Apptastic Beginnings

Top 27 Apps




August 13, 2014


With the vast number of apps available in the app store, it is often hard to find quality apps that allows educators and students
to create customized content. This list includes a variety of apps that vary in their level of customizability. When making this
list, I focused on apps that I use on a weekly, if nota daily, basis. These are 27 apps I couldnt live without!


Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher
413-587-1550
jdickson@northampton-k12.us

Northampton Public Schools
212 Main Street
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060
Apptastic Beginnings: Top 27 Apps
Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher "

Built-In Apps

The term built-in apps refers to the applications that are native to the iOS operating system and that come pre-installed on your iPad device.


App
Name
App Icon Description Notes
Reminders

An app for creating to-do lists and reminders. This app will notify you when you
need to do something either based on a pre-set time or based on location! How cool
is that?

Calendar

This app allows you to manage your appointments and meetings and when paired
with iCloud, it keeps all of your information synced across your devices. This app
can be used to display your North Adams Public Schools calendar.

Messages

Messages allows you to send unlimited text or picture messages, but requires Wi-Fi
access. This app can be used to chat with your North Adams Public Schools
contacts.

Mail

Mail allows you to add and sync all of your email accounts. You can combine your
personal email, your North Adams Public Schools account, as well as any additional
emails you may have.

Safari

Safari is the built-in web browser. It allows you to use the internet and access
information from around the world. Safari requires Wi-Fi access.
Some helpful features include:
! Collecting bookmarks from your favorite websites (that sync with your
computer)
! Storing articles in your Reading List
! Creating a folder on your iPads homepage with shortcuts to your favorite
websites.

Apptastic Beginnings: Top 27 Apps
Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher #

Built-In Apps (continued)

App Name App Icon Description Notes
Camera

This app allows you to capture videos and photographs that you can
store on your device to share with family, friends, and colleagues.
You can use this app to crop, rotate, and enhance your photographs.

Photos

Your built-in photo library. This is the app that stores all of your
photographs and movies that you have taken with your camera. It
allows you to e-mail them, message them, and upload them to
Facebook.

Facetime

Facetime allows you to make a video call from one iDevice to
another for free. Facetime does require Wi-Fi access. This is a
fantastic tool for collaboration with peers as well as a great way to
develop social skills.

Notes

Is your electronic legal pad, sticky note, and all-in-one resource. It
allows you to create to-do lists, reminders, and provides a space to
jot down good ideas. This app, unlike reminders, will NOT notify
you.


Displaying my iPad Screen to Colleagues and Students

Your iPad screen can be displayed onto a projection screen through the following means:
! VGA adapter (one is available for use)
! a Document Camera (e.g. an Elmo)
! Reflections App (available for purchase online $14.99)
! Apple TV




Apptastic Beginnings: Top 27 Apps
Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher $

Fine Motor, Pre-Writing, and Handwriting Practice

! Name Description Developer Price Notes

Cookie, Cake, or
Donut Doodle
Students bring realistic recipes to life. Interactively
add all the ingredients, bake, decorate, and eat!
Shoe the Goose $0.99
School Writing
Trace pre-handwriting shapes, uppercase and
lowercase letters, numbers, words or whiteboard
images that you import with the touch of a finger.
Hear and see letters, words and numbers with
customized associated images and sounds.
Demografix Pty LTD $3.99
Write My Name
Allow students to practice writing letters, words,
names and phrases. It meets some of the basic
reading and writing Common Core State Standards
for kindergarten such as the introduction and
mastery of print and word recognition concepts.
Injuni $3.99
LetterSchool
LetterSchool provides students practice in
developing the following skills:
writing letters and numbers;
letter names and sounds;
uppercase and lowercase letters;
manuscript handwriting style;
counting to 10;
fine-motor skills;
hand-eye coordination;
the foundation of literacy and numeracy
Boreaal
Lite-
$2.99


