This document discusses how mobile apps can be used to engage students and support reading instruction. It provides examples of vocabulary, reading comprehension, and fluency apps such as Quizlet, Flashcards, Nearpod, and QR Code Reader + MReader. These apps allow students to learn vocabulary, complete comprehension questions on leveled texts, and be assessed on their reading. The document also cites research finding that technology-assisted learning motivates students and improves literacy skills. Overall, the document advocates for the strategic use of mobile apps in the classroom to supplement reading instruction.

1. LEARNING TO LOVE YOUR STUDENTS’ SMARTPHONES
How Mobile Apps Can Breathe New Life into Your Reading Class

2. SELF-IDENTIFIED
TECH-SAVVY TEACHERS
RAISE YOUR HANDS AND STAND UP!
FIND ONE OR TWO TEACHERS WHO
NEED YOUR EXPERTISE AND SIT WITH
THEM.
SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEW FRIENDS!

3. TWO MINUTE DISCUSSION
DO YOU USE YOUR STUDENTS’
SMARTPHONES IN YOUR
CLASSROOM TO SUPPORT YOUR
TEACHING?
IF SO, HOW?

4. WHY YOU MIGHT CONSIDER USING APPS IN YOUR CLASSROOM
➤ Students enjoy it and demonstrate higher levels of
engagement.
➤ Smartphones are a teaching technology that we don’t have to
write a grant for.
➤ Prevent sneaky phone use when we have clear phones out/
phones away distinctions within a class period.
➤ We can give them a powerful study tool (and they never leave
home without it).
➤ Navigating an app builds technical language skills.
➤ Tech-literacy often falls on us.

5. APP USE IN THE
CLASSROOM IS NOT JUST
FUN.
IT’S ALSO PRACTICAL
AND SUPPORTED BY
RESEARCH.
References available in your handout

6. “
“Students [who worked in
computer and mobile assisted
learning centers] were motivated,
on task, and attentive when
working on their literacy tasks . . .
The learning technology allowed
students to develop independent
work habits and to build both their
skills and confidence about literacy
and about using technology.”
(Yunus, Nordin, Salehi, Sun, & Embi, 2013, p.121)

7. VOCABULARY
Boost and Supplement

8. “
“Vocabulary knowledge
would seem to be the
most clearly identifiable
subcomponent of the
ability to read.”
(Nation & Coady, 1988, p. 98)

9. APPS FOR VOCABULARY
How to Use
Special
Features
Cost for
Students
Cost for
Teachers
Quizlet
You add words, let
students define,
practice at home,
then play games in
class
Support for images,
flashcards, multiple
games
Free $24.99/year
Flashcards
Assign an existing
word list or create
your own and ask
students to practice
at home
Flashcards with word
lists from Common
Core, Latin Roots,
TOEFL prep, and more,
or create your own
Free Free
Wordflex
Use it to look up
difficult words in
class, encourage
independent use
Gorgeous visuals,
shows relationships
between words
Free Free

10. QUIZLET
➤ iOS, Android, Web
➤ Easy to use, both for independent
studying and for in-class practice
➤ When adding words, the app
suggests community definitions for
that word (some of which are
incorrect/unrelated)
➤ Print off flashcards or practice
quizzes
➤ Multiple formats for flashcards
(word first, definition first) and for
games (space race, speller, scatter)
➤ NEW in-class game that lets
students use their phones to
compete

16. FLASHCARDS
➤ iOS, Android
➤ Best for at-home practice
➤ When adding words, the app auto
fills with the dictionary.com
definition
➤ Multiple formats for flashcards
(word first, definition first),
detailed settings, and a quiz
option
➤ Will pronounce the word with a
native-sounding non-robotic
voice
➤ Share lists via email, Twitter, or
Facebook

22. WORDFLEX
➤ iPad only
➤ Fewer clear applications
➤ Great for curious and
independent students who
want to explore language, not
for those who resist learning
➤ Makes a good learning station
with classroom iPad(s)
➤ A beautiful way to explore
word definitions, word forms,
and synonyms as a class

