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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Nearpod Teacher & Student By Panarea



Nearpod Teacher & Student By Panarea

iTunes Link: 
Website Link: http://www.nearpod.com/

Description: Nearpod lets you show interactive presentations on your device and have the students participate on their own devices! You control the pace of the lesson through your iPad or iPod Touch. Students participate each on their own devices. There are a lot of multimedia and interactive elements that make these apps quite engaging.

Hints/Tips:
  • You will need to create a Nearpod account through the teacher app. Just click the sign up button on the log in screen of the app.
  • Once you have created your account you can go to the Nearpod website and upgrade to the "Silver Edition" for FREE!
  • The Basic Edition includes has only the ability to show presentations available through the Nearpod store (most are FREE).
  • The Silver Edition gives you the ability to use the website to create your own presentations!
  • Up to 30 students/devices can sign into your presentation at one time.
  • Nearpod has FREE webinars available online to help you get started using it!

Integration Ideas:
    • Can be used in any subject area to engage students and make EVERY lesson more interactive!

Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Stack the States Lite By Dan Russell-Pinson


Stack the States Lite By Dan Russell-Pinson

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stack-the-states-lite/id390058619?mt=8

Description: A fun game to learn about the 50 states' shapes, names, capitols, and other interesting facts. Earn states by answering questions correctly. Stack the states you earn up to the line to advance to the next level.

Hints/Tips:
  • You can create up to 6 player profiles on each device or play as "guest".

Integration Ideas:
    • Social Studies
      • Students play to reinforce and learn facts about the 50 states.

Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

JigsawGeo US 13 Original Colonies By squishLogic



JigsawGeo US 13 Original Colonies By squishLogic

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jigsawgeo-us-13-original-colonies/id503731991?mt=8

Description: How fast can you identify and place the 13 original colonies on the map? Play this game to find out!

Hints/Tips:
  • You can control the difficulty in the options menu. Try all 4 levels!

Integration Ideas:
    • Social Studies
      • Use this app to introduce the 13 original colonies of the U.S.
      • Practice identifying states by their name/shape/and flag!

Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Beyond Planet Earth Augmented Reality By American Museum of Natural History



Beyond Planet Earth Augmented Reality By American Museum of Natural History

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beyond-planet-earth-augmented/id465877873?mt=8

Website Link: http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/beyond/

Description: This is an Augmented Reality (AR) app that allows you to point the iPod Touch/iPhone camera at a printed target to see a 3D space object. Information about each object is included in the app.

Hints/Tips:
Integration Ideas:
    • Science
      • Place targets around the room/school and have students go on a treasure hunt to collect them all!
      • Create a learning station for each target and have students research one item for each station and report back what they have learned.

Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

My Pet Rex By Denver Museum of Nature & Science



My Pet Rex By Denver Museum of Nature & Science

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-pet-rex/id475896855?mt=8

Description: This is an Augmented Reality (AR) app that allows you to point your camer at a printed target (advertisement) and see a 3D dinosaur appear on your screen.

Hints/Tips:
Integration Ideas:
    • Science
      • A great way to introduce or wrap up a lesson about dinosaurs!
      • Use your observations skills to watch the dinosaur and write about you what you see and hear.
    • Language Arts
      • Take a picture with your pet dinosaur. Write a story about having a dinosaur as a pet.

Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Dinosaurs - Live! By Magma Studios





Dinosaurs - Live! By Magma Studios

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dinosaurs-live!/id463198136?mt=8

Description: This is an augmented reality (AR) app that allows you to point the camera at a printed target (see below) and watch a 3D dinosaur on your screen.

Hints/Tips:




  • Rotate the paper target to see different views of the dinosaur.

Integration Ideas:
    • Science
      • A great way to introduce or wrap up a unit about dinosaurs!
      • Have students take a picture with a dinosaur and then write about why it could never be real.
    • Language Arts
      • Creative Writing - Have students take a picture of their pet dinosaur and write a story about it.

Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Skitch By Evernote




Skitch By Evernote

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skitch-for-ipad/id490505997?mt=8

Website Link: http://www.skitch.com/

Description: Annotate photos, camera shots, screenshots, websites, and maps. Or create a drawing from scratch.

