A couple of weeks ago I posted a list of applications that I use in my English classes for instruction. I’m going to carry on that list today with some apps that are more general, or are focused on teacher organization or planning for iPod use.
Tweet Deck – Mobile version of the Tweet Deck Desktop setup. Great management tool for students, particularly if you are having them interact with each other on Twitter.
WordPress – Integrates with either a WordPress or self-hosted WordPress blog. It may not be the most feature-rich editor, but it is seamless and simple to use. I use it to have students post to our class blog (although they can also use Safari).
Keypoint – Presentation creator with great themes and simple interface. I had been waiting for something like this on the iPod for a long time. Now that it is out I find I am using other presentation options anyway (Prezi, Google Docs, etc.) so I don’t use it as much as I would have a year or so ago, but it is the best of the best for this tpyp of program.
Notebooks – Note creator and storage/organization system. Very effective interface. Great for storing notes from multiple classes
Keynote Remote or iClickr Powerpoint Remote – Control your Keynote or PowerPoint presentation from your iPod. Very cool! Keynote remote features the ability to see your presenter notes on your iPod while you present!
Today ToDo – Task management app that is very clean and fun to use. I tried about 10 different ‘todo’ apps before I found this one. The developers are great guys too!
Shakespeare – One of the first great educational apps for the iPod. ALL of Shakespeare’s works in one free app. There is a Pro edition now as well with extra features, but I have not yet used that one!
Strip Designer – This is a GREAT app! It functions like Comic Life on the Mac. Students can find images (or create them from a movie clip) and then put them into a comic strip. It allows annotation, speech bubbles, and great customization. Even though the screen is small, the final images are at an effective resolution. I have included below an example of a Visual Essay one of my students created with this app. Images are shown at about half the full resolution!
Once again, as I compiled this list I found more apps that I have not mentioned or that will take posts of their own to do justice to, so I will put together another post for the coming weeks!
Let me know what you think of these apps, or what you have found effective in the classroom. I am always adding to my list of apps!
Thanks for reading, have a great day!
I would also add SonicPics to the list. SonicPics allows you to create and narrate custom photo slide shows on your phone and then publish them (either to your computer or to YouTube).
It would be great for student projects (digital scavenger hunts, language learning, book talks, school tours etc…)
Good Morning Derek,
Thank you for such wonderful iTouch app ideas! We have a team of teachers who are integrating iTouches into the classroom so these are great resources for them. With the 1:1 MacBook program at our school I am always looking for great products to tell our teachers and students about.
Great Blog! I love reading it! Thanks, Shannon
Thanks Shannon,
I’m trying to make the blog as useful as possible. I have had some great work done with the iPods in class, and want others to have the same great learning experiences. Keep the feedback going! I have my first specific app review coming this afternoon. Let me know what you think!
Where have I been? I just discovered your site on Yahoo. Fantastic article! I appreciate you taking the energy to share this.
Thanks for the feedback! Great to see it’s having an impact