Author Archives: appydazeblog

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This Day in History

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This Day in History

One of my favorite FREE resources…

WORLD BOOK  – This Day in History for iPad is a great FREE resource for the classroom. Historical events for the day are displayed on a calendar page. You can click on links to related media such as articles, photos/illustrations, music, speeches and more! When I was teaching, I had students  do “morning work” (correct punctuation, capitalization, & spelling in two sentences) while I took attendance, did lunch count, etc. This educational app would have been perfect for that daily assignment because I always used information about something interesting that happened that day. After correcting the sentences, the kids and I would discuss the history of that day. I was always amazed at how well kids retained what we had discussed during the opening minutes of every day. Throughout the year they would often remark, “We learned about that in our morning work.” You may want to try making this educational app part of your classroom’s morning routine. 🙂

WORLD BOOK - This Day in History for iPad - Software MacKiev

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Bubl Ice Cream – A musical dessert for kids

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creations bubl ice creamFREE for a limited time – Bubl ice Cream – A musical dessert for kids. Kids can create musical ice cream concoctions for six different characters (Santa, Rudolph, a snowman, a pirate, a yeti, or a princess) with this fun app. Kids start by selecting a character. They fill the character’s cone or dish with scoops of ice cream. Then they add a musical sauce and top it all off with berries, sprinkles, cookies, etc. As they work, their creations are arranged into unique musical compositions. Fun for little ones!

Direct Link https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bubl-ice-cream-musical-dessert/id892939714?mt=8

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Word Wonderland (Primary) and Word Wonderland (Elementary)

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Word Wonderland

FREE for a limited time – Word Wonderland (Primary) and Word Wonderland (Elementary), games that have kids hopping, eating, and shaking their way to the end of a game board as they sort words. Children start by creating name badges – the app permits multiple children to play. In the primary (K – 2) version, kids help to guide a friendly frog through the pond as they sort words by sounds – short vowels. long vowels, r controlled vowels, blends, digraphs, and more. In the elementary (3 – 6) version, kids guide an astronaut crab through the space station as they sort more difficult words by sounds, inflectional endings, Greek/Latin roots, etc. These educational apps provide a fun way for kids to sort words but I must admit that I am a bit apprehensive about encouraging kids to shake the iPad. Check it out for yourself while the full versions are FREE.

Download links: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-wonderland-primary-full/id611436564?mt=8&uo=4 and https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-wonderland-elementary/id634947932?mt=8&uo=4

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Coding for Kids – 3 FREE & Fabulous Apps

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Why teach kids to code? Coding is what makes computer software work. Understanding the basics of programming will help your child be prepared for the jobs of the future. And, in the process your child will be using logic, solving problems, and having fun! Check out these apps and try coding yourself. Then try it with your students. We are living in creative, exciting times – be part of it!! 🙂

Here are fabulous FREE resources to use:

scratch jrFREE app – ScratchJr is designed to teach kids how to code their own stories and/or games. Specifically developed for younger children, ScratchJr is based on Scratch programming language (http://scratch.mit.edu) which is used by millions around the world. The app includes an introduction video and examples of sample projects. Once the add button is pressed, the app opens to a page with a friendly looking cat in a blank square surrounded by programming tools. Then the fun begins. Kids snap together programming blocks to make the cat move – forward, backward, right, left, hop, etc. They can choose to add a setting to their story/game by selecting one of the twenty-eight different backgrounds. They can add additional characters and/or objects to their scenes. They can make their character talk either by using word bubbles or by recording their own voices. They can control timing, speed, and the sequencing of events. The app can be simple but it becomes more complex as kids start to figure things out. For example, they can learn to program multiple characters to move in sequence, move together, etc. Kids can also add themselves to the story. They simply choose one of the fifteen “faceless” characters then add in their own face using the iPad’s built-in camera. How cool is that? As kids learn to program, they are also learning to problem solve, design projects, and be creative on the computer. LOVE this app!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scratchjr/id895485086?mt=8&uo=4

kodableFREE for iPad – Kodable, an introduction to programming for kids 5+. The fuzzFamily has crashed their spaceship on Smeeborg. Kids help the fuzzes through Smeeborg’s mazes by creating drag & drop instructions for them to follow. As they code, kids need to remember that fuzzes follow instructions exactly as they are written. After coding the instructions, kids hit play to watch the fuzzes roll through the maze. They are rewarded with stars, coins, and extra members of the fuzzFamily if they are successful. This educational app comes with 45 free levels which become progressively more difficult. Additional content is available as an in-app purchase.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kodable/id577673067?mt=8&uo=4

Hopscotch HD

Hopscotch HD is an educational app that teaches kids how to program their own games and animations! Introduce kids to computer science with this app. 🙂 Kids drag and drop “method blocks” into scripts. When they are done, they can press play to see their code in action! Why teach kids coding? According to the developer – there will be about 1.4 million computer jobs by 2020 and only 400,000 computer science students. Many coders first fell in love with coding when they were  8-12 year old children. Hopscotch is based on a visual programming language named Scratch which was developed by MIT. It promotes STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math) in a fun way – by making coding kid-friendly!  LOVE it!!

Hopscotch HD - Hopscotch Technologies

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Grammar Wonderland (Primary) & Grammar Wonderland (Elementary)

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grammar primary

grammar

FREE for a limited time – the full versions of Grammar Wonderland (Primary) & Grammar Wonderland (Elementary). In both games kids lead their characters through different adventures as they practice nouns, verbs, adjectives, and more. The primary version is for younger children – the words are read and some levels include pictures. The app does not teach the parts of speech but it provides lots of practice for kids in a fun game-like environment. After teaching a lesson about parts of speech, teachers can have kids show what they know with this app. Practice is provided for the following: common nouns, proper, nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, singular nouns, plural nouns, possessive nouns, pronouns, action verbs, present-tense verbs, past-tense verbs, future-tense verbs, linking verbs, adjectives, articles, comparative/superlative adjectives, and more! Many parts of speech are taught in both apps – perfect for differentiating your instruction for a variety of reading levels. Both also apps permit multiple player – great for the classroom!

