Understand

= Recommendations for Apps that Support Students to Understand =

(Version 7.0.0) || Google, Inc. || Free || This attractive app is somehow similar with the previous, but it offers a much higher level of detail. Apart from the zoom in and out options, it also features a series of videos of main attractions (e.g. the Statue of Liberty or Cape Neddick’s lighthouse).
 * **Title** || **Publisher** || **Cost** || **Rationale/Description** ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/abc-magic-reading-3-blends/id446469837|ABC Magic Reading]] || Preschool University ||   || A great tool for children and adults to learn phonics. Words are grouped according to vowels and categories e.g. animals, food. For each word, the user can listen to the pronunciation of the entire word or each letter, and compare to how the learner pronounces it. But the app does not give feedback on whether or not the learner’s pronunciation is correct. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/free-mobile-blogging-blogbooster/id383086477|Blogbooster]] || 6taps || Free || Great easy to use blogging tool. Lets students blog on the go, so that they can communicate on assignments easily outside of class. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/essential-grammar-in-use-tests/id422587252|Cambridge: Essential Grammar in Use]] || Cambridge University Press || $4.99 || This app allows students to practice their grammar understanding in practice settings and in test settings. It keeps track of scores received and puts together stats to represent progress. Students can choose from a variety of convention topics depending upon the need. This would be a great resource for differentiated instruction. If a teacher were focusing on 4 different conventions and students were varied in their need for extra instruction, each student or pairs of students could choose the practice they need. There are two versions of this: basic and advanced. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/college-world-history-101/id390401071|College World History 101: Crush That Test]] || Crush That Test, LLC || $1.99 || Using this application, students prepare for exams using flashcards. Instead of the old fashioned paper way, students have an application that will test their knowledge using key words and the ability to ‘flip the card’ to see the correct answer. Students use the knowledge they have learned in class and test their understanding of the subject matter. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/frog-dissection/id377626675|Frog Dissection]] || Emantras || $3.99 || Interactive, audio-enhanced, and graphic frog dissection tutorial that takes user through comprehensive understanding of frog lifestyle, frog facts, comparison between the anatomy of frogs and humans, the proper procedure in a wet lab, a wet lab procedure quiz to test for understanding, 3D internal organs informational section, various frog behavior videos, types of frogs, and various interactive activities. All these features prepare the reader for the interactive dissection, in which user is interactively guided through dissection process. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/artist/google-inc./id281956209|Google Earth]]

Application: High school students could use this app across several subjects (e.g. History/Social Studies, English, foreign languages, etc.) both in the classroom as well as a homework or project assignment. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/essential-grammar-in-use-tests/id422587252|Grammar Tests]] || Cambridge University Press || $4.99 || This is a great tool for reviewing one’s grammar knowledge. The practice tests consist of 20+areas of grammar from tense to articles to word order to prepositions. Within each area, there are also sub-categories. Once the review is done, the learner can do the “new test” which consists of various areas of grammar. This is a very sensible app. It focuses on helping learners review grammar, and not on the bells and whistles. This is not the app to use if the learner knows nothing about a grammar area and needs to learn it from scratch. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/iannotate-pdf/id363998953|iAnnotate PDF]] || Branchfire, LLC || $9.99 || iAnnotate is a superb app for students to take a step into thinking about they read. Students are able to highlight, underline, or even cross out passages from their readings. This app allows students to understand and reflect on key passages and highlight things that they don’t understand. Students can also edit one another’s work from this app. ||
 *  [[file://localhost/us/app/imathematics!/id337535181|iMathematics!]] || Antonio Giarrusso || Free || This app serves as a resource for a variety of math terms and concepts with explanations and opportunities for practice ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/kids-math-2/id452535511|Kids Math 2]] || PawEng || $0.99 || This app is a quiz generator that gives a word problem with multiple-choice answers. The quiz keeps score and can range from addition and subtraction to multiplication and division. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/learn-french-with-busuu!/id379972007|Learn French with busuu]] || Busuu Online S.L. || Free || This app teaches students thematic vocabulary using images, audio, and text. Students can practice rote comprehension of the words using flashcards, but can go on to create sentences and answer comprehension questions based on short dialogues.

To access some components of this app, users need to create and log in to an online account.

Action verbs: Match, interpret, identify, name, recognize, report || Version 1.8 || 1.99 || With this app, students can import a graphic photo, cartoon, chart or diagram, on one side of the postcard, then use letter-writing format to explain the graphic. This activity helps students understand how a photo relates to a description, and gives them the opportunity to explain, in their own words, what is happening in a photo. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/lifecards-postcards/id304401787|Lifecards – postcards]] || Jens Egeblad
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/note-2-self/id400930033|Note to Self]] || Cross Forward Consulting, LLC || $2.99 || This app is particularly useful for students who do not like to take or review handwritten notes. It is also very useful if the user rely on using his email account. Instead of taking notes on paper, the user types in notes on the iPad. When the user is finished, he can send the notes to his email inbox with the simple touch of a button. The notes are then in the student’s email inbox for him to review. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/note-tutor/id315099430|Note Tutor]] || Note Tutor

Version 1.3 || $2.99 || This application allows students to practice independently on their on at home or in school. This application will help reinforce information learned in music class and it also shows students whether they read a note correctly or incorrectly. This will lead to more effective practicing and note reading. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/numbers-operations-1-number/id451025746|Numbers and Operations]] || Elevated Lab Press || $25.99 || This app teaches lessons on number sense and basic operations. The app shows animated videos that ask mathematical questions and walks you through the entire scenario with a complete answer.

