This year, for the first time ever, I have the opportunity to stay home with my kids over summer break. I'm thrilled about all the opportunities for fun and excitement, but I am also a little bit concerned about them losing any academic momentum that they have right now while they are on my watch. You know what that means? That means we'll be having a little bit of Mom Summer School. The kids are stoked (well, stoked might be a strong word) about Momschool, and I am looking for ways to make things simpler (and to help me run something resembling an actual classroom) by using some of the technologies that my son is so in love with. He'll try out almost anything on the iPad.
So I thought this would be a good time to update Jill's old list of the Top Ten Awesome Free Apps for the Classroom. I've gone in and removed some that weren't free or no longer existed from the old list and updated it with a few of my own. Take a look — I bet you'll find some that you (or a teacher you know) can use.
Socrative
Socrative brings smart clickers, student response and ease of use to a whole new level. Be engaged for the entire class with educational exercises and games. See all your classmates’ ideas in real time and interact with the responses. Provide your instructor feedback on the lessons and how well you understand the material. Ask your own poll questions for the entire class or build a premade activity for your whole class. Have Fun!
MOST POPULAR ACTIVITIES:
✔ Short Answer Questions
✔ Space Race
✔ Exit Tickets
✔ Quick Quiz
✔ Multiple Choice
Student Clicker - Socrative (Free iPad/iPhone)
Teacher Clicker - Socrative (Free iPad/iPhone)
NearPod
What's Nearpod?
The Nearpod platform enables teachers to use their iPads to manage content on students' iPads, iPhones or iPods. It combines presentation, collaboration, and real-time assessment tools into one integrated solution.
How It Works
· Teachers use Nearpod to share content with their students and to manage the flow of the lecture.
· Students use Nearpod on their iOS devices to receive multimedia content and to participate in engaging assessment and collaboration activities.
Nearpod allows teachers to:
1. Create Content: Teachers log in to www.nearpod.com to create multimedia presentations with interactive features such as quizzes, videos, polls, drawing tools, and more. They can also access featured presentations from certified publishers and fellow educators.
2. Engage: In the classroom, teachers log in to the Nearpod iPad app to share content with their students and manage the flow of the lecture. Students use the Nearpod app on their iOS devices to receive curricular content, participate in activities and submit responses.
3. Assess: Teachers can see students’ answers in real time on the Nearpod app. Additionally, teachers can log in to www.nearpod.com to access post-session data and obtain detailed activity reports.
NearPod by Panarea (Free iPad/iPhone)
Pointer
❞ Show your presentation on a secondary screen such as a projector, TV or monitor and interact with it by pointing and drawing
❞ All user controls will be hidden from the audience
❞ Supports wireless connection via AirPlay!
To access presentation files:
● Transfer files from the computer via iTunes File Sharing
● Access files from Dropbox (In-app purchase)
● Access files from Google Drive (In-app purchase)
● Access files from Microsoft SkyDrive (In-app purchase)
● Access files from Internet
● ... or browse the Web and point on anything you like
Pointer by Karmeye (Free iPad/iPhone)
Aurasma
Aurasma is an augmented reality app that’s changing the way millions of people see and interact with the world.
· Bring tagged images, objects and even physical locations to life with interactive digital content, such as video, animations and 3D scenes, we call Auras
· Look out for our ‘A’ logo in newspapers, magazines, books and on product packaging and clothing– wherever you spot the ‘A’, there’s an Aura for you to discover
· Use the map feature to discover Auras at nearby locations
· Browse the ‘explore’ and ‘featured’ sections of the app to find the latest and most popular Auras
· Use the simple tools within the app to create your own Auras and share them with friends and other Aurasma users
· Create Auras by choosing from thousands of digital animations already on the platform or alternatively use your own photos and videos
· Most popular user-generated Auras include adding 3D dinosaurs to your street, sending a video message on a greetings card, leaving hidden clues in a treasure hunt, adding instructional information to a machine and augmenting text books and project work in education
Aurasma by Aurasma (Free iPad/iPhone)
Subtext
-TURN ANY BOOK OR DOCUMENT INTO A DIGITAL CLASSROOM-
In Subtext teachers and students can exchange ideas as they read, right in the pages of almost any digital book or document. You can also layer in enrichment materials, assignments and quizzes—opening up limitless opportunities to engage students, foster analysis and writing skills, and assess student progress. Subtext’s service extends the reading experience far beyond traditional books and aligns with the Common Core Standards across reading, writing and 21st century digital skills.
-READ BOOKS, DOCS & WEB ARTICLES-
Subtext offers access to lots of quality content including:
• Any book sold by Google Books
• Free books from Google Books & Feedbooks
• Web pages you add to Subtext using our bookmarklet ‘Save to Subtext’—think NY Times articles and blog posts on NASA For Students
• Free and public domain books
• Any document in ePub format (or Word Doc or PDF converted to ePub)
• Recommended free and Common Core reading lists, organized by grade level
-THE ONLY READER BUILT FOR CLASSROOMS-
Subtext is the only ereader built for classroom use, so it’s packed with features designed specifically for you and your students. (And, don’t worry, we didn’t overlook the basics like smooth page turning, adjustable fonts and the indispensable built-in dictionary.)
