App Review: iTunes U

 iTunes U

(Currently Free) 

Basics: iTunes U has LOTS of curriculum material created by educators categorized by subject area, submitting institution, and grade level.  All the material is vetted through the submitting organizations, mostly Colleges, Universities and K-12 Education groups.  There is a Beyond Campus area that also has materials from museums, libraries (think Library of Congress!), and other educationally minded organizations.  Best of all - all material is available for  FREE.

Educational Use: iTunes U is all about education as a majority of the information has been created by educational institutions.  Find the material needed to introduce, reinforce or supplement topics you are teaching about.  If you are in a situation where your students have the devices, as a teacher you can now push out the material you choose within iTunes U to the student devices using a common Apple Account (as long as students leave it logged into that account... Please note: don't share the account password with students as it is an account that works in the App Store, iTunes and iBooks!!)

Drawbacks in Education: The biggest drawback used to be that it was housed inside the iTunes Music Store.  But, now that it is available as a separate app on mobile devices it takes away the fears that tech departments had in having iTunes open to access iTunes U when in a controlled environment

Cross posted at WaffleBytes

A Fact Everyday - 365 Fun Facts for Kids by Applicable2U

  A Fact Everyday – 365 Fun Facts for Kids

by Wombi Production

How many readers out there drink Snapple to quench their thirst, but also drink it because you feel as though you gain random knowledge under the cap?  If you answered yes, then why not save the calories and drink water.  With a simple download  from the iTunes App Store to your Apple device, those random facts can still be acquired for a one time introductory price of $1.99. Recently launched at the beginning of this month,  A Fact Everyday – 365 Fun Facts for Kids by Wombiapps can cause you and your child(ren) to begin wondering.  Designed for your mobile device running iOS 4.3 or later, fact enthusiasts will gain knowledge on animals, people and the world around us.  Through the use of clever illustrations, professionally recorded narration and a simple layout, the app name shouldn’t just say for kids, but for everyone.

A Fact Everyday can be viewed in three languages: English, Swedish and Danish.  Make it apart of your daily routine to turn on your mobile device not to check email or to surf the internet, but to learn a new and random fact each day. Visits can be done daily, or can be done as if going back in time.  With a simple tap of the screen, a user friendly drop down menu will appear.  This menu will provide young and old learners with access to several icons: a heart, date/calendar, star and a bookmark.  As facts are visited, those that you “want to share with others” can be tagged by a heart.  Sharing of a particular fact(s) can be done through an email or via Facebook.  If a fact really makes an impact and needs revisiting, then click the “star”.  All facts that have been starred will be placed in a hanging bookmark and can be viewed anytime or as the year draws to an end.

On February 7th, the day we were introduced to this fun filled app, we learned that “the world’s smallest frog can fit inside a thimble.”  How many people can say they knew that?  Does it get you wondering more about this small creature?  As a teacher, as I was reviewing this application, I was constantly coming back to the question, “How can these daily and random facts extend one step further as I teach my students to develop their21st century skills?  Immediately, a web resource called Wonderopolis came to mind.  As the educational app, A Fact Everyday – 365 Fun Facts for Kids looks to spark curiosity and to bring out the inquisitive side of a child, Wonderopolis’ goal is is quite the same.  Wonderopolis states on their About page, that it is “a place where wonder and learning are nurtured through the power of discovery, creativity and imagination.”  How fitting that as facts are shared daily via your mobile device, that it can then be possiblyfurther explored, if so desired, with an online free resource.  What connections to the curriculum might this random fact have?  If a connection can be made, Wonderopolis might have supplemental content, videos, vocabulary or lesson plan ideas to support that fact.  The possibilities are endless!

As you would rip off a page from a desk calendar, or turn wooden numbered blocks, this fact calendar will spark something new in your family or classroom.  Regardless of how you choose to use A Fact Everyday – 365 Fun Facts for Kids,  learning is happening.  You may not be collecting points, unlocking new levels or obtaining rewards in a “gaming” like format to reinforce skills, but you are left to wonder what will come next or to ask the beloved question of why!  If you would like to learn more about Wombi Productions, please click here to visit their website.  To lock in on the introductory price of $1.99 for A Fact Everyday – 365 Fun Facts for Kids then click here to access it from your  iTunes library before it returns to its normal price of $2.99.

