Best Apps for Education
Paper by 53
Paper by 53 is a free drawing application. When you purchase the free app you are given a calligraphy pen and an eraser for free. Additionally you have the option to purchase other tools such as a water color paintbrush, pencils, pens, markers, and the option to mix and chose your own colors instead of using the preselected color palette. This application makes drawing and writing easy. When paired with a stylus this is a great application for students to use to draw diagrams, take notes, etc.
Noteshelf costs $5.99 at the App Store and it is by far the best note-taking app I have come across. I personally use Noteshelf to take notes during lectures. You have the option of writing with pencils, ballpoint pens, or calligraphy pens. You can type your notes, or hand write. You can insert images into the page, and when working with images or hand writing/diagrams you can use the "cut" tool to select parts of an image/drawing and re-size/rotate them as needed.
TogetherLearn
TogetherLearn
TogetherLearn uses videos from Khan Academy as well as National Geographic and other educational resources to provide a platform where students can watch a video together as well as annotate the video and communicate through their device's webcam and microphones as they explore a particular concept together.
Assistive Communication apps
There is a wide variety of applications designed for students with limited communication skills that allow them to communicate their needs. Many of these apps range in price from free to try (limited features) to hundreds of dollars. Most applications are very similar in the way they function, however the varying interfaces of the applications can make a huge difference for the student using it. One very popular application isProloquo2Go. Check out this amazing story!
There is a wide variety of applications designed for students with limited communication skills that allow them to communicate their needs. Many of these apps range in price from free to try (limited features) to hundreds of dollars. Most applications are very similar in the way they function, however the varying interfaces of the applications can make a huge difference for the student using it. One very popular application isProloquo2Go. Check out this amazing story!
Showme and Educreations are two very similar free apps that allow you to use your ipad as a whiteboard while you speak into the microphone explaining a particular concept. Students can then watch your lesson on their own. This is great for a flipped classroom model where the students can watch your lesson at home and come in to class ready to apply the concept. This is also a great differentiation tool for students who can watch lessons at home for additional reinforcement of concepts. These apps also allow you to share your lessons with others and view lessons that have been created.
The Common Core App is a great (free!) resource for teachers that allow you to have a quick and organized access to all of the common core standards.
iDOCEO
I discovered this app as a helpful tool to help myself keep track of the (very many) groups and classes I am working with as a special education student teacher. It is invaluable for any teacher! iDoceo allows you to keep track of your daily and weekly schedule and keep class lists (As many as you need!). For every class you can set up several different seating charts, keep track of attendence, homework, grades for various assignments, and notes on behavior or other patterns you may be noticing with your students. You are able to keep individual student profiles for each student in your class which allows you to insert a photo, parent contact information, and any other student-specific notes you might want to keep. This app also serves as a planner in addition to a scheduler, seating chart, gradebook, and more. At $6.99 this app isn't cheap but worth every penny!
I discovered this app as a helpful tool to help myself keep track of the (very many) groups and classes I am working with as a special education student teacher. It is invaluable for any teacher! iDoceo allows you to keep track of your daily and weekly schedule and keep class lists (As many as you need!). For every class you can set up several different seating charts, keep track of attendence, homework, grades for various assignments, and notes on behavior or other patterns you may be noticing with your students. You are able to keep individual student profiles for each student in your class which allows you to insert a photo, parent contact information, and any other student-specific notes you might want to keep. This app also serves as a planner in addition to a scheduler, seating chart, gradebook, and more. At $6.99 this app isn't cheap but worth every penny!
Story Creator
This is a GREAT app for beginning and/or struggling writers. I have used this app with a second grade student with significant delays in literacy. With this app you can type (OR: use speech-to-text!) to write one or two sentences on each page. Then you can draw on that page or add a picture to illustrate. The best feature is that you can let the student record themselves reading the page. With some fiddling, you can match the recording to each word so that when the student goes back to read their book they can touch a word they are struggling with and hear themselves read it. Best of all, this app is FREE- can't beat free!
This is a GREAT app for beginning and/or struggling writers. I have used this app with a second grade student with significant delays in literacy. With this app you can type (OR: use speech-to-text!) to write one or two sentences on each page. Then you can draw on that page or add a picture to illustrate. The best feature is that you can let the student record themselves reading the page. With some fiddling, you can match the recording to each word so that when the student goes back to read their book they can touch a word they are struggling with and hear themselves read it. Best of all, this app is FREE- can't beat free!