Kindle FireCould it be the “game changer”?

Timeline of Kindle…

History of the Kindle Fire

Produced by Amazon Released in November 2011 Originally was the Kindle, which was not

touch screen and not in color. Did not have the ability to download apps

4th generation of the Kindle Already planning to release three new

versions of the Kindle Fire

A little bit about the Kindle Fire… "The Kindle Fire is a 7-inch tablet that links

seamlessly with Amazon's impressive collection of digital music, video, magazine, and book services in one easy-to-use package. It boasts a great Web browser, and its curated Android app store includes most of the big must-have apps (such as Netflix, Pandora, and Hulu). The Fire has an ultra-affordable price tag, and the screen quality is exceptional for the price."

Amazon.com

Tell me more… 7” multi-touch screen display

Gorilla Glass screen

Wi-Fi compatible, soon to be 3G capable

8GB of onboard storage

Includes a USB port, audio jack, and speakers

And more…

Cloud Storage Amazon offers 5 GB of free storage via the

users online account. Fire can then sync files with Amazon via a

Wi-Fi connection. Gives you the option to make more room on

your Kindle and not have to “delete” things, just save them somewhere else.

How Kindle Fire has intrigued the Education World… Smaller and easier to use for younger students than the

IPad Opens up the world of Amazon accessibility to the

classroom Less expensive than the IPad The Kindle Fire will use the Android programming

language, so apps currently available for Android devices will work on the Fire.

Users will be able to rent textbooks, borrowing

from more than 10,000 libraries.

Learning plan and goals for using the Kindle Fire…Video tutorial- How to get started using

the Kindle Fire Trial and error - Ask another teacher who used it Tutorial -Play with it on my own time Ask an IT professional

http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/amazon-kindle-fire/4505-3126_7-35022491.html How can I use it in the classroom?

Center time- Dictionary option is available, as well as text to speech where the Kindle will actually read the text to you.

Small group reading- Reading selected texts for small group guided reading lessons with highlighting function available as well as text to speech and dictionary

Whole group reading- Plug into projector or smart board to display to whole group

Lesson Plan Small group guided reading lesson (15-20 min)

Objective: Students will use the Kindle Fire to read the story of the week and learn to use the highlighting and dictionary features to figure out new vocabulary words.

Materials: Kindle Fire, list of vocabulary words, vocabulary notebooks, pencil

Activities: We will use the Kindle to introduce our new story for the week. The story will already be downloaded for them on the device. I will teach the students to use the highlighting feature and then use the dictionary feature to identify and learn new vocabulary words that coincide with our story. I will be giving the students a list of their new vocabulary words and they will use he highlight and dictionary feature on the Kindle to find the words and then write their definition in their vocabulary notebooks.

Evaluation: Were the students able to correctly highlight and identify the correct definition of their vocabulary words?

Students using the Kindle…

Students using the Kindle …

Some FREE apps that are available on the Fire… Reading sight words app Countless math games NASA now Many tutoring apps for foreign languages Alphabet games Flash cards Free Grammar Quizzes Graphing Calculator And many more…

Websites for further information http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/kindle-fire-in-

schools.shtml

http://edudemic.com/2011/09/teachers-kindle-fire/

http://www.kindle-fireforum.com/forum/amazon-kindle-fire-general-discussions/1033-classroom-advice.html

http://gettingsmart.com/news/10-tips-for-kindle-in-the-classroom/