The Best Awesome
Apps for Educators
By John O’Sullivan
John O’Sullivan

(Now) Librarian/Assistive Technology Specialist

I worked as a Technology Integration Specialist
and a Special Education Teacher

I love Technology, Education, Research, Writing
and helping people with assistive technology.

I work for Chelmsford Public School.

I run the High School Learning Commons
Twitter
@The_App_Guide
Books
The
Teacher’s Awesome
App Guide FREE e-book
Teaching
Projects with
Computers Free e-book
The Teacher’s Awesome App Guide
 This
book allowed me to search and see
what apps are out there in every education
category imaginable.
 600
plus pages
 Version
 The
1.5
book evolved over several years.
A High Percentage of the Teacher’s Awesome
App Guide has Special Education Apps
So if you know a special education
teacher or someone in a related field
that is techie then tell them about the
book.
I am going to write a book about Special
Education Technology

Most teachers are not that interested when I want to talk about assistive
technology. However, you use it everyday without knowing it. The concepts
that originated in assistive technology are going mainstream.
The Presentation Focuses on Apps that
Everyone could use
 Then
focuses on apps that focus on common
problems in the classroom.
 There
are many more apps in the book that
are excellent but do not address a large
enough audience.
Finding the Best apps is not enough

We have to explain how to use an app for people
to understand the value of the app. We are going
from saying this is a good app to explaining how
to teach with the app.
The hardest thing for a Technology
Integration Specialist to do is:
 Getting
people to use technology

Communication is everything.

These apps will transform your classroom and make your life better
Who is in the audience?

How many teachers? Administrators?

What ages do you work with? Younger? Older?

Who teaches Math?

Reading?

Writing?

Science

Any Specialists?
You are what you transfer
Dropbox
Google
Drive
Email
Specialty
websites)
Browsers (download from
Practice transferring from app to app

There are multiple ways to transfer. You will see
the same themes over and over and need to
practice.

You should be able to transfer a document
through several apps.
Link your apps
Dropbox
Google
Email
Drive
Install the Dropbox folder
A
number of file transfer services allow you
to install a folder on your PC or Mac
 This
 You
makes file transfer seamless
can do the same thing for:
Google
Drive
OneDrive
File Transfer Browsers

These allow you to download files from the web directly to your iPad.

Perfect Web Browser

Atomic Web Browser
You can use Flash on an iPad
Photon
Scanning Apps
My Favorite Scanning Apps

Fine Scanner Pro

Tiny Scanner
Tiny Scan
Airplay

Projecting with an iPad

You can write on your board from any where in the classroom

This can be better then a Smartboard or an Eno board
Examples of how to use it:

Use a whiteboard app to annotate a diagram

Use iBooks to highlight and a passage or show students your notes

Record your directions with example and play it for the class.

Use a grammar app to illustrate a point

Take pictures or video of students then use as an assessment

If you cannot turn your back then sit or stand anywhere and write on the board

It does require some planning but is well worth it.
Research
You can save your favorite library databases as an
icon on your iPad
Many school
libraries have links
to major databases
on the schools
website. If they
don’t’ you can
access major
databases from
your local library
with your library
card online.
Cases

The price of cases is way down.

You can get a great case for under 20 dollars

The Big thing is Keyboard cases. You can get one for the teacher. You can get
them for 35-75 dollars. The 35 dollar case have good ratings.

I prefer to shop at Amazon.com for the prices.

Amazon will take purchase orders.

However, setting up an account will take some effort.

Make sure the cases fit in the container where you lock your iPads
Word Processing apps

Pages

Microsoft Word

You can get Microsoft Word online free with an email
accounts

Some school give all of their students Microsoft email and
online word processing account to every student like a
Google School.

WPS Office: FREE Mobile Office + PDF By Kingsoft Office
Software, Inc.
Writing Apps
 Writing
Prompts (app)
Story Writing Apps (young students)
 My
Story App (Simple template)
 Book Creator for iPad (makes PDF Books)
 Demibooks® Composer Pro (Free and
powerful)
 Printzel Photo Books (allows you to insert a
picture then write about it)
 Story Patch
Publishing
 Make
a poster or a simple invitation.
 Poster Maker
 Publisher Master for iOS
Whiteboard Apps
(Best Whiteboard Apps)

Educreations (teachers)
The is great for teachers to record a lesson and then put it on the web. An
example would be recording your voice annotating a pictures.

Explain Everything (students)
This app records a video that is on the iPad. It has a lot more features then
most whiteboard apps
Educreations
Teacher Example Website
https://www.educreations.com/browse/
Example: https://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/fractions-on-a-numberline-and-chart/886897/
Fractions
Explain Everything
Clickers Apps
(Best Clickers Apps)

Socrative (free and very popular

Plickers (works well in some rooms)
More Advanced Options

Nearpod (more advanced users)

Otus (More advanced) (highly rated but not commonly used)

Exit Ticket (does more than Socrative but the interface not always as
intuitive)
Plickers
Socrative
Nearpod
Otus iPad App
https://www.youtube.com/user/OtusPlus
Grading Test Apps
(Best Grading Apps)
ZipGrade
WISE
These apps will grade a Scantron
like sheet by taking a pictures. The
feedback is instant.
ZipGrade
WISE App
Annotation Apps
PDF

Notes
PDF Notes is excellent but you have to be comfortable with transferring files
for this to make sense.
SnapType full name(SnapType For Occupational Therapy)

SnapType allows you to take a picture of a worksheet then type on it. It is as
close to seamless as you can get. This app is good for the younger ages.
PDF Notes (app)
Showbie

