APP REVIEW

10 Great Apps For Your Classroom

Soyouwanttoaddalittletechiesparkletoyour
classroomroutine?
Givetheseappsatryandyourstudentswillthankyou!
K.E.!. - Weather

Marco Polo Weather

Weather Underground
1.E.1.1 - Day and Night

Daylight HD
Jeffry's World
1.E.1.2 - Moon Phases

Moon Calendar & Moon

1.E.2

The Earth by Tinybop

Geology HD

AdvancedPlants
PlantsbyTinybop
1.L.1.2 - Plant Needs

Marco Polo
Weather
GradeLevelRelevancy:
K2

Suggested Classroom Application:

Workshopintegration
Dailydiscussionofweather.

Pros:
Interactiveweatherscenarios,sounds,

Cons:
Onlyallowsforinteractionwithweather,nowritingor
interactionwithothers

NCCCESStandard:
Standard
NCCES
K.E.1
Understandchangeandobservablepatternsofweather
thatoccurfromdaytodayandthroughouttheyear.

2.E.1
Understandpatternsofweatherandfactorsthataffect
weather.

Weather
Underground
GradeLevelRelevancy:
K12

Suggested Classroom Application:

Weatherpredictionsandcomparisonstoinformationfoundinthisapp.
Graphingsunrise/sunsetinformationthroughouttheyear
Viewingvideosofweather,sunrise/sunsetinthelocalandsurroundingarea
ListentonearbyNOAAradiostations

Pros:

Suiteofweathermeasuringinstruments
Superdetailedhourlyforecast
Firstlight/lastlightfeature
Communityfeaturesincludecrowdreports,webcams,WunderPhotosandmore
,

Cons:
Willtakesometimeforstudentstolearnhowtousefeatures
Inappads
Maybetoodetailedforsomegradesfocusoncertainareasatatime.
o

NCCCESStandard:
Standard
NCCES
K.E.1Understandchangeandobservablepatternsofweatherthatoccurfromdaytoday
andthroughouttheyear.
2.E.1Understandpatternsofweatherandfactorsthataffectweather.
5.E.1Understandweatherpatternsandphenomena,makingconnectionstotheweather
inaparticularplaceandtime.
7.E.1Understandhowthecyclingofmatter(waterandgases)inandoutofthe
atmosphererelatestoEarthsatmosphere,weatherandclimateandtheeffectsofthe
atmosphereonhumans.
EEn.2.5.2Explaintheformationoftypicalairmassesandtheweathersystemsthatresult
fromairmassinteractions.
EEn.2.5.3Explainhowcyclonicstormsformbasedontheinteractionofairmasses.
EEn.2.5.4Predicttheweatherusingavailableweathermapsanddata(includingsurface,
upperatmosphericwinds,andsatelliteimagery)
EEn.2.6Analyzepatternsofglobalclimatechangeovertime.

Daylight HD
GradeLevelRelevancy:
K12

Suggested Classroom Application:

Illustratedayandnightacrosstheworld
LongitudeandLatitude
Discusscontinents,oceans,seasons,eclipses
Examinedifferenttypesofmaps

Pros:
Easytonavigate
Showsdaylight,nightandthreelevelsoftwilight.
Showsthecurrentpositionofthesunandmoon
ScrollableWorldMap.
Synchronizestoshowthecorrecttime
ChooseSeasons(EquinoxandSolstice),Eclipsesfrom1950to2050
,

Cons:

Onlyshowsday,night,timeandlocation
Notveryinteractiveotherthanscrolling
Willtakesometimeforstudentstolearnhowtousefeatures
Inappads
Maybetoodetailedforsomegradesfocusoncertainareasatatime.

NCCCESStandard:
Standard
NCCES
K.P.1Understandthepositionsandmotionsofobjectsandorganismsobservedintheenvironment
K.P.2Understandhowobjectsaredescribedbasedontheirphysicalpropertiesandhowtheyareused.
1.E.1.1Recognizedifferencesinthefeaturesofthedayandnightskyandapparentmovementofobjectsacross
theskyasobservedfromEarth.
3.E.1Recognizethemajorcomponentsandpatternsobservedintheearth/moon/sunsystem.
3.P.1.3Explaintheeffectsofearthsgravityonthemotionofanyobjectonorneartheearth.
4.E.1Explainthecausesofdayandnightandphasesofthemoon.
6.E.1Understandtheearth/moon/sunsystem,andtheproperties,structuresandpredictablemotionsofcelestial
bodiesintheUniverse.
EEn.1.1ExplaintheEarthsroleasabodyinspace.
Phy.1.1.3Analyzemotionintwodimensionsusingangleoftrajectory,time,distance,displacement,velocity,and
acceleration
Phy.1.2.3ExplainforcesusingNewtonslawsofmotionaswellastheuniversallawofgravitation.
Phy.1.2.5Analyzebasicforcesrelatedtorotationinacircularpath(centripetalforce).