Subtext by Subtext (Free iPad only)
123D Catch by Autodesk
Automatically turn your photos into amazing 3D models with Autodesk 123D Catch.
Capture the world around you in a whole new way! Use this amazing app for free.
✓ Take up to 40 photos with your iPhone 4/4S/5 or iPad, then submit them to the Autodesk Cloud to automatically convert them into a realistic 3D model that you can view, share, and download
✓ Touch the screen to set your subject’s focus and exposure for best results
✓ Connect with the 123D Catch Community Gallery to see the amazing captures other users have shared and submit your own!
✓ Browse the example gallery to get inspired
✓ Interactive startup guide walks you through the process
✓ Control your 3D model viewpoint by moving rotating your device or simply use Multi-Touch view controls
✓ Receive Notification Center alerts when your capture is finished processing
✓ Email your finished captures to friends or open their 123D Catch projects
✓ Catches made on your iPhone or iPad are also saved to "My Corner" in the cloud, where you can open them for editing inside the 123D Catch desktop and web apps.
Save and store as many Catches as you want and export OBJs for a LIMITED TIME ONLY.
123D Catch by Autodesk Inc. (Free iPad/iPhone)
Chirp
Chirp is a magical new way to share your stuff – using sound. Chirp 'sings' information from one iPhone [or iPod] to another. Share photos, links, notes and more: all from your built-in iPhone speaker. What will you chirp?
Chirp lets you send information over the air to anyone running the app near you. Use the app to send or receive pictures from your camera, and share with everyone in the room. Chirp is the super-simple way to share that everyone's talking about - download it now.
✔ Share photos with groups of friends
✔ One-button simple: just chirp it!
✔ Share any link you like
Notes: you need to run Chirp to receive chirps. Sharing requires a network connection. Chirp works in noisy places too - check it out.
Chirp by ASGI Ltd (Free iPhone)
Remind101
Remind101 provides a safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents. It is 100% free and is used by over 200,000 teachers, students and parents to send millions of messages every month.
FAST, SAFE & EASY
*Message your entire class of students or parents in seconds.
*Teachers never see students' phone numbers. Students never see theirs.
*Students and parents join by sending a text message. No computer needed.
WHAT ARE TEACHERS SAYING?
*Revolutionized my approach to parent communication -Jessica D.
*Love it! Easy. Quick. Unique way of communicating with parents/students -Michael B.
*Communicating with a click from a mobile device is instant & saves me important teaching time! -Erin K.
*It has made a HUGE difference for many students in getting homework in on time -Craig N.
*Improved my students' morale, behavior, AND grades! -Catherine F.
Remind101 by remind101 (Free iPhone)
Too Noisy
Even with what will be my classroom of two students this summer, noise levels can sometimes be an issue... I'm interested in seeing if an app like this can help keep things toned down without getting Mom all keyed up. I'll definitely be trying out Too Noisy Lite.
Anyone who has attempted to keep the noise levels under control of a group of youngsters will appreciate this simple, fun and engaging app.
This is a fun app that children enjoy and respond to. It's a real boon to any adult who needs to control the levels of noise of a group of children.
"Too Noisy" displays graphically the background noise level in a room in a fun and engaging way.
For the responsible adult it is like having a virtual assistant with you, constantly monitoring noise levels and letting the children know in a fun and engaging way if noise levels have reached an unacceptable level.
Too Noisy (Free, iPad/iPhone)
Random Fact of the Day — Daily Brain
My eight-year-old has already been using Random Fact of the Day — Daily Brain, and I think it will be a great compliment to our little classroom. He's a fan of random knowledge just as much as his mom is.
Learn something new everyday with DailyBrain! An extensive collection of random facts, amazing facts, weird facts, and many facts that you probably never knew before but will be sure to enjoy.
Features:
• Each fact is linked to its source for more information.
• You can set when you want to receive new facts.
• Share facts on Facebook and Twitter.
Random Fact of the Day — Daily Brain (Free, iPad/iPhone)
Google Earth
I'm already a fan of Google Earth. I plan to use it (plus a traditional globe) to help with lessons from geography to world events this summer.
Fly around the planet with a swipe of your finger with Google Earth for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Explore distant lands or reacquaint yourself with your childhood home. Search for cities, places, and businesses. Browse layers including roads, borders, places, photos and more. Visit the Earth Gallery to find exciting maps such as real-time earthquakes, planes in flight, hiking trails, city tours, and more. Integrated Google Maps Street View allows you to explore the world at street level.
Use the new “tour guide” to easily discover exciting new places to explore. With a quick swipe on the tab at the bottom of the screen, you can bring up a selection of virtual tours from around the globe.
Google Earth (Free, iPad/iPhone)
*****
Kelli wonders if water balloon fights and bubble blowing can be considered academic pursuits for her summertime classroom. Jill Goodman originally compiled this list.
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