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Dr. Panda Mailman

mailman FREE for a limited time – Dr. Panda Mailman, another great app for preschoolers from Dr. Panda Ltd. Kids become mail carriers and deliver mail in a fun-filled interactive world. There are four areas for kids to explore – the mountains, a village, a forests, and fields. First they create their own postcards or wrap their own packages. Then it’s time to deliver their creations. The recipients are different animals, each with his or her own unique personality. As they ride down the road delivering the mail, kids are free go off the beaten path and explore.This app is great for developing vocabulary and creating stories. It’s a big fun world with no rules, points, timers, etc. – just open-ended exploration.

Download Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dr.-pandas-mailman/id918035581?mt=8&uo=6 

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Digital Tools for Teachers

Calling all teachers… Here are 9 apps that will help YOU in a variety of ways: grade student work, keep in contact with parents, establish class discipline/routines, help students be organized, track student progress with ePortfolios, organize presentations, and create tutorial videos.  And most of them are FREE – wow!

1. Socrative 

Still FREE and getting better with every upgrade – Socrative, an app that turns any device with a web browser into a student response clicker. I have been a fan of Socrative since I first discovered it two years ago. It’s one of those apps that I wish had been around when I was still in the classroom. Last July, Socrative added two additional quiz features. # 1 – Teachers can now add images to their questions. #2 – The system can now grade short answer questions. Teachers just input the acceptable answers and the system does the rest. 🙂

The Socrative website and app are unbelievably cool – they turn any device with a web browser (iPhone, iPad, laptops) into a student response clicker. If a teacher has access to any kind of wireless lab, he/she can engage the entire class in a game or quiz and watch the results in real-time. Teachers begin by using their teacher app or logging into t.socrative.com with their email and password. Once logged in, teachers are assigned a room number to share with their students. Students log in using their student app or at m.socrative.com and enter the “virtual room number” provided by the teacher. Teachers initiate an activity and students respond on their devices. Multiple choice and short answer quizzes are easy to create – types of questions can be mixed. Teachers can also choose to run the quiz as a Space Race game. The students’ responses are visible to the teacher in real-time. Teachers can see what each child answered individually as well as what the group answered collectively. And the best part is… the app grades, graphs the results, and generates a report as an Excel spreadsheet or an email.

What a powerful tool for teachers – a short quiz at the end of a lesson can pinpoint what students understand and what needs to be reviewed. Hours of grading and analyzing test results are done immediately. Every student is involved – wow!

Link to new user guide: http://www.socrative.com/materials/SocrativeUserGuide.pdf

Teacher app Teacher Clicker - Socrative - Socrative           Student app Student Clicker - Socrative - Socrative

2. Remind: Safe Classroom Communication

Used by over 700,000 teachers…

Remind: Safe Classroom Communication is a FREE iPhone/iPad app that provides a safe way for teacher to text or email parents/students. To start, a teacher goes to the Remind 101 website to add his/her class list. A unique code is generated and the teacher shares that code with parents/students. The parent or student then sends a text message with the code to subscribe to the teacher’s class. From that point on, the parent/student will receive any message that the teacher sends from Remind 101. Teachers can text or email their entire class in minutes – homework assignments, field trip reminders, etc. All phone numbers remain private –  students never see the teacher’s phone # and the teachers never see the students’ numbers. This app has been written about by NBC, NPR, Huffington Post, Edutopia, and Edweek. Wow – what a great tool for improving communications but maintaining your privacy!

Remind101 - remind101

3. Class Dojo

Class Dojo is constantly improving. It now includes FREE messaging! A teacher can now send “direct” messages to individuals and/or “broadcast” messages. This great FREE app just got better!!

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.

If I were 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

4. Homework+

Homework+Currently $.99 – Homework+, a simple to use homework/test planner. This educational app is geared towards older students who are taking multiple classes. It could also be used with younger kids as an electronic assignment book. It’s never too early to teach kids how to be organized. 🙂

To set up the app, first edit the subject list & category lists to reflect what you are studying. After that, it is very easy to add assignments to the calendar – just give the assignment a title, choose the subject & category, put in the due date, choose a level of priority, and save. As you finish an assignment, mark it as complete and the app moves it to the finished list. App badges show you how many assignments you have and how many you have finished. Notifications can be set (1 or 2 days before) to remind you of an upcoming assignment. The app also keeps track of overdue assignments. Very slick and intuitive – great for teaching kids to be organized!!