Interactive Books

! Name Description Developer Price Notes

The Monster at the
End of this Book
An enhanced version of the classic Sesame Street
book with a completely immersive experience that
draws children right into the story. Grover as he
tries his very hardest to tie down pages and build
Sesame Street $4.99
Apptastic Beginnings: Top 27 Apps
Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher %
brick walls all to keep readers away from the
monster at the end of this book

The Flying Books of
Morris Lessmore
Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory
about the curative powers of story.
Moonbot Studios LA,
LLC
$4.99

Literacy

! Name Description Developer Price Notes

Starfall ABCs

Starfall Learning to
Read
These apps allow students to recognize the
relationship between spoken and written language
while having fun learning to read. This app is
excellent for emerging readers and ELL students.
Starfall Education
$2.99

$2.99

Word Wizard
A digitized, talking, version of our Fundations
Letter Board. Word Wizard provides students a
movable alphabet and allows teachers to create
customized spelling quizzes.
LEscapadou $2.99
My Spelling Test
Take your spelling bee digital. This app provides a
great way to save time on homework and practice
vocabulary.
Funflip Studios $0.99
Bitsboard Pro
Bitsboard is ideal for learning languages,
mastering vocabulary, learning to read, learning to
speak, and so much more.
GrasshopperApps.com $2.99
StoryPals
24 original, colorful, whimsical, and highly
interactive stories. These stories can be read
independently, read aloud with professional
narrations, or read aloud using high quality
Acapela text-to-speech with word highlighting.
Each story is followed by a 10-question quiz
containing WH-questions (who, what, why, when,
where, why) to assess story comprehension.
Eric Sailers LLC $19.99





Apptastic Beginnings: Top 27 Apps
Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher &



Numbers and Math

! Name Description
Developer
Price Notes
Splash Math Apps
A math workbook that contains 16 chapters
covering over 200 math skills and an endless
supply of problems.
StudyPad, Inc.
Free-
$4.99

Bitsboard Math

Basic Concepts


Language Development

! Name Description
Developer
Price Notes
Felt Board
Inspired by actual felt boards. Kids can have create
different scenes and characters with a variety of
costumes and settings to choose from.
Software Smoothie $2.99
House of Learning
Teach language skills, storytelling, and following
directions.
Smarty Ears $6.99

! Name Description Developer Price Notes

More Fun with
Directions
Designed to provide a fun and engaging way to
practice listening and following directions. This
colorful and engaging format focuses on 12
concepts: turn on/turn off; up/down, front/behind,
on/under, put in/take out, above/below.
Hamaguchi Apps $15.99
Apptastic Beginnings: Top 27 Apps
Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher '

Authoring Tools/Writing

! Name Description
Developer
Price Notes
Pictello
Create and edit stories with photos,
audio, text-to-speech, and video.
AssistiveWare $18.99

My Story Bookmaker
for Kids
Create eBooks with tools for drawing,
photography, voice recording, writing,
and sharing.
HiDef Web Solutions $1.99
Kidspiration Maps
Students build their knowledge by
creating diagrams, maps, and organizers
that help them brainstorm, plan,
organize and build thinking skills.
Inspiration Software Inc. $9.99
Co-Writer
Co:Writer is a writing tool that aids
with phonetic/inventive spelling,
grammar, and topic-related vocabulary.
As letters are typed, Co:Writer predicts
the intended word with a selection of
word suggestions using grammar-smart
word prediction. These suggestions can
be read with a swipe. Selecting the
intended word paces it into the
document. For feedback while writing
(and after writing) built-in text to speech
reads letters, words, and sentences, and
the entire document.

