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I've got a new (-ish) ipad 2 on the way...


Elfknitter.#
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I have something of an app obsession.

 

IStudiez Pro

An app that is an academic agenda. Lets you attach assignments to lessons and add a grade.

 

I use it as a planning tool and to list what I want to cover for each subject, both for my home educated son and my own students (ESL).

 

 

Pages and Keynote have transformed how we use the iPad for home ed, DS is far more comfortable producing presentations and doc on the iPad than he is on the laptop.

 

 

Dropbox so I can easily transfer files for his use from my laptop to his iPad.

 

FilmonPlus for TV programmes in English and Spanish. The German programmes will come in handy further on down the line.

 

Howcast for video clips without the need to trawl through youtube, rejecting piles of rubbish.

 

Showme as a recordable interactive mini-whiteboard so he can review the teaching stage during the controlled practice stage.

 

Dragon dictation because I want to give him more oral practice in English (aside from talking with me).

 

iBrainstorm for planning projects and fleshing out ideas without a postit note storm taking over my

iving room.

 

Prezi viewer so we can see presentations he has produced with having to start up the laptop.

 

Flashcards (works with Quizlet) for obvious reasons. (all my students love this one to bits, Italian kids have to learn a tsunami of information by heart)

 

TediSub for subtitled Ted talks

 

Geowalk

 

Science360

 

iAllowance to keep track of credit given for success with schoolwork and taking part in keeping the house clean (or more accurately, less dirty).

 

I use the ipad in a way that I have on screen for each subject and put links specific to said subject on that single page so I can find them again. Not an app, but has really made a huge difference to info retrieval and making use of web based resources.

 

I have more, but I have three lessons in my home today, which is a tip, so I have to go and make it presentable before the students arrive. I add more later.

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of yeah

 

HomeRoutines

 

For everybody's jobs around the house. Which has nothing to do with education, but ensures there are at least a couple of clean and tidy corners in the house where we can do some educating. DS is in charge of edits, additions etc.

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and appshopper, so you can get the educational apps you want when they are being offered free for a few days, or the price has been temporarily slashed.

 

It alerts you.

 

Does increase the number of apps you start to desire though.

 

A lot.

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House clean ! (ish)

 

WebMD for morbid fascination with all the things that can go wrong with the human body.

 

DS uses it to be gory. I hover trying to inject questions relating to the first year middle school programme here re human body, cells, organs, organ systems, organ transplants and how to stay healthy.

 

Which works just fine until I get a terrible bout of hypochondria, thanks to said hovering.

 

 

pocket calculator - becuase it has nice big buttons.

 

BBC iPlayer, subscription service for those of us outside the UK who miss telly from home of a certain quality.

 

Not an app but this connector

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/APPLE-Digital-adapter-iPad-accessories/dp/B0051H3Y46/ref=sr_1_15?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1331372261&sr=1-15

 

so the telly becomes sort of an interactive whiteboard when I'm teaching too many people for the ipad to be comfortably viewable by all.

 

ARRRGGGG!

 

Forgot to mop classroom floor, will be back later.......

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oh floor is not that bad, it can wait.

 

Smule Magic Piano becuase he likes it and I can kid myself I am including music as a subject.

 

Smule Mad pad for replicating/creating the rythm of peoms without him glazing over and sinking into a day long whinge about how unfair it is that the Italian programme includes so much about poetry analysis.

 

I can tell what I don't recommend as well.

 

Most apps that claim to be 100% ed-centric aimed at teaching specific maths, vocab, spelling etc for a specific school level. Not yet downloaded one that I thought was any good let alone the money I paid for them.

 

I have had more success using non ed specific apps and exploiting them for learning opps.

 

If you could resell apps I'd flog off 99% of the "tightly defined education focus" apps I've paid for.

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Two lessons down, two to go.

 

I am offically bored with modal verbs :tongue_smilie:

 

Another one

 

Itunes U

 

used by me primarily as a way of extending my son listening (sans visual info) in English. Gives me more options than just finding a UK "talky" radio station online.

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Home Ec app used by DS. (In the hope that some day soon he can take over the cooking and the whole family will thus be freed of my burnt offerings.)

 

Nigella App is rubbish (IMO)

 

But Jamie Oliver's app is the bees knees.

 

Another fave is BBC Good Food, the magazine app not the mini apps for different kinds of food. They are not that much cop IMO. Makes more economic sense to just buy the (absolutly spiffy) magazine via the mag app.

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i replied in your accidental post:

elfknitter - knit companion is the bomb (assuming you knit ;)). I did a super complicated (for me) pattern with several different cable patterns going at different rates and it was SO easy to do once I figured out how to use the app :) It's hands down my favorite app.

 

Kindle is awesome too (free app) as there are so many public domain books for free... we've read doctor doolittle, boxcar children (a 12 book set was 9.99), Oz, E. Nesbit, etc.

 

Besides that my kids like splash math, stack the states, stack the countries, presidents vs aliens. we have tons of apps so I get overwhelmed by it all. Join the Apps for Homeschool blog/FB page (she is a mama here) and you will find lots of educational apps - some free.

 

Face timing is awesome too....

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Dear OP,

 

It's all your fault I have download yet more stuff. :lol:

 

Brainpop (free) I think would make a good started activity for my sleepyhead DS to kick start the day. One free video a day if I have understood correctly.

 

Flashtopass free, practice mental maths. Brill. Choose levels, operation or even a single number to focus on. We've given up mathletics so this is a great replacement for their mental maths activity.

 

I'm playing with the demo of Mental Class at the moment. This is flashcards on steriods. I think I may be in love. (puts credit card in freezer in pot of water to be on the safe side)

 

ScienceHouse I think will be good for dipping in and out to spark interest.

 

I really should have bought an ipad with a bigger memory.

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Looks like your kiddo is about the same age as mine. :001_smile:

 

I just did a blog post about two favorites this week for language arts. Toontastic they absolutely love and use over and over.

 

We also recently downloaded Playful Math and both the 6 and 4yo love it.

 

More school-y favorites they choose on their own:

Stack the States

Letter School

Teach Me Toddler, Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade (We do not have the second grade yet. All others are huge hits.)

 

Not so educational, but fun:

Toca Boca Hair Salon

Toca Boca House

Where's My Water?

Cut the Rope

Angry Birds

 

Some we enjoy using at Mom's suggestion:

Dial Safe Pro

iBird Yard

Hungry Fish

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Always happy to offer app suggestions (we love our iPad 2)! I blog educational apps too, so I have too many recommends to list :O. I prefer to do it on a need by need basis :).

 

PDF Expert is the MOST used app around here - we use it to write on PDFS (math, cursive, science - you name it).

 

Our Reader's Choice Top 10 has really really good apps in it that you'll want to check out too :):

 

http://appsforhomeschooling.com/2012/readers-choice-educational-apps-2011/

 

If you need anything subject specific just ask :).

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Okay, last "favorite", I promise! I was waiting for this one to download so I could look at it before recommending. Art Authority is great also. I also downloaded a lot that I read about here on WTM, but I'm just mentioning the ones I hadn't seen mentioned here.

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I have an Otterbox case for our iPad2 and have been pleased with it. It has taken a few drops with no problems. I wanted something that I could let the kids use without stressing, and it has fit the bill. We don't use the cover that came with it much anymore...it is currently misplaced, but the case is good and tough.

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