These apps provide instruction on a variety of mathematical topics through the use of animated videos and practice problems. These apps are very useful for initial or remedial instruction. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/pages/id361309726|Pages]] || Apple, Inc. || $9.99 || Pages is another excellent app that allows students to develop a critical understanding of what they write. Pages features the ability to edit and create footnotes and endnotes to think practice their understanding of writing mechanics. Pages also allows students to create pie charts and bar graphs to visually represent their ideas. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/painless-reading-comprehension/id521373101|Painless Reading Comprehension]] || Barron’s Educational Series Inc. Mobile || Free || This app tests students’ comprehension of a given text. Students read the text first and then take a test to ascertain their understanding of the text. The app is great because it bolds the key words in the comprehension questions that point students in the right direction when answering the questions. Continuous use of this app would reinforce the bold key words for students and might improve their work with such phrases outside of the app. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/piano-notes!-learn-to-read/id463880788|Piano Notes! – Learn To Read Music]] || Visions Encoded Inc.

Version 1.6 || $0.99 || Students can visually see the relationships between two notes, students can explain their thought process and provide supporting detail to their answer, students can explain concepts once they have an understanding of the circle of fifths. This is a good application for students to practice the skills they have learned and to reinforce materials. Once studnts have a better understanding of the concepts and theories, students can interpret relationships between two notes and paraphrase concepts in their own words. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/sentence-maker-free/id518347992|Sentence Maker]] || Innovative Investments Limited || Free || This app asks students to arrange words into a grammatically correct sentence. The user has the option of adding pictures to cue students to understand the word/sentence’s meaning. This app is excellent for presenting vocabulary. It would not be good for quizzing vocabulary or asking students to recall vocabulary because it does not have an option to input words and sentences in response to an image.

Action verbs: Find, Recognize, Locate, Match || Great app to help users with a wide variety of issues and topics in general education curriculum. Projected as a companion, not a replacement, to classroom lessons to help enhance student’s understanding. Could also help students apply their knowledge if they choose to create their own ShowMe videos to share. || Version 1.10 || 2.99 || Strip designer is an app that allows students to retell the sequence of events in any story, tale, historical event, etc, in comic book style. Comic book style encourages students to be simple and concise in their retelling. With text balloons, fonts, colors and creative frames, students have the opportunity to individualize their reports. || (Version 2.2) || National Geographic Society || $1.99 || This app is useful to identify, locate, and recognize geographical elements, such as countries, oceans, regions, roads, etc. Zooming in and out is very easy, and locations can be bookmarked. The app includes a library and different map types (Executive, Classic, Satellite, and Road view) that make this world atlas very interactive and appealing.
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/showme-interactive-whiteboard/id445066279|Show Me]] || Learnbat, Inc. || Free || Need wifi/3G access; allows user to choose existing video lessons from variety of subjects to learn about, including Science, History, English, and Finance; hundreds of existing lessons created by teachers and other users (N.B.: user must beware of credibility and accuracy of lessons); also a create-your-own feature where user can record and design video, complete with how-to tutorial; links to Facebook, Twitter, and email; ShowMe videos are also available online at ShowMe.com for non-iPad users to visit.
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/smithsonian-channel-for-ipad/id482096908|Smithsonian Channel]] || Smithsonian Networks || FREE || This application provides hours of videos that can apply to many different points in history. Users can take a topic and learn more about the subject that you wouldn’t have access to through a visual medium. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/strip-designer/id314780738|Strip Designer]] || Vivid Apps
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/tap-dictionary/id420174330|TapDictionary]] || Ronen Drihem || $9.99 || When using the internet, TapDictionary allows students to recall the definition of any word that he or she doesn’t recognize on the page. Merely clicking on the word prompts a definition bubble to appear. TapDictionary works in over 50 languages. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/today-in-history-ipad-edition/id364186493|Today in History]] || Down-Shift Inc. || Free || This application is used to know what happened on any particular day in the calendar year. Students are able to apply historical world events, famous births and deaths, and international holidays and observances to today. It will help students understand that history happens every day! ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/app/usa-factbook-free/id305888083|USA Factbook Free]] || ADS Software Group, Inc. || Free || This application presents information on the United States in an easily accessible format. It focuses not only on the US as a whole but also includes relevant documents, maps, anthem and flag activities, and information on states, major cities, and presidents. There is a great deal of information here and the student will gain a deeper understanding of the country, its history, and map recognition. This application has a cumulative knowledge quiz at the end that tests your knowledge on states and cities. ||
 * [[file://localhost/us/artist/national-geographic-society/id315268468|World Atlas HD]]

Application: High school students could use this app across several subjects (e.g. History/Social Studies, English, foreign languages, etc.) both in the classroom as well as a homework or project assignment. ||