iPad Apps

#1 - Pile Up the States

a) how it works - This app is a geography game. The goal is to "collect" all the states in America to complete your map.

b) what it does - This app brings up pictures of different states and then asks a question like: Boston is the capital of what state? Then you select which state is the answer. If you get the question right, it will put the state in a bubble - which you then "pop" to stack at the bottom of the screen (you can drag your bubble and rotate the bubble); once you have stacked all your "answer" states up over a striped line, that session is over. Then the app shows you what % you answered correctly - if you do well, you earn a "state" for your map.

c) why you like it - I enjoyed this app. It was easy to use and very informative regarding State Capitals, state shapes and State abbreviations.

d) how it might be useful in a classroom - I think this could definitely be used in the classroom to emphasize or review basics on the geography of the United States. I would expect this game could be utilized by 3rd grade and up (and possibly 2nd grade). It is fun and interactive.

Math Drills Lite

a) how it works - This app is a simple math drills app that allows you to add, subtract, multiply and divide. You can adjust the settings to the level of the student.

b) what it does - You can select what math function you want to work on, or choose a mixed drill. It brings up a series of problems to answer. After all are answered, it will tell you how many you answered correctly and ask if you'd like to correct your incorrect answers. In the drill, it also gives some visuals to help if a problem is taking a while to answer.

c) why you like it - I really liked this app. It is a great way to focus in on specific math functions, or overview it all. I like that you can adjust the difficulty. I also liked the visuals it provided to help students on more difficult problems.

d) how it might be useful in a classroom - This would be a great app for the classroom. It would really cover all levels of children as well as different learning types. Math is tough for a lot of kids, so the interactive aspect would really make math more fun and be more engaging for the students.

Jumbo Word Search

a) how it works - This app is just like it says...a Jumbo Word Search; You can select a theme and choose from easy, medium or hard levels.

b) what it does - After you choose a theme and a playing level, the app creates a word search. You touch and drag across each word from the list that you find, then it removes the words until you've found them all.

c) why you like it - This is a basic, easy app. It looks like you can also create your own word lists, or theme.

d) how it might be useful in a classroom - This would be useful to review spelling words, or vocabulary words or to just create a word search to go along with whatever unit you're doing. It's fun and interactive....and doing it on an iPad is way better than on paper! :)