Go paperless

100 dollars per year

12 dollars a month
SnapType
Full name is:
(SnapType For Occupational Therapy)
(easy to use compared to most annotation apps)
OneDrive/ MS Email account

MS Word

MS PowerPoint

MS Excel

Google is awesome with sharing files but Apple and Google compete for
market share. Unless the two work together it is uncertain if Google
document will always work on an iPad.
Presentations Apps
Keynote
Haiku
Deck
PowerPoint
Presentation Websites
Prezi
Glogster
Emaze
Slides
Presentations for Kids
Sock
Puppets
PuppetPals HD
Felt Board
Sock Puppets
Stick Around by Tony Vincent & Explain
Everything (Great for Projects)


Students can make these awesome interactive puzzles!
http://learninginhand.com/tutorials
Video Editing Apps
iMovie
Magisto
Video Editor
WeVideo (website)
WeVideo (website)
Audio Recording
 Voice
Record Pro (FREE)
You record and then it email you the
recording in MP3 format
 Voice
Recorder (FREE)
Voice Record Pro (FREE)
Common Core Math Apps
App
Tutor
Splash Math
iTooch

All teachers what apps that do an assessment and are linked to standards. I
really wish all of the app makers knew this before the make a ton of
educational game apps.
iTooch
http://www.edupad.com/
App Tutor

https://vimeo.com/57875711
Algebra Touch
(Best High School Math)

This app is so simple and good
Osmo
(Best Preschool Apps)
Newton
for Osmo
Masterpiece for Osmo
Tangram for Osmo
Osmo
YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5g54nt6xdIdPK6XnZhe0AQ
Books
iBooks
Kindle
iBooks
Speak
Selection
Highlighting
Dictionary
This works great with projection
an iPad onto a board.
Whispercast Kindle App
(Best Way to Push eBooks onto a Tablet)

This allows you to buy an e-book give it to your students and then take the
book back.

You can upload a list of student emails or have the program generate account
for you.

Student can use the e-book on multiple devices

You can change the passwords or the accounts

You must use the Kindle app or a Kindle. It will work on an iPad.

The hardest thing about doing this is getting this to work is setting up the
account and dealing with purchase orders.
Whispercast
Quizlet (Best Flashcard Website)
Video is 12 minutes long –skim through it
Chapter 19 of the Teacher’s Awesome
App Guide (Learn to Read)

This chapter show you how to teach a child to read with apps. There are a ton
of apps that teach each of the stages of reading development and many are
free. A number of them are low prices. If you have a classroom set of iPad and
you want to teach a child to read you can.
Library
Citation

NoodleTools Companion

EasyBib

http://www.citationmachine.net/ (website)
Anti-Plagiarism

Turnitin
join.me
(Reverse Projecting)

This app allows you to project a computer onto an iPad. (reverse projecting)
The free version allows you to do this with a small group of 10. The paid app
allows up to a group of 250. Instead of projecting onto a board you can
project your computer onto multiple iPads. This is a four star app.

Free

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/join-me/id409811927?mt=8
Awesome High School English Apps
Project
Gutenberg (copyright
free e-books)
iPoe 1 and 2
Shakespeare Pro
Shakespeare In Bits
Programing Apps
For the Hour of Code
HTML

Web Page Creator for iOS - HTML Egg

Lightbot Jr 4+ Coding Puzzles
Different ages
http://masstlcef.org/hour-code-lessons/
For Children

Scratch Jr

Daisy the Dinosaur

Lightbot Jr 4+ Coding Puzzles
The Best Science app a great for
Projecting

They tend to be very specific to age and curriculum
Here are some of the best:

Solar Walk

Star Walk

Human Anatomy Atlas – 3D (there are a number of other apps on the human
body)

Frog Dissection

Monster Physics

Chemistry Formula Practice
Chapter 7 Section 7 Engineering apps
 There
is a ton of them that are
Awesome.
 You could teach a class with just iPad
apps
 They also have apps for creating 3-D
objects and then 3-D printing.
Grammar Apps

The Mobile Education Store makes some of the best apps in this category:
Great App Maker
http://mobile-educationstore.com/category/apps/
Online Services
IXL
Math and English
Read Live

People sometimes forget that there are a number of websites that have apps
that work quite well in a classroom that has an iPad card.
Note Taking

Notability

Super Notes: Recorder, Note, Memos, Photos. Notebook
plus Notepad. Free

Noteshelf - Take Notes, Sketch, Annotate, Evernote Sync

MyScript Smart Note
It is getting to the point where notetaking apps will include pictures and media.
Locked Notes
(Good for Meetings)

Safe Note

Note Lock

Both have free version and paid versions

This is good for teachers that go to a lot of meeting
Reading Disabilities
(Best Apps and Services)

Learning Ally (service cost 105 dollars per year) Must qualify

Bookshare (free for those that qualify)

Dragon Dictation (FREE app)

Voice Dream Reader (app), Voice Dream Writer (Voice Dream Suite)

iWord Q (app)

Pages (app)

Prizmo (app)
Prizmo
You
take a picture of a page
It converts it to text
The app reads the text to you.
Prizmo
Voice Dream Writer Review
Voice Dream Reader App demo
Electronic Organization
(Best Apps)
PDF
Notes/SnapType
Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive
Scanning Apps Tiny Scan, Fine
Scanner Pro
A wand scanner cost $50-$100
Foreign Language
Duolingo
Foreign Language
(website/app) FREE
https://www.duolingo.com/
Mindsnacks (they make a ton of
apps) busuu
Learn Spanish with!
Art and Music Apps Chapter 10
Ton
of Awesome Apps.
You can teach a class with just
art or music apps