by Janice Friesen
Summertime is already slipping by. If you have an iPad there are some fun things you can do to learn about new apps for the coming school year. Find free apps to try out. Look at reviews of top apps. This article will share what I have found. I imagine you at the pool or on the beach with your iPad looking these things up and trying them out!
Finding Free Apps
1.
Download an app that will show you free apps every day! There are tons of free apps and free app finders. Here are a few:
- Free App Alert
- Free App Genie
- Monster Free Apps
- Hot App Finder
- appbzr (appbazaar)
There are lots more! You should be able to find some great apps. The app that you “purchase” for free will be in your App library and will always be free to you. If you have a whole class set of iPads this may be a way to find apps to recommend for the next school year.
2. Do a search in the App Store. On your iPhone or iPad find the App Store Icon (blue with a white A) and search for Free apps. I got over 100 apps when I put in the terms “free” “apps” and “reading”.
3. Go to the App Store and choose Categories. Then choose Books. You will find a list of books that you can put onto your iBook shelf. Many of them are free. There is also an Education Category to explore.
Recommended Free Apps
Here is a list of apps that I have downloaded for free:
- Dropbox - This is an app that can also work on a computer. With it you can have students turn in papers to you electronically to your computer.
- Google Earth - The earth looks amazing on an iPad and with your fingers you can manipulate it just like you did with the mouse on the computer.
- Exambusters - This looks like a fun way to learn English Vocabulary and root words.
- Edutecher - Use this app to keep you in touch with the many Social Networking sites that are popping up on the internet. It highlights and describes the site.
- TechChef4U - A teacher created this site as a way to help teachers find apps in an organized way.
- EarthCam - This app will lead you to cameras all over the world that are aimed at interesting things. You can use this for a writing project. Have the students find a place that they are curious about and go to the webcam and then write an imaginative story about what happens there based on the camera picture.
Other Lists of Recommended Apps
These sites recommend both free and for charge apps.
Janice Friesen is a self-employed teacher. Her business I’m not a Geek.com helps people to be successful using technology. Her searchable blog http://helpimnotageek.blogspot.com offers tips for successful use of technology. This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).
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