Megan Clark

LITR 630 Dr. Thomas

Apps
7 July 2014
App 1: Laudate
This is the #1 Catholic App. The app has many tabs that include prayers,
readings, information about Saints and more. Fourth graders will be able to use this app
to read about Saints and to do daily readings. This app will help give a variety of texts in
Religion. While using this app, the students will meet the Common Core State Standard
(CCSS) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1:Refer to details and examples in a text when
explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. The
students will have to infer what they should learn from the daily readings and will need
to explain what they have read about the Saints of the Day. This app will be a way to
engage students in reading about Religion; the app also contains podcast reflections on
the daily readings.

App IRA NETS*S KTS6
Laudate Historically, Religion was
taught out of the Bible. Using
this app helps the reading
comprehension in Religion
enter the 21st century. The
language in Religion can be
complex and this app provides
multiple ways to understand
the language. This app will
help my students
understanding of their own
faith and how to read texts
from their faith.
This app provides
an abundance of
information for the
students to use in
their Religious
studies. The
students will be
using the
information,
synthesizing, and
then reporting their
findings.
Religion is a
content that usually
does not get any
technology
integration and
relies on textbook
reading. This app
will help the
students use
technology in the
Religion curriculum.


App 2: ThingLink
This publication app will allow the fourth graders to publish their writing in a non-
traditional format. We will use this app primarily for informational purposes. The
students will choose a picture of the topic they are researching in social studies. Media
and text will be added at points throughout the image to create an interactive
presentation. Using the app this way will meet the following CCSS in writing:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use
technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact
and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to
type a minimum of one page in a single sitting. The students will be using technology to
publish their work. The finished product can be emailed to parents or placed on the
class website.

App IRA NETS*S KTS6
ThingLink This app allows students
to publish in a non-
traditional, web-based
manner. The students will
be displaying what they
learned through reading.
This type of app is great
for the diverse learner
that struggles to convey
their ideas in a formal
manner. Artistic students
may also like using the
graphics and multimedia.
This app allows
creativity with the
students. They must
choose an image for
the background and
arrange the information
points around the
image. The students
could also collaborate
with others to create
the image. This is an
innovative way for
students to
communicate their
learning.
Many times
students are given
a report format to
demonstrate their
learning. This app
lets the students
display their
learning in a new,
innovative way. The
students will be
using images and
media in an ethical
manner.

App 3: Educreations
My fourth grade class will be using this as a publication tool, also. The students
will create a narrative script. The script can be a fiction story they made or an
informational piece about something they are researching. This interactive white board
will allow the students to draw, write, or add pictures to their slides. This app will teach
students to fully edit and revise their script their narrative and to read it aloud to a
partner to see how the writing sounds aloud. The students will storyboard their narrative
using different slides on the app to prepare to record. This lesson meets the CCSS:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults,
develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for
conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and
including grade 4 here.) The students will be collaborating with peers to help edit and
revise their script.



App IRA NETS*S KTS6
Educreations This app will help
students publish their
The students will be
collaborating with
Students will be
able to collaborate
work and share for
others to see. The
students will use the
strategy of making a
script and reading aloud
to edit and revise. This
app can be used to
create an informational
text or a narrative text.
each other to edit
and revise their work.
The app will allow the
students to
demonstrate their
learning in a new
way. The app also
allows the students
to share their
learning with each
other and with
parents.
using the
technology. The
students will be
using the
technology and
then sending their
end-product to their
parents to
communicate their
learning.


App 4: Overdrive
Using the Louisville Free Public Librarys (LFPL) e-book collection, my fourth
grade students will choose books appropriate to their grade level, content researching,
and interest. The students each have a library card and will be able to check out e-
books using overdrive. Their e-books will be stored on the iPad to allow them to
research and read the rented books. The anchor standards for the CCSS states "To
build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must read widely and
deeply from among a broad range of high-quality, increasingly challenging literary and
informational texts." Having this app will expand my classroom library for students to
search for books at different levels to challenge them and spark their interests.
App IRA NETS*S KTS6
Overdrive The main advantage of
this app is the access to
different types of books.
In the past, the
classroom library would
be limited by what the
teacher could buy, now
the students have a
wealth of books at their
disposal. The students
research will be
enhanced by the
availability of books.
This app will help the
students gain
information from
various sources. The
students will able to
think critically and ask
questions that could
possibly be answered
using the books
available.
This app will
incorporate the use
of technology in the
students everyday
instruction. We
have iPads that will
store the e-books.
The students will be
able to check out
an iPad for in-class
use.


App 5: Reading Comprehension Prep
This app will help my fourth graders practice their reading comprehension. I will
use this app to assess their reading comprehension skills. The app lets the students
read the story and answer questions. When answer is incorrectly chosen, the students
are given the correct answer with an explanation. The students can use this app see
what miscues they are having in their reading comprehension. This app will help meet
the following CCSS: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.10 Read and comprehend
complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. Using this app
will show students how they are progressing with their independent reading
comprehension. The students could chart their progress and keep track.

App IRA NETS*S KTS6
Reading
Comprehension
Prep
This app will help
the students look at
their reading
comprehension with
instant explanation
for their miscues.
This will be a non-
traditional measure
of their reading
comprehension.
This app will allow
the students to
keep data on their
own reading
comprehension.
The students will be
critically thinking
about their reading
comprehension and
what they need to
work on to be better
readers.
This will be a way
for me to
communicate
student learning.
The students will be
in charge of
tracking their
progress. The
students data will
be shown at
conferences.

Using apps in the classroom fosters TPACK. The first part of the TPACK is
technology. Before exposing the students to the technology, the teacher must become
fluent with technology. The teacher needs to understand how to maneuver the
technology and to anticipate any issues her students may have. The second portion of
TPACK is pedagogy. The pedagogy with apps is how the teacher presents the apps to
the students. Many students will view the apps as games, which many are, but teachers
need to ensure their students understand the use of apps as tools. The teacher must
also present the app to the students and model the app. Using apps in the classroom
should be guided instruction with a gradual release of responsibility. The third portion of
TPACK is content knowledge. The teacher must be proficient with the app and have a
model of what she is asking of her students. Students need the teacher to be
knowledgeable enough to answer their questions and help to solve their problems.
Larson (2010) states that students may be more motivated to read when
exposed to an e-book. Larson (2010) also mentions how the e-books is much greater
than traditional classroom libraries. For this reason, I will be using the Overdrive app for
the iPad. Some students may have more motivation and better results when working
with the iPad (McClanahan, 2012). Students with diverse needs may benefit from using
the iPad (McClanahan, 2012). Educreations and ThingLink provide the students with
different ways to display and organize their thinking. The iPads help students with
reading comprehension (Hutchinson, 2012). The iPads also provide more difficult texts
and ways to read the more difficult texts (Hutchinson, 2012). Reading Comprehension
Prep allows students to focus on their reading comprehension. The app also provides
explanations to students. Laudate provides students with difficult texts and gives the
students other resources to help them understand the difficult texts (podcasts,
reflections, etc.).

References
Hutchinson, A., Beschorner, B., Schmidt-Crawford, D. (2012). EXPLORING THE USE
OF THE iPAD FOR LITERACY LEARNING. The Reading Teacher Vol. 66 Issue
1 pp. 1523.

Larson, L. (2010). Digital Readers: The Next Chapter in E-Book Reading and
Response. The Reading Teacher, 64(1), pp. 1522.

Mclanahan, B., Williams, K., Kennedy, E., Tate, S. (2012). A Breakthrough for Josh:
How Use of an iPad Facilitated Reading Improvement. TechTrends. May/June
2012 Volume 56, Number 3.