Summer 2012 Learning With the iPad
Learning takes place in many different settings, not only in the classroom. iPads are making their way into classrooms as well as into many non-traditional learning environments. This summer we utilized the iPad with our middle school consultants in the Learning Games Lab "Think Tank Sessions". We stressed the importance of the iPad in learning, exploration, experimentation and creation. Below is a complied a list of the iPad apps, in several different content areas, that our Summer 2012 consultants explored. The apps are merely a list that we had an opportunity to explore and engage with, however there are many educational apps available.
Math Snacks - developed by New Mexico State University, these videos are available in HD for your iPad, complete with learner's guides, teacher's guides, and comic book transcripts for printing! Take them on the go, or use them in classrooms without an Internet connection.
Pearl Diver - Developed by mathematics educators, researchers, and game developers at the Learning Games Lab at New Mexico State University, this number line games, which is Ideal for middle school and upper elementary students, grades 3-8, addresses number and operations standards established by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), including: understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, and number systems, understand and represent commonly used fractions, understand fractions as part of unit wholes and as locations on number lines, and compare and order fractions, and find their approximate locations on the number line.
Lobster Diver - Developed by mathematics educators, researchers, and game developers at the Learning Games Lab at New Mexico State University, this number line games, which is Ideal for middle school and upper elementary students, grades 3-8, addresses number and operations standards established by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), including: understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, and number systems, understand and represent commonly used fractions, understand fractions as part of unit wholes and as locations on number lines, and compare and order fractions, and find their approximate locations on the number line.
Math Doodles - These mathematical puzzles allow users to play, explore, and experiment with mathematical concepts, while developing and strengthening their strategy and problem solving skills. Math Doodles challenges are designed to allow for multiple solutions and strategies. There isn't only one correct answer.
Egbertas Equations - Egberta the macaw has a nest full of tasty eggs that Cliff the climber wants to eat. Unfortunately, the eggs are on top of a tall cliff. Help Cliff reach the top and get the eggs by completing equations. Beware though! Egberta will drop eggs on Cliff's head if you waste too many eggs.
Number line - Number Line is an educational game app to help students learn about fractions, decimals, and percents by ordering equivalent fractions, decimals, and percents on a number line. The app features multiple levels where the player must drag circles with either a percent, decimal or fraction onto a number line in the correct sequence.
Math Kid - Math Kid gives 4-12 year old children the foundation needed to excel in math at home and in school. The application features graphical feedback and rewards,helpful and extensive hints allow kids to easily use it. The game features: addition and subtraction with varying difficulty, arithmetic sequences great for any age, roman numerals, different levels of multiplication and division, and Percentages, Fractions and Basic Equations. The game is suitable for the 8-11 years old student.
123 Number Magic - Helps strengthen 1-10 number concept whiles students have fun. An old method with a fun twist to helping reinforce number concepts. In this app children can enjoy two different modes of number play: matching quantities to quantities using 4 types of counters or matching numerals to quantities using 4 types of counters.
Cash Cow Lite - Help Buck the Cow and his friends save the farm in this original game of coin counting. The objective is simple: earn money by counting up your loose change. Small coins make big coins, and big coins make dollar bills.
Rocket Math Free - Build your very own rockets and fly them to the stars with one of the 56 different math missions.
Mad Math Lite - Mad Math is perfect for kids to practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and Division Facts. Students can even draw right on the flashcard.
Factor Samurai - a great way to learn times tables. You play as the samurai whose sacred duty is to cut all the numbers down to their prime factors.
Savings Spree - Savings Spree is a fun App with a serious lesson for children ages 7 and that teaches kids how the choices they make each day can add up to big savings or big expenses, depending on how they decide to spend (or not spend) their money. Savings Spree shows kids that they can save their money for short-term goals, spend wisely by making more frugal decisions, donate to others or invest money so it will grow to meet future needs like a college education.
Eat-And-Move-O-Matic - Learn about the foods you eat and how they help fuel your body for your favorite activities. Make new discoveries about your favorite foods and get interesting tips on how small changes can make big differences.
Star Walk - interactive astronomy guide that labels all the stars, constellations, and satellites you point your iPad at.
Solar Walk- Students can use this 3D app to move through space and time and to learn more about the solar system and neighboring galaxies. The app also includes 3D models of well-known space satellites. Intended for ages 4 and over.
Planets - 3D guide to the solar system for aspiring astronomers
Sky ORB - a collection of 7 tools including a 3D star map, 3D planetarium, ephemeris, search engine, sun clock, point to sky, weather, and more
NASA app - This app allows you to explore NASA on your iPad.
Touch Physics Lite - Draw shapes with a crayon that interact with the wheel, causing it to move according to physical laws.
