Tuning into Technology: Integrating Technology into Reading

I'm sooooo excited to be linking up with iTeach 1:1 and the Learning to the Core for the Tuning into Technology linky party! Technology is my thing!!! If I had to choose one area of teaching I get excited about and feel I possess a strength, it would definitely be technology. If you're a techie teacher or have a great tip to share link on up!

Today I will be discussing how I integrate technology into reading. Like many of the bloggers out there I also do Daily 5 with my students. My students and I use tons of websites and web 2.0 tools in order to facilitate a smooth Daily 5 block. The first website is the most important because it has multiple uses.

Symbaloo
Symbaloo is surely one of my top favorite tech finds. This websites eliminates the need to post every reading website I want my students to visit for listen to reading, read to self etc. What's so great about symbaloo is it is one large collection of websites for learning. I have links to reading websites such as storylineonline and wegivebooks, the visual thesaurus, word games, brain pop, and kid friendly search engines! My links are also color coded by subject (orange- literacy, green- science, blue-math, white-various sources). I also have some special links to our class website and kidblog. Basically this is one resource that links to many, many resources you can use for reading! Love, love, love Symbaloo! It's free and easy to customize for your students. Click on the picture to check out my symbaloo and some of the cool links I have available.

**Youngzine- you can access this great resource on my Symbaloo! It is a website that has articles with current events and even allows children to write articles and reviews! So cool!**

Voicethread
Voicethread is a super cool tool that students can add or upload pictures and narrate with their voice. There are so many different ways to use voicethread. I had my student turn her expository writing piece into a voicethread. We worked so hard on her voicethread that she won in our district's technology fair and competed at the state level. That was an amazing experience for both of us. Check out her voicethread below.


Google Forms
Another resource that has a multitude of uses! I have used Google forms for virtual reading assignments. Towards the end of the school year my district required that all students sign into their new email accounts. I began emailing students assignments and one assignment required students to read a Time for Kids article on their own, access the Google form via email and answer 10 questions. Coolest part......Google forms organizes the responses into a spreadsheet! Great way to track everyone's comprehension. I have heard of people using a website called Flubaroo with Google forms to grade the work. I haven't experimented yet...definitely on the back to school to do list. I've also seen the Google forms used for reading and writing conferences. Google forms is an overall excellent tool!

Google Form