Homework+ - Chijang Huang

5. Too Noisy

Too Noisy Lite is a FREE noise meter for iPhone/iPad. It measures the level of noise in a room and graphically displays whether it is at an acceptable level or not. If the level is acceptable, a smiling face is displayed. If the noise level increases beyond a level of acceptability, the graphic changes to indicate that the noise level is NOT acceptable. In the settings, a teacher/adult can adjust the sensitivity of the meter to go with the activity. A testing situation could be set at a 99% sensitivity level and group work could be set at a much lower sensitivity level. The meter worked when I tried it but, I was not in a large room with a group of kids. I would think that the FREE version is worth a try to see if it works for your situation. There is also a PRO version available for $.99. By using an Apple Digital AV adapter or a VGA adapter, Too Noisy can be projected on a TV or monitor so kids can learn what noise level is acceptable – cool idea! Another great FREE educational app!

Too Noisy - Walsall Academy

6. Easy Portfolio

eportfoliosCurrently $1.99 – Easy Portfolio – ePortfolio Tool for Students & Teachers. Download this educational app today to start getting organized for the upcoming school year. Easy Portfolio makes it simple for teachers to create ePortfolios for individuals, groups, or subjects. Individual student portfolios can be used to track student progress, highlight student achievement, monitor classroom behavior/work habits, and more. Subject portfolios can be used to organize teacher resources – videos, websites, images, etc. Imagine having everything you need to teach a unit or to make a presentation in one portfolio. The possibilities for using Easy Portfolio are endless.

Easy Portfolio is very simple to use. Just name your portfolios to begin. Then it’s easy to add videos, images, audio recordings or music, notes, URLs and digital documents. Added files are stored by type and can be sorted by date or ABC order. Files can also be shared via email or Dropbox. How wonderful it would be to have a digital portfolio for every student in your class. It would make getting ready for parent-teacher conferences or a IEP meeting a breeze! Capture and share your students’ learning this year with Easy Portfolio🙂

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easy-portfolio-eportfolio/id516212900?mt=8&uo=4

7. Educreations 

Educreations is great FREE app that turns your iPad into a recordable whiteboard. You can create tutorial videos for a variety of purposes: teach a lesson, create example math problems, explain a diagram, add commentary to your photos, etc. This educational app records & replays your voice, handwriting and/or drawings. Educreations is simple to use and permits you to build lessons with multiple pages. The editing tools allow you to: add text to any page, add photos, resize and move images, easily erase drawing mistakes, create “animated playback” by dragging objects as you record, and more.

But the best thing about this app is the ability to share your work. Free accounts are available at http://www.educreations.com where you can share your work as well as look at lessons created by others. Students can be given online access to the lessons that you have created there. Or, you can embed your lessons on your class blog/website. Students can watch a lesson before class or review a lesson after class. Absent students can watch from home. You can post information to help students with their homework. You can tutor someone online. Parents can log in to find out what is going on in class so they can help their children. What a powerful tool!! This app is being used at all levels of education including the college level. The features of Educreations make it a standout among the recordable whiteboard apps!

Educreations Interactive Whiteboard - Educreations, Inc

8. ZipGrade

zip grade 1FREE to try – ZipGrade, a slick app that grades multiple choice tests & quizzes instantly by using your device’s camera as a scanner. It’s very easy to use. First go to ZipGrade.com to download an answer sheet for any size test – 1 to 100 questions. Print as many as you need. A 100 scan demo is FREE with the download. Click new quiz and enter your answer key. Start scanning/grading. ZipGrade can scan up to 20 tests per minute. The app can be set up to use student ID numbers or student names. Results are organized for reporting/exporting via PDF and Excel. They can also be synced between devices. Students will love the instant feedback and teachers will love the item analysis. This app would be especially great for high school/college teachers who have overwhelming numbers of test/quizzes to grade. Check out the FREE version today! The full version of the app is $1.99 for 2 months or $6.99 for 1 year.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zipgrade-grade-paper-tests/id635077270?mt=8&uo=4

