5 iPad Apps That Help Students Learn Programming Basics

Learning the fundamentals of programming can be helpful in understanding how software works. Learning programming basics also helps students develop a better understanding of “if, then” logic which can be applied to a wide variety of academic areas. Here are five iPad apps that can help students learn some programming basics.

The Tynker iPad app features stories that students animate by completing a series of programming challenges. The programming happens by organizing a series of blocks that represent commands. The Tynker iPad app provides the first story / programming challenge for free. The subsequent challenges require in-app purchases. Students older than ten or eleven may find the challenges too simple.

Daisy the Dinosaur is a free iPad app designed to introduce young students to some programming basics. The app asks students to create commands for Daisy the Dinosaur to carry out. There is a free play mode in which students can make Daisy do whatever they want. But to get started you might want to have students work through the beginner challenges mode. Daisy the Dinosaur could be used with students as young as Kindergarten age. For older students older than eight or nine, try one of the following two apps.

Hopscotch is a free iPad app that introduces students to programming logic. In Hopscotch students put command boxes into order to make cartoon avatars move and draw lines. Students can program one or all of the cartoon avatars to move and follow commands based on touch or on the movement of their iPads.  Using Hopscotch is a logical next step after completing the challenges in Daisy the Dinosaur.

Cargo Bot is a fun and challenging game that students can play to learn some principles of logic and programming. The object of the game is to program a robot to complete increasingly complex sequences of tasks. Students start out by programming the robot to move one box from point A to point B. After successfully programming the robot students are advanced to programming more complex tasks like a repeating loop of movements and staggered movements.

Kodable is an iPad app that introduces children to logic and programming through a simple visual interface. The app present students with a series of mazes through which they have to guide the “Fuzz” character. To guide Fuzz through the mazes students have to drag and drop boxes into place. On the beginning levels students can move one block at a time and see the results quickly. As the levels get more difficult students have to start to think a few moves ahead.

Reposted from iPad Apps for School by Richard  Byrne

Storehouse – A Free iPad App for Visual Storytelling

Storehouse is a new iPad app for visual storytelling with your pictures and video clips. The basic idea behind Storehouse is to create stories by combining images, text, and video clips on a blank canvas. To create your stories you can import pictures and video from your iPad’s camera roll, from Instgram, from Dropbox, and from Flickr. You can arrange the sequence of the media by dragging and dropping it into place. You can add text above and below each picture or video clip in your story. Completed Storehouse stories can be shared via email, Facebook, and Twitter. Stories published through Storehouse are given their own URLs for online viewing. You can see sample story here.
Storehouse could be a good app for students to use to develop visual stories about themselves, about field trips,  or  about school events like winter carnival day or other celebrations. As your students create their stories encourage them to think about the sequencing their media to support the narratives of their stories.
Re-posted from ipadapps4school.com, written by Richard Byrne

Exploros - Digital Learning Experiences for iPads

Exploros was designed from the ground up to make the 1:1 iPad classroom work, with teacher-guided, student centric learning.
Exploros transforms print or digital content and lesson plans into student-facing digital learning experiences for iPads. Teachers can easily make sure students are using iPads for the classroom experience, and can see student work in real-time.

Exploros fosters common classroom instructional strategies such as brainstorming, discussion, and peer review and supports methods such role play, case method, and project-based learning. These traditional approaches can be enhanced with video, audio, and web links, as well as embedded assessment for real-time insights into student understanding.
Thanks to Stan Silverman at NYS TC Moodle forum for the recommendation.

New: 10 of the best Apple and Android apps for education in 2013

Here is the eSchool News annual list of the top educational apps for the year.  With new upgrades in touch technology, and the emphasis on Common Core State Standards and school reform in general, they have come up with a new list of the best Apple- and Android-based education apps for 2013.
This year’s list includes some of the most highly rated apps, both by educators and by parents, and features a range that spans from interactive iBooks to current images of the universe, and from free video software to award-winning STEM curricula.

For every app listed, there is included a brief description, device compatibility, suggested use, features, price, and a link to a more in-depth summary with an option to purchase on iTunes or Google Play.

The Best iPad Tips and Tricks [Updated for iOS 7]

The Best iPad Tips and Tricks [Updated for iOS 7]

21 brilliant iOS 7 tips and tricks and problems solved

Leaf Snap

Scientists have developed the first mobile app to identify plants by simply photographing a leaf. The free iPhone and iPad app, called Leafsnap, instantly searches a growing library of leaf images amassed by the Smithsonian Institution. In seconds, it returns a likely species name, high-resolution photographs and information on the tree's flowers, fruit, seeds and bark. By this summer, it will include all the trees of the Northeast and eventually will cover all the trees of North America. Smithsonian research botanist John Kress created the app with engineers from Columbia University and the University of Maryland.

Knowmia Teach Is a Great App for Creating Lesson Videos

Knowmia is a website and an iPad app for creating, sharing, and viewing video lessons. The Knowmia Teach iPad app is an excellent app for creating your own whiteboard videos in the Khan Academy style.
I have found the Knowia Teach app to have far more creation options than the similar Showme and Educreations apps. Some of the highlights of Knowmia Teach app include the option to use your iPad’s camera to record yourself while drawing on the whiteboard. You will appear in the corner of the screen so that your students can see you while you’re talking them through the lesson. The app includes the option to import images and graphics from your iPad to your lessons. You can draw free-hand on the whiteboard screen, type on the whiteboard screen, and insert pre-made shapes and figures.

All Knowia Teach lessons can be uploaded to the Knowmia website with just one tap of your iPad’s screen. Students can watch your lessons on the Knowmia website. If you’re thinking about trying to create some “flipped” lessons for your students, take a look at Knowmia and the Knowmia iPad app.
Re posted from http://ipadapps4school.com by Richard Byrne

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