come back to school. The Halloween theme is really cool, even for me. One con about this app is that it would not be helpful for your English speakers because it does not help them in any way learn language. Another con is that there are no levels to move up in phrases. They are just two-word verb phrases. Bottom line is this app may not be in my future classroom because I would not be able to include all students. However, if you are a secondary English language teacher it is perfect for you, and you can download it here.
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