Don Johnston, Inc. $19.99


Apptastic Beginnings: Top 27 Apps
Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher (
Digitizing Curriculum



! Name Description Developer Price Notes
Good Notes
Allows you to take handwritten notes, use with
Dropbox, sketch diagrams, mark-up PDFs and
organize them on a beautiful bookshelf. Turn
pages with a swipe, highlight or add notes to
any page, and share your notes with anyone.
Create a worksheet or matching activity in
Microsoft Word (on your computer) or an app
that allows for document creation...then import
the file or picture into GoodNotes for a hands-
on activity.
Time Based
Technology Ltd.
$4.99
Explain Everything
A tool that lets you annotate, animate, and
narrate explanations and presentations. You can
create dynamic interactive lessons, activities,
assessments, and tutorials using Explain
Everything's flexible and integrated design. Use
Explain Everything as an interactive whiteboard
using the iPad video display (via Airplay/cable).
Morris Cooke $2.99
Educreations
Recordable whiteboard that allows you to bring
in your own photos and create a sequence of
lessons.
Educreations Free Also available online.
Apptastic Beginnings: Top 27 Apps
Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher )

Social Skills/Emotions/Pragmatics

! Name Description Developer Price Notes

Between the Lines
(Level 1, Level 2,
and Advanced)
Used to practice interpreting vocal intonation, facial
expressions, body language, and idiomatic or slang
expressions. Using real photographs, voices and short
mini-video clips of a variety of social situations and
expressions, this app provides a dynamic way to help
learn and understand the messages that are between
the lines and simply cant be replicated with
worksheets and static flashcards.
Hamaguchi Apps
$15.99
each


Art

! Name Description
Developer
Price Notes
Art Maker
A fun way for kids to freely create pictures, animated
movies and story slideshows using Play School toys
and craft items. Kids can add their own audio
narration, upload their own photos as backgrounds,
and save photos of their art.
Australian
Broadcasting
Corporation
$2.99

Doodlecast for
Kids
Records your voice as you draw. Zinc Roe $1.99

Sensory

! Name Description Developer Price Notes
SuperStretch Interactive yoga app for kids.
The Adventures of
Super Stretch
Free


Apptastic Beginnings: Top 27 Apps
Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher *+
Recommended iPad Accessories

Accessory Description Developer Price Notes

Camera Connection Kit
This SD Card to Lighting Adapter allows you to import
photos and videos from a digital cameras SD card.
Apple, Inc. $29.00

VGA Adapter
This Lighthing to VGA adapter allos you to put your
slides, movies, photos, and everything else that fills your
iPad or iPhone 5 screen on an even bigger screen: a
VGA-equipped TV, computer monitor, or external
projector. The Apple VGA Adapter mirrors exactly what
you see on your screen so that everyone in the room can
enjoy.
Apple, Inc. $49.00

Headphone Splitter
A headphone splitter allows you to plug two sets of
headphones in to one output, such as an iPad.
Dollar Store $1.00


Suck UK Touch Screen Stylus
Designed like a classic pencil, but used to navigate or
write on an iDevice.
Suck UK
(Amazon.com)
$11.04




Apptastic Beginnings: Top 27 Apps
Joshua Dickson, G.O.A.L.S. Teacher **
Recommended iPad Accessories (continued)

Accessory Description Developer Price Notes

ZooGue Case Genius
This iPad case is adjustable to any angle with its Velcro
design. The adjustable straps allow you to hand your iPad
2 (or iPad mini) just about anywhere. Securelymount it to
your headrest in your car, or use it as a secure hand strap!
ZooGue
(California)
$49.99

Bluetooth Keyboard
This keyboard wirelessly connects to your iPad and Mac.
It allows you to type with ease while composing emails,
editing Microsoft Office documents, etc.
Apple, Inc. $69.99

Additional Online Resources
http://www.apple.com/education/special-education
http://www/babieswithipads.blogspot.com
http://www.snapps4kids.com
http://a4cwsn.com
http://www.therapyapp411.com
http://momswithapps.com
http://www.funeducationalapps.com
http://appsineducation.blogspot.com
http://www/bestkidsapps.com/
http://www.otswithapps.wordpress.com
http://www.appymall.com