Archive for the ‘apps’ Category

7 Free Online Resources for Teachers Heading Back to School

| posted by smaldonado
Online Resources for TeachersEvery year, more and more teachers are taking advantage of the wealth of information available online. Teacher blogs, education sites, social networking tools and lesson plans are all available on the Internet, and each can provide a tremendous boost for teachers getting back into the swing of things at the start of the school year. While the breadth of information can be a blessing, it also leaves teachers with a lot to sift through before they can find the most helpful resources out there. To help make your transition back to school as smooth and successful as possible, we've assembled this list of the seven best free online resources for teachers: Education World Education World is the self-proclaimed "educator's best friend," a web suite that brings one-stop shopping for all things professional development. Education World offers a series of lesson plans, ideas for utilizing technology in the classroom and information for brushing up on the social climate of schools and the children you teach. Teach-nology Teach-nology provides teachers with resources to help better adapt their classroom to today's generation of students. By helping teachers embrace the technologically evolving educational landscape, Teach-nology serves a vital purpose in preparing for another school year. Teach-nology offers more than 40,000 lesson plans as well as 10,000 printable worksheets, rubrics and other online resources. TEDed Technology, Entertainment and Design, or TED, offers some of the best resources from industry experts on almost any subject. Talks and demonstrations are posted daily, and there is something for everybody. Recently, TED added an educational suite of videos called TEDed. Already, you can find more than 100 videos on an array of topics, with more being added frequently. If you want to keep your students engaged in a way that only a stimulating video can, check out TED. FREE Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) is a large collection of federal resources for all things teaching. Completely free, the resources made available here adhere to the highest educational standards and cover topics from music to physical education. The homepage includes a subject map for easy browsing of all the site's resources. No matter what your discipline, you will find invaluable resources to help construct a full and diverse curriculum on this site. PBS Teachers PBS has put a lot of effort into maintaining its collection of teaching resources for educators of students in grades K through 12. All free, these resources include learning media and videos, education news, lesson plans and professional development resources for teachers. The resources are tied in with quality, familiar PBS programming, which has been trusted by educators for generations. Browse by age range to help find the most relevant resources. Thinkfinity Thinkfinity is a collection of free lesson plans and resources offered by the Verizon Foundation. The award-winning website was recently revamped for the new school year to make it easier for educators and experts to connect and share information and best practices. The community features offer educators the chance to engage in discussions, network, read blogs and swap resources with one another. Verizon has connected with 12 content partners and affiliates to bring the best 21st-century teaching resources to you for free. NEA's Back-to-School Guide The National Education Association (NEA) has assembled a terrific back-to-school guide for educators. Whether you are a veteran of the trade or a first-year teacher, getting off to a good start is vitally important. The NEA guide includes resources for setting up the classroom correctly, establishing rules and routines, dealing with disruptive students, finding year-long support systems and simply keeping your sense of humor in the classroom.   Sign up for Teach.com's monthly newsletter to receive the latest in education news and information about becoming a teacher, including certification, teaching programs and more!   

