Exploring Technology for the Library and Classroom

In light of the abundance of web resources, tools and apps available for teachers and librarians, I've decided to highlight a few excellent instructional resources that I've found to be very user-friendly and helpful. Obviously this is a limited list, mainly because I wanted to focus on quality rather than quantity, and find things that would be helpful for my instructional practice and that of my colleagues. Here are a few gems, and they're all FREE:

Wonder Stories: leveled text with standards-based questions to engage reluctant readers and keep track of their progress. Stories are interactive, and student progress is monitored to give teachers useful and ongoing data.

Hippocampus: Video and mini-lesson resources for a wide range of subjects and sub-topics. There are specific and engaging instructional videos to supplement your lessons and can be easily used for self-directed learning/remote learning.

Bookshare: A massive selection of audio books, free for students with disabilities and their teachers to help provide access to a rich variety of texts. Great way to differentiate instruction for students with disabilities.

Readworks: A huge selection of both fiction and informational texts from a wide range of subject areas, organized by reading level and into thematic groups. each text can be leveled depending on student lexile, and student progress is monitored as they go.

iCivics: Developed by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics is an excellent learning platform which teaches students about U.S. History and Civics using a video game platform. Very engaging and also great way to enhance literary skills and critical thinking skills.

Arbor Scientific  Excellent range of science materials, short videos and mini-lessons on a variety of scientific topics to support classroom instruction. Also links to various science blogs.