I can not say enough about how the Confer App has changed my life! When I first began using the workshop model, I spent countless hours creating gigantic binders with copies and sections for each student. I would lug the binder around with me all day at school and then to and from home most days of the week. Even though I spent a great deal of time focusing on conferencing with readers, I often shared far too many teaching points and spent too much time on each one.
Then I found Confer. Confer allows me to spend more time focusing on what really matters...discussing reading with students. It affords me the chance to take the time I would normally spend sifting through papers, and truly get to know my students as readers, while efficiently tracking their goals and progress. With Confer, I am able to quickly access months worth of data in order to make informed decisions regarding where to go next with my students. I am also easily able to filter my data to form reading groups based on reading level, or targeted skills and strategies.
Confer has also changed the overall "feel" of my literacy block. I am easily able to move around the room with my iPad and meet with students in their chosen spots- spots where they do their best work (usually). This makes our conference feel a bit less formal, and more like they're just talking about a great book with a friend. I've noticed less anxiety related to conferences, and the general flow of my workshop has improved. I would never have guessed that an inexpensive app. could make such a HUGE difference in my teaching. Now though, I can't imagine how I ever got by without it!
My understanding is that it only works on Apple products which is too bad. If anyone knows of an android app that matches this I hope they will speak up. I will also do some research. It's so great to find a tool that fits what you need!
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