26. READING
COMPREHENSION
AND FLUENCY
Read Read Read Assess Read

27. APPS FOR READING COMPREHENSION AND FLUENCY
How to Use Special
Features
Cost for
Students
Cost for
Teachers
Nearpod
Use existing reading
units or build your own,
embedding assessment
and reflection questions
with leveled texts
Can be used either as an
in-class or at-home
assessment tool, and
can allow for some
student choice in which
Nearpods they complete
Free
$12/month
(optional)
QR Reader +
MReader
Using your school’s
leveled reader library,
attach QR code links to
the inside of book
covers, letting students
take the quizzes they
choose
Allows students to
select the books they
prefer and take the
quizzes in their own
time, and teachers can
keep track of student
progress through
MReader
Free Free
Plickers
Do a quick, 3-5
question quiz to see if
students understood the
key concepts in a
reading
Students love using
Plickers cards and they
rarely think of it as
assessment
Free Free

28. NEARPOD
➤ iOS, Android, Web
➤ Can embed .pdfs, videos, even
other websites to be read by
students
➤ Multiple assessment options
(quizzes, polls, drawings,
matching, writing prompts)
➤ Tons of existing Nearpods with
quality content for free (and
others for $$)
➤ Awesome for interactive in-
class practice OR take-home
assessment

29. QR CODE READER
+ MREADER
➤ iOS, Android, Web
➤ A great way to embed assessment into
an extensive reading program
➤ Quizzes are already written by the
Extensive Reading Foundation
➤ Teachers just add QR codes to the
inside covers of graded readers linking
students to that book’s quiz which
they can then take on their phone
➤ Provides teachers with reports and
students with visual of their progress
➤ Teachers can control the level at which
students can take quizzes
➤ Account creation is arduous and
requires a teacher-administrator who
distributes access codes to the other
teachers in her/his district/university

30. “
“We found no differences in reading
attitudes of students who took
weekly ER quizzes compared to
students who did not . . . For
teachers who feel their students
need more external motivation for
extensive reading than mere
encouragement or supplementary
classroom activities, the use of
extensive reading quizzes is
appropriate.”
(Stoeckel, Reagan, & Hann, 2012, p.194)

31. PLICKERS
➤ Only the teacher needs the app
(iOS or Android)
➤ Great for all levels and classes
that are tech-resistant
➤ Only A, B, C, D and True False
options
➤ Extremely playful and low-
stakes, but still gradable and
useful for gathering data on
student understanding
➤ Can laminate, print on card
stock, or paste into their
textbooks

32. WEBSITES TO
SUPPORT APP
USE IN THE
CLASSROOM
Readings and Resources

33. WEBSITES TO SUPPORT THE APPS YOU USE
➤ Read Write Think
➤ Intended for K-12, but many of the lessons
translate well to EAP
➤ Lessons on specific grammar, reading, and
writing topics with interactive games and
apps as well as worksheets and lesson plans
➤ Read Works
➤ Incredible bank of short readings with lexile
measures as well as comprehension questions
➤ Lesson plans to accompany a variety of
leveled novels
➤ Skill-based lessons for every grade level
➤ Vocabulary activity to accompany most
lessons

34. WEBSITES TO SUPPORT THE APPS YOU USE
➤ Lit2Go
➤ A collection of short classic readings including
fairy tales, short stories, and poems
➤ All have audio files
➤ Most have comprehension questions to pair
with the passages
➤ Extensive Reading Foundation/MReader
➤ Hundreds of graded reader quizzes
➤ Incredible resource for those who want to
encourage students to read graded readers
➤ Amazing depth of information on the benefits
of extensive reading and how to set up a
program in your school

35. USE THE QR CODES ON YOUR
HANDOUT TO EXPLORE!
WHAT ADDITIONAL READING
ACTIVITIES CAN YOU
ENVISION WITH THESE APPS?

36. THANK YOU!
courtneyelizabethking.com
king2ce@cmich.edu