Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Telling Time HD



Price: $2.99
Grade Recommendation: 1st - 5th
Subject: Mathematics
Specific Skill: Telling Time
Levels: 3 (Easy, Medium, and Hard)
Players: 1
For iPad, iPod, or Both: iPad

Students have a choice between 4 games - Free Play, Which Time?, Set the Clock, and How Long?

- Free Play
In this game, students move the hands on the analog clock however they please. The digital clock directly underneath it displays the time they are showing. When satisfied, they click 'Say Time' and the iPad announces the time their hands show.

- Which Time?
This game has 3 levels - Easy, Medium, and Hard. The game asks "Which time is _____?"; students have to choose between 4 analog clocks, each showing different times.

- Set the Clock
Three levels also exist with this game. It's similar to Free Play, but the app provides the time and then the students must move the hands.

- How Long?
Once again, the three levels are found here. Elapsed time is covered during this game. It provides them with a time and asks for what the time would be a certain amount of time later.

This app is well worth the price tag! It gives students options and is quite engaging.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Seuss books



Price: $1.99 - $4.99
Grade Recommendation: K - 5th
Subject: Reading
Specific Skill: n/a
Levels: n/a
Players: n/a
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Both

I've found that the books released as an actual app are more enjoyable than ones available through an e-bookstore like Apple, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon. All app-based books come with three options: Read to Me, Read It Myself, or Auto Play. The pictures are interactive and quite detail-oriented.

The many Dr. Seuss apps-as-books are no exception!

So far I have purchased...
- Gertrude McFuzz
- How The Grinch Stole Christmas
- Oh, the Places You'll Go
- The Cat in the Hat
- The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
- ABC
- The Lorax
- Hop on Pop
- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
- Green Eggs and Ham
- The Sneetches
- What was I Scared Of?
- I Can Read With My Eyes Shut
- Horton Hears a Who
- The Foot Book
- The Big Brag
- Happy Birthday to You

The collection is quite pricey to acquire, but the apps are worth every penny. Your students will enjoy the story while also exploring what lurks behind 'hidden' areas of the pictures.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Motion Math HD



Price: $2.99
Grade Recommendation: 3rd - 5th
Subject: Mathematics
Specific Skill: Fractions
Levels: Beginner, Medium, Hard
Players: 1
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Motion Math HD for iPad, Motion Math for iPod ($.99)

The word 'motion' is in the title of this app because students must tilt the iPad or iPod Touch to move a bouncing star. They try to get the star to land on the correct location on the number line. Points are earned for accuracy.

Students not only identify fractions, but also analyze equivalent fractions and compare them too. Fractions are presented in number form and pictorial representations.

While a little pricy, this app is an excellent way for students to practice working with fractions!

Friday, March 11, 2011

BrainPOP Featured Movie



Price: Free!
Grade Recommendation: 3rd - 12th grades
Subject: All
Specific Skill: Varies
Levels: n/a
Players: n/a

The home page of this app features one movie each day. The subject matter and targeted grade level varies. After viewing the video, users are able to take the accompanying quiz. The app also always has the option for users to view a short movie about BrainPOP. Students who have previously viewed any of the videos from the subscription-based BrainPOP suite will find this app to be quite familiar.

The app also contains approximately two dozen additional movies/quizzes in the areas of science, Social Studies, English, math, arts & music, health, and tech & engineering.

The subscription-based BrainPOP is one of my favorite resources and I'm thrilled they decided to make an app available too. Although, I wish they would allow users with subscriptions to login via the app to have full access to all videos.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Yahtzee HD



Price: $2.99
Grade Recommendation: 3rd - 12th
Subject: n/a
Specific Skill: Decision-Making
Levels: n/a
Players: 1 - 4
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Yahtzee HD for iPad, Yahtzee Adventures ($.99) for iPod Touch

Although technically just a 'game', I believe Yahtzee definitely has a place in the classroom. As a gifted program teacher, I often present my students with decision-making opportunities. This game, one that many of us know from childhood, does just that. On each turn, students have to decide what option to "go for". I found that many of them have never played Yahtzee before. Therefore, I had to write each choice on the board and explain what each meant - especially the small and large straights and full house.

When possible, I allow students to play against each other rather than playing against the 'computer'. This is one of the more pricier apps I'll recommend, but it's definitely worth having it available for kids to use.

The major difference between this app and the actual board game is that the 'computer' keeps score for the players! Also, there are no dice to lose! :)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Math BINGO



Price: $.99
Grade Recommendation: 1st - 5th
Subject: Mathematics
Specific Skill(s): Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
Levels: Easy, Medium, Hard
Players: 1
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Both

The object is to select 5 answers on the game board to score a BINGO (across, down, or diagonal) by answering addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division problems correctly. Students will most likely need to use paper/pencil or dry erase boards/markers to compute problems at the medium and hard levels.

Unfortunately, the app has a 'game' component where students have the ability to interact with weird bugs on the screen. My students know not to choose this option because math problems no longer appear in that section of the app.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Mobicip




Price: $4.99
Grade Recommendation: All
Subject: Research, Internet browsing
Specific Skill: n/a
Levels: n/a
Players: n/a
For iPad, iPod, or Both?: Both

An acronym for 'Mobile Child Internet Protection', Mobicip provides another layer of protection for safe Internet browsing at school. I recommend using the Settings option to 'hide' Safari. Then students can only access the Internet via Mobicip. You can control the level of security by logging into your account on Mobicip's website (www.mobicip.com). After launching this app, students have the option of visiting several research sites such as Brittanica and Kids Click. They can also access Google via Mobicip.

While my school system does have a strong Internet filter in place, Mobicip provides me with an extra piece of mind that browsing will definitely be secure. This app is highly recommended!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Nook Kids


Price: Free! (app only)
Grade Recommendation: All
Subject: Reading
Specific Skill: Reading/Listening
Levels: n/a
Players: n/a
For iPod, iPad, or Both?: Both

The Nook app is a way to obtain ebooks from Barnes and Noble. You can access the bookstore's website through the app. It is quite easy to browse for books on this site. You can browse by age levels, subjects, characters, bestselling series, authors, and more.

Some, not all, of the books are 'Read to Me' - giving students the option to listen to the book or read it themselves. A few free books are also available.

Besides the ebooks that are created as apps, this method is my preferred way to obtain ebooks.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

App Shopper



Price: Free!
Grade Recommendation: All
Subject: All
Specific Skill: Locating new apps
Levels: n/a
Players: n/a
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Both

Rather than an app for student use, App Shopper is a resource teachers (and parents) can use to see what apps in Apple's App Store have been recently updated, added, and/or experienced a price change (usually a decrease). You can search through the entire list or filter by price (free or paid), type (updates, newly added, or price change), and/or category (Education, Productivity, Books, etc.).

I check this app daily. Updates available for your apps will automatically show up in the App Store app. New apps generally are not of interest to me because they have not yet been reviewed. However, being able to monitor price changes is beneficial because it allows you to snatch up apps that temporarily (usually for a day) have a price decrease.