Jeffy's World
GradeLevelRelevancy:
K6

Suggested Classroom Application:

Illustratedayandnightacrosstheworld
Discusscontinents,oceans,hemispheres,seasons
ViewtheEarthsrelationtothesun
Lookattimeinrelationtomovement(day,month,year)

Pros:
3Dmodelsoftheworld,theSunandtheMoon
12shortanimations
Interactiveinfographicsexplainingtheseasonsandtheappearanceofthemoon.
Visualizationofhowayear,amonthandadaycometobe.
Extrainformationforparents
Viewshowsweatherinnorthernandsouthernhemisphere
,

Cons:

Maybetoosimplifiedforolderstudents
Graphicsareslightlyboringandalittlecreepy
Doesnotoffermuchinteractionforolderviewers

NCCCESStandard:
Standard
NCCES
K.P.1Understandthepositionsandmotionsofobjectsandorganismsobservedintheenvironment
K.P.2Understandhowobjectsaredescribedbasedontheirphysicalpropertiesandhowtheyareused.
1.E.1.1Recognizedifferencesinthefeaturesofthedayandnightskyandapparentmovementofobjectsacross
theskyasobservedfromEarth.
3.E.1Recognizethemajorcomponentsandpatternsobservedintheearth/moon/sunsystem.
3.P.1.3Explaintheeffectsofearthsgravityonthemotionofanyobjectonorneartheearth.
4.E.1Explainthecausesofdayandnightandphasesofthemoon.
6.E.1Understandtheearth/moon/sunsystem,andtheproperties,structuresandpredictablemotionsofcelestial
bodiesintheUniverse.
EEn.1.1ExplaintheEarthsroleasabodyinspace.
Phy.1.1.3Analyzemotionintwodimensionsusingangleoftrajectory,time,distance,displacement,velocity,and
acceleration
Phy.1.2.3ExplainforcesusingNewtonslawsofmotionaswellastheuniversallawofgravitation.
Phy.1.2.5Analyzebasicforcesrelatedtorotationinacircularpath(centripetalforce).

Moon Calendar
GradeLevelRelevancy:
K8

Suggested Classroom Application:

oIntroduceanddiscussterminologysuchaspattern,observation,waxing,waning,new,full
oDiscusspatternsandanalyzethepatternsthemoonfollows
oHavestudentsdrawpicturesandwritefoursentencesdescribingthemoonphasesusingthewordswaxing,waning,
fullandnew.
oShareobservationsusingtheterminologyinitially,however,moreover,inconclusion.

Pros:

oViewMooncalendarforanymonth,anylocation.
oViewMoonrise,MoonSet,SunriseandSunsettimes.
oFindtheexacttimeaFullMoon,NewMoon,First&LastQuarteroccurs.
oFindtheelevationandazimuthofmoonatanytime.
oSavemultiplelocationsandeasilyswitchbetweenthem.
oSearchforaddressesbystreetaddress,zipcodeorgeographiccoordinates.
oReminderscanbesenttoyourdevicesofimportantmoonphases
,

Cons:

oMaynotprovideenoughinteractionforyoungerages
oWouldhelpifterminologyweremoreprominentlydisplayed

NCCCESStandard:
Standard
NCCES
o1.E.1.2RecognizepatternsofobservablechangesintheMoons
appearancefromdaytoday.
o3.E.1Recognizethemajorcomponentsandpatternsobservedinthe
earth/moon/sunsystem.
o6.E.1Understandtheearth/moon/sunsystem,andtheproperties,structures
andpredictablemotionsofcelestialbodiesintheUniverse.

