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TIME For Kids: Classroom iOS App Helps K-6 Students Engage with Nonfiction Multimedia Content

10/23/2014

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The new TIME For Kids Classroom iOS App is an immersive digital teaching tool that takes learning deeper by using nonfiction multimedia content to engage students in a more meaningful way. The app features videos, photos, maps, polls and other interactive features to capture K-6 students’ attention and deepen their understanding of news and current events. 

Plus, the TIME For Kids Classroom App includes interactive assessments aligned to Common Core State Standards for each grade level. Teachers get full access to standards-aligned quiz keys and assessment results, in addition to lesson plans and Common Core teaching tips.  If you have access to iPads in the classroom, this app is a great resource.  Plus you can access a free trial until the end of 2014!  Let's check it out!

As many teachers know, getting kids to not only engage with informational texts, but to also be motivated and excited about exploring them can be an incredible challenge.  TIME For Kids is hoping to make that challenge a little easier with this new app, and to begin with, let's take a look at a quick introductory video from the team.  


As you can see, the app aims to make their traditional magazine into an interactive, multimedia-rich, engaging experience that will help kids explore informational text in new ways.  

One of the first things that stood out while reviewing this app was the accessibility features.  The app makes it incredibly easy to access different reading levels, which is perfect for those students who may need their materials to be at a simpler level.  Plus, they have audio versions of the content as well, so students can listen to the text being read to them.  And, on top of all that, a decent portion of their content is available in Spanish.

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Welcome to TIME for Kids
Another included feature of the app is the "Power Words" component, which is designed to help students with vocabulary acquisition.  The Power Words offer students a definition, the word used within a sentence, an image of the word, and it can be read aloud to the student as well.
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Power Words help students with vocabulary acquisition
Next up, as you may have seen in some of the newer ebooks, or if you've had the chance to explore iBooks Author at all, the app has a ton of interactive multimedia content.  Students can answer questions, interact with 3-D models, watch videos, complete learning activities and assessments, and much more.  Plus, it's all aligned to the common core standards.
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Interactive Multimedia Content
And speaking of being common-core aligned, the various learning modules come with "Common Core Teaching Tips" as well, to help teachers structure the learning activities around the standards.  In addition to a list of the standards being addressed, the app includes ideas for additional activities and extensions that can help take learning further, outside of the application.
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Common Core Alignment and Tips for Teachers
Finally, the app also includes built in assessments that are also aligned to the Common Core standards.  Students can take the assessments from within the app and teachers will receive immediate feedback on how their students are doing.  And the application will be offering advanced reporting soon so you will be able to see exactly what standards students are struggling with.
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Assessments are Built into the App
 
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Sample Assessment Data
And in short, that's the app!  It's an excellent way to let students engage with multimedia-rich informational texts and to help motivate students to learn more about current events and world affairs. If you have access to iPads in the classroom, I would definitely recommend giving the app a try, especially since it's free until the end of December!  Take a moment to explore the app and see if it's right for your classroom!
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The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I was not compensated for writing this review.
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