TOP PICKS | 22 TOOLS
Top Tech for Advanced Learners in ELA
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Epic! - Unlimited Books for Kids
Free, expansive digital library unlocks treasure trove of books
Bottom line: This large collection of books and videos on a wide variety of topics is an easy -- and free -- enhancement to any classroom library.
Grades: K–6
Price: Free, Free to try Free to elementary school teachers and school librarians in the U.S. and Canada.
Biblionasium
Site for reviewing and sharing books makes reading a social adventure
Bottom line: This safe, simple social network lets kids share their reading success with friends, creating healthy competition and confidence.
Grades: 2–6
Price: Free
Harry Potter Reading Club
The fun and fantasy of Harry's world plus literary discussion
Bottom line: With activities, discussion questions, and lots of free access to the books, this site is a great place for Harry Potter fans new and old.
Grades: 3–7
Price: Free
Accelerated Reader 360
Boundless, flexible tools promote instructional, independent reading
Bottom line: A stellar literacy platform for assessing student reading levels and promoting further reading.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Contact for pricing Pricing is not transparent, and purchases are targeted at the school or district level. Interested parties must call or go to the website to live chat with a sales rep.
Elegy for a Dead World
Compelling sci-fi world imagined -- and written -- by its players
Bottom line: With some teacher guidance, Elegy offers an opportunity unlike anything else to get students to write stories and stretch their creative muscles.
Grades: 4–12
Price: $14.99
NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program
Wildly engaging contest turns students into novelists in 30 days
Bottom line: A thoughtful adaptation of the famous and fun grown-up novel writing contest, NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program is brimming with advice and encouragement as well as classroom support.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Scribblenauts Remix
Vocab-building word puzzles inspire creative problem-solving
Bottom line: Wide-open problem solving builds creativity, vocabulary, and spelling skills, but controls can be tricky.
Grades: 5–8
Price: $.99
LitPick
Tweens' reviews of YA literature great for classroom use
Bottom line: LitPick is a safe, fun environment for YA lovers to read their favorite books while learning how to discuss literature.
Grades: 5–12
Price: Free
Call Me Ishmael
Drop a calling card, leave a message, inspire others to love reading
Bottom line: A truly unique experience for students to share a reading experience, different from most else out there.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Room for Debate
Experts examine, dissect, and discuss critical issues
Bottom line: A helpful site for exploring multiple perspectives on key current events and hot topics.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Twine
Cool interactive story creator can both dazzle and baffle
Bottom line: Twine is a fascinating tool to build interactive stories, but the "function first" interface means it'll take patience and time.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Wordflex Touch Dictionary
Amazing interactive visual dictionary makes exploring words exciting
Bottom line: Dynamic, highly visual presentation makes learning new words exciting.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free, Paid $3.99 in-app purchase for full version.
Genius
Collaborative tool lets users annotate songs, literature, web content
Bottom line: Students can collaboratively engage in the process of annotation and analysis with various texts -- both within the forum and on the web.
Grades: 8–12
Price: Free
Story Wars
Read, write, and vote on engaging collaborative storytelling site
Bottom line: A cool, competitive approach to online storytelling with a lot of learning potential -- just be aware of the iffy content and licensing risks.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free, Paid Classroom edition available for $15/month; supports 35 student accounts. The classroom version is private to just the classroom.
The Harry Potter Alliance
Fan site promotes real-world heroics with activism for social justice
Bottom line: A fun, empowering community for Potter fans who want to talk Hogwarts and make the world a better place while they're at it.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
Slow but alluring game uniquely depicts how folklore shaped America
Bottom line: While it's not perfect, it could serve as a nice complement to a unit on American folklore or as a way to inspire students to write their own tall tales.
Grades: 7–12
Price: $19.99
Youth Voices
Vibrant online community hosts authentic student writing
Bottom line: Supported student writing, collaboration, and communication make this a healthy space for kids to express themselves.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free
DEVICE 6
Inventive, interactive short story puzzles, scares, and delights
Bottom line: Utterly unique, short experience packed with exploration, mysteries, and surprises, but will take inventive teacher to wrap around.
Grades: 8–12
Price: $3.99
Goodreads
Lively community for bookworms to share their love of lit
Bottom line: Using Goodreads can enhance teens' reading experience and help them become thoughtful, enthusiastic readers.
Grades: 8–12
Price: Free
Teen Ink
Get kids writing, publishing, critiquing in this valuable network
Bottom line: Teens will find a wealth of information and many opportunities to further interest in writing and the creative arts.
Grades: 8–12
Price: Free
Serial Reader
Literary app chunks out classic texts for on-the-go reading
Bottom line: Useful if pedagogically limited option for teachers to introduce students to the classics, or prep for future units.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free, Paid A $2.99 in-app purchase unlocks additional features, including read ahead, syncing, notes, highlights, and additional fonts.
WordPress.com
Solid blogging tool and content management system offers DIY blogs
Bottom line: This is a great tool to get kids blogging and creating online content.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free, Paid Basic accounts are free, Premium sites are $99 per year, and Business sites are $299 per year.