9. Popboardz

PopboardzFREE again for a limited time – Popboardz, a productivity tool that normally sells for $4.99. Popboardz makes it easy to organize, store, and present information. Each board is a grid with 16 spaces for content so that all of your PDFs, images, videos, websites, can be arranged on one screen. Unlike other presentation tools, Popboardz makes it easy to customize your presentation to meet the needs of your group. Just click on the grid space that contains the example, information, or link that you would like present next! It’s easy to skip around. This app would be fabulous to use in the classroom. A teacher could organize all his/her digital resources for a unit on one board. That board can be saved so it is always ready to present! It is also easy to edit and/or rearrange boards so that lessons can be tweaked as new resources become available. Students could also use Popboardz – to organize information, to present projects, to give reports, and more. What a great educational app!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/popboardz/id563989511?mt=8&uo=4

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Musical Paint

Musical Paint

FREE for a limited time – Musical Paint a creative, multi-sensory app for the iPhone/iPad. Kids are welcomed into an art museum by a friendly blue walrus with a French accent. There is also an ensemble of lively musicians (underwater animals) at the museum. Kids are invited to paint a picture on a canvas. Each color is a musical tone so when the kids paint, they are painting music! If the child chooses to save his/her painting, it is hung in the museum – a very cute feature. They even get to sign their work. Kids can also share their paintings via email. What fun it would be for kids to send Grandma a picture of their masterpiece that is in a museum!! The app also has a lesson plan section for teachers & parents. Nicely done app for younger kids!!

Musical Paint - Building Blocks Media LLC

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Toca Band

toca band

Rock on… with Toca Band – FREE again!  This educational app for the iPhone/iPad encourages kids to explore music as they mix beats & sounds together to produce a hit song. The 16 characters in this app each have their own sound and rhythm. Kids drag different combinations of performers on stage to create their own musical band. How a character plays depends on where he/she is placed on the stage. Characters can also be chosen to give a solo performance. Even the names of the characters are fun: Bang Bang Chef on the drums, Dancy Nancy on the piano, Shaky McBones on the maracas,etc. Another great educational app from a developer that makes learning what it should be – fun, creative, and joyful!

Highly recommended!

Toca Band - Toca Boca AB

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Toca Doctor HD

toca doctor

FREE for a limited time – Toca Doctor HD, another fantastic app for toddlers from Toca Boca. Kids get to be a doctor for the day with this app that introduces kids to the medical field. There are 21 puzzles/mini games in all. Kids will love the fun sounds and animations that accompany the tasks! If your child likes the other Toca Boca apps, you’ll want to add his one to your collection today because these apps do not “go free” that often. This is another great app from a developer that makes learning what it should be – fun, creative, and joyful!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-doctor-hd/id430807533?mt=8&uo=4

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Paint My Wings

imageFREE for a limited time – Paint My Wings, a fun coloring app from Toca Boca. Kids paint the wings of three different butterflies. They start by choosing a color and a brush. They can finger paint or “tap” paint to add color and design to the butterfly. As one wing is painted, an identical pattern appears on the other wing – perfect for a lesson on symmetry. The butterflies have quite the personalities. They talk and sing as kids paint them. They name the colors and they giggle when tickled. Finished creations can be photographed and shared with others. Paint My Wings is another creatively fun app from Toca Boca!!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/paint-my-wings/id432858701?mt=8&uo=6

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Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island

FREE for a limited time for the iPhone/iPad, Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island is an adventure story of a 10-year-old treasure hunter named Kai. Kai is always dreaming about treasure and looking for it in his parents’ store: The Treasure Shop. Kai’s dreams magically transport him to Shark Island where he finds a treasure chest. And so the adventure begins…. Kids help in the hunt for gold by choosing from 8 different treasure chests. Each chest reveals another clue – leading Kai through more adventures. Along the way there are animations to discover, great sound effects, and an original score. This digital story is similar to the “choose your own adventure” books with an “Indiana Jones” feel to it. It is different every time it is read with thousands of ways to find the treasure. This app would be great for kids who are a bit older and becoming independent readers. Very cool 🙂

Visit the website for a preview http://treasurekai.com/. After reading the story, your child can go back to the website for a variety of extras: watch fun fact videos, go behind the scenes, play a video game, work some puzzles, and more.

Highly Recommended!

Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island - Interactive Book App for Kids - Treasure Bound Books

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Spinlight Studio Apps on sale for $.99!

