Best Apps for Education

I am experimenting using GoogleDocs as a way to put information about apps I've tried and recommend in a format that easy to view and update. This is a work in progress. Please see my Archive or Pages for apps I've previously recommended until I transfer all the apps into the form. I will be updating the spreadsheet with my recommendations as time permits. I hope to make it sortable by price, rating, and grade level soon.

Link to the webpage form of my "Apps for Education" spreadsheet which includes an iTunes link to the app, the price (at the time I entered the info), suggested grade levels, subjects covered by the app, and my informal rating of the app.

Click *here* to suggest an app to be added to my list. I reserve the right to modify or delete your suggestion if: it's a duplicate, or I really don't agree with your review.

view the page from within the blog:

iPads in Kindergarten? YES!

I'm a little surprised by how many negative articles I've come across this week about the school district in Maine that is going 1:1 with iPads with their new group of kindergartners.

Yes, iPads belong in Kindergarten. I've been working with young children since I was 12... I started teaching in Early Childhood Education when I was 20. I used technology as a child- record players as a very young child, BETA and VHS VCR, Prodigy internet, CD players... yes I'm that young. I used computers in my first teaching position with preschoolers. I have always welcomed new technology.

NEVER have I seen technology like the iPad that is so perfect for young children or the classroom. It's durable (and frankly, my kindergartners treat our iPads better than the high-school kids do), intuitive- they use it instinctively and more proficiently than many adults!, and such a powerful teaching tool in one small package.

Yes, the teacher still needs to carefully train the students on proper care and use of the iPad- just as they do of markers, playdough and paint. No, the iPad will not replace the teacher- after all it's their duty to decide what the child will do with the iPad, which apps are best for each child and how they will be used or not used throughout the day.

The iPad is simply an All-in-One device for kindergarten, much like the AIO printers have been to offices.

The iPad is a library, a writing center, access to the world via FaceTime and email and internet, a listening center, a math manipulative, a science book, a workbook, an art station, musical instruments and so much more.

With the littlest learners, teachers have to be everything at all times- mother, instructor, nurse, musician, artist, emergency responder, all the while planning and preparing lessons that engage kids who've just stopped taking naps (and those who fall asleep at the tables), meet a wide range of developmental needs (kids who should be in preschool and those who are ready for first or even second grade), reassure parents.... I could go on and on and on. Most importantly, kindergarten teachers are expected to teach kids skills that used to be expected out of first graders while maintaining developmentally appropriate practice- and for most kindergarten classrooms- in HALF a day!

The iPad IS a MAGICAL device for children- and their teachers. It can be tailored to provide learning, practice, and reinforcement of activities at EACH child's own developmental level. It gives teachers more TIME- the device turns on quickly and most apps literally in seconds. It reduces the need for multiple CD players, computers, flashcards, and many manitpulatives.

Most importantly to me is the instant feedback the children receive as they work. Take the Montessori 100 Board app for instance. I used to pass out a 100 board and 100 number tiles. The tiles would get mixed, students would be missing certain numbers, one bump and the tiles would get knocked off and the child would cry and have to start over. I would try to get around to children to help and correct- but often I would arrive to find the child had numbers upside down, a 35 in the 53 spot, and no clue what the name of the number was. NOW, with the iPad- they simply tap the app, and begin working- with all the tiles, with the number announced as they touch it- thus teaching the number name. It doesn't let the wrong number be placed, and has various levels of difficulty for the varied needs of students.

I hope that more and more districts see the value of a device like the iPad. I hope the people speaking out against it would stop being jealous and try to actually consider the difference that could be made in just one child's life as a result of an iPad.

In my classroom, children who could care less about behaving so they could play at free choice time CARED and changed their behavior when I announced that they wouldn't have a turn on the iPad if they had misbehaved.

The kids CHOOSE to do the learning apps during a time when they could play with anything in the class- even over "noneducational" apps.

And while they use the iPads, I can speak 1:1 with a child, I can work with a small group on reading or writing or math skills. I can actually teach children- not just monitor more than 20 5 year olds, pass out materials, try to differentiate, and catch when kids don't pick the correct answer.

Yes, the iPad is MAGIC and it definitely belongs in Kindergarten.

iMovie

I'm in love- with my new iPad2.  Let me count the ways...
Smoother edges (the first was a little too sharp as is my Mac laptop)
FaceTime (free video talking!)
Photobooth (too much fun!)
Camera/Video (for the visually impaired- huge screen is LOVELY and it is not as awkward as you'd think!)
iMovie...

my first iPad iMovie

Ah, iMovie on the iPad2.  I love it on the Mac, and yes, I've used it with my kindergartners with the mobile mac lab.  iMovie on the iPad2 though- priceless!  Well, actually it was 4.99 in the app store.  So far, I am very impressed.  You can use the pics and videos taken on the iPad2 and compile a movie directly on the iPad2 and watch it on the device, or upload to YouTube.

What I will like about it for classroom use is the simple design and limited options.  While the limited editing options are a little frustrating for a person who loves to edit clips to the smallest details, for classroom use, they will be perfect.  About half of my kinders can navigate through iMovie on the Mac without assistance, however, the other half usually need assistance.  I think the whole class will be able to use iMovie for iPad2 with very little support.  I use the word intuitive too much probably in my writings about the ipad, but Apple's done it again... an intuitive video editing app that will be awesome for use in the classroom.

Here's a little clip of a reading record as read by my son Daniel.  I took a picture of the page and then added audio of him reading, then I took video from within iMovie of him reading.

I have an iPad2!

My husband has listened to my whining long enough I guess because he tracked down an iPad2 with 3G for me and we got it today. I am writing from it right now... Love it!

I am bummed I didn't get to use it with my kinder kids yet, and now that spring break is here- yippee by the way- I won't get to use it with them before the mobile2011 conference. I will certainly let my own munchkins use it though and get the kids perspective on the new iPad. Already I am quite charmed by the camera capabilities, and with Photobooth- I KNOW the kids will love it. I was amazed at the beautiful photos I took with kaleidoscope, xray, and heat sensor- with my minimal skill and in a moving car I got some gorgeous pics (some funny ones too!)

The form of the iPad is much smoother... I found the original iPad to have uncomfortable edges,this one doesn't. I am sure I will have more to share after playing with it this weekend.

A big thanks to my sweetie for helping me stay current with my gadgets and getting me my own iPad, which is white by the way and I have a pink smart cover on order too!

Mobile 2011

Only two more days to register for Mobile Learning Experience 2011. Spread the word! http://mobile2011.org

I encourage you to check out the site, agenda, and come to Phoenix.  I'll be there.  I'll be presenting.  Although I am not sure if that is an incentive or a drawback for some.