5 iOS Apps All Teachers Must Have for Back-to-School

| posted by smaldonado
These days, mobile apps are as prevalent in the classroom as they are in the office. Teachers need information on the run, as well as fun activities and lesson plans to keep their students engaged. To meet those needs, developers have been steadily adding to an impressive lineup of educational apps. In an increasingly digital classroom, all teachers should consider finding ways to utilize these creative and useful apps. Here are five must-have education apps for a successful back-to-school season: 1. Mobile Education Store Available on: iPad, iPhone Focus: Grammar and syntax Price: $1.99 to $19.99 Developer: Kyle Tomson This suite of mobile apps covers a wide range of educational topics for students of elementary-school age. Designed by a father with his daughter’s special educational needs in mind, Mobile Education Store offers 10 iPad apps, four of which are also available on the iPhone. The apps focus primarily on grammar, syntax and building stories and questions correctly. Each app incorporates audio, visual and tactile senses to create an engaging and well-rounded user experience. Though initially designed for learners with higher-function autism, the apps in the Mobile Education Store are perfect for any student struggling with narrative skills, and they have found life in ESL classrooms and even with healthcare professionals. For prices and details on individual apps, visit the Mobile Education Store website. Also: Keep an eye on Tense Builder, a great new app to be released just before the school year begins. 2. Teacher’s Assistant Pro Available on: iOS 4-enabled devices Focus: Classroom organization Price: $7.99 Developer: Lesson Portal, LLC Going into a new school year organized and on top of all classroom activity is a must. Teacher’s Assistant helps you keep all daily classroom goings-on organized and annotated in one handy place. Used primarily for behavioral events, Teacher’s Assistant allows the user to input any action a student takes during the day. Another missed homework assignment for Mary? Add it to the student's page in the app. One too many outbursts during a lesson for Billy? Make a note of it for review later. A really outstanding comment from Justin? Make sure to add it so that you can recall it next week. Teacher’s Assistant organizes all activities on a student-by-student basis, so keeping a disciplined and organized classroom is right in the palm of your hand. The best part? Documents, events and disciplinary notes can be sent to parents and administrators instantly through the app, so you won’t forget to follow up after a long day in the classroom. Check out the app store for reviews and more information. 3. Maps of the World Available on: iOS 4-enabled devices Focus: Historical and modern world geography Price: Free Developer: Seung-Bin Cho Remember when you used to have two or three maps hanging like window shades at the front of the classroom? But what if you were asked about what the world looked like 500 years ago? Unless a textbook was handy, the student would be forced to stew in their curiosity. Maps of the World changes this, giving you access to countless historical maps from relevant time periods of your choosing. After downloading this app for free, you will have an archive of as many world maps as you will ever need. What’s more, with a simple VGA or HDMI adapter, you can have the app displaying to your students through your classroom screen in seconds. Those hard-to-field social studies questions just got a little bit easier. Find the app here. 4. Edmodo Available on: iOS and Android Focus: Educational social networking Price: Free Developer: Edmodo Don’t worry, Edmodo is not set on creating Facebook-like relationships between teachers and students. Students will not be posting music videos of the band-du-jour on your wall, and they will not be commenting on your family vacation photos. But Edmodo does create a way for teachers and students to stay connected. With this free app, teachers and students can send and share notes, submit assignments, post replies and check events when they are not inside the classroom. Students can use the app to ask questions, keep tabs on submitted assignments and check their grades. Edmodo will help keep information flowing between you and your students, and will allow you to stay on top of assignments and grades. It is one of the most highly regarded education apps and is crucial for teachers, especially grades 7 through 12. Check it out here. 5. Dropbox Available on: iOS and Android Focus: Easy document and file sharing Price: Free Developer: Dropbox It is likely that you have already used or at least heard of Dropbox outside of the classroom. If not, you will likely find hundreds of uses for this cloud-storage app within hours of first downloading it for free. Dropbox allows you to bring photos, documents, videos and any other file you can think of with you wherever you go. No matter where you were working on a lesson plan or presentation, you can save it to Dropbox and access it from your computer, phone, tablet or even the Dropbox website. Dropbox also allows you to share files with other users, who can then access it through the cloud. This is indispensable for teachers, administrators and students. At the end of a long day in the classroom, leave your laptop in your desk knowing that your work will be with you wherever you go. Check out Dropbox for Apple here, and click here for Dropbox for Android.

iPad Education Games

| posted by smaldonado
ipad educationAs we continue to incorporate the latest technological advances into every aspect of our daily lives, educators are looking to see how technology can be integrated into the classroom to enhance and expand student learning. The iPad is one of the most popular technological innovations of recent years, in part because of its enormous selection of apps that people can use in virtually every area --- from personal finance and health to social networking and gaming. In response to the importance of technology to education, numerous educational apps are being developed (often by teachers) to add another dimension to the classroom experience. One of the best ways to engage with students is through stimulating and educational games, and there are now a variety of such games available for the iPad. The following is a list of five widely used and highly reviewed educational games. They have each won significant awards or distinctions because of their popularity and the impact they have on learning, and should therefore be considered by any teacher looking to incorporate technology into his or her classroom. Rocket Math ($0.99) Rocket Math is a challenging and interactive game that has students build a rocket with credits earned by solving a variety of mathematical problems. Once the rocket is built and launched into space, students embark on different missions that test their knowledge of math skills. With 90 rocket pieces to be collected, and 56 missions, this game provides hours upon hours of engaging fun that not only entertains students, but challenges them to think critically and apply their math education to different scenarios. GeoBee Challenge ($1.99) Developed by National Geographic, the GeoBee Challenge app is geared towards students in fourth grade or higher. Enhanced by stunningly detailed maps from National Geographic, the GeoBee Challenge tests students’ knowledge of geography based on accuracy as well as speed. The faster students answer a question correctly, the higher they score. Over 1,000 multiple-choice questions interact with the National Geographic maps to test students on specific locations. Stack the Countries ($1.99) Stack the Countries is a fun and exciting geography app that’s great for students of all ages. With this app, your students will learn about country names, landmarks, capitals, cities, flags and languages through three interactive games. In “Stack the Countries,” students have to try collecting all 193 countries by answering trivia questions. In “Pile Up!”, they have to get rid of a collection of countries by successfully identifying each one, and in “Map It!”, they must fill in a map of the world by identifying countries and cities. There are even informative flash cards that they can use to prepare for the game (or study for a test). Stack the States is a companion to this app. ABC Shakedown Plus ($2.99) ABC Shakedown Plus is a teacher-developed app that aims to increase literacy and fluency in young students through three games that help with pronunciation, spelling and reading. The “Classic” game introduces students to the alphabet, while “See It, Say It” reinforces their letter recognition and pronunciation. “Hear It, Hit It” also tests students’ listening abilities. Star Walk ($4.99) Star Walk is great for students of all ages, but especially for students beginning to learn about astronomy in middle or high school. This “augmented reality” app is designed for students to interact with the world around them while learning more about it --- and particularly the night sky. As they point the iPad at the night sky, Star Walk labels the stars, constellations and satellites in that direction. Multiple features allow for a more in-depth interaction, such as the Time Machine, which allows students to see what the sky looked like at a particular moment in the past, or the Search, which helps them find planets. Calendars and notifications of celestial events keep astronomy lessons relevant and exciting, and can allow you to plan your lessons accordingly. This app is a Parents Choice 2012 Gold Award winner.