Moon
GradeLevelRelevancy:
K2nd

Suggested Classroom Application:

oIntroduceanddiscussterminologysuchaspattern,observation,waxing,waning,new,full
oDiscusspatternsandanalyzethepatternsthemoonfollows
oHavestudentsdrawpicturesandwritefoursentencesdescribingthemoonphasesusingthe
wordswaxing,waning,fullandnew.
.
.

Pros:

oVeryplainfocusedvisualofthemoon
oGreatforfocusingondetailsofthemoon
oCanbesharedonFacebookorotherplatforms
,

Cons:
oMaynothaveenoughinteractionforolderstudents

NCCCESStandard:
Standard
NCCES
.E.1.2RecognizepatternsofobservablechangesintheMoonsappearance
fromdaytoday.
o3.E.1Recognizethemajorcomponentsandpatternsobservedinthe
earth/moon/sunsystem.

The Earth
GradeLevelRelevancy:
K5th

Suggested Classroom Application:

Havestudentsplayanddiscovertheearthslandscape,featuresandvocabulary.
Studentscanexploreanareaandwriteaboutwhattheysaw,wheretheywere,whowas
thereandwhyitwashappening

Pros:

Multiplelandscapesthatyoucanshape
ViewtheEarthtransformovertime,fromasphereofboilingrocktothecontinentsweliveontoday.
ObservetheEarthslayersfromcrusttocore
Fourdifferenttypesofvolcanoes.
Vocabularyin40+languageswithinteractivelabelsincloseupscenes.
Sophisticatedsounddesignrewardsexperimentation.
,

Cons:

oMaynotholdinterestofolderstudents

NCCCESStandard:
Standard
NCCES
.1.E.2UnderstandthephysicalpropertiesofEarthmaterialsthatmake
themusefulindifferentways.

Geology HD
GradeLevelRelevancy:
6th8th

Suggested Classroom Application:

Havestudentsplayanddiscovertheearthslandscape,featuresandvocabulary.
Studentscanlookatweatheringanderosion.
Picturescouldbeusedtodiscusswithyoungergrade

Pros:

.
Multipleformatstoviewinformationin
Vividpictures/photographs
,

Cons:
Slightlyboring
Slowtorespondandload

NCCCESStandard:
Standard
NCCES
.1.E.2UnderstandthephysicalpropertiesofEarthmaterialsthatmake
themusefulindifferentways.

Advanced Plants
GradeLevelRelevancy:
5th8th

Suggested Classroom Application:

Havestudentsviewdifferenttopicsandmakeapresentationoftheirfindings
Havestudentscreateapodcastofinterestingfactsthattheyvefoundaboutplants

Pros:
Multipleformatstoviewinformationin
Vividpictures/photographs/videos
Coverstopicsofstructure/function,reproductions,photosynthesisandcategoriesofplants
,

Cons:
Wouldloseinterestofyoungerchildren

NCCCESStandard:
Standard
NCCES
1.L.2.1Summarizethebasicneedsofavarietyofdifferentplants(including
air,water,nutrients,andlight)forenergyandgrowth.

Plants
GradeLevelRelevancy:
K5th

Suggested Classroom Application:

Allowstudentstoexploretheapptoseewhattheyfind
Havestudentsdiscussinsmallgroups,pairs,wholegrouptheirfindings
Havestudentswriteapaperdescribingwhotheysaw,whattheyweredoing,wherethey
wereat,whytheyweredoingthat
Completeaclassgraphicorganizerofplantstheyfound

Pros:

Veryinteractive
Incorporatesvocabulary
,

Cons:
Mayloseinterestofolderstudents
Notfree

NCCCESStandard:
Standard
NCCES
1.L.2.1Summarizethebasicneedsofavarietyofdifferentplants(including
air,water,nutrients,andlight)forenergyandgrowth.

