1000 Recommended Apps Sorted by Subject Area

With more than 500,000 apps available for use on the iPad, which ones are best for education? TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) helps by testing and recommending great apps for the classroom. They regularly try out new apps and list those that make the grade in the shared document available here for iPad. Apps are categorized into 46 different subject areas and 14 different personal use areas. Apps that are free are listed in white.

Make sure you check out the rest of their site for some great resources - http://www.tcea.org/





Hot Apps 4 HOTS

This is another great publication by Lisa Johnson and her Appy Hour partner Yolanda Barker. The first, however, released on iTunes. These guys spend so much of their time and energy developing fantastic resources simply to share with other teachers and educators. This is one of their most comprehensive publications and it is easy to obtain, simply download it for FREE from iTunes into your iBook collection - search Hot Apps 4 HOTS. HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) are directly related to Bloom's Taxonomy and as such gives us a scaffold in with to situate the learning experiences of our students


This ibook is really a supplement to the ideas and discussions they have on their Appy Hour Radio show. This is itself a fantastic resource and can be found at - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/search/appy-hours-4-you/.

I love what these two women do - they give the rest of us the confidence to give it a go. More importantly they provide appropriate guidelines for incorporating iOS devices into our own pedagogy. With Lisa and Yolanta it is never about just giving the students a go on an iPad it is about embedding real and authentic learning by using appropriate apps. There is an constant evaluation of both the learning outcomes and of whether the apps build on the learning taking place. This is the one aspect the we all need to take away from this iBook. It is one aspect we need to implement into our own pedagogical reflections.


This publication Hot Apps 4 HOTS is another great example of incorporating multiple apps into a learning situation. Rarely would we use a single resource within a classroom, it is the same when you are using an iPod or iPad. We need to start looking at ways of designing learning experiences where students use a variety of apps to digest, to develop understanding and then to delivery evidence of their learning to a authentic audience.

Make sure you also check out Lisa's blog Techchef4u. It is one of the places I go when I need ideas about using apps or when designing new units of work. There are some great existing lessons but again I think they provide a great blueprint for you to develop your own lesson ideas. 

This definitely now resource I will be sharing with my colleagues.

Use AudioNote for Synchronized Recording and Note Taking on iPad


When students need support for lectures and notes, take a look at AudioNote ($4.99) and AudioNote Lite (free) for the iPad.
AudioNote allows notes to be handwritten in pen mode for drawings and notes, or typed with the keyboard.The lite version can record a lecture and track notes written during the session and sync them to the recording. Tap anywhere on your notes and go to playback and it will replay the lecture recording where you tapped.
The highlight feature re-traces letters in blue as the recording plays so you are reviewing and tracking at the same time. You can email your notes and wi-fi share with the upgraded pay version.
You can buy a Livescribe pen for as low as $99.99 to use with real paper, but you can use this lite app for free with your iPad and get many of the same options open to you - for free. Real pens and real paper are great to have for certain settings, but the tools are there for you with synchronized notes and playback on an iPad.
This tool can be a real support for students with traumatic brain injuries and students that need help with organizing and memory. Check it out.

Here is a video review of Audio Note:


All the best!
Lon
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