Reviewers website: www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

Murky Reef Lite - Grade 1-2 Reading, Science and Math

 Murky Reef Lite

by Frolyc

As the instructional technology specialist for my building, grades 3-5, I am constantly questioning myself and those that I collaborate with. A common question that I find myself asking, “is the approach or unit/lesson “true” technology integration which will meet a variety of curriculum standards?”  Good integration can occur in a variety of ways, the latest being the impact that the mobile market as on education.  Through our PLN (professional learning network) via Twitter, Murky Reef Lite by developers Frolyc came highly recommended and Applicable2U needed to know if in fact it was applicable to you.  Designed for those with an iPad device running iOS 4.3 or later, downloaders (parents/educators) and aquatic learners will find this cross-curricular app very engaging as it enhances ones thinking skills and implements a variety of 21st century skills. Without even realizing it, this educational app has seamlessly incorporated a multitude of age appropriate skills and academic areas into one.

Frolyc is a proud member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers.  As stated on their website, Frolyc aimes to create apps that will put users to the test as they learn through questioning, exploring and yes, even frolicking in unusual places.  Murky Reef was built with Bloom’s Taxonomy in mind, which means as your child or students use this application,  they will be building their knowledge of the ocean, supported for comprehension, encouraged to analyze and to apply their knowledge through a number of activities.  We were very impressed with their informative website and the process that was put in place when creating Murky Reef – both versions: lite and the in-app upgrade for $3.99.  With so many states moving towards a new set of standards, the Common Core Standards, educators will be pleased to see that their children’s “gaming” will in fact meet some of the math and language arts standards for children ages 4-10.

Put your scuba gear on as your elementary student will be introduced to a various sea life creatures in the imaginary waters of Murky Reef.  Through the use of very clear and concise tutorials, pictorial supports, pleasurable characters, animation and sound effects, ones curiosity will be sparked.  Unlike most “lite” versions, Murky Reef does in fact provide users with a good amount of content.  The lite version will give users access to 6 cross curricular areas: Number Sense, Spot Rhyming Words, Greater Than, “Not In” Letter, Addition 1-10 and a comprehension quiz.  However, in the full upgrade, users will be given a total of 22 games as it builds on vocabulary, sight words, word synthesis, number patterns and sentence structure/composition to name just a few.  Regardless of which version is downloaded to your mobile device, along with interactive graphics and audio,  users will also have access to informative text and safe videos as they explore such science topics as: the coral reef ecosystem, habitat and prey/predator relationships, and an introduction to sharks, pufferfish, cleaner fish and many more.

While scouring the murky seas, your objective is to stop Ogee, the unfriendly Shark.  With each level completed, players will earn fish rewards that can be manipulated in “creature play” mode.  With 18 different sea creatures to collect, their fish tank will be filled with the schools of fish that they have saved.  To learn more about those schools saved, drag them over your submarine and a pop up textbox will appear. A note to the developers –  since this is an educational app for children as young as 4, might it be possible to include a reading option of this informational text if the application is being used independently.  As the “Attack” and “Creature” modes are designed for the players, developers have also included a little something for parents and/or educators.  With a simple tap of our four-eyed turtle friend in the lower right hand corner, parents and educators will have access to a very detailed report of how a user is doing.  Reports will share the number of attempts made in each “Attack” mode and the percentage of correct answers.  In addition, it will provide a break down of skills based on: comprehension, logical reasoning, language arts and math. Another suggestion for a future update might be to put a lock mode on our turtle friend as this information is most important to the parents and/or educator  as it can guide them for future instruction and support.

Applicable2U was very impressed with our Twitter find and would definitely give it a five star rating.  Making cross curricular connections in multiple platforms and educational environments is critical.  Those questioning whether to implement a 1:1 iPad pilot program or even to purchase for personal home usage need to see the educational connections that developers like Frolyc are making.  If you would like to learn more about Frolyc, please visit theirwebsite here.  To begin exploring Murky Reef Lite, simply click here to access via your iTunes library.  However, if interested in the full version, simply click here.

Reviewers website: www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

iVocAudio - Your Memory Chum! by Applicable2U

iVocAudio
    By Jean-Eudes Lepelletier

Do you want to learn a new language?  Interested in creating a study guide to prepare for a test?  If you answered yes to either of these two questions, then you will want to download iVocAudio for your iPhone or iPad device. As of today, iVocAudio is a free download, so be sure to take advantage of this amazing offer before it’s too late.  It is an application that is customizable for your own learning needs.  With built in Quick Start Guides, video tutorials and various viewing options, voice recording flash cards could not be more simple to create. Developers chose to design this application so that it would function in three languages: English, French and Turkish. Integration of iVocAudio is the 21st Century way of reviewing and reinforcing skills.  The need to hand write your study notes for educational or personal reasons is now taken out of the equation and your voice becomes the main tool.  Whether you are a teacher, student or parent, this application is applicable to you.

