I Education Apps Reviewhttp://www.iear.org/iear/en-US2010-03-12T13:14:25ZSquarespace Site Server v5.9.2 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Possibilities for the iPad?http://www.iear.org/iear/2010/3/10/possibilities-for-the-ipad.htmlI Education Apps Review2010-03-10T13:54:54ZThis video shows some of the potential from the iPad.  What are your thoughts?

]]>APP REVIEWERS WANTED!http://www.iear.org/iear/2010/3/5/app-reviewers-wanted.htmlI Education Apps Review2010-03-05T15:30:38ZBloggers IEAR Site Related Request Reviewers Want Ad I Education Apps Review (IEAR) is looking for dedicated educational bloggers to contribute monthly reviews of current educational apps available in the iTunes store. Additionally, IEAR is interested in having blog posts regarding classroom uses of iPhones, Touches, or iPads contributed regularly. 

Additionally, If you are a passionate classroom teacher or administrator who would like to share your thoughts, ideas and insights into how iPhone/ iPod Touch / iPad applications can be used in the classroom setting, join our online community (http://ieducationappsreview.ning.com/) and begin to share what you are doing (or want to do) in your classroom with iPhone, Touch, and iPad apps! 

If you are interested in signing up to become an IEAR blogger/reviewer, look over the complete details below.
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Link to Submit Application to be a Reviewer: http://tinyurl.com/IEAR-AppReviewer

Commitment: One blog post per month (App Review or Instructional Practices)

Benefits:  
  • Contribute to an educational community dedicated to making a difference!
  • Support your fellow educators in their efforts to infuse mobile technology in the classroom.
  • Develop rapport with application developers and designers in an effort to improve educational apps.
  • Opportunity for Redeem Codes and Free Apps!
Cost: Only your time and expertise.

Payment: Free - Volunteer Work - A sense of accomplishment and feeling that you are making a difference.

Copyright:  Your reviews are your property but they are published on the IEAR site under an open Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 license. We highly encourage you to cross post your review to your own blog as well.  As an official reviewer, you can use the IEAR logos, name, and information created in any of your own personal work.  This is a community and not an individual effort.

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Disclaimer:  I Education Apps Review's goal and or focus is to take a look at practical, useful, and educationally sound ways to use the IPhone or ITouch in the classroom. The IPhone, ITouch and other similar devices are amazing pieces of technology. We believe that these devices have a place in today's classroom as long as they are utilized properly.

We do not intend to bash application developers or their applications with our reviews. We intend to take a closer look at these educationally marketed applications in the education category or the educational / game category in the iTunes Store to make a determination as to the value of their impact in education. We would also like to expand a little beyond this category and talk about applications not marketed as educational to see if they can make an impact in the classroom.

Readers and viewers are reminded that the opinions expressed by us at I Education Apps Review or IEAR.org, and the results published in connection with reviews carried out on these educational apps are confined to, and representative of, our opinions solely. We fully accept that others may completely disagree with our recommendations and grades. As always, more than one opinion is important.

Furthermore, our opinions at IEAR.org are ours alone and they do not represent our employers in any fashion. However, no warranty is made as to disclaimer the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site IEAR.org accepts no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or errors and omissions, or for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the accessing or use of any information posted on our website.

If we make a mistake or have any inaccuracies, we promise to diligently fix them, but please note that we have only positive intentions with our reviews!
]]>100 SciFi Stories and more ... E-Books!http://www.iear.org/iear/2010/3/4/100-scifi-stories-and-more-e-books.htmlI Education Apps Review2010-03-05T01:55:01ZE-Books High School Middle School Science FictionGreat example of how E-Books are taking off on Mobile Devices. Check out this new app that was shared with us via Twitter: http://twitter.com/vanishingpoint/statuses/10001933239 ... Thanks @Vanishingpoint! Further research on this resource from, "http://www.288vroom.com/" shows that they have more short stories besides Science Fiction as well. Wow ... there is a lot of content there!

Direct Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/100-scifi-stories/id346641599?mt=8

Description: 100 SciFi Stories is a huge library of out of this world Science Fiction stories you will love and ONLY SciFi. With currently 100 stories (and more on the way) including Short Stories, Novelettes, and Full-Length Novels, 100 SciFi Stories will keep you reading for light years to come. As you look over this app, I would like to hear back from you on the quality of the app and your thoughts on E-Books as well. Why would you buy a Kindle or Nook when you get can get all of those books and more with their iPhone / Touch App?

