Literacy

Professional Development

June 18, 2016

4 Must-Have Apps for Elementary Teachers

Technology is simply a way of life in the classroom these days. When I first started teaching, I felt so lucky to have an interactive whiteboard in my classroom, especially a mounted one. Now, only a short 8 years later, apps for elementary teachers are a must-have. Along with interactive whiteboards are tablets these days.  With tablets come apps. There are loads of great apps out there for students to use, but what about apps for elementary teachers to use as we are teaching?

Today I want to share with you 4 of my favorite apps for elementary teachers to use in their classrooms.

There are tons of great apps for students to use, but what about apps for teachers to use as they are teaching? This short group of 4 apps are definitely must-haves for any elementary teacher!

Confer Lite

This app is awesome! I wish I had discovered it when I was in the classroom, still.  If you conference with your students at all (reader’s workshop, writer’s workshop, math workshop), then this app is for you! I have played around in it a lot! It’s so simple to add students to subjects, type notes, and you can flag them, too. You can group them by skills they are working on and in the paid version you can take pictures of students’ work samples. Hello RTI documentation! Perfection!

Levelbook

This app is perfect for ANY classroom because you can choose the leveling system that your school uses. As you test students at different times of the year, usually beginning, middle, and end, then you can use this app.  You simply choose the leveling system your school uses, choose the book they will be reading from that testing system (DRA, Rigby, Reading A-Z, etc.) and then as they read you record them. When they are done and you have your notes you have taken, you can enter the information into the calculator and then take a picture of your notes to be saved for later. Also, it saves all of your student data in one nice and neat place. Goodbye mega binder with running records, hello app!

BeFocused

If you struggle to stay focused then this app is for you! You can use it all the time–teaching, organizing your classroom, even when cleaning your house! Ha! Anytime I need to be focused on something I use this app.  It’s based on brain research and it allows you to work in 25 minute increments, then take a 5 min break. There is a soft ticking sounding the background that reminds me to stay focused and get work done.  Need to work during your planning period? Start the app.  Need to leave quickly after school but have a few things to finish first? Start the app.  It will be your new best friend. Seriously.

Running Record Toolbox

We all sit and listen to our students read every day during guided reading.  Normally I use a generic form in my guided reading binder to take a running record.  You might do the same thing.  This app is great because it does all of the work at the end for me.  It can be used for ANY book. It calculates fluency, accuracy, and self-correction rates–all of the things that I generally leave for the end of the day because I don’t want to go back and calculate them when I’m in the middle of a group.  My time with them is just too precious. Get the app and save yourself some time!

There are tons of great apps for students to use, but what about apps for teachers to use as they are teaching? This short group of 4 apps are definitely must-haves for any elementary teacher! #teacherapps #classroommanagementWhat are your favorite apps for elementary teachers to use? I would love to hear!

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Happy Teaching,

Amanda

EASILY PLAN YOUR K-2 READING SMALL GROUPS​

Want to use the latest research to boost your readers during small groups? This FREE guide is packed with engaging ideas to help them grow!

Hi, I'm Amanda

I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers.  Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!

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