Review by Polly Conway, Common Sense Education | Updated September 2013
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Issuu

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Online magazine platform looks great, needs better search function

Subjects & skills
Subjects
  • English Language Arts
Skills
  • Creativity
Grades This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.
7–12
Great for:
Common Sense says (See details)
Teachers say (3 Reviews)
Price:  Free
Platforms:  Website

Take a look inside

1 image

Pros: Its format is well-designed and easy to use, and both kids and teachers can benefit from uploading their magazines onto Issuu's platform.

Cons: It's not a great place for kids to browse freely; it's easy to come across inappropriate content.

Bottom Line: It's a great place to share work and contains a lot of kid-appropriate magazines -- but you have to wade through a lot of mediocre content to find the good stuff.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Using Issuu's platform, you could design class-specific textbooks, workbooks, or even assignments to share with students, who could review them as homework. Its format could also lend itself to classroom presentations. It's probably not wise to let students run loose to explore other people's content on Issuu -- you never know what inappropriate content they might come across. But well-supervised students could add their own content to the site. Be aware that they need a separate desktop publishing program to design their product before they upload it to Issuu.

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Standards:

Issuu is a website where people can browse thousands of user-designed magazines or can upload and share their own. It's very visual and interesting, and it's stocked with all kinds of content, but it's not a site where you want students randomly clicking around. There are some magazines for kids, but the search function doesn't make them easy to find. Some magazines are more professional than others; since anyone can put their content on Issuu, you have to wade through lots of mediocre content.

The selection is incredible. It's like browsing the world's largest newsstand, except everything is free. However, unlike with a magazine shop in the real world, inappropriate content isn't hidden behind the counter. It comes up pretty easily, even with the Safe Search setting on. The site does have some outstanding content for kids, though -- it's just a matter of finding it. There's no specific section for kids, and a search for kids brings up everything from Russian lingerie catalogs to a KISS Kids comic book. 

Students can learn to write articles, take photographs, organize information, and put it all together into a magazine that they share with the world. They can also learn about nearly any subject by reading through the magazines other users have uploaded to Issuu. Kids can learn that it's possible for anyone to be a journalist if they have the time and interest. They'll also learn to promote and share their magazine through social media and other channels -- getting other people to read it is half the fun! Issuu is a cool platform that lets kids get their ideas out into the world, but the amount of content and its poor search mechanism may make it overwhelming for some.

Overall Rating
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Some of the magazines created by other users are professional, beautiful, and fascinating, just like their glossy paper counterparts. Issuu's design presents this content fairly well, although its search function needs some work.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

As kids create a magazine, they'll not only be adding unique content but thinking like an old-time newspaper editor: "How do I draw in readers? What makes this magazine different from the others?"

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

The site has a searchable FAQ section and the option to email questions to its support team. Magazines support audio, which is nice in terms of accessibility.

Common Sense Reviewer
Polly Conway Classroom teacher
About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Key Standards Supported

Speaking & Listening

  • SL.7.5

    Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.

  • SL.8.5

    Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

  • SL.9-10.5

    Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

  • SL.11-12.5

    Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Writing

  • W.7.2

    Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

  • W.8.2

    Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

  • W.9-10.2

    Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

  • W.11-12.2

    Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

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Teacher Reviews

(See all 3 reviews) (3 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Stephen Z. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Issuu is an exciting way for students to publish an article.
Issuu was a good experience for the students. Not only did the students have an opportunity to read and respond to a proposed bill, they also experienced what it feels like to be published. The students were excited that their publishing was view-able by other students. I liked that the website made the students feel a since of self worth in writing their papers. Instead of just writing another paper for another class. The website is easy to use and it is easy to upload to the website. Although it was not used to enhance information, most students were extremely excited to use the website to share their article.
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