Apps that teachers can use in class!
Not an exhaustive list, but a start…
WordPress/Blogger – Post to your blog on the go! I have a classroom blog and can post from my phone if I’m not near the computer. WordPress is a free blogging site, as is Google’s Blogger. Both of these apps will allow you to keep your blog readers up to date while you’re on the road.
Ustream – Record or broadcast live video to your Ustream channel. Twitter and Facebook are integrated so that you can (but don’t have to) send out a message to your followers & friends that you’re broadcasting! This is a lot of fun for parents so that they can see what we’re doing!
Twitter – I love Twitter! I first got an account because I was already using Ustream, and their new app integrated the social networks. I didn’t want to post to Facebook because I hate it, so I made a couple Twitter accounts. I use one personally and one professionally with a lot of parents following me. I can tweet photos and videos from class and they’re happy to have them. Once I had a parent arrive at the Honor Roll Assembly after seeing a tweet that we were there, thinking that the assembly was later. Without that tweet, she would have missed it!
Remote – Not necessarily educational, but still awesome! It allows you to control the iTunes music player on any computer connected to the same Wi-Fi network that you are on, as well as your Apple TV (if you have one. Get one!) Sometimes I play music in my classroom and will have to stop it or turn it down for some reason but don’t want to get up from the reading table, so I can use my remote to stop it.
iWork Productivity Suite – Apple’s answer to Microsoft Office is Pages (word processing), Keynote (presentations), and Numbers (spreadsheets). These programs are available on Apple OS and iOS devices. With Apple’s iCloud, files on your mobile devices stay synced with your desktop or laptop computers. Work on the go with these mobile apps, and save them as iWork files, Office files, or PDF. Keynote allows you to present directly from you mobile device with the correct adapter or Apple TV.
Keynote Remote – Control your Keynote presentation on your desktop or laptop with this app that is worth far more than the $1 you’ll spend. Works over Wi-Fi or through a direct connection between your iOS device and your Apple computer.
Chipotle – Not educational at all, but order your Chipotle from your device and pick it up ready to go at the counter!
QRReader – One of many QR code readers on the market. QR codes are being used increasingly in the commercial world and the educational world. Every mobile device should have a QR reader… just pick the one that you like.
eClicker Host – $10 for a personal response system? Unbelievable! Buy the host on your device and load the free eClicker app on your student devices and you’ve got a fully functional PRS for next to nothing!
TeacherPal – TeacherPal is a personal organizer for the teacher. It enables the teacher to organize classes and students. It’s simple and intuitive interface enables teachers to track the attendance, grades, and behaviors of students. It also backups to Dropbox to save your courses in the cloud.
Word Lens – In a foreign country? Take a picture of what you see and let Word Lens translate it for you! But you have to pay… would be good for students too.
Labelbox – Add text to your pictures! I think it’s pretty cute…
GoodReader – Available for iPad and iPhone (different purchases, annoying), this lets you annotate PDFs, among other things, but that is my favorite feature of the app. You can access files from Dropbox, iCloud, and local servers on your network (with your network administrator’s assistance.)