Through our exploration, Applicable2U can envision iVocAudio fitting nicely within an educational setting as early as late primary to college and beyond.  Learning, reviewing or reinforcement occurs with the creation of folders and recordings of pairs.  Amazingly, students both young and old can feel independent as they build and experience this mobile learning application.  As you begin, a user will want to click the folder tab, simply tap the “+” button and you now have the option to generate a new folder name.  Folders are the placeholders that store questions/answers or as iVocAudio likes to call them, pairs.  As we tested this educational application, Applicable2U chose to build a folder called United States. Throughout the course of the year, fourth graders are required to know the regions of the United States, state names and their capitals being one component of their social studies curriculum. With this in mind, we chose our first set of pairs to be named: Question – State and Answer - Capital.  This is a folder that could be continuously added too and revisited throughout the school year.

After creating a folder, recording can now begin.  Pairs are added to individual folders in a very visual and intuitive manner.  Within the recording tab, users will see a number of visuals.  For example, a large “Q” and an “A” are center stage.  At the bottom of this window, there appears to be a watch like icon that stores the number of pairs, the REC button and a pair name.  When ready, simply click the REC button, the “Q” will be bold as the “A” is transparent.  A bolded “Q” or “A” indicates what the user should record.  Once recorded, simply click the STOP button.  At the completion of recording, users can then begin to “test” themselves.  If interested, users can even change how they attempt their test(s).  Within the general settings tab, many options can be altered.  For example, users can set answers to be announced after 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 seconds or not automated at all.  Also sorting can be manipulated as well has the direction of ones test from Q>A or A>Q.  Once these options have been manipulated, users can then click the test button at the bottom of the screen.  Testing begins as a user drags and drops the four way directional button to the flashing “Q” or “A”.  A user is expected to answer the question on their own and then check their answer.  After a comparison is done on your answer users are then expected to drag the directional button to either the green circle indicating a correct answer or the red circle at the bottom indicating an incorrect answer.

Concerned about mistakes that students might make while recording, not to worry, iVocAudio has an answer for that. Click the Pair button and users can listen and delete pairs as necessary.  When viewing all pairs within a folder, we noticed that users can test themselves at most 5 times.  Visually pairs explain whether they have been explored with a question mark or a colored in bubble.  If at the end of five testing experiences a user finds that they need more review, they would simply go into the folder tab and hit the reset button.  Whether the folder provided a positive or negative experience, the learning can continue until mastery is maintained.  In addition, by clicking a pair, users and even parents/teachers can see the number of successes, failures and the maximum number of successes in a row. Academically, reporting in some fashion and being held accountable for ones learning is critical in any good educational application.

There are a number of components that iVocAudio has to offer that intrigue Applicable2U.  The possibilities that this educational app has to offer is overwhelming.  Besides being able to build, record and test yourself on the go, users can even test their own peers.  After creating a folder and its coordinating pairs, that folder can be exported and shared with other users via the iVocAudio website, iTunes library or email.  Currently, there are a number of other iVocAudio users who have posted their folder(s) for others to use.  As more people become familiar with this mode of learning and reviewing this forum of sharing will continuously grow. It is a great way for teachers to support each other across the curriculum.  Whether you are learning a new language, reinforcing a part of the social studies or science curriculum, or even spelling out and reading grade level sight words, iVocAudio would definitely come in handy in school and at home.  If you would like to learn more about iVocAudio, please visit their website here.   Looking to do a little review on the go, then you will want to begin downloading iVocAudio to your iTunes library here.

Reviewers website: www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

Basic Cloze Practice and Advanced Cloze Practice by Applicable2U

Basic Cloze and Advanced Cloze Practice

Having been in a variety of school districts since graduating, I am amazed at the number of strategies that a teacher incorporates to teach his/her students to read. Of those techniques, how often do you find yourself incorporating the cloze procedure? The significance of this strategy are astounding. If unfamiliar with this term, it can be defined as a “multifunctional strategy, which can be used for reading diagnosis and reading comprehension instruction.” Diagnostically, teachers use this technique as a way to understand how the reader utilizes the context of a passage or sentence in order to understand the meaning of the text. Instructionally, the cloze procedure develops a students inferential comprehension. In a nutshell, it forces the learner to activate background knowledge while looking for context clues and making reasonable inferences. Happily, eSkills Learning can now say that there is an app for that!! Recently launched to the Apple Store, the cloze procedure can be reinforced with of course, a Bingo game. With two simple downloads, Basic Cloze Practice and Advanced Cloze Practice will guide users both individually and within a group.