Hints/Tips:
  • If you create an Evernote account for your class, you can send your Skitch images to Evernote. No more plugging in the iPad to download the images you need!
  • You can also send images to Twitter or to the iPod camera roll.
Integration Ideas:
    • Math
      • Students take a picture of a workbook page then answer it using Skitch. They can turn it in by uploading it to your Evernote account.
      • Take a photo of an object. Measure the object and record the measurements on the photo.
    • Science
      • Students take photos during science experiments and label the important parts.
    • Social Studies
      • Students find and label important events/places on a map.
    • Language Arts
      • Students take a photo and write a story about it.
Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard By Easel



ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard By Easel

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/showme-interactive-whiteboard/id445066279?mt=8

Website Link: http://www.showme.com/

Description: This is a simple way to screen record on a white board with the option to include images.

Hints/Tips:
  • You can create a FREE account on the website for your class. Have students log into the app with your username and password. Whatever they record syncs to your account online.
Integration Ideas:
    • Math
      • Take a photo of a math workmat with the camera, students record to explain the work they did.
      • Take a photo of a math problem on the board. Students record their solution to the problem.
      • Students practice working out math problems and recording instead of using paper/pencil.
      • Draw a shape and label its attributes.
    • Science
      • Take a photo of an object/animal and label its parts. Record what you learned about it.
    • Social Studies
      • Insert a picture of a landmark or landform. Label the parts and tell what make it unique.
    • Language Arts
      • Draw a picture then tell a story about the picture.
Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Hands-On Math Hundreds Chart



Hands-On Math Hundreds Chart by Ventura Educational Systems

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hands-on-math-hundreds-chart/id466906485?mt=8

Website Link: http://www.venturaes.com/index_new.asp?http://www.venturaes.com/ipadapps/hom2.html

Description: This is an interactive Hundreds Chart students can cover numbers with a color and shape counter to explore Hundreds Chart Activities.

Hints/Tips:
  • Green arrows indicate which type of counter and which color of counter is selected.
  • Eraser at the bottom resets ALL counters.
  • Clicking on the house icon takes you back to the welcome screen where you can access settings.
  • Settings include:
    • Sounds on/off
    • Speech on/off
Integration Ideas:
Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Telling Time Free by King's Apps



Telling Time Free by King's Apps

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/telling-time-free/id473879314?mt=8

Description: Practice or take a quiz identifying analog by inputing the digital time.

Hints/Tips:
  • Practice mode lets you make as many guesses as you need until you get it right.
  • Quiz mode allows only one guess per clock and gives a report at the end with how many questions were correct, and a total % score.
  • Settings will allow you to change
    • Practice/Quiz mode
    • # of questions
    • Minute Hand Increments
    • Timer (up to 8 minutes to complete the practice/quiz)
    • Letter Grade (gives students a letter grade along with % score after Quiz)
    • Sound (on/off)
Integration Ideas:
    • Math
      • Use practice mode to practice telling time. Then use quiz mode to grade.
      • Try a timed quiz. Who can get the best score in a 1 minute quiz?
Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Pearl Diver by Learning Games Lab



Pearl Diver by Learning Games Lab

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pearl-diver/id337567843?mt=8

Website Link: http://www.mathsnacks.com/pearldiver

Description: Practice number line skills (whole numbers, decimals, mixed numbers, and fractions).

Hints/Tips:
  • If it asks you to log into OpenFeint you can just cancel it by choosing "I don't want these features."
  • The game progresses from whole numbers to fractions, to mixed numbers, etc.
  • After every few rounds there is a "sushi" round where you have to estimate to cut an eel into a fraction. The closer your estimate to equal parts the more money you make in the game.
  • Move your diver above the water. Tap below the water to make him dive. Tap the clam 3 times to open it and get the pearl. Avoid running into electric eels.
Integration Ideas:
    • Math
      • Play the game to practice number line skills.
Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Units by TheMacBox



Units by TheMacBox

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/units/id284574017?mt=8

Description: This simple to use app show conversions for almost any kind of measurement (anything from Acceleration to Volume). Choose the type of measurement you have (example: length). Enter your measurement (example: 4.7 yd). Then see the same measurement in other units (example: 4.29m, 169.2in, etc). The app also has a built in ruler (at the bottom under "other") for measuring small items (up to 19cm or 7.5in).