 

Screenshot

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]]>IEAR - Presenation at ICE 2010http://www.iear.org/iear/2010/2/25/iear-presenation-at-ice-2010.htmlI Education Apps Review2010-02-25T07:34:14ZICE 2010 Presentation conference

Fantastic Resource from TCEA: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t-4kMuXdRwOii1ENhNHz0SQ&output=html

Please add an app to our IEAR Wall: http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/iear-ice2010 - Just go to the link and double click the website, add your thoughts.

Apps displayed:

Some Unique Apps:

]]>Excellent Resourcehttp://www.iear.org/iear/2010/2/24/excellent-resource.htmlI Education Apps Review2010-02-24T18:28:31ZICE 2010 conferenceKaren Thompson is presenting at ICE again this year.  She is a member of the I Education Apps Ning.  Try and attend her sessions as she is fantastic!

Links:

  1. http://myiltce.ning.com/profile/Karen
  2. http://ieducationappsreview.ning.com/profile/Karen
  3. http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/techservices/projects/2452/?b=902&mod=8155
  4. Apple Interchange: http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/search.php?text=Karen+Thompson
  5. http://ice.typepad.com/spice/2009/06/google-squared.html
]]>“Apps For Kids”: Featured Items in iTunes This Weekhttp://www.iear.org/iear/2010/2/17/apps-for-kids-featured-items-in-itunes-this-week.htmlMichael from edu.Mac.nation2010-02-18T00:21:11ZEarly Elementary EduMacNation Kindergarten ToddlerCrossposted from edu.Mac.nation @ edumacnation.com

Originally posted on 2/16/10

appsforkids.png

Starting this morning you should see a button toward the top of your iPhone/iPod Touch App Store “New” Featured Apps section that says, “Apps for Kids”. Pictured above is a screenshot I took of the button. Apple has compiled a set of applications that they believe are great for kids. There seems to be a healthy balance between skilled based educational games as well as a fun dose of entertainment applications (ex: Doodle Jump). There are some insanely popular apps mixed with lesser known applications.

This “Apps for Kids” feature is similar to the “Apps for Toddlers” feature back in October. Only this time the age range is obviously reaches higher (into elementary school) and it seems as if the total number of applications listed is a bit more than what Apple posted in the fall.

Below are some specific applications that I have purchased for my own kids and some I have reviewed or mentioned here on edu.Mac.nation…

 To see the applications in iTunes click on the title links or the images:

FirstWords: Animals

firstwords.png

This was one of the earliest applications that I reviewed here.

http://www.edumacnation.com/2009/03/toddlerwords/

My son still loves “making” words with this app. It is easy to use for a small child and certainly is a must have for parents of a toddler entering Pre-K or Kindergarten.

Wheels on the Bus

wheels.png

Wheels on the Bus was featured here back in March of 2009…

http://www.edumacnation.com/2009/03/newtoddlerapps/

I get a kick out of going back and listening to some of the old recorded sections of the “Wheels on the Bus” song. Hearing my son’s voice from almost a year ago on some of the portions melts my heart a little (sappy… I know.)

Voices

voices.png

My son and I get a lot of laughs from this application. From the day we first bought it we started recording little bits of our conversations together. I would ask my son questions and he would respond. Sometimes the questions were silly and other times they were simple, “How are you doing today?”. At the end of each silly sounding recording you can hear my son grab the phone and ask to hear what we just recorded played back. We both love the “Witness” effect.

Preschool Music

preschoolmusic.png

Out of all of the applications my son has on my old (deactivated) iPhone this is the one that annoys my wife the most. I find it hilarious. It is very cute but there are some song parts that loop over and over again. Any child under the age of 3 (as well as Dads too) will love this app.

Preschool Arcade

preschoolarcade.png

This is another application I wrote about back in March of 2009…

http://www.edumacnation.com/2009/03/newtoddlerapps/

I have always liked how the “Preschool” series of applications allows for my son to make selective choices between the different components of the application. My son has specific parts he may like one week and then all of the sudden a month later he might use another “arcade” part of the app. Applications like this do not get old and have a much longer shelf (screen) life than some single function apps.

Preschool Adventure

preschooladven.png

Again, another application that is part of what I call the “Preschool” series. I wrote about this application back in January of 2009 as well…

http://www.edumacnation.com/2009/01/applications-my-2-year-old-loves/

Many of the sentiments I mentioned above regarding “Preschool Arcade” can be restated for this application. You really cannot go wrong with any of these “Preschool” apps!

