Aligning iOS apps with Common Core and National Standards for Learning Languages (ACTFL)

    

Although not formally tested in the same manner as English Language Arts and Math, World Language study is an essential component of global competences (EdWeek article) or of World-Readiness as labelled by ACTFL (The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language). Not only does language learning support global competences, it enhances and supports literacy in Social Studies, English Language Arts, and Science through the well-known "5 Cs" of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. 

To promote the links between foreign language study and world-readiness, ACTFL, the various AAT (American Association of Teachers of) language associations, and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills have created documents that detail the connections between the National Standards for Learning Languages and the Common Core English Language Arts Standards, also known as "The Crosswalk." For any language teacher who has had to justify the continuation of his or her program, these documents and research are of utmost importance. World Language classes should no longer be considered the "arts and crafts" elective for the drama and choir students. They are an indispensable component of a well-rounded college and career-ready, globally-minded curriculum.  

• Alignment of the National Standards for Learning Languages with the Common Core State Standards
• ACTFL's World-Readiness for Language Learning 
• ACTFL's World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages Summary 
• The Partnership for 21st Century Skills and ACTFL's 21st Century Skills Map 

As many states shift to using the Common Core standards, materials labelled, "Aligned to Common Core," have appeared in textbook and teacher supply catalogs. Unfortunately, in the rush to provide "approved" materials, publishers and suppliers seem to have taken the core ideals of the standards a bit too literally by promoting their materials as a standardized curriculum (NPR report: The Common Core Curriculum Void). 

As it has been presented, there is no set curriculum for the CC standards. Teachers and districts are directed to use the standards to create units and lessons that will best meet the needs of their students and help prepare them for college and career experiences as global citizens.  

The same philosophy is true for technology tools. No app or Web-based tool has been "geared" to meet a specific Common Core standard. In exploring the Apple App store, one can find all sorts of apps labelled, "Common Core" but that do not explain how, why or in which way using the app will meet a standard or improve a student's performance. 

Symbaloo - View all of the apps on this blog post organized together on Symbaloo. There are three headings: Speaking/Listening, Reading, and Writing and are in subcategories based on the National and Common Core Standards. As a companion to the Symbaloo table, the apps have been similarly organized on this blog to offer a more in-depth investigation opportunity. Prices, tutorials, and further links provide teachers with a thorough description of the available tools.

Further blog posts over the next year will include apps for Reading, Writing, and Web-based tools. Please contribute any suggestions to this list in the comments, by Tweeting me @catherineku72 or by e-mail: catherineku72@gmail.com    

ELA: Speaking and Listening - 

Presentation of Knowledge

Standards for Learning Languages: Interpersonal 

(Speaking & Listening; Reading and Writing)

Screencasting: 

Prepare recorded presentations and tutorials for flipped (in-class or at-home) lessons that provide basic or extra information for students accessible anywhere at any time.  Presentations can also be used by substitute teachers or study groups. Beyond teacher-prepared presentations, students can share their collaborative efforts with the class or the teacher. 


As stated earlier, these app suggestions serve as ideas and options for teachers who wish to integrate technology in a thoughtful, meaningful manner. In choosing and aligning these apps, literacy in language at several was the objective.
As you can see, there are MANY apps available. My suggestion is to choose 1 or 2 from each category and experiment to find your preference. Each one has its positive aspects.

Free apps /  Free with paid options
Educreations  App  (Free)  French example w/animals Use your iPad as an interactive whiteboard to create publishable tutorials.	Knowmia  App (Free and paid version)  Video app review Add text, pictures, and videos to your presentation.
ShowMe  App (Free)  Video tutorial  Use the basic toolbar to create recorded tutorials for publication.	Doceri  App (Free and paid)  Video tutorial  Doceri offers multiples levels of collaboration and interaction. Control your laptop wirelessly through your iPad, record tutorials, and present live lessons.
Baiboard  App (Free)  Video tutorial Invite students to collaborate in real time with your images, text, or PDF. This app does not allow you to pre-record a presentation, but you can organize the presentation before collaboration.
Paid apps under $5.00
Doodlecast Pro  App ($4.99)   Video overview   Create, save, and publish presentations from your iPad.	Explain Everything   App ($2.99)  Video tutorial Annotate, animate, and import to create visually appealing tutorials and presentations for publication.

Digital Storytelling: Voice & Image (video) only: 

Encourage student engagement, production, and voice through original or retold stories. The following apps focus on oral recordings with images that can be shared by e-mail, social media, or exported to YouTube. Click on the provided link to learn more. 

Free apps /  Free with paid options
30Hands   App (Free)  Past tense example   Book report example	Tellagami   App (Free w/paid options)  Student example
Videolicious (New to me, but looks impressive!) App (Free)  Video tutorial	Sockpuppets  (A student favorite!) App (Free w/paid option)  Example
Toontastic Edu App (Free w/$9.99 all access) School edition demo	Puppet Pals   App (Free)  Video tutorial
Paid apps under $5.00
Storyrobe  App ($0.99)  Animal example	PuppetPals 2 Edu  ($4.99)  Video tutorial

Digital Storytelling: Text, Pictures, Video & Voice

Beyond a simple story, these apps will inspire students to add text and voice to their presentations.  

