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Category Archives: Free
Magic Spell
This is a very basic spelling app. The full/paid version (obtained via in-app purchase/upgrade) contains over 300 words for young students to spell; it’s not clear how many words are included in the free version. Also note that the free version includes an advertisement that runs across the top of the screen. Nine word categories are included: Animals, Instruments, Colors, Feelings, Objects Around Us, Fruits & Vegetables, Numbers, Shapes, and All.
After selecting a category, a picture of an object appears. The app then states the object’s name and displays the correct spelling. The letters immediately then scramble and fall to the bottom of the screen. The user then has to drag the letters back into their correct positions. A ‘magic wand’ appears in the top right of the screen to assist when students run into trouble coming up with the next letter in the word.
You’ll find numerous ways to customize this app under Settings. You can turn on or off the following:
- Background Music
- Sound Effects
- Voice Over
- Random Words Order
- Capital Letters
- Show Letter Hints
- Spell Completed Words
- Show Magic Wand
- Sort Words by Length
Unfortunately, an option does not exist to prevent the app from initially spelling the word for the student. Although it’s only shown briefly, it’s possible for students to just recall how to spell the word and then quickly drag the letters back into place. For this reason, I encourage you to select another spelling app for the wee one in your life.
Posted in 1st - 2nd, Free, iPad, iPod Touch & iPhone, Language Arts, PreK - Kindergarten
Tagged spelling
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MarketDash
Since my students played ‘The Stock Market Game‘ this year, I had the need for a kid-friendly stocks app. (Unlike the iPhone, the iPad does not ship with a native stocks app.) As you can see on the icon, this particular one was developed by Yahoo. My students enjoy using this app on their iPads while making transactions on their laptops.
The app is divided into 3 sections, all appearing simultaneously: My Watch List, detailed information about a Specified Stock, and Stock News.
My Watch List – The name is self-explanatory. Search by company or symbol to add stocks to watch. They are saved and will be there the next time you open the app.
Specified Stock – After tapping a stock in your My Watch List or by searching for a company or symbol at the top of the screen, detailed information appears. You can see its current price, change (in percent and in monetary amount), its opening and previous close prices, overall high and low, 52 week high and low, volume and average volume, dividend and yield, and more. An adjacent section also displays charts ranging from 1 day to 5 years. Tapping this section expands it to fill the entire screen.
News – Scroll through a selection of stock market-related news stories. Tapping each one opens it in a separate screen that fills the iPad.
My early elementary students (third grade) were able to peruse this app to watch stocks. I think it contained perhaps too much information for them, but they were able to obtain the information they needed without being too distracted by what they did not need.
Posted in 3rd - 5th, 6th - 8th, 9th - 12th, Free, iPad, Social Studies
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Khan Academy
This is the app version of the website www.KhanAcademy.org. It features over 4,000 video tutorials that cover a myriad of mathematics, science, humanities and test prep skills. While the videos found in the app wouldn’t completely replace more traditional math instruction, they do serve as yet another resource students can use to help comprehend and reinforce many skills.
The iPhone and iPod Touch version only allows users to view videos. However, the iPad version allows users to download videos for viewing offline, use sub-titles to navigate, and login in to track watched videos.
Video Categories
Math
- Arithmetic and pre-algebra
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Trigonometry and precalculus
- Calculus
- Probability and statistics
- Differential equations
- Linear algebra
- Applied math
- Recreational mathematics
Science and Economics
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Cosmology and astronomy
- Organic chemistry
- Finance and capital markets
- Microeconomics
- Macroeconomics
- Computer science
- Healthcare and medicine
- LeBron asks
- Projects
- Projects
- MIT+K12
- Entrepreneurship
Humanities
- Art History
- History
- American Civics
Test Prep
- SAT Math
- GMAT
- CAHSEE
- California Standards Test
- Competition Math
- IIT JEE
Talks and Interviews
- Key media pieces
- Our vision
- School pilots
- Thoughts on education
- “The One World School House”
- Other features
Coach Resources
- Khan Academy in the classroom
- For teachers
- For educators in other learning environments
- Classroom case studies
Posted in 3rd - 5th, 6th - 8th, 9th - 12th, Fine Arts, Free, iPad, iPod Touch & iPhone, Math, Science
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Graphs
This is another impressive app by Tap to Learn. I’ve also reviewed their Fractions and Tiny Chicken Learns Math apps.