Basic Cloze Practice – One of the most important skills that a student can acquire as they learn to read is the ability to use semantic and syntactic clues to build comprehension.   This educational app is designed to guide those reading at a 1.0-3.9 reading level according to Spache and Dale-Chall Readability Formulas. Through three forms of game play (single, multiplayer and practice mode), struggling readers to developing readers will be challenged.  It was developed to work on all Apple devices, however, with the power of the iPad, group instruction can take a whole new approach.   While meeting the Common Core Standards as one explores and learns, it might be interesting to see the integration of the “practice mode” of this educational app within a multi-ability group or done as a read aloud strategy for the whole class.  Simply connect your iPad to a large screen as students benefit from participating collaboratively irrespective of their reading levels.  As the class collaborates, various discussions can be had as you navigate through each passage and the choices allowing those less confident readers to bring forth their prior knowledge as the more proficient reader provides the necessary scaffolding to process the text.  By initially setting the tone of the cloze procedure collaboratively, students will be encouraged to take risks.  In addition, it will guide others to see what good readers do when processing print – reading ahead, rereading, predicting on the basis of meaning, and/or testing out possible options.  Once the support and strategies are set in place, users can then attempt to practice their new knowledge as a single player or with a friend if multiple Apple devices are available.  For additional teacher support, eSkills Learning offers a Teacher’s Guide for additional situations that their application can apply, click here to read more.

Advanced Cloze Practice – Do you happen to have a classroom of varying reading levels?  In need of additional support for your “high flyers?”  eSkills Learning has thought of that!  The next in the reading series, Advanced Cloze Practice, guides those at a 4.0-6.9 reading level.  In this app, reading passages are much longer and vocabulary can certainly be more challenging.  As users explore and learn, they too should take into consideration those strategies that a good reader uses, along with skills learned during Word Study to decode unknown words.  As with the Basic Cloze Practice, this series can be played in three modes and game boards will change with each experience, however, the types of deletion will be slightly different. Educators, parents or users will notice the deletion of such things as: parts of speech, sequence, antonyms and synonyms.  To support their users and the proper integration of such mobile learning, educators or parents can access the Teacher’s Guide by clicking here.

Although this application series may be tagged as “reading”, it is in fact cross curricular.  Users will notice that passages fall into all content areas and integration can happen throughout a lesson and/or a unit.   If you are looking to game for a reason, then begin downloading whichever series fits your classroom’s learning needs from your iTunes library here – Basic Cloze Practice and Advanced Cloze Practice. If you want to learn more about eSkills Learning, then be sure to visit their website here.

Reviewers website - www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

Lifecards

Lifecards
by Vivid Apps

Lets give our students or child(ren) opportunities to be creative.  A child’s day to day life in the classroom is so structured and provides little opportunities to showcase their creative side and to have fun.  However, with the integration of technology and mobile learning, fun is back in business!  Applicable2U randomly stumbled upon this educational app and couldn’t be happier.  Lifecards is a multi-purpose app for teachers, parents and students.  As Applicable2U begins to explore any app, our first thought is how can this fit into my curriculum or daily life?

Lifecards is just as the name says, they are cards that anyone can make that deal with your daily life.  With the help of various templates, users can now create newspapers, scrapbook like pages, holiday cards, birthday or party invitations, stationery, and announcements are just some of the amazing things this app has to offer.  My teacher brain is now screaming CURRICULUM, CURRICULUM!!!  Our fourth grade studies national landmarks and monuments which is incorporated with letter writing. Students are expected to use a graphic organizer to collect research via books and online resources.  Their research is then shared through a friendly letter to their teacher via a template that is designed by the instructional technology specialist in iWorks: Pages.   Technology, yes!  But lacks creativity.  Today’s exploration of Lifecards has changed our typical end product!

