Apps for Elementary Students Using Chromebooks

My class has a Chromebook which we have been using for many tasks. Students have worked on slideshows, websites, blog posts, and for researching topics of interest. The reading levels of the students in my Grade 3/4 class vary greatly. To support all students in my class with reading/understanding what they find on the internet, I have found these apps and extensions to be very useful. The best part is that they are all free!

Announcify extension: http://goo.gl/BRXIT4 
Reads web pages outloud and highlights the paragraph being read. This is a fantastic app that really helps younger children access information on the chromebook.

Dictanote app: http://goo.gl/5nn5xd 
This app is similar to Dragon Dictate on an iPad. It does speech to text, spoken words into a text document that can be copied and pasted into an email, or saved in Word/Pages ect. 

Image Dictionary extension: http://goo.gl/1UJHfd This is an extension that works off off the right click menu. Highlight a word, and right click it and it will bring up a picture from Wikipedia of that word. Helps with comprehension. 


Another tip with Wikipedia, that works on any device, or web browser is to simply choose "Simple English" from the list of available languages. This makes the articles significantly easier to read.

Chrome Speak app: http://goo.gl/3NgBZ 
This is effective when the student is reading most of the web page, but some words are difficult. Highlight and right click the word, and it will be read to them.


If you have a student with dyslexia, you might have success with:

OpenDyslexic app http://goo.gl/98SXHt 
This changes all web pages to the OpenDyslexic font which is easier to read. It works on most web pages, but not all. Once added, it is always on. 

We have been successfully reading, researching and learning with these apps and extensions. I am sure there are many more available on the Chrome Store. If you have a great app or extension your class has been using, please share it in the comments below.