Upon opening, the user has four choices:
Learn – First, select from one of four categories: Bar Graph; Line Graph; Pie Chart; or Mean, Median and Mode. Then tap through between 7 – 12 slides in each tutorial series. Each series provides a thorough explanation of the topic.
Bar Graph – After selecting either ‘Beginners’ or ‘Advanced’, the student will answer multiple choice questions about bar graphs that appear on the screen.
Line Graph - After selecting either ‘Beginners’ or ‘Advanced’, the student will answer multiple choice questions about line graphs that appear on the screen.
Pie Charts - After selecting either ‘Beginners’ or ‘Advanced’, the student will answer multiple choice questions about pie charts that appear on the screen.
The three Practice sections offer immediate feedback and keep track of the number correct and the number attempted.
It’s hard to complain about a free app, but I do wish Tap to Learn would also include a Practice section for mean, median and mode since the skills are included in the Learn section. Regardless, the Learn section is quite beneficial and the Practice sections that are included make this app a great choice.
Posted in 3rd - 5th, 6th - 8th, Free, iPad, iPod Touch & iPhone, Learning Apps, Math
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Awesome Eats
This app was developed for the Whole Kids Foundation which is connected to the Whole Foods Market stores. Students learn healthy eating tips while sorting, stacking, packing, and plating an assortment of fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
The app has two chapters and each has 16 levels which quickly increase in difficulty. Each level requires students to complete a task, such as ‘Move food around the obstacles’ (while the food items are moving on a conveyor belt).
An ‘Awesome Eats’ tip or fact pops up after each level. One says, “Put grapes in the freezer for a cool treat on a hot day.”
I obviously appreciate the promotion of healthy eating and the varying levels of difficulty. (In fact, I was even challenged by quite a few levels!) But I also highly recommend this app because it requires intense focus as students try to complete each level. I can see it becoming addicting (in a good way – if that’s possible) and it really is good, clean fun.
iTooch Elementary School
iTooch is not only the name of this series of apps, it’s also the name of the accompanying character. Once choosing a grade/age level and subject, students can choose which chapter (or skill) they’d like to work on. They’ll then choose the mode – practice (not timed) or test (timed). They can touch the iTooch character at any time for assistance.
The developers have included variety in the types of questions found in both modes; some are multiple-choice, others ask students to touch the correct answer within the question. As students accurately answer a certain number of questions (thus accumulating a certain number of points), they move up to higher levels that have more difficult questions. At any time – no matter the subject – students can touch the pencil at the bottom of the screen to bring up a chalkboard to work on. A click on the settings wheel allows the user to change the grading system (number correct divided by the number of questions or a letter grade). The ‘User Feedback’ option can also be turned on or off.
While the actual app is free, most of the content will need to be purchased in-app. I say “most” because a handful of chapters are ‘unlocked’ when the app is initially obtained. However, stand alone apps are also available for some grade levels. These contain all of the subjects available for those particular grade levels and are less expensive than purchasing the subjects individually.
I appreciate the effort the developers of this app - eduPad – took to include detailed instructions for use. Students can touch several places to bring up tips and tricks. It’s also quite clear that they are committed to receiving and responding to feedback from users. This is the first time I’ve seen an in-app way to send the developers an email.
I have mixed reviews about this app. It’s clear that it provides students with access to many, many questions for each subject. I also appreciate how there are chapters (or sub-topics) for each subject. But, all of the in-app purchase options can be confusing and a little misleading. (I assume the developers offered the app this way so that you can customize the options you need for your child/student.) Also, in order to track progress for more than one user, you must log in to Apple’s Game Center. That’s certainly not an option most teachers want to use.