Lifecards is accessible on both the iPad and the iTouch. Once in the app, select a category and an appropriate template,  user will have a variety of options.  Text boxes can be manipulated by adding additional boxes for content, changing font style, color and size.  Photos can be added once imported into your Photo Library.  In addition, photos can be altered with various affects such as: grayscale, sepia, and comic.  Speech bubbles, stickers and additional text boxes can also be incorporated and manipulated to fit the page based on its size and rotation.  Cards can be trashed or saved by a distinct name and added to your “My Cards” folder.  Yes, the iTouch experience was a bit tedious due to the small screen, but still positive. We are excited for the arrival of our new iPad2 and how Lifecards can be incorporated further in the classroom and its larger screen.  If a classroom has a 1:1 situation, connect student iPads to a projector and have students present their Lifecard to the whole class.  The possibilities are endless!  So how can a classroom then share out their end product?  This is where I was afraid that Applicable2U was going to be disappointed, DEFINITELY NOT!!  We were pleasantly surprised! Sharing of your final product like a postcard or class newsletter can be done via email as a PDF, added to Facebook, Flickr and  Twitter if  incorporating as a classroom tool.  Well done, Vivid Apps!

If you are a classroom teacher that has Apple devices, or a parent that likes to design various types of cards, then Applicable2U thinks Lifecards applies to you!  If you would like to learn more about Vivid Apps, be sure to visit theirwebsite.  The $1.99 that you will spend to download Lifecards from your iTunes library is well worth the money and you can start creating your own real “life” cards today.

Reviewers website: www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

iLiveGrammar Winter by Applicable2U

iLiveGrammar Winter
by iHomeEducator

Being that I live in the Northeastern part of the United States and winters are usually difficult, as a teacher I am constantly hearing my colleagues say, “How am I going to fit in X, Y and Z? With all these snow days, there just isn’t enough time.”  The solution to this problem….. combine curricular areas into one and iHomeEducator is doing just that by developing apps as it relates to grammar, math, and science.

Todays review is specifically on iLiveGrammar Winter. It seemed fitting with all the unfortunate snow that we have received since the New Year    It is my hope that in the coming months, that a team of teachers and I will write a grant with the intent of getting iPads in our school.  It is my mission to find appropriate applications that can be implemented to teach, reinforce and guide those struggling learners.  I believe I have found it in iHomeEducator.

As you enter iLiveGrammar Winter series, you immediately notice the amazing photographs.  Within this series there are 4 levels of learning.  Lesson 1: Nouns and Verbs, Lesson 2: Adjectives and Adverbs, Lesson 3: Nouns, Conjunctions, & Prepositions, Lesson 4: Review.  This app can be applied in so many ways in the classroom.

Scenario 1 – if you have iTouches, students can either be paired together or work individually depending on the number of iTouches.  Grouping can be based on the type of lesson that each group requires.  A classroom could have multiple lessons occurring at one time.  Keyword here is differentiated instruction.  The user(s) are given a sentence and one word is highlighted in yellow.  By clicking on the question mark, students should select what type of part of speech the highlighted word is and click done.  A reinforcement box will indicate if they selected the correct answer.  As they continue in that lesson, you will notice in the upper right hand corner a recording sheet of how the user is doing.  A nice feature which can guide further instruction for the teacher as well as educational indicators for a parent which can be emailed to the necessary parties.  These reports are details explaining the sentence that was presented, which word was highlighted and how they responded (right or wrong).  Nice touch!!!

You might also notice  a TV icon, this is a reward or incentive for the user.  Within the iTouch or iPad’s settings you can set when these incentives appear within the application.  What are the incentives you might ask?  They are scientific and topic related based on the iHomeEducator series- for this app the focus is on Winter. So there will be links to such things as: winter solstice, polar bears, snowflake, precipitation and winter storms.  You will also notice that the sentences are topic related as well to winter.  Through development of parts of speech and the implementation of science, teachers are now opening up additional conversations and discussions.  Not only can student answer the specific questions, but as they earn incentives they could have a What Did You Learn? sheet so that they are held accountable for their learning while enjoying the science curriculum.

Scenario 2: if you have iPads in your classroom this also lends nicely to a classroom setting.  Connect your iPad to a VGA adapter and work as a group with the LCD projector.  Use the iLiveGrammar Winter series as a way to enter into a particular topic such as parts of speech and those science topics.

I was truly impressed with the unlimited amount of sentences that are stored within this app.  Each time a student returns, the experience can be different.  There appeared to be very little repetition of sentences.  I happen to iLove this application and intend to share it with my colleagues.  If you too would like to learn more about iHomeEducator be sure to visit them here.  Or you can go to iTunes and begin downloading the various series today!

Reviewers website: www.applicable2u.wordpress.com