Finding Good Apps

By Kris Walsh

Hello Everyone, I hope that you have been able to stay warm during our most recent blast of cold! I have had this idea for a post for awhile, but I thought I would share it after the holidays for those who may have gotten a new ipad or other device for or as a gift. I have played around with other devices, but I am most familiar with Apple i-devices. This post will admittedly be slanted in that direction. That said, many of the apps and websites shared in this posting are available on multiple platforms. Hopefully, this post can be a good starting point for someone looking for apps on any device. Enjoy!

A common question that I hear or see is, “What are some good apps?” That is a tough question to answer.

There are almost 1,000,000 apps on the Apple app store alone. (It would cost $1,384,156.52 to buy a copy of each app and game on the app store! source: forbes.com)

Everyone has different interests, ability levels, needs, subjects, ages… So there are many different variables for selecting apps. It is a VERY difficult question to answer. I am going to outline some favorite apps in general, and then share some tools that you can use to aid you in your hunt for good apps.

 

Suggested Apps

Twitter- self-explanatory, but a great way to connect with professionals and learn with others. I really think it is worth your time.

Flipboard- assembles all of your social media content into one location. You can also use it to subscribe to news feeds about subjects that you are interested in. Very user friendly. It creates a magazine that you can flip through to see all of your content.

Overdrive- This is the media portal for the Perry County Library. This app is what you need to check-out e books from our public library

Follett Enlight- This is the portal to our school e-book access. Use this to check out and read e-books from our library. More on that coming in another blog :)

Self-Control- limits your access to specified websites for a set time. A good way to help you stick to a task instead of checking Facebook or other sites- free

For young users- Endless Alphabet, Endless Reader, and the Monkey Preschool series are great apps that even preschool students can enjoy

Quizlet- Create flash cards on your phone or ipad in seconds using a combination of images and text

Algebra Touch- a free app to use as a reference when working on algebra skills

 Reviews and suggestions

Fun Educational Apps- Apps for iOS. This site has tons of reviews of apps from multiple content areas and age ranges. Plus you can sign up for free app alerts.

Smart Apps for Kids-  Another website that is searchable by age and subject-area. Sign up for email updates in multiple categories.

Edshelf- A great community of educators sharing their favorite digital tools, including apps. A super-useful space for discovering and sharing your favorite apps.

 APPitic- Awesome site with curated lists of apps in many categories including apps for flipped learning, Challenge-Based Learning, and the ISTE NETS. Also includes supporting resources. (** My favorite of these sites!!)

I Education Apps Review (IEAR)- Another community effort, IEAR includes tons of app reviews, but even more resources around using tablets and apps in the classroom.

Appolearning- A great site for finding both iOS and Android apps. The resources are organized by operating system, grade level, subject area, and task.

Check out this article for the Top 100 apps for 2013:  http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&entryid=6842