Technology toolkit - Jill and Gianna by Jill Anneberg

What is EdPuzzle?

jillanneberg12 — 2025-09-16 18:46:26 UTC

Edpuzzle is an online platform in which teachers can create interactive video lessons with question prompts that promote critical thinking within all subjects, including ELA. The basic Edpuzzle plan is free, but it has limited access. However, schools and districts can obtain a quote to enable all teachers to use Edpuzzle without restrictions (Edpuzzle, 2021).

Purpose, Target Audience, and Content Areas:

jillanneberg12 — 2025-09-16 19:12:01 UTC

Edpuzzle's purpose is to allow teachers to enhance lessons and increase participation by making video lessons and asking comprehension questions to monitor student progress and give feedback on a chosen topic. The target audience for Edpuzzle is primarily upper elementary (4th and 5th grade) through all high school grades. This tool can be used to engage students in using academic vocabulary, listening skills, reading comprehension, and writing prompts.

Student Benefits and Obstacles

jillanneberg12 — 2025-09-16 19:36:12 UTC

There are various student benefits of Edpuzzle, but also some obstacles. Edpuzzle allows students to engage in a topic in a way that is active and familiar to them: on the computer. With this, teachers can customize their lessons, monitor student progress on a topic, and provide feedback to them. This then allows teachers to make adjustments in future lessons as well as make decisions for intervention. When using Edpuzzle, teachers or schools may run into the obstacle of limited technology access or trouble navigating the tool. To overcome these obstacles, teachers may use this tool during class time in the form of stations or as a collaborative activity. Edpuzzle also offers tutorials on the website for new teachers with limited knowledge of its features.

How it Engages Students in ELA Content + Supports Literacy Development:

jillanneberg12 — 2025-09-16 19:56:49 UTC

Edpuzzle actively engages students by utilizing video, visual, and audio learning methods, alongside frequent tiered questioning, to assess students' comprehension and recall of the topic. This online tool can support the literacy development of struggling students, given that videos, questions, and other aspects of the lesson can be differentiated to fit reading and learning levels, as well as subtitles or various playback speeds. With this, frequent questioning and implementing definitions during the video of academic vocabulary allows for the building and application of new vocabulary and comprehension skills.

What is Newsela?

jillanneberg12 — 2025-09-16 20:02:56 UTC

Newsela is a website that takes and differentiates relevant reading passages and news articles that align with state ELA standards to make reading and learning have purpose in students' lives. This online resource has a limited version that is free to use, but it also provides a premium version for schools and districts with full access to the website's content and features (Newsela, n.d.).

Purpose, Target Audience, and Content Areas:

jillanneberg12 — 2025-09-16 20:03:16 UTC

The purpose of Newsela is to make learning more relevant in a way that aligns with students' reading levels and sparks students' curiosity. Alongside non-fiction articles and fictional passages, Newsela offers subject-specific quizzes, writing prompts, and vocabulary tools to promote critical thinking and comprehension across all levels of real-world texts and issues. Given Newsela's wide range of topics and five reading levels, the target audience of Newsela ranges from all mid-elementary students (3rd-4th grade) through high school levels. This platform covers vocabulary acquisition, reading comprehension, and writing skills, while promoting critical thinking skills through relevant texts tailored to students' personal reading level.

Student Benefits and Obstacles

jillanneberg12 — 2025-09-16 20:03:24 UTC

Newsela has many benefits for student learning. Given that Newsela offers differentiated texts, real-world content, as well as interactive features, such as annotation and comprehension questions, students can engage in meaningful and relevant topics in a way that aligns with their reading level. This way, students at all levels can participate, find purpose in, and engage in non-fiction and fictional texts in a way that works for them. However, to utilize Newsela to its full potential, students must select the correct reading level, and teachers will need preparation time to navigate the website and ensure that the texts align with the standards being taught. These obstacles can be addressed by explicit teacher modeling of how to select a reading level based on previous assessments and monitoring, as well as collaboration with other staff during planning periods to gain insight into the platform's tools before implementing them in class.

How it Engages Students in ELA Content + Supports Literacy Development:

jillanneberg12 — 2025-09-16 20:03:49 UTC

This online platform engages students in ELA content through authentic texts that are relevant to current events and cultures. Through differentiated texts, academic vocabulary, writing prompts, and other interactive features, all students are included in class concepts and can strengthen and develop their literacy skills. Educators can also have students choose the text they want to read, allowing more ownership, curiosity, and motivation in their learning. Newsela also provides translation services alongside leveled reading articles for English Learners to continue their literacy development alongside their peers.

What is Osmo?