WOW!! Spinlight Studio’s apps are on sale for only $.99.

Tally Tots

Tally Tots Counting is an educational app that teaches kids to count to 20. The app features 20 interactive mini-games that make learning numbers and counting fun. Kids race 2 cars, make bubbles in 6 colors, place 10 shapes into a puzzle, feed a chipmunk 19 acorns, etc. The app features something unique for each number with lots of positive verbal encouragement along the way. Tally Tots Counting is the perfect choice for young kids learning to count!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tallytots/id424070269?mt=8&uo=4

operation mathOperation Math is a great educational app from Spinlight Studio. Kids will have fun practicing basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, & division tables in this interactive “spy” game. The object of the game is to stop Dr. Odd’s quest to eliminate the world’s even numbers. In order to do so, kids must complete 105 missions by solving equations. Missions can be selected based on a child’s skill level and/or the operation (+, -, +/-, x, ÷, x/÷ or +/-/x/÷). Of course, time is of the essence so kids have to answer problems in 60 seconds or less. By doing so, they lock doors along their escape routes. And as they complete missions, they earn the gear of a seasoned spy. What a great game – I love how the app integrates math practice into a really cool game for kids. I especially like the modes which permit kids to practice multiple operations at a time. It makes kids pay attention to operation signs and quickly switch their thinking. What a fun way for kids to practice facts and meet CCSS! No wonder Operation Math was given a 2012 Parents’ Choice Award. Get it today – kids will LOVE it!

Common Core State Standards met:

  • 1.OA.6 – Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10.
  • 2.OA.2 – Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.
  • 3.OA.7 – Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/operation-math/id487387270?mt=8&uo=4

Yodel

Kids will have fun learning basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division math tables with YodelOh™ Math Mountain. The object of the game is to score enough points to keep Hans from falling off the cliff. In order to do so, kids have to answer problems quickly and avoid the crazy charging sheep. And as kids score points, the questions get harder. The app also includes high-score charts that track the best 15 games for all 5 modes. I especially like the mode which permits kids to practice all 4 operations at a time. It makes kids pay attention to operation signs and quickly switch their thinking. What a fun way for kids to practice facts and it meets CCSS! Get it today. 🙂

Common Core State Standards met:

  • 1.OA.6 – Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10.
  • 2.OA.2 – Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.
  • 3.OA.7 – Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.

Download math: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yodeloh-math-mountain/id634946225?mt=8&uo=4

gappy learns

Gappy Learns Reading has beginning readers constructing 200+ three-letter words – 174 of the words following the cvc pattern. There are also 37 three-letter sight words included. Kids start with basic letter and sound identification then progress to making words. As they work through the app, kids earn parts to redesign Gappy’s house – with over 700 possible combinations. Parents can disable the music, change letters from upper case to lower case, and control the number of word lists used in the settings. I like that the app varies which letters (beginning, middle, end) of the words are missing in the easy levels. In the medium level, two letters are missing and in the hard level, all letters are missing. Kids are gradually learning to spell – nicely done for little readers. 🙂

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gappy-learns-reading/id614840334?mt=8&uo=6

Also $.99  – Gappy Learns Writing

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gappy-learns-writing/id691260469?mt=8&uo=6

winky

Winky Think Logic Puzzles by Spinlight Studio feature 180 different puzzles. Kids slide shapes and match colors through three levels of puzzles that become increasingly more difficult. As they play, kids must use reasoning, observation, and spacial cognition to advance to the next level. Winky Think is a fun app that makes kids think!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/winky-think-logic-puzzles/id923072172?mt=8&uo=4

AlphaTotsAlphaTots Alphabet is a GREAT ABC app for kids! What makes this educational app unique is that it uses 26 action words to teach the alphabet. Kids are asked to complete 26 interactive tasks, for example: b – build a robot, p – play instruments, z – zap alien spaceships, etc. This app has been featured on The Today Show and has received a lot of positive press. It is a VERY fun app for toddlers/preschoolers who are learning their alphabet!!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/alphatots-alphabet-learning/id436142340?mt=8&uo=4

