At Clayton Ridge Middle School, our 7/8 Language Arts and Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Werges has been extremely devoted to incorporating technology into her day to day lessons. Her classroom students have recognized and appreciated her willingness to implement technology and respect her efforts a great deal. Through this process one computer application Cheri is currently experimenting with is the Kindle for Mac application.
The Kindle for Mac is a FREE eReader application. This application can be found through the APP STORE on a Mac or can be accessed as a free download through Amazon.com. This program is very easy to install and access digital book content with immediacy. The Kindle for Mac behaves nearly identical to a real Kindle eReader. There are uses for this application across grade levels and across content areas. Finally, this application can be used by anyone who has set up a free Amazon account.
The content Cheri and her students are downloading are free digital novels of out-of-copyright titles from Amazon.com. Amazon.com has been our main source of digital content access, however, there are numerous other sites that have content available and allow individuals to download FREE content to use with their Kindle for Mac application while still being in compliance of copyright laws...ie archive.org, openlibrary.org, guttenberg.org...are a few notable sources.
At this time, 7th graders are currently using Call of the Wild by Jack London. Our 8th graders are going to use The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. The Kindle for Mac allows students to each have their own e-copy of the novel and also allows for each student to participate in analyzing the text and other literary skills necessary for class discussion within the Kindle for Mac application.
Mrs. Werges is an excellent teacher of language and directs the students to the text to explore vocabulary words, the author's writing style, prediction tactics, and other reading strategies. Thus far, the majority of the 48 seventh grade students have preferred using the Kindle for Mac over reading the paper copy of the novel. (Mrs. Werges has offered both as viable options with this unit.)
Student feedback has been:
"Don't have to carry a book around."
"Don't have to worry about not being prepared for class because I have left my book elsewhere."
"I'm not worried out misplacing my book."
"Easy to keep track of vocabulary words and answers to the comprehension guide right within the text."
"I can customize the appearance of text to best meet my individual needs." ie...size of font, choice of view, notes and notable information are easy to organize.
I applaud Mrs. Werges and her continuous efforts to enhance her instruction with technology. She is a fantastic teacher with a drive and willingness to make learning meaningful for her students, whether she uses technology or not. I have a great deal of respect for her and what she does inside her classroom walls.
Mrs. Werges is an excellent teacher of language and directs the students to the text to explore vocabulary words, the author's writing style, prediction tactics, and other reading strategies. Thus far, the majority of the 48 seventh grade students have preferred using the Kindle for Mac over reading the paper copy of the novel. (Mrs. Werges has offered both as viable options with this unit.)
Student feedback has been:
"Don't have to carry a book around."
"Don't have to worry about not being prepared for class because I have left my book elsewhere."
"I'm not worried out misplacing my book."
"Easy to keep track of vocabulary words and answers to the comprehension guide right within the text."
"I can customize the appearance of text to best meet my individual needs." ie...size of font, choice of view, notes and notable information are easy to organize.
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| A sample image of what a Kindle for Mac application interface looks like |
I applaud Mrs. Werges and her continuous efforts to enhance her instruction with technology. She is a fantastic teacher with a drive and willingness to make learning meaningful for her students, whether she uses technology or not. I have a great deal of respect for her and what she does inside her classroom walls.
