Virtual History: Roma by Mike Hall II

App Title:  Virtual History:  Roma 

Cost:  1-19 copies = $9.99

          20+ copies = $4.99 (through Apple’s Volume Purchasing Program)

Roma is one of the best history apps on the market (and why it is one of the most expensive).  Roma, as the full title suggests, contains many 3D objects which you can ‘manipulate’ with your fingers (zoom, turn, etc.).  It also has a “bubble” view of various locations.  “Bubble” view acts as if you were standing right in the middle of the Stabian Baths in Pompeii, for example.  If you move the iPad around, up and down, the screen acts like you are actually there looking around, taking in the scenery.  There are 3D maps you can push across and tap icons for further information.  The content of the app is historically accurate and the students will find it very engaging.  The dozens of images throughout the app are very high quality and give a rich overview of the ancient Roman Empire.  There are several photo galleries throughout the various topics as well.  The app is very user friendly with easy navigation by tapping on the orange topic or the orange bookmark icon in the top left corner.  Or you can simply swipe across the screen to go to the next topic.  The developers of this app have two other apps of the same build: The Last Supper and Firenze (Florence).  I cannot wait to get my fingers on those apps!  If you teach World History, you must buy this app!  It is worth every penny.

American Dreams and World History Documents by Mike Hall II

American Dreams and World History Documents by Multieducator, Inc. are wonderful primary resource apps for your History classes.  There are almost 500 documents (most full text), including dozens of audio and video segments for students to read, watch and listen to.  Do not make handouts anymore! The apps use the exact same format and are organized by topics and time periods, are very user friendly and navigation is a breeze.  Once you choose a document to read, in the top right corner, there are options to print (using AirPlay), email the document, and highlight it as a favorite.  Students can copy text from within the document and paste it into another application (such as Pages).  The apps have been updated recently and even includes President Obama’s 2011 State of the Union Speech. Whether you are discussing just a segment of a document in 10 minutes or looking at one of the more than 50 supreme court decisions, American Dreams and World History Documents are a great resource that should be on every iPad that is used in your social studies classroom.  

American Dreams:  

Cost:

1-19 copies = $1.99

20+ copies = $0.99 (through Apple’s Volume Purchasing Program)

World History Documents:

Cost:

1-19 copies = $2.99

20+ copies = $1.49 (through Apple’s Volume Purchasing Program)

Review of Time Tours: Chichen Itza by Kathy Burdick

Name of App: Time Tours: Chichen Itza

Free or Fee: $1.99

Rating: 5/5 stars

Why I like it: Take a virtual trip to Mexico to study the ancient Mayan civilization at Chichen Itza. Time Tours: Chichen Itza provides a map of the ancient grounds with Xs signifying important locations on the map. When the user tabs on an X a window opens providing information, picture galleries, comparisons from then to now, and/or animations. In addition to the Xs, there are also 3 eyes on the map and when they are tabbed on the user gets a 360° animated view of that location on the map. The graphics and pictures are superb and there is a wealth of information provided. This app would be excellent for a student reporting on the ancient Mayan civilization. Information about the location of Chichen Itza and its discovery as well as housing, arts, astronomy (particularly the Mayan influence on our calendar today), agriculture, religious beliefs and sports and entertainment are all provided in this one app! There is also a games section that proves to be challenging. The overview of the map provided in Time Tours: Chichen Itza could also be supplemented with the bird’s eye view of the site via Google Earth. So when time and money prevent a field trip to Chichen Itza download Time Tours: Chichen Itza. Where will Time Tours take us next?!?!

Visit Kathy's website for more ideas about using apps in the classroom!

Review of Presidents vs. Aliens by Kathy Burdick

Name of App: Presidents vs. Aliens

Free or Fee: $0.99

Rating: 4/5

Why I like it: Presidents vs. Aliens helps students review their presidential knowledge while destroying aliens. With each correctly answered presidential question, the user flings a token with the president’s face on it at the aliens on the screen. Once all the aliens on the screen are destroyed the user earns a president. There is an option to control the types of questions asked making this app great for many age levels, from those just learning the presidents to adults needing to brush up their knowledge. Questions range from identifying presidents to historical events. There are also flash cards that can be studied prior to playing the game. In the classroom, teachers can create friendly competition by having students study for 10 minutes then playing the game for 10 minutes (time can vary) to see how many presidents each student can earn. Up to 5 players can be saved on each device making it easy for classrooms with fewer devices then students. It could also be used to select presidents for students to report on. The one improvement that could be made would be to give additional information about the question if it is answered incorrectly. All-in-all, this is another great educational app from Dan Russell-Pinson, the maker of Stack the States.

Visit Kathy's website for more app ideas to use in the classroom!

Review of Dinosaurs: American Museum of Natural History Collections

Name of App: Dinosaurs

Grade: 3rd-6th

Free or Fee: FREE!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Company: American Museum of Natural History, http://www.amnh.org/apps/dino.php

Why I like it: This is a fun and informational app. The main screen is a mosaic of hundreds of small pictures/photos that make up the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. There is a helpful pop-up screen that appears when you open the app with directions on how to zoom in on specific pictures. Once you zoom in on a specific picture you can find more information regarding what the picture is, who took the picture, where the picture was taken, and general information related to the picture. This app also has a section of "stories" for different dinosaurs. This section is fairly limited at this time, but with research I found that they plan to add several more dinosaurs. With this app you can also email pictures to a friend or comment on a picture. The pictures are great on the iTouch, but would be even better on the larger screen provided by the iPad. It is a great app for students just learning about dinosaurs, but the pictures could also be used as writing prompts or a fun way for older students to select a dinosaur to research for a project. Using the same concept, The American Museum of Natural History also offers another free app called Cosmic. The possibilities are endless!

Reviewer: Kathy Burdick, http://mobileieducator.com

President's Quiz - Show #46

Grade Level: Kindergarten to Early Elementary

Program Functionality: B+ /

Purpose: B /

Overall Educational Value: C /

App Developer's Description: Quiz yourself on the Presidents of the United States. Answer one hundred
fun and educational questions that range from easy to challenging.

Cost: $.99

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch. Requires iPhone 2.2 software update

Recommendation: We are recommending this app for personal use but not within a school setting at this time.

Creators Website: http://ghostwood.org/software/Presidents.html

ITunes Link: Click Here

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