SwapsiesSwapsies Jobs is a cute educational app for toddlers. The app features 10 community helpers – baker, pilot, mail carrier, doctor, police officer, firefighter, builder, astronaut, engineer, and rancher. There are two different modes: a dress-up game and an interactive quiz. In the dress-up game mode, kids mix-and-match hats, tops, & bottoms to find the correct combination. Once the clothes are properly matched, a fun activity is unlocked for each occupation. The quiz mode is age-appropriate. Kids are asked to make connections, reason, and classify – find 3 things that fly, find 2 things that are round, find 5 things a baker uses, etc. Additional information is available in the parents’ section where you can download the Swapsies Occupations App Guide. This app was featured in Apple’s Apps for Preschool and Kindergarten. It’s also a Parents Choice Award winner. Nicely done!!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swapsies-jobs/id416577459?mt=8&uo=6

Also on sale – Swapsies Sports

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swapsies-sports/id716848871?mt=8&uo=4

PixelAlso only $.99 – Pixel and Parker, an educational app that puts a new spin on storytelling – literally! Parker and Pixel (his cat) are best friends. One day Pixel is missing so Parker sets out to find him. Kids use a game spinner to determine the order of the story’s events in this cute tale. The story is never the same twice. The app also features 30+ activities that engage readers while advancing the plot of the story. This app would be great for a lesson on the elements of story. The characters, setting, problem, and conclusion are the same but the order of events can be changed! Cute colorful illustrations also add to the appeal of this story. Pixel and Parker is the first in a planned series of adventures. 🙂 Great idea!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pixel-and-parker/id548751986?mt=8&uo=4

geographyGeography Drive USA™ is a fabulous geography app for up to 3 players. This educational app teaches kids about the 50 U.S. states – their shapes, capitals, nicknames, postal abbreviations, flags, key symbols and more. As kids travel on a cross-county adventure, they stop in each state to answer trivia questions about national rivers, mountains, parks and time zones, important trails and railroads, major U.S. cities, landmarks, and attractions. When they answer questions correctly, they unlock airports and fuel stations – essential to stay in the game. The more you know, the further you go. 🙂

Additional fun features include: a visitor center with state brochures and regional & national maps, a game-based newspaper with headlines that recognize player achievements, trophies waiting to be claimed & displayed, and the ability to customize and upgrade the players’ cars. There are also 4 bonus games included. Love this app – it’s the perfect blend of fun and learning!

2013 Gold Parents’ Choice Award, 2013 Children’s Technology Review Editor’s Choice Award, and featured on Fox News.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/geography-drive-usa/id579100969?mt=8&uo=4

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Pixel and Parker

Pixel

Only $.99 – Pixel and Parker, an educational app that puts a new spin on storytelling – literally! Parker and Pixel (his cat) are best friends. One day Pixel is missing so Parker sets out to find him. Kids use a game spinner to determine the order of the story’s events in this cute tale. The story is never the same twice. The app also features 30+ activities that engage readers while advancing the plot of the story. This app would be great for a lesson on the elements of story. The characters, setting, problem, and conclusion are the same but the order of events can be changed! Cute colorful illustrations also add to the appeal of this story. Pixel and Parker is the first in a planned series of adventures. 🙂 Great idea!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pixel-and-parker/id548751986?mt=8&uo=4

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Animal Adventures for Kids – Five for FREE!

oceanFREE for a limited time… Ocean – Animal Adventures for Kids, an educational app for preschoolers. Kids will become sea life experts as they explore 3 ocean scenes – a coral reef, a shark reef, and the deep-sea. The app has two modes – one for tapping/interacting with the creatures and the other for listening to/learning facts about them. Kids will learn fun facts about 30+ animals and they will be delighted with the 60+ animations. The app is narrated in 12 languages – English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Swedish, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Turkish, Dutch and Italian. Check out this cute interactive book for your preschooler today. 🙂

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ocean-animal-adventures-for/id819165012?mt=8&uo=4

ALSO FREE… North Pole – Animal Adventures for Kids.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/north-pole-animal-adventures/id716696933?mt=8&uo=4

Africa – Animal Adventures for Kids.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/africa-animal-adventures-for/id695120934?mt=8&uo=4

Asia – Animal Adventures for Kids.

Download link: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/app/asia-animal-adventures-for/id716659044?mt=8&uo=6

Brazil – Animal Adventures for Kids

Download link: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/app/brazil-animal-adventures-for/id882742723?mt=8&uo=6