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-19 00:06:40 UTC

Osmo is an interactive learning system that merges physical play with computer programs by using an iPad or tablet and physical letter and picture blocks. It includes several literacy programs such as Osmo Words and Osmo Stories, which address spelling, vocabulary, and storytelling. Starter kits of Osmo kits are available for purchase online at retailers such as Amazon or the Osmo website, starting at $79–$99 (Osmo, 2023).

What is Raz-Kids?

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-19 00:08:41 UTC

Raz-Kids is a leveled reading web-based program providing access to eBooks and facilitating hundreds of comprehension quizzes. Students may listen, read, and record themselves reading texts independently, and teachers have access to reports online to check progress. The program is subscription-based, with costs starting at approximately $120 per classroom per year (Learning A-Z, 2023). It can be accessed online via web browsers or the Raz-Kids mobile app.

What is Storybird?

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-19 00:09:36 UTC

Storybird is a web-based digital storytelling platform where students are able to create visually enhanced stories, poems, and picture books using an artist-curated library of artwork. The site is available online and is free, but with a paid membership choice, with advanced features. These features include classroom management capabilities and additional templates for a cost of around $8 per month (Storybird, 2023).

Purpose, Target Audience, and Content Areas:

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:31:12 UTC

Osmo's primary purpose is to build early literacy through hands-on, game-based learning that is motivating for students in grades K–3 of elementary school. The program supports ELA subjects such as phonics, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and narrative writing.

Student Benefits and Obstacles:

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:34:41 UTC

Students learn by Osmo's multi-sensory experience, which caters to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners and allows for collaboration. A drawback is the cost of purchasing kits for an entire classroom. A suggestion is utilizing Osmo in small-group literacy centers or having it paid for by grants and tech integration initiatives.

How it Engages Students in ELA Content + Supports Literacy Development:

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:35:51 UTC

Through the integration of play-based learning, Osmo can actively involve students in ELA education and support struggling readers through the breaking down of literacy skills into interactive, easy-to-follow steps. Its reliance on physical play and digital feedback contributes to the building of early reading and language skills.

Osmo. (2023). Osmo learning system. Tangible Play, Inc. https://www.playosmo.com

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:36:18 UTC

Purpose, Target Audience, and Content Areas:

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:43:35 UTC

The objective of Raz-Kids is to facilitate differentiated reading instruction through offering texts at 29 levels of complexity. The target group is elementary-grade students, but more precisely in grades K–5. It aligns with ELA content areas, including fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and independent reading practice.

Student Benefits and Obstacles:

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:45:30 UTC

Students have individualized reading experiences that allow them to read independently and at their own pace and receive immediate feedback. Struggling readers benefit from read-alouds and leveled text that builds confidence. A possible deterrent is the cost of subscription, which can be prohibitive for some schools. A possible solution is for teachers to get literacy grants or share a subscription with grade-level groups.

How it Engages Students in ELA Content + Supports Literacy Development:

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:46:20 UTC

By providing the interactive digital library with stimulating tools, Raz-Kids engages students in reading, supports multiple literacy needs, and builds foundational reading and comprehension skills.

Learning A-Z. (2023). Raz-Kids. https://www.raz-kids.com

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:46:38 UTC

Storybird. (2023). Storybird: Art-inspired storytelling. https://storybird.com

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:53:27 UTC

Purpose, Target Audience, and Content Areas:

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:54:37 UTC

The goal of Storybird is to inspire creativity and develop writing skills by exposing students to professional art as creative inspiration for writing. The target users are high school, upper elementary, but some younger students will be able to utilize it with teacher support. It meets ELA content standards such as narrative writing, creative writing, grammar, and vocabulary development.

Student Benefits and Obstacles:

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:55:58 UTC

Students like being able to publish their own digital stories, which makes them feel proud of what they've accomplished and willing to write more frequently. One potential obstacle is insufficient access to devices and reliable internet in some classrooms. One solution might be to integrate Storybird into repeating literacy centers or provide collaborative projects where students can share devices.

How it Engages Students in ELA Content + Supports Literacy Development:

gsgrignoli12 — 2025-09-20 23:57:19 UTC

By combining visual art with written language, Storybird reaches students of differing abilities and interests, but also helps struggling writers by providing guided, creative prompts that reduce the intimidation of starting with a blank page.

jillanneberg12 — 2025-09-21 02:31:36 UTC

Newsela (2013). Newsela. https://newsela.com/

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jillanneberg12 — 2025-09-21 02:32:42 UTC

Edpuzzle (2021). Edpuzzle. https://edpuzzle.com/

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