2018 Top “15” iPad Apps

Yes, yes..apps come and apps go. Some maintain their longevity and merely get face-lifts, while others no longer exist. This is one reason we do not rely on apps themselves and focus on the goals of learning. As always, we have connected them to the Competencies. 

So here goes with our newly edited list of Top “15” for 2018: 

Audio –*Communication Competencies		Voice Record Pro (free!) – Professional voice recorder that uses a visual needle gage to provide feedback on how loud your voice is recording. Possibilities for use might include supporting reading fluency,  self-assessment, speeches, radio show or embed in other videos. Save in standard formats or upload to a website. Let the world know what you’re thinking/learning.
Design/Video –  *Communication, Creative, Thinking, Personal Competencies		Explain Everything 3.0 ($5.49) – “They know when they can teach it.” Communicate learning by screencasting and using an interactive whiteboard to annotate,  teach, narrate and animate. New feature – collaboration! Incorporate products from other apps. Export to/from anywhere, making this app incredibly flexible. Integrates with GSuite and OneDrive. So powerful.
Design/Video –  *Communication, Creative, Thinking Competencies		Green Screen by Do Ink ($3.99) – Use any green coloured background and turn it into your own TV studio. Tell a story, teach an idea, share your research, be a newscaster. Consider how this might access oral speech, critical thinking, sequencing, design, dramatic skills. Do Ink Animation – create your own animations and add them to your green screen projects or any other project.
Design   *Communication, Creative Thinking Competencies		Popplet (free) – Graphic organizer gone crazy. Connect your ideas and concepts via images, maps, images, text, drawing, group by colours. Great tool to organize and process thinking. Exports as jpg to camera library (or email) – you can upload to another web area.
Productivity plus –  *Communication, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Personal Competencies		Google Drive/Google Docs/Google Sheets/Google Slides/Google Classroom (free) – Still at the top of our “go to” list as the most simplest way to do almost anything. This suite of tools include Docs, Slides, Drawing, Forms, Sheets allowing for writing, collaboration with teams, any time, anywhere, commenting in real-time (*think formative assessment), an accurate speech-to-text synthesizer (imagine having those words magically appear on the page as you speak). The app version has word prediction. Contact your Learning Technologies team for more information. The educational suite is GSuite. (*To apply for GSuite > click FORMS. We do the rest to set up your classes. BONUS! – an authentic place to practice digital citizenship and collaborative communication!)
Design –*Communication, Personal Competencies		i-Nigma (QR Codes) This QR code reader not only sends you to the right place, it saves the locations for future reference. Embed audio, video, text in the codes – use to invite discussion, dialogue, showcase thinking processes or launch a mystery. Stick the QR codes out in the hallway to make the walls talk and teach! What a great way to communicate and extend learning.
Design –*Communication, Creative Competencies		Splice (free) – Video editor that adds pizzazz to your videos. Use to trim, adjust transitions, add text, add slow motion effects to create the ultimate story.
Design –*Communication, Creative Competencies		Pic Collage Kids (elementary), Pic Collage (secondary) (free) – Bring creative options to the forefront by layering your images with a variety of tools (draw, highlight, add multiple layers and stickers) to extend your story. Consider using this for Literature Circles or defending your research thesis.
Audio/Visual –*Communication Competencies		ChatterPix Kid (elem); ChatterPix (secondary) (free) – Take a photo, draw a line to represent a mouth and record your voice. Teach a lesson, share a story,  sing a song, do a rap. You’re only limited by your imagination. Share it on your class blogs. Stitch a few videos together to make a longer video. Or keep to “shorts”. There’s something to be said for brevity (30 seconds or less).
Design/Draw –*Communication, Creative Competencies		Drawing Pad ($2.79) – Everyone needs an art/sketch app to give possibility to your creative self. Use photo-realistic crayons, markers, paint brushes, coloured pencils, stickers, roller pens. An entire box of tools is at your finger tips. Products are saved in the camera library for export or upload. Use to enhance artistic voice, upload to eportfolios or blogs, presentations or smash with other apps like ChatterPix, Pic Collage Kid and Explain Everything.
Design/Draw –*Communication, Creative Competencies		Paper by FiftyThree (free) – Sketch notes are all the rage. This app gives freedom to design, take notes, create diagrams in detail. A stylus pen is helpful but not necessary. More complex than Drawing Pad.
Design –*Communication, Creative Competencies		FilmmakerPro (free) – Video editor extraordinaire includes video and audio tracks, Chroma Key green screen, text overlay to 360, illustrations, Ken Burns effects.  Consider using this for the next phase of film making and communication.
Productivity –  *Communication, Personal Competencies		Microsoft Translator (free) – We have many students from many countries. Communication is challenging when there is no one in the room to translate. Translate text or speech (whew!) into other languages. Think of real-time conversation on the device or across devices. Best with single sentences.
Productivity tool – workflow		Documents (free) – My “can’t do without” app for downloading and saving music clips or other files for import to other apps. Now you know my secret for expanding multimedia options. Tell your story with umph!
Video Editor – *Communication, Creative Competencies		Video Slimmer ($3.99) – While there are many in this category, this one is worth the price if you use video a lot and would like to upload the results to a web presence (eg. from camera, iMovie, Adobe Spark, Book Creator …). Shrinks video files while keeping the quality. Simple editing tools include trim, merge multiple videos, rotate, and customise. Saves to camera library.

We’d love to hear about your “Must Have” list. Drop an idea in the comment box.