I am head over heels for this new device! The iPad is obviously an amazing tool, but the endless possibilities can be a bit overwhelming at first. I read somewhere that if you plan to download and try at least 10 new apps a day - just for iPad, it would take you around 18 years to get through every app, assuming no new apps are every created during that time.
Luckily there is another way to browse apps. There are plenty of guides to help you narrow in on the apps that best fit your needs, my favorite is #1 on the list below, along with the official apple guide (link below). Before getting into the educational apps, I would highly suggest downloading a few "starter" apps, just to get an idea of what this groundbreaking technology is really capable of doing.
Here are my suggestions for the basic free apps to download first, along with a few fun and notable apps that any iPad owner should know about (if you are viewing this from your iPad, just click the link to download the app):
1. AppStart for iPad - an app to guide you through the apps. Also comes with a handy iPad 101 lesson.
2. Dropbox - 16G may seem like a lot, but once you load apps, and start actually using this device, you'll want to move your bigger files to a home computer.
3. Google Earth - this app is even more amazing on the iPad!
4. Any of the news apps are a must - NY Times, Washington Post, BBC, CNN, WSJ, Bloomberg, etc. ABC News is definitely worth looking at just because of the interface. The news is displayed on an interactive globe, and you can play any video story by clicking on the globe.
5. Pandora - the perfect radio. Tanya and I use this all of the time to play music for the kids, its easy to use, and with iPad the commercials are very sparse.
6. Amazon/Kindle Bookstore - iBooks (which comes on your iPad) is wonderfully interactive, but Amazon is way cheaper on some books, and has a much wider selection right now. Both are free.
7. Wunderlist - Free planner app.
8. Evernote - interactive notebad, record audio while typing, add pics/video to notes, sync with any type of computer.
9. Adobe Ideas or Procreate - create digital art, paint/draw/sketch on blank canvas, or on a photo. Procreate is amazing on iPad! And it is only free for a limited time, definitely worth it.
10. Epi - Epicurious interactive cookbook, endless recipes, beautiful photos.
11. Virtuoso - an iPad "piano" with options for sustain, true velocity, touch glow, and even key labels for practicing music. Newer version has ads at the top, old version has no adds but less features.
12. Fotopedia - explore a foreign place via this beautiful photo encyclopedia, you can even bookmark places and "plan a trip." Fotopedia Paris is lovely.
13. Find my iPhone - locates your iPad if lost/stolen. You can also clear all data remotely with this app, and make your iPad/iPhone beep loudly when reported lost/stolen.
14. PS Express - photoshop for iPad. Really neat tool for editing photos.
15. TED - if you haven't downloaded this already, go now!
16. iMovie - $4.99 to edit your videos, and make movies.
All of the apps I've listed are currently FREE (with the exception of iMovie) so dive in! Don't be afraid to download too many apps, you can always delete later. FYI: touch any icon and hold your finger down for two seconds to move/delete/re-arrange apps.
iPad User Guide Here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ipad-user-guide-for-ios-4-3/id423853345?mt=11&v0=CDM-US-DM-P0009217-160176&cp=em-P0009300-160599&sr=em
Post on educational apps coming soon! Get a head start by going here: http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/education.html
Veronica- Thanks for all this information! I have several of these already, but will add all the rest. There is so much information available it really is fun and exciting to explore. I hope more teachers start posting other sites that they find that they think are worth sharing.
ReplyDeleteYes Marci... I am not only looking forward for postings from teachers, but I am also dreaming about having feedback and comments. Thank you for yours!!
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