NC Professional
Teaching Standards
Standard1
Takeresponsibilityforallstudentslearning
Standard3
Developandapplystrategiestomakethecurriculum
rigorousandrelevant
Directstudentscuriosityintoaninterestinlearning
Relatecontenttootherdisciplines
Promoteglobalawarenessanditsrelevance
Standard4
Teachersintegrateandutilizetechnologyintheirinstruction
oKnowappropriateuse
oHelpstudentsusetechnologytolearncontent,think
critically,solveproblems,discernreliability,useinformation,
communicate,innovate,andcollaborate
Standard5
Teachersanalyzestudentlearning
oThinksystematicallyandcriticallyaboutlearningintheir
classroom:whylearninghappensandwhatcanbedoneto
improvestudentachievement
oActivelyinvestigateandconsidernewideasthat
oimproveteachingandlearning

NETS-T
1FacilitateandInspireStudentLearningandCreativity
bEngagestudentsinexploringrealworldissuesandsolving
authenticproblemsusingdigitaltoolsandresources.
cPromotestudentreflectionusingcollaborativetoolsto
revealandclarifystudentsconceptualunderstandingand
thinking,planningandcreativeprocesses.
2.DesignandDevelopDigitalAgeLearningExperiencesand
Assessments
a.Designoradaptrelevantlearningexperiencesthat
incorporatedigitaltoolsandresourcestopromotestudent
learningandcreativity
b.Developtechnologyenrichedlearningenvironmentsthat
enableallstudentstopursuetheirindividualcuriosities
3.ModelDigitalAgeWorkandLearning
a.Demonstratefluencyintechnologysystemsandthetransfer
ofcurrentknowledgetonewtechnologiesandsituations.
c.Communicaterelevantinformationandideaseffectivelyto
students,parentsandpeersusingavarietyofdigitalagemedia
andformats
d.Modelandfacilitateeffectiveuseofcurrentandemerging
digitaltoolstolocate,analyze,evaluateanduseinformation
resourcestosupportresearchandlearning.
5.EngageinProfessionalGrowthandLeadership
d.Contributetotheeffectiveness,vitalityandselfrenewalof
theteachingprofessionandoftheirschoolandcommunity.

NETS-S
.EmpoweredLearner
c.usetechnologytoseekfeedbackthatinformsandimproves
theirpracticeandtodemonstratetheirlearninginavarietyof
ways.
d.understandthefundamentalconceptsoftechnology
operations,demonstratetheabilitytochoose,use
3.KnowledgeConstructor
c.curateinformationfromdigitalresourcesusingavarietyof
toolsandmethodstocreatecollectionsofartifactsthat
demonstratemeaningfulconnectionsorconclusions.
d.buildknowledgebyactivelyexploringrealworldissuesand
problems,developingideasandtheoriesandpursuinganswers
andsolutions

Works Cited
References
AS/timeanddate.com,T.A.(2012,May16).DayandNightWorldMapontheAppStore.
RetrievedOctober18,2016,fromhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dayandnightworld
map/id413493783?mt=8
Averill,G.(2016,August16).TheFourBestWeatherApps(PlusaBonusforStormGeeks).
RetrievedOctober18,2016,fromhttp://www.outsideonline.com/2099756/weatheryour
phone
Deets,C.(2016,September21).MOONCurrentMoonPhaseontheAppStore.Retrieved
October18,2016,fromhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mooncurrentmoon
phase/id660036257?mt=8
Inc.,T.(2016,October12).TheEarthbyTinybopontheAppStore.RetrievedOctober18,
2016,fromhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/theearthbytinybop/id1001247878?mt=8
Inc.,T.(2016,September09).PlantsbyTinybopontheAppStore.RetrievedOctober18,
2016,fromhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/plantsbytinybop/id872615882?mt=8
LLC,R.(2016,September14).MoonCalendarontheAppStore.RetrievedOctober18,
2016,fromhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mooncalendar/id459707387?mt=8
LLC,S.L.(2015,December03).AdvancedPlantsHDontheAppStore.RetrievedOctober
18,2016,fromhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/advancedplantshd/id1046298130?mt=8
LLC,S.L.(2015,December03).GeologyHDontheAppStore.RetrievedOctober18,2016,
fromhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/geologyhd/id1054814126?mt=8
Learning,I.M.(2016,March02).MarcoPoloWeatherontheAppStore.RetrievedOctober
17,2016,fromhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/marcopoloweather/id905425870?mt=8
Q.(2012,June18).Jeffy'sWorldHDontheAppStore.RetrievedOctober18,2016,from
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jeffysworldhd/id494219971?mt=8
STANDARDCOURSEOFSTUDY.(n.d.).RetrievedOctober18,2016,from
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/science/scos/supporttools/#standards
WeatherMobileApps.(n.d.).RetrievedOctober18,2016,from
https://www.wunderground.com/download