Monster Physics - Monster Physics is a unique building app that lets you play with physics! Build and operate your own car, crane, rocket ship, plane, helicopter, tank and more,
Bobo Explorers lite - a fully functional science museum for kids 4-12 in the palm of your hand.
Molecules - An application for viewing three-dimensional renderings of molecules and manipulating them using your fingers. You can rotate the molecules by moving your finger across the display, zoom in or out by using two-finger pinch gestures, or pan the molecule by moving two fingers across the screen at once.
Mitosis - Mitosis walks you through the process of cell division, and explains everything that happens along the way. You'll usher cells through mitosis with your fingers, learning about what happens in each phase of the process. You can also look at images of actual cells dividing under a microscope and see the actual structures you've studied.
VideoScience - A growing library of over 80 hands-on Science lessons. These short videos demonstrate inexpensive and easy to recreate experiments that are designed to inspire and excite kids of all ages.
Speed Anatomy Lite - Speed Anatomy is an addictive game that tests your speed and challenges your knowledge of human anatomy!
Speed Bones Lite - Speed Bones Lite is an addictive game that tests your knowledge of bones.
Skeptical Science - This app provides information to back up scientific theories and research. Respond to skeptics with hard science for debates such as global warming, evolution, and more. Intended for ages 4 and over.
Science 360 - This app from the National Science Foundation provides up-to-date images, videos, and news about emerging science and engineering research from NSF-funded institutions. Students can learn about new scientific concepts by seeing them up close and personal. Intended for ages 4 and over.
Science Glossary- Get a glossary of science terms with this handy app. Definitions link to related terms and detailed learning modules. Short biographies are also included. Intended for ages 4 and over.
Isaac Newtons Gravity HD - Challenge yourself with the amazing physics puzzles in Isaac Newton's Gravity HD which offers 7 free levels to challenge you.
Puppet Pals - Create your own unique shows with animation and audio in real time! Simply pick out your actors and backdrops, drag them on to the stage, and tap record. Your movements and audio will be recorded in real time for playback later. This app is as fun as your own creativity. You can even combine any characters however you want! Your creations are only limited by your imagination and voice acting skills.
Toontastic - Toontastic is a Creative Learning tool that empowers kids to draw, animate, and share their own cartoons through imaginative play. Making cartoons with Toontastic is as easy as putting on a puppet show - simply press the record button, move your characters onscreen, and tell your stories through play! Once you are done, Toontastic will play back your animation and voice as a cartoon for you to share with friends and family around the world.
Sock Puppets - Sock Puppets lets you create your own lip-synched videos and share them on Facebook and YouTube. Add Puppets, props, scenery, and backgrounds and start creating. Hit the record button and the puppets automatically lip-synch to your voice. Friends can work together with multiple puppets and create hilarious conversations.
ComicBook- ComicBook is a full-featured comic book creation app! It is simple to use, in just seconds you can turn yourself and your friends into comic heroes or villains. It features realistic comic styling with a wide selection of: image filters, comic fonts, customizable captions and a library of classic comic graphics and dozens of multi-panel page layouts.
i tell a story - Experience the ancient art of oral storytelling with I Tell a Story users narrating and recording (with enhanced editing options) their stories with their own voice, in their own language. The narrator can add funny sounds and music to multiply the entertaining factor of the story. The stories can be saved along with a title, writer's name and an image. From young family members to elders, stories can be created and shared via email with others.
Story Wheel - Storymaking begins by spinning the virtual wheel for an image that stimulates narrating a portion of the story. Story Wheel allows up to 4 players to collaboratively evolve their skills and imagination with impromptu storytelling. Each image offers up to 30 seconds of narration with opportunities to re-record. Each story has up to 12 pages of animated storytelling that can be shared. You will be prompted with a choice of sharing an iBook version of the story or sharing online.
Story Lines - Story Lines is a game of 'telephone' using pictures. One storyteller begins a Story Line with a common saying then passes it to another. A friend grows the Story Line by illustrating that saying. Another friend titles that drawing (without seeing the original saying). Yet another friend illustrates that title, and so on. When the story is complete the StoryMakers come together to enjoy the creativity and humor in everyone's imagination.
Talking Tom and Ben News - Talking Tom & Ben have become famous TV news anchors! Talk to them and they will repeat what you say in turns. Create & record funny conversations between them. You can also customize the app by uploading your personal videos. Once your personal video is in the Talking New app, make Tom & Ben comment on the video. And of course you can record the conversation and send the video to all of your friends to see.
Piano DX - This iPad piano is designed for your fingers, your ears, and your eyes and it will also teach you to play the piano. Piano DX's learning engine is the most advanced learning system available. Its learning engine can be uniquely customized for you. Piano DX displays animated sheet music that moves in real time, highlighting the appropriate keys of the keyboard to make it easy to learn and play at the same time.