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox

preschool.png

This application works on many of the skills my son uses daily in Preschool. It teaches colors, letters, counting, shapes, differences, and matching. The best part for my son are the little rewards he earns as he finishes each section. The navigation is super simple and the artwork is engaging and lively!

KidCalc

kidcalc.png

KidCalc is an application that just gets better and better over time. New sections seem to be added with every new update and the options for customization are superb.

What do you think?

So those are a few of the applications I like from Apple’s list.

What would be some of your picks?

What do you think is missing?

Feel free to comment below and don’t forget to check out the new edu.Mac.nation page on Facebook!

]]>Recommendations at METC 2010 - SMeech.nethttp://www.iear.org/iear/2010/2/12/recommendations-at-metc-2010-smeechnet.htmlI Education Apps Review2010-02-12T08:21:22ZConference Recommendations SMeechPresentation:

Screenshot of Recommended Apps:

]]>Will my middle school kids get challenged or get overwhelmed?http://www.iear.org/iear/2010/2/9/will-my-middle-school-kids-get-challenged-or-get-overwhelmed.htmlI Education Apps Review2010-02-10T05:00:04ZWhy not connect students with the open source Stanford University Application Development Winter 2010 class?



I will be sharing this with my middle school tech team students just to see if something sticks. If you look at the first video, the first 20 minutes is embedded in the actual class and how it will be run at Stanford. The how to content begins after that. It'd be interesting to see what the students could do and if they would be intimidated or excited about following along with Stanford University class.

Here is the link to the iTunes podcast: http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/itunes.stanford...

]]>IEAR Presentation - NICE - 1/30/2010http://www.iear.org/iear/2010/1/31/iear-presentation-nice-1302010.htmlI Education Apps Review2010-01-31T17:31:52ZIEAR News and Info IEAR Site Related PresentationResources will be linked at the bottom.  I will add voice comments shortly.  Please feel free to add your own comments as well.

Presentation Link: http://jss38.ed.voicethread.com/share/879879/

Links and Resources in Order of Appearance (I will add this evening):

]]>Notes on Presentation at NICE from Beth Burke on IEAR by Scott Meechhttp://www.iear.org/iear/2010/1/31/notes-on-presentation-at-nice-from-beth-burke-on-iear-by-sco.htmlI Education Apps Review2010-01-31T15:15:39ZIEAR Site Related Scott Meech conferenceThanks for taking notes.  I will post the presentation shortly....

 

Beth Burke's notes from presentation at NICE about the IEAR movement...

Accessories

  • plug that goes in car lighter to go through radio does not work well
  • Podium - sits up on desktop and holds iPod or iPhone while you work
  • Connectors - displays video from iPod...something coming, can hook up to musical instruments
  • Carts - Bretford cart - espensive, but is it worth it? Less expensive way to sync multiple iPod Touches in a USB hub...takes more time, but much less expensive.  With the Bretford cart, you can just buy the drawer, not the entire cart.
  • QUESTION - is there a way to sync so all apps show up in the same place?
  • iType - Put device right inside and it syncs from there - extends actual device into a full-sized one
  • Mobicip - filter for iPod/iPhone
  • Can set restrictions on device itself (set for NC-17 or lower so can't see the apps in the store at all)
  • iNet SafetyBubble - another Parental Control Internet Filter, but expensive - $19.99 (Syncing to lots of devices?  Only have to purchase it 1 time.  So, pay the $19.99 once and can sync it to hundreds of devices)
  • Bsecure - free internet safety device

Other Resources

  • ISTE has a special interest group SIGML (mobile learning)
  • Blog post - "Top 50 iPhone Apps for Educators" - http://oedb.org/library/features/top_50_iphones_for_educators
  • Some other apps mentioned:
    • GradePad - create rubric and give students grades
    • The Math Master - $0.99 - drill and practice math problems (created by 7th graders - see interview of Louie and Sam on iear.org website)
    • Numberline - place numbers (in diff formats) on number line
    • Classics - Downloads several classic novels and includes a reader
    • Library Thing
    • Story Kit - Kids can edit original stories (i.e., The Three Little Pigs)
    • Real Director - An actual video editor for the iPhone
    • Touch Goals
    • Joe's Goals
    • mobicip
    • Videora - program to install on computer to convert videos to be able to place on your iPod/iPhone

Other resources

  • Tony Vincent - Learning in Hand
  • Susan Wells - in Classroom 2.0 and on IEAR ning - her school went 1-to-1 with iPod Touches.
  • Acalanes UHSD School - lots of resources
  • mrcoley.com
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