Subjects and Grade/Age Levels Covered
- Grade 3 (ages 8 – 9): Math, Language Arts, Science
- Grade 4 (ages 9 – 10): Math, Language Arts, Science
- Grade 5 (ages 10 – 11): Math, Language Arts, Science, and Health
Posted in 3rd - 5th, Free, iPad, iPod Touch & iPhone, Language Arts, Learning Apps, Math, Paid, Science
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Fetch It! Spanish
Students can join Domino the dog on an adventure to find objects in his world. The name of an object is given in Spanish and it appears on the screen. Students then move the mobile device from side to side in order to give Domino plenty of room to run. They are supposed to tap on the name of the object when they find it. For example, when “manzana” is said and seen on the screen, navigate Domino close to the apple and tap it.
The following words are included in the word pack that comes with the free version of this app: manzana, bebe, bolsa, platano, baloncesto, cama, bicicleta, pajaro, barco, libro, puente, hamburguesa, bus, coche, castillo, CD, silla, payaso, despensa, perro, huevo, elefante, borrador, pez, guitarra, hamster, sombrero, hipopotamo, caballo, casa, jeans, leche, mono, raton, naranja, telefono, piano, pizza, avion, conejo, camisa, falda, sofa, arana, camiseta, mesa, oso de peluche, tren, TV, and agua.
Students can access a picture dictionary if they do not know all of the Spanish words. Although the app is free, use the in-app purchase option to get two additional word packs.
Posted in 3rd - 5th, Foreign Language, Free, iPad, iPod Touch & iPhone
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NASA App HD
Download this app for the space fanatic in your life! Although it would also make a great addition to any classroom where students study anything even remotely related to space and the solar system. It features an abundance of images, news, and video clips about everything related to space – from all the planets (including poor Pluto!) to asteroids, comets, and meteors, to the remainder of the universe. An active wifi connection is required in order to access all of the content.
Posted in 3rd - 5th, 6th - 8th, 9th - 12th, Free, iPad, iPod Touch & iPhone, Science
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Fotopedia National Parks
Contained in this app is a collection of over 3,000 stunning photographs from the 58 national parks in the United States. All photographs were taken by QT Luong. Along with the photographs, the app also includes stories and captions.
Here are a few tasks you can perform with this app:
- Use the slideshow option to view beautiful photos from a variety of parks in random order
- View the national park’s location on a map
- Read a story about specific places within the parks
- Order print copies of the photographs
- Perform a search by parks, states, wildlife, landforms, or facilities
- Add items to ‘Your Trip’ for vacation planning (or for a virtual field trip)
This free app should be on all mobile devices simply for its breathtaking photographs. But that’s especially the case in states where there is at least one national park and/or when a science standard covers an aspect of national parks.
Posted in 1st - 2nd, 3rd - 5th, 6th - 8th, 9th - 12th, Free, iPad, iPod Touch & iPhone, PreK - Kindergarten, Science
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Spell Bot
Are you fresh out of creative ways to have your child practice his/her spelling words? If so, this app is perfect for you!
A parent or teacher first types in the correct spelling of each word, then records the pronunciation (and an optional sentence in which the word is used) on the weekly list.
The child then taps a large, green button to begin ‘playing’ the app. They’ll then tap another button to hear the word (and possible sentence). Next, they’ll use the keyboard that pops up to type in their spelling of the word and hit another button when they are done. Immediate feedback is given. After they’ve spelled all the words that were put in, their final score is displayed.
This is one of my favorite types of apps. Yes, it only serves one purpose. But it does so extremely well! Plus, the interface is appropriately simple. Its lack of bells and whistles allows the user to concentrate on the task at hand. It’s also quite easy for the both the parent/teacher and child to navigate through.
I do wish more than 10 words could be included. Perhaps the developer will modify that feature. But in the meantime, this app is definitely worth downloading if you have a child that is learning to be a better speller.
Posted in 1st - 2nd, 3rd - 5th, Free, iPad, iPod Touch & iPhone, Language Arts, Learning Apps
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