Celtic Harp Lite - This app gives you the chance to play a beautiful, expressive 8-string folk harp! (The paid version has 31 strings!) You pluck strings just by touching the screen with one more fingers, or you can slide your finger(s) across the screen to make a glissando sound.
Air Guitar - can play and strum real chords and play your iPad like a real guitar.
iSteelPan - Turns your iPad into a Caribbean steelpan drum. It's a fully mapped chromatic Tenor steelpan.. It can also teach you how to play a song with an interactive game, just follow the mole!
iCongas - features 3 Congas (Quinto, Conga, Tumbadora) that you can play with the traditional Conguero's technique: the Tumbao.
BaDaBing - free, zero latency drum kit simulator. True multi touch control and realistic animations make it fun. Includes 10 cymbals (rides and crashes) and 5 toms (multi tones).
JamPad Plus - a music maker. You can play 4 instruments at once: piano, rhythm guitar, electric guitar, and drum kit. There over 100 beats and 6 kits to choose from.
DigiDummer HD Lite - makes it easy and fun to play drums on your iPAD. There are three-drum settings and the app has a record and playback feature.
Music Keys - This game is focused on recognizing keys on piano keyboard related to tone names. It will teach you where you can locate for example tone C on a piano keyboard. Colors are used to let children and people freely explore music realm. No matter how old you are, this music game is designed to help you to be completely fluent in reading music tones on a piano keyboard.
Songify - This magical app will turn everyday speech into song...while you speak.
Soundrop - Musical Geometry - draw lines and use them to create music.
Isle of tune - A music-making town-planning construction game. Create your own unique musical journeys from street layouts. Roadside elements are your instruments and cars are the players.
Social Studies/History Apps
USA Presidents - Learn about all of the United States Presidents since the ratification of the U.S. Constitution; browse a list of presidents and then select one to see more information.
Stack the States - Stack the States makes learning about the 50 states fun; you learn state capitals, shapes, geographic locations, flags and more.
World Book - a day in History
Move the Turtle - Move The Turtle is an educational application for iPhone and iPad that teaches children the basics of creating computer programs, using intuitive graphic commands.
Cargo-Bot - Cargo-Bot is a puzzle game where you teach a robot how to move crates. It is an app about programming, programmed entirely on the iPad.
Symmetry Shuffle - This mathematical puzzle allows users to explore line and rotational symmetry, while developing their spatial sense to create strategies to help them solve problems.
Levers - Physics simulation with great interactive art.
Windosill - Designed to be experienced in a single sitting, this app is equal parts puzzle game, playful toy, living picture book and playful investigation.
Tangram XL - Simple version of popular Tangram designed with kids in mind. Avoids unnecessary design and decoration to keep kids attention over important geometric concepts that the game develops.
TriFecta - The object of the game is to get rid of all three layers of tiles. Tap the screen to roll your dice, then choose up to three tiles such that the sum of the tiles is the same as your dice total.
Weird but True - Filled with wacky, age-appropriate facts and tantalizing trivia and handpicked by National Geographic Kids that will engage curious kids and parents alike, Weird But True presents each of the 300 facts in a fun, colorful, and interactive format that will keep kids entertained and learning.
Doodle Buddy - a great app that lets you paint, draw, scribble, sketch
Idea Sketch - lets you easily draw a diagram, mind map, concept map, or flow chart and convert it to a text outline, and vice versa. You can use Idea Sketch for anything, such as brainstorming new ideas, illustrating concepts, making lists and outlines, planning presentations, creating organizational charts, and more.
How to Draw - Like a personal art teacher, this app will teach you how to draw dozens of different objects and create amazing pictures. Includes lots of drawings such as: cartoon characters, animals, cars, dragons, planes, flowers, and more. Each drawing is divided into a number of steps that are easy to follow. Starting from a few lines, you'll end up with a complete picture. Also, you can create your own drawing and draw right on the screen.
Google Translate - Translate words and phrases between more than 60 languages; you can speak your phrases and hear the corresponding translations.
Cooking with kids - This collection of over 90 child-friendly recipes is designed to show kids just how much fun cooking for themselves can be. Easy-to-follow, and temptingly illustrated, it will teach children skills they'll use for years to come, and help ignite a love for cookery that will stay with them for life.
Doodlecast- This app comes with more than 20 drawing prompts, simple questions designed to give kids a starting point. Kids can choose from one of the prompts or start a drawing from scratch. The app records the entire drawing process along with audio from the microphone to create videos up to three minutes long. The videos are as fun to watch as they are to create and Doodlecast makes it easy to share them with friends and families.
Scribblenauts remix - the perfect game for the casual player looking for fun and extensive replay with unlimited solutions and different outcomes. You can let your imagination run wild in this groundbreaking puzzle game.