In my last post I wrote about some iPad apps that I thought were must adds for administrators and educators alike. Since then I have received some great suggestions from my PLN and had the chance to check out other apps that I have found a use for as a High School Principal. The key for me is that I want this device to be a valuable tool in collecting data, staying in touch with my administrative team, unrestricted real-time access to my PLN, and as a form of motivation for my teachers to take more risks with technology to engage students in the learning process. Here are my additions:
15. Skype: Make FREE calls to everyone in your contact list.
16. textPlus: FREE, unlimited SMS via regular text, app-to-app,
1-to-1, or in groups.
17. Documents to Go: Edit/create/view MS Word and Excel
files as well as view PDF, PowerPoint and iWork files.
Syncs with Dropbox!
18. GoodReader: Read PDF and TXT files; syncs w/ DropBox and
Google Docs.
19. Free Translator: Translates over 18 languages.
20. Simplepedia: A simple Wikipedia reader.
21. Groupboard: Turns your iPad into a collaborative
whiteboard.
22. Pcalc Lite: Fully functional scientific calculator.
I am currently looking into Classroom Walkthrough apps by Teachscape and Austin Sky. If you have used any of these or other apps from another company please let me know. In the meantime I plan on using the forms feature in Google Docs to collect and analyze walkthrough data with my administrative team. After sharing my excitment about the iPad with a social studies teacher today we decided to purchase two of these for the department in lieu of a laptop. There are so many cool educational history apps out there!
One other quick suggestion. Many iPad apps allow users to draw and write freehand notes. This is a really cool feature, but if you are cumbersome like me and have sloppy handwriting this could become quite frustrating. Thus I have purchased and highly recommend an iPad compatible stylus such as the Particle Case and Pogo Sketch. As always, I can ony learn and grow with your feedback!