Recommended!!  – Download them today. 🙂

Grammar Wonderland Primary       Grammar Wonderland (Primary) - McGraw-Hill School Education Group

Grammar Wonderland Elementary       Grammar Wonderland (Elementary) - McGraw-Hill School Education Group

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Thomas & Friends Talk to You

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thomasThomas & Friends Talk to You is the latest app from ToyTalk Inc. Speech recognition technology allows kids (ages 3-6) to have a two-way conversation with Thomas and the Steam Team. The app literally works like a walkie-talkie. When the orange button appears on the screen, the child presses it to talk to Thomas. When the child lets go of the button, Thomas answers. The FREE portion of the app features a fun adventure on the island of Sodor. There are additional adventures available as in-app purchases. The app’s activities include: learning shapes, memory games, speaking & listening, singing, telling stories, solving a mystery, transmitting information, making silly noises, parts of speech, sharing & taking turns, and more. In order to enable speech recognition, ToyTalk Inc. needs to capture audio recordings of your child so parental permission is required. Parents can then access and control their child’s recordings from ToyTalk’s website: www.toytalk.com. If your child is a fan of Thomas and friends, make sure take advantage of this week’s  “launch special.” 🙂

Direct Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/thomas-friends-talk-to-you/id1002232132?mt=8

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Sago Mini Doodlecast

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On sale for $.99 – Sago Mini Doodlecast, an adorable drawing app for kids. This educational app is unique in several ways. First of all, it features 30+ open-ended drawing prompts that inspire creativity. Kids draw pictures to answer questions such as: Who lives on this planet? What is wet? What makes you happy? As your child draws, short videos of the entire drawing process are created, with accompanying audio. The app encourages parent/child play – recording your child’s creation (stroke by stroke) along with your conversation about his/her drawing. And, the app supports more than 14 languages. Parents can use the app as a teaching tool or to encourage kids to express their feelings. Finished videos can be shared with friends and family – perfect for grandparents who live far away! Super sweet app!!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sago-mini-doodlecast/id469487373?mt=8&uo=4

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ClassDojo

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ClassDojo is a FREE & fabulous tool that helps improve classroom behaviors. Rewarding good behavior in real-time is easy – all it takes is a click. To use ClassDojo, you only need one device (computer, smart phone, a laptop, or a tablet) and an internet connection. It is very easy to set up. Each student on your class list is assigned a cute, monster-like avatar. Kids earn points for positive behaviors and lose points for negative behaviors. ClassDojo is also fully customizable so you can delete behaviors from the original list and/or add your own behaviors. As you use it, it automatically logs any data that you input. This data can be used to generate behavior reports to share with parents and administrators. How awesome is that? You can go into a meeting/conference with reports in hand! And now, parents can check online to see what kind of day their child is having.

And, ClassDojo just keeps getting better. FREE messaging has been added to the app. Teachers can now send “direct” messages and/or photos to individual parents or they can “broadcast” a message to all parents. Sending reminders, assignments, homework, permission slips, etc. just became easier! Another newer addition to ClassDojo the option of creating groups. Teachers can now put students into groups – making it simple to award table points, team points etc. Fostering a collaborative classroom culture is simple with ClassDojo.

If I was still in the classroom, I would enter my class list twice – once for data on work/study habits and the other for data on behaviors. I would make my habits/behaviors match exactly what was on my report cards. Then as I used the app, I would also be gathering data for my report cards. At the end of the grading period, I would just print out the date and enter it on the report cards – how easy!  I would also have the data (in a printed report) to be able to back up any grade on the card.  “As you can see Mrs. Doe, Jane only turned in her homework 56% of the time.”  Instant data would also be available for the RTI process, IEPs or any other team meeting on a child. What a powerful tool for teachers! An educational app that has the ability to positively impact the learning environment – LOVE it!!

Check out the website for more information: www.classdojo.com

ClassDojo - Class Twist Inc

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Cat Doorman’s Little Red Wagon

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little red wagonFREE for a limited time – Cat Doorman’s Little Red Wagon, a musical songbook/adventure game. Kids play in the forest as they sing along to the classic folk tune, Little Red Wagon. First kids choose which musical version of the song they’d like to hear: guitar, piano, or full band. Then they follow the highlighted lyrics and musical notes that run along the bottom of the screen. At the same time, they help a little girl with her little red wagon as she gathers supplies for a picnic. Kids will love discovering the hidden animations along the way! The app’s illustrations are beautifully done – hand-painted on textured paper. Little Red Wagon is from an album called Cat Doorman’s Songbook, the winner of the 2013 Parent’s Choice Silver Honor Award. It features members of the Decemberists and the Corin Tucker Band. Nicely done app for little ones!!

Direct Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cat-doormans-little-red-wagon/id589087235?mt=8

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My Little Piano!

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my little pianoKeep a piano in your pocket with My LIttle Piano! – FREE for a limited time. Kids can change the keyboard to experiment with eight different instruments or sounds – piano, guitar, xylophone, drums, animal sounds, traffic sounds, funny sounds, or synthesizers. There are also four background rhythms.  A little dinner music anyone? 🙂

Direct Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-little-piano!/id845397032?mt=8