Hints/Tips:
  • The ruler only includes marks at the whole and half cm or in.
Integration Ideas:
    • Math
      • Have students check their work after converting units for a problem.
      • Use the ruler to measure small items and record what you measured.
    • Science
      • Use the ruler to measure small items and record the measurements.
Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Dice by Benoit Layer



Dice

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dice/id429412843?mt=8

Description: Dice rolling simulator app. Roll up to 5 dice on the iPod Touch or up to 20 on the iPad.

Hints/Tips:
  • Settings lets you control:
    • Where the dice launch from
    • Dice color (random produces multiple colored dice with each roll)
    • Background (rolling surface)
    • Number of Dice (up to 5 on iPod, up to 20 on iPad)
  • Tapping the background rolls all dice.
  • After each roll the total of all dice displayed is shown in the watermark number in the center of the screen (this total includes any dice saved in the sidebar).
  • After each roll you can store dice in the side bar on the left.
  • Dice can be moved around on the background to put them in order or sort them.
  • Use the trash can symbol to reset the dice stored in the sidebar.
Integration Ideas:
    • Math
      • Roll dice to generate data to practice graphing. Set the dice to number to 5 and the color to random. Students roll and create a chart to show the total rolled of each color. After 10 rolls, students graph the results.
      • Roll dice to create random equations. If you use the random color, you could assign an operation to each color (green is add, yellow is subtract... etc).
      • Roll dice and practice sorting by different attributes (color, number, odd, even, etc).
    • Other
      • Make a quick decision over who gets to go first for an activity. Have students roll 3 dice, the highest (or lowest) total gets to go first.

Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

iChoose - Free



Description: Several random choice generators including dice, coin toss, and card choice. Just pick the generator you want and simply tap the screen to "roll".

Hints/Tips:
  • The dice (or other items) automatically reset after displaying a short time.
  • Use the "Hold Outcome" button to have the dice stay on the last roll until rolled again. They will not automatically reset as long as you have the "Hold Outcome" button selected.
Integration Ideas:
    • Math
      • Use the dice roller to generate numbers for equations to practice adding, subtracting, multiplying, etc.
      • Use the card choice roller to generate playing cards for any number of math games. Check out this site for a list of ideas: http://www.primary-education-oasis.com/math-card-games.html
      • Explore probability concepts with each type of roller provided.
      • Generate data to graph by rolling one of the choosers available.
      • Use the random number chooser (1-100) to generate numbers for more advanced addition/subtraction.
    • Other
      • Give each student in class a real playing card. Use the Card Choice roller to choose students for groups/activities.
Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!

Bill Atkinson PhotoCard - Postcards



Website Link: http://www.billatkinson.com/aboutPhotoCard.html

Description: Create photo postcards with Bill Atkinson's nature photos, or insert photos/screenshots of your own.

Hints/Tips:
  • We cannot sent the postcards via email on our CISD Guest Wireless Network.
  • The voice option only works when you email the postcards.
  • The postcards don't appear to be saved in any sort of gallery within the app.
  • When finished the students could take a screenshot of their completed post card. You could then pull the screen shots off using a sync cable or they could "bump" the screenshots to you.
  • There are many great photos by Bill Atkinson you could use. However, students could take their own photos or screenshots of an image to use instead.
Integration Ideas:
    • Math
      • Take a photo of a shape. Students write the postcard from the point of view of the shape including sharing the attributes of the shape.
      • Take a photo of a math workmat. Students write postcards to explain the concept they have learned.
    • Science
      • Take a photo of a science experiment. Write the postcard from the point of view of one of the necessary materials.
    • Social Studies
      • Take screen shots of landform photos. Students write a postcard as if they are visiting that landform.
    • Language Arts
      • Students choose a photo and write a postcard from the point of view of a character in a story.
      • Students choose a photo and practice letter writing skills.
    • Other
      • Students take a photo/screenshot of an instrument/composer and write what they have learned about that concept.
      • Students take a photo/screenshot of a piece of artwork and write from the point of view of the artist/subject.

Feeling inspired? Comment below with your ideas!  OR try it out with your class and leave comments about what you did and how it went!