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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.