Learning & Leading Through Technology

Problem: The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) require students to read and understand nonfiction and informational texts in all subject areas. Where can I find some great resources?

Here’s a solution: The Subtext app and web reader (www.subtext. com) allows educators to find ad-free informational texts online— searchable by reading level and subject area—and push them out to their students.

You can even annotate them with discussion and comprehension questions. So instead of having a discussion in class, students who are analyzing a text can collaborate with peers using the app.

This is an excellent way to include students who rarely raise their hands during a face-to-face discussion

Tip

Have a tip to share? Email it to dfingal@iste.org.

because they are either shy or need more time to process or think before answering.

Teachers can use this app to flip instruction or engage learners who enjoy reading with others instead of in isolation. Students can discuss central ideas, make inferences, and unveil author bias synchronously.

The best part is that you can embed audio or video, which allows you to address the Common Core standards that require students to compare informational text with an audio or video component. You can place these comparison videos directly into the reading by embedding web links or You Tube videos.

Subtext allows you to support CCSS in other ways too. You can create a bank of assignment templates that touch on different anchor standards

Subtext App Helps Meet Common Core State Standards

and include engaging activities, such as “show you know” writing prompts. The reading experience is much richer this way and makes Subtext the perfect solution for increasing literacy in all subject areas.

Holly Clark is a technology and innovation specialist in San Diego, California. She has overseen 1: 1 iPad and Chromebook pilots and helps schools implement digital literacy programs.

creativity, engage in reflections, and maximize collaboration. Integrating Google+ in an academic setting will equip students with knowledge about social media context, digital footprints, and virtual collaboration. These skills are integral to functioning in today’s connected world.

Checking Your Settings

Be aware that managers of Google+ education accounts can adjust settings to restrict who sees the posts, but individual users can override this setting in their accounts. For example, if users choose to create a personal Google+ account in conjunction with their education accounts, they can interact with other education domain accounts as well as consumer accounts. That said, managers of education accounts can choose privacy settings to control who sees what is posted.

The addition of Google+ to the K– 12 Google Apps for Education suite is a welcome feature on the ever-evolving Google frontier. Its social features take the possibilities of Google to a more collaborative, productive level.

—Caroline Haebig is the instructional technology coordinator at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, and a Google Certified Teacher. She was named the ISTE Outstanding Young Educator in 2012.