Free apps /  Free with paid options
Animoto for Education   App (free)  Video tutorial	Adobe Voice (New to me, but looks great!) App (Free)  Video overview
Shadow Puppet (A student favorite!) App (Free)  Student example	Sonic Pics  App (Free and paid)  Video tutorial

                                

ELA: Speaking and Listening - 

Comprehension and collaboration

Standards for Learning Languages: Interpersonal 

(Speaking & Listening; Reading and Writing)

Curation & Evaluation for Comprehension - "Students are knowledge curators -  let's help them use it" 

(Nicole Krueger - ISTE Connects blog) 

Free apps
Flipboard  App  Video overview	Thinglink  App  AATF Tutorial  Video tutorial
Inspiration Maps  App  Video tutorial	Storify   App (This will be updated. The app does not appear in the App Store at the time of publication.  Video tutorial   Basic example

                                                 

In choosing to integrate technology tools, teachers should explore various tools, experiment with them, and choose a few that best connect with or support their objectives and learning targets. The SAMR model, as proposed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura (and described by Kathy Schrock) provides guidance for teachers who are new to technology integration. 

                                                      

                                             

Classroom motivation and assessment with Clickers and iDevices

Part 1 – An evolutionary history of software-specific systems and unique clicker devices

Readers should note that I (Catherine Ousselin) am a gadget-geek. I am constantly testing and piloting hand-held devices that can be used to encourage student participation, comprehension, and engagement. This love of the gadget most likely comes from my Sears brand "Atari 2600" system, circa 1980 and the two "Speak-and-Spell" devices that my parents bought us to encourage our spelling and math skills.
Thank you, Mom and Dad!  

I have been using an “Audience Response” system since 2003. I started with Qwizdom and my students went wild. Qwizdom provided me with 30 devices and never asked for payment as long as I demonstrated them to other teachers! The students loved the silly, outdated graphics as well as the 
"Mars Mission" and "FastTrack" games. 


 

I continued for nearly 6 years with Qwizdom until I noticed that the games were never updated and that my computer no longer appreciated the software. 


I had heard that there were new “clickers” that allowed students to text their replies. After contacting Promethean (known for their boards and ActivInspire software), my students were treated to a beautiful new set of clickers that allowed them to text complete paragraphs and to use accents.


 

The software is exceptionally easy to use. A basic review with multiple styles of questions could be created in under 15 minutes. The only drawback of the program was that there were no games or challenges to motivate the students. Whereas Qwizdom provided the space ships with their ranks and times, the ActiveInspire only allowed the students to see a bar chart with times and answers. Although outdated and malfunctioning, the students preferred the Qwizdom games. They enjoyed the competition. ActiveInspire seemed dull. I appreciated the data collection provided through the ActiveInspire software because it could track student progress and other important data. Unfortunately, when I proposed the clickers, students would slightly roll their eyes. Although I had piloted the devices with them, they soon grew weary of this tool. Perhaps they were put off by the numerical (“old-school”) texting operation. By the time I had purchased the devices, pull-out keypads were everywhere. QWERTY texting was more natural to the students. Their attitude was disappointing since I had used the last of my technology grant to purchase the system. 

Update 1: Promethean World now has QWERTY keyboards on a new device called ActivExpression2.

In an attempt to find yet another system, I turned to SmartTech as I have a SmartBoard in the classroom and had seen a demonstration of their newest XE Response System. I was excited to offer my students what they wanted: QWERTY keypads and SmartTech. 

If you are unfamiliar with the Smart Notebook software, you might wish to download for the trial period. You do not need a SmartBoard to run the software, just an LCD projector. Notebook offers Flash games that allow students to interact with the material in creative and thoughtful ways. The games are fun and productive. Most of all, they are magnificently easy to create. Type in the words, click “Create,” and the

 games are ready. Here are a few examples of Flash activities that I made for my TPRS story on «La légende de Carcassonne» These activities do not require (and don't accommodate) the use of clickers. They are an engaging way to start a class or to review before an assessment.   

The activity building template is as easy as typing the text, choosing a picture, and adding the answer.

There are 18 games/activities to choose from.

I had assumed that Smart would incorporate their Flash games into the Response system.  
Regrettably, this was not to be the case. The system was quite similar to the ActiveInspire software: multiple-choice questions, true-false, short-answer, agree-disagree, etc. 

Strangely, though, there was no option to use accents on the student devices. With the Promethean devices, accents were available by switching the device language. This lack of accents stunned me because Smart is a Canadian company. They market their devices and software in Quebec and around the world! During my one-on-one training (in my classroom!) with a Smart Rep, we contacted the company to inquire about the lack of accents. It was not in their plans to add them. This was an issue for me. To spend nearly $3,000 on a system that had neither extra motivational software nor accents for World Language teachers led me to heavily consider the purchase. 

To be fair, I tried the XE system in its Beta state. The devices were weighty, but not too cumbersome. The buttons were similar to most phones and math teachers could incorporate functions and graphs into their lessons as the keypads included math symbols. The devices stayed with me for one month during which I used them twice. While not a determining factor for me, an important issue for the students was the lack of student response time data. If there are no games or quirky graphics to hold the students’ attention, there should be at least the possibility to show which student answered first and correctly. They relish being the quickest texter in the class. I politely returned the system to Smart and informed them of what needed to be improved if World Language teachers were to adopt this system.

Note: Since my last exposure to Smart and its Response software, I have learned that the company has Beta software available that will allow students to connect their iPods/Pads, etc. to the teacher station. I have downloaded the software for a trial use, but receive messages that I need a code to activate the system. This will be a project for Spring Break.  Software-specific clickers will soon be obsolete. 

Before purchasing any devices or deciding on software, please continue reading part 2 which will be uploaded later today (22 January 2012). 

I have continued to use the Promethean/ActivInspire software as it does allow me to quickly assess basic knowledge and skills of the students. I offer small rewards of points and (yes) candies for the top five students. I don’t use it too often or they tire quickly of the repetition. Additionally, the assessment sets are never more than twenty questions. I have learned from many experiences that Freshman through Juniors need small doses of different exposures. Clickers are wonderful to engage quiet students who will not raise their hands to participate, but who will text any verb conjugation in less than ten seconds!