Knowhere

Knowhere is more of a website tool versus an app that is perfectly suited for grades 6-12. It is a great tool to supplement teaching digital, media, and information literacy skills.This can be used in middle and high schools which can be an amazing tool to introduce early on, and then carry on using it through high school.

Pros: It is free to use. It can be accessed on any device as long as there is Wi-Fi connection since the platform is a website. It is reliable because it comes from Common Sense Media, which is a source for many videos on digital citizenship. Knowhere provides a side-by-side representation of example new stories. This process assists students in gaining a deeper understanding of how facts and news can be interpreted by multiple sources, people, and outlets.

Cons: Because this is more of a web page and is free, when accessed on school devices, some articles may be filtered or blocked.

In my Opinion: Finding and interpreting viewpoints can be a difficult skill, especially as a younger learner. This site makes the aspect of determining credible sources much easier. It builds on students' critical thinking skills. I think students should be encouraged to use this site, not as a sole tool for their source credibility checker, but can be part of a whole lesson on determining media bias and will help them think about what the web produces for them when searched.



https://knowherenews.com/

The Case of the Cyber Criminal

This was a fun, free, engaging game you can play on any device. I played on my laptop but can definitely see it being played on one-to-one devices. "A techie spy and his cunning crew are out to get your personal information. Stop them cold by proving you're ready to protect yourself online". It teaches younger students how to be safe online. I would say this game is appropriate for middle-high schoolers. I do not think children younger than 10-11 years old would be able to fully understand the language and vocabulary used in the questions. This would be a good game to play within the first week of school in any subject class. It can be included in the library's orientation class as well. It was challenging, made you think, introduced/refreshed some virus/spyware, and kept me on my toes. I think this would be a great starting point for being a responsible digital citizen!

Play the game now: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/media/game-0013-case-cyber-criminal

DigitalCitizen by Learning.com

I tried this APP out on my iPhone after one of our instructional tech staff members mentioned they want to implement it in my district's middle school next year as a first week of school introduction to digital citizenship. 

I found this app super friendly to use, fun, and informational. You can use the app by first creating a free account. This app provides middle and high school students "with instruction on online safety, the ethical use of digital resources, and cyberbullying. Through engaging videos, interactive games, and a quiz, the app ensures student understanding of these important concepts". 

The apps interface is interactive and has fun cartoon figures making it nice for younger learners to keep engaged. The information is provided, but is not too overwhelming or too much to digest. 

I found this to be a great tool and I may even think about using it with my Freshmen during their library orientation next school year!

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/digitalcitizen/id867157206

SORA APP

This app is through Overdrive and it is heavily used in my school library. The students love it and the staff are coming around to it. It is an app that can be used to read eBooks. The app has over 12,000 eBooks and audio books available for patrons to check out. It gets checked out to your SORA account and then after 21 days it will automatically return the item, if you have not renewed or returned it sooner!
There are functions that allow for readers to switch on a dyslexia aiding font typeface which weights the letters making it easier on the eyes to focus.
There are sepia, night, and day options available depending on when someone wants to read.
It is available on most to all devices.
It syncs up on multiple devices, meaning if you open the app on your laptop and read 20 pages. Then open the app on your phone, it will automatically jump to where you left off.
You can annotate and take notes while reading.
You can look up definitions in real time of words.
It tracks the amount of time spent on each page and then totals how long you have been reading.
It tracks your checkout history.
You can have as many books out as you want.
You can filter searches based on preference and audience level.
You can link your public library card to the account making it possible to check out books from public libraries. This means you can checkout an eBook from your school library and then turn around and checkout an available eBook from your public library!
I 100% recommend this app to all school libraries.
https://help.overdrive.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2949705-getting-started-with-sora