Module 2.4 - Finding Educational Apps

 Finding Educational Apps

Finding & Evaluating iPad Apps

Finding educational iPad apps which are relevant to your search terms, easy to use, and worthy of precious class time can sometimes be a frustrating experience.  In this portion of the module, I hope you will learn a few tricks for making the process of finding and evaluating apps easier. After all, "There's an App for that, right?" It's also important that teachers try out the apps before sharing them with their students.  Also, ask other teachers, students, and parents about their favorite apps. 

 

App-Finding Apps

Download and explore the following "App-Finding" resources to find more education apps that may be beneficial in your classroom. Remember to look for any app you find in the LEARN platform too!

	The App Store app Links to an external site. is pre-installed by apple on the iPad. Search the app store by categories or keywords.  Be sure to look at the education category. About half way down the page locate subject specific guides created by Apple. Search through the guide for applications which match your curriculum.
	The Apps Gone Free Website Links to an external site. has many other useful resources as well, including, App Lists, App Reviews, & App Guides.
	AppShopper Social App Links to an external site. (Free) allows you to narrow your searches making it easier to find free apps, apps just for the iPad, and even apps within categories.  AppShopper also allows you create a "wish list" account to notify you when paid apps you want become free.

 

App Review Websites

App reviews can be found online and are a great resource for locating educational apps.  Explore a couple of the following websites to find apps that you can use in your classroom.

• Common Sense Education Links to an external site.:  This site provides reviews by educators and free resources that include ratings and reviews Links to an external site. of apps, games, and websites, designed to help teachers find and use the best digital tools for their classrooms.

• Educators Technology App Lists: Links to an external site.  The purpose of this site is to provide teachers with a repository of apps to choose from when trying them with their students in the classroom. 
• Free Apps for Educators: Links to an external site.  This is a great resource for free educational apps available for educators. 
• ScoopIT! on Educational App Lists: Links to an external site.  This is a collection of lists of sites that provide recommended lists/reviews of educational apps.
• UEN's Apps4Edu: Links to an external site. The Utah Education Network provides a way to search for apps and also provides educational featured apps, top free apps, and top paid apps.  

 

App Evaluation

The most difficult thing about finding iPad apps is finding quality apps, and knowing when you have found an app you should keep. For your assignment on the next page, you will use an evaluation tool for determining the effectiveness of an app to use in your classroom.