Top 10 iPad Apps for Teachers

| posted by bgardner
ipad-apps-for-teachersAs the T in STEM, Technology in the classroom is becoming more relevant and teachers are increasingly becoming more tech-savvy. So it’s no surprise to find that more and more high tech tools are being used in the classroom. Schools all across the country are already being outfitted with SMART Boards, but you can also take the initiative and enhance your own teaching methods with these fun, interactive and organizational apps for your iPad: 1. Alphabytes Perfect for early childhood educators, this app helps teach your students the alphabet, reading and writing. Children learn each letter through interactions with animated figures, tracing practices and memorization games. 2. ABC Pocketphonics Another perfect app for teachers of young students, ABC Pocketphonics combines visual, tactile and audio cues to teach the alphabet to children ages three to six. Available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. 3. Times Table There’s no way around it: Memorizing the multiplication takes practice. While Times Table doesn’t pretend to create a shortcut, this iPhone and iPad app does help get children engaged and keeps them interested by using a series of interactive tools and games. 4. Solar Walk The night’s sky has a powerful ability to capture the fascination and imagination of children. This app taps into that magic, allowing children to explore the solar system and learn about each of the planets through a 3-D tour. Available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, Solar Walk is also the first app in the AppStore with 3-D television support --- for extra-large adventures! 5. Math Quizzer Help your students practice their math skills with this app that challenges them in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The game-style approach keeps students trying, with scoreboards and increasing levels of difficulty to track progress. Available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. 6. U.S Geography by Discovery Education With puzzles, stories, facts and videos, this app will get students interested in and keep them learning about the United States. The stunning visuals alone make U.S. Geography an invaluable tool in the classroom. Brought to you by the Discovery Channel, this app is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, and was lauded by Scholastic Magazine as a “Key Tech Tool for Educators.” 7. Dropbox Not only are iPad apps useful for teaching students, but they can also help teachers stay organized. Use Dropbox to effortlessly store and access all of your lesson plans, files and videos. Simply upload files to Dropbox, and you will be able to access them from your laptop, home computer, iPad, smartphone or any other device that can connect to the cloud. 8. Evernote Another tool for teachers, Evernote allows you take down notes, ideas, reminders, snapshots and even recordings, and synchronize them all from your mobile device to your personal computer. Listed by The New York Times as a “Must-Have,” this app for iPhone and iPad can do wonders for the busy teacher who’s juggling classes and life at home. 9. Dictionary.com -- Dictionary & Thesaurus This free iPad app bridges the divide between tools for teachers and tools for students because, let’s face it, everyone needs to a dictionary or a thesaurus at some point. The Dictionary.com app gives you access to 2 million words, definitions, synonyms and antonyms at your fingertips --- all without the need to connect to the Internet. 10. Print Magic HD Another tool to help everyone in the classroom --- particularly in middle school and high school classrooms, where printing out assignments and other paperwork can become a bit too chaotic. Print Magic HD allows you wireless queue files to the classroom printer, avoiding the unnecessary hustle and bustle of each student coordinating their printing jobs.