Subtext – Engage Readers and Deepen Understanding – From Jen Carey

You can also read this post on Jen’s blog.

The next session I am attending is about Subtext, a tool I have been wanting to learn and explore. Check out their presentation materials here.

“Subtext is a free iPad app that allows classroom groups to exchange ideas in the pages of digital texts. You can also layer in enrichment materials, assignments and quizzes—opening up almost limitless opportunities to engage students and foster analysis and writing skills.”

Subtext allows students to engage deeper with reading material both individually as well as collaboratively. Subtext does work with Google Apps for Education! You can use subtext with purchased content as well as free and open source material, including your own! As someone that loves using primary sources in my classroom via PDF, I’m excited to be able to do this. Being able to incorporate with many different resources (such asOverDrive) you don’t have to start from scratch.

Subtext allows you to personalize your reading experiences in the same way we see with other tools (change font size, highlight and tag, use a dictionary) but it also allows broader application – access your Google Docs, Search Google and copy to your Drive, etc.

Finding content is more flexible using Subtext (Using digital books and content) as well as through tools like Newsela (that you can use to tweak levels of reading).

There are different ways to use subtext:

• Professional Development
• Whole School Reads
• Access Material Across Curriculum
• Supporting the Common Core
• Close Reading

The next activity Sarah directs us to open up Subtext and join a group! She points out that in your group you can restrict access and activities that students can do within the app. After joining the group this is what my screen looks like (with my Boston Summit Group Pulled up):

Even if you cannot get the app, you can use the web-reader. From the Group I can grab the articles and books that they have posted onto my own bookshelf! Additionally, if you create or add a document you can add in video (e.g. have them watch Hamlet and view different renditions of a scene like Ian McKellen’s or Kurosawa). You can even add interactive quizzes or polls. Additionally, you can have in app discussions about the text (or sections of the text). You can highlight content publicly or privately. This is a pretty cool tool for group and individual readings.

B’y exploring within Subtext you can content and material directly to subtext – add it to your library or use it to enhance existing content. It’s a pretty nifty feature! There are a lot of great features that I cannot wait to explore!