Subtext: The best e-reader for students and teachers

Subtext is a free iPad app that allows for students and teachers to collaboratively read any text. With subtext you can embed meaningful discussion, as well as enrichment materials, assignments, and quizzes directly into the text of your document.  It is simply the best way for students and teachers who have iPads to read any text.

Teachers can create reading groups and then share a text with them. Options for text include ebooks (free and purchased through subtext), Web clips, and PDF files. Once a teacher uploads the text, they can assign it to a group for reading.

Subtext allows a teacher to then assign a reading range, create activities, ask questions (including self grading multiple choice and T/F) based on the readings, have students highlight and tag in the text, and more. Students can create a book blog, which is a writing summary at the end of a chapter.

Teachers can even track student progress on text including reading speed, word look-ups, highlights, notes and quiz results. Students can then discuss the text with classmates and teachers in a safe controlled environment.

For years teachers have been successfully using blogs to engage students in text based discussions. Subtext takes it to the next level by making it easier to place the discussions in context.

Are you using subtext successfully in the class, we'd love to hear about it, leave a comment below.

Story Lines for Schools: Great Vocabulary game for one or many iPads in the classroom

If you don't have a classroom set or iPads, or even if you do, Storylines for Schools (Free) can be a great way to review vocabulary and concepts with students, or as a way to lead into a class discussion.

Storylines is basically the old game of telephone, but with pictures. What's great about it is that students don't need to create accounts or have their own iPad in order to play.

With Storylines students start with a vocabulary word, phrase, or quote and then draw a picture to represent the words. If students have accounts and their own iPad they can digitally "pass" the game to the next student. If not, the student just has to physically pass the iPad to their neighbor.

This second student sees only the picture and must guess what the word, phrase or quote is that was presented. They, in turn, must decide what the picture represents by writing their own phrase or word down. The game then continues to the next student who will draw the second phrase.  The game can be played with 3, 5, 7, or 9 players.

When finished, you can play back the entire sequence of phrases and pictures. This is a great way to get conversation started in class around concept that students may be having a difficult time with, or simply to review vocabulary. Finished Storylines can be emailed to the teacher for replay later on.

*The free version of Storylines for Schools only allows you to doodle with a black pen, for additional colors and pens you need to complete an in App purchase