Educational Apps

							                 Ten Educational Apps to Showcase

Freebooks is an app that allows you to download the “classics” for free. There are
about 25,000 “public domain” books that are available to download and read/save
into your library. For education I can pull sections from works that I want to
highlight for my students and project them onto the SmartBoard. Plus, most of the
reading that I do are non-fiction works, which are readily available on this
application. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/free-books-23-469-
classics/id364612911?mt=8




ABC News, FOX News and CBS News are 3 apps that I use for my social studies
courses. Students need to present on 18 current events throughout the year, and I
also like to contribute stories, either verbally or via video clip. These apps have top
stories that I will be able to project on my SmartBoard. Plus, now that I will be
teaching a current events course, these will come in handy. The ABC News app has a

cool “world” type of organization too, which I like to show off.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abc-news-for-ipad/id380520716?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fox-news/id367623543?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cbs-news-for-ipad/id383784566?mt=8



This application covers the entire topic of Roman History. This app explains Roman
History in bits and pieces, giving us a basic understanding of what life was really like
for the forefathers of Western Civilization. This site is also interactive, giving the
viewer the ability to manipulate figures and structures. It also provides a unique,
computer-generated picture of what the ruins would have looked like during the
Roman Empire. This is another app that I use to “show off” what my IPad can do!
The pictures are simply breathtaking. I wish they had more areas of to showcase
through a virtual tour. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/virtual-history-
roma/id410358487?mt=8

The PBS application has top social issues, history, music, etc. videos that you can
watch anytime. They do have their longer series’ as well (i.e. American Experience)
that you can view with a basic membership fee…might be worth is if I plan to use it
throughout the year. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pbs-for-
ipad/id398349296?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4



This app is self-explanatory, but it provides the events in history that happened on a
particular day. This would be a nice visual for students to look at when they walk in
the room, sit down, and wait for the bell to ring. It could prompt discussion, and
would be great when it connects with the units we cover throughout the year.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/today-in-history-ipad-edition/id364186493?mt=8
Google Earth is a great, educational tool for any educator, no matter the subject
area. I used it a lot during Geography, but sometimes it is nice to play around with
during downtime for any class. Students love to look up places around the world and
get down to detail with the “street view” (including their own houses!). Technology is
amazing. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-earth/id293622097?mt=8



Geo Photo is a lot like Google Earth (offers the same type of search, but isn’t quite
as detailed as Google Earth). But, it offers a different feature, which provides
photos of famous physical or human features in great detail! People from all over
the world upload pictures and we get to view them. So, you can take a vacation
without ever leaving your home. Great tool when talking about culture.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/geophoto-albums/id337462572?mt=8




The Life Application is neat, because while LIFE used to be a large, picture-filled,
attractive, magazine, it went out of business in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s. Now,
this app is the way they still provide unique photos present and past, that highlight
people around the world. Recently I got my hands on past issues from LIFE
magazine from the 1960’s and 1970’s, which are so neat. While nothing can replace
that kind of history, this app gives me the ability to search out past issues and
continue staying in touch with present icons. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/life-
for-ipad/id399415330?mt=8




 World Factbook lets you choose any country around the world and pull up-to-date
 information about that country’s geography, people, gov’t, economy, communications,
 transportation, military, issues, etc. It is a great reference when trying to compare
 how people live, and why there are so many differences of opinion worldwide…we
 are all coming from very different backgrounds and experiences.
 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-world-factbook-for-ipad/id364904019?mt=8




This is a resource app that has the top 100 U.S. documents, including the declaration
of independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Louisiana Purchase, Emancipation
Proclamation, Gettysburg Address, etc. I can put this up on the SmartBoard and
highlight sections of it for students to focus on. It is pretty basic, but a nice
resource to have as a history teacher. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/us-historical-
documents-for/id373810127?mt=8