Top iPhone Apps for Busy Teachers
I know there are tons of iPhone App lists on the web but I have put this one together to meet the needs of busy teachers who want to save time and effort and maybe make themself seem a little smarter next time a curly question comes their way in class. Hope you enjoy it and I would love to hear about your favourite apps and what you use them for.
Mobile Air Mouse: Do you use an Interactive whiteboard and have wireless keyboards and mice floating around the place that either don’t work or you have to actually sit in front of a computer to type something on your IWB. Download and install Mobile Air Mouse and you can use your iPhone to do everything on your IWB. Now I sit with my students and run a lesson. Media controls, Keyboard and Mouse. My all time most used app at school. Works through a wireless network and is pretty painless to set up. Check out the video below.
DropBox: I own a laptop, 2 desktop PC’s at home, have files on the network at school and now have some stuff on my iPhone. I was going crazy trying to keep track of it all. Drop box allows you to sync everything without any hassle at all to every PC you use both locally and in the cloud and now best of all you can access all of your files through your iPhone. Also you can create public folders for your students to access files from the web too. It’s free - Absolute Gold
Pi83 Graphing Calculator A simple calculator isn't enough for most math students once they hit high school, so having a graphing calculator handy is always welcome. And since Pi83 Graphing Calculator, which mimics Texas Instruments' Ti-83 graphing calculator, costs just 99 cents. Never be outsmarted by your students again.
Evernote - This iPhone app will help you capture video and audio with your phone and sync it to other devices. View web site clips take class notes and memos, photographs of class activities. File anything and pull it up on your PC or share it with your kids. The ultimate Forget me not tool. And believe me teachers have a lot to remember.
Quick Voice iP – I’ll throw this one in with Evernote.This award-winning voice recorder can be used to record lectures, reminders and other voice messages. Recorded material can then be emailed directly from your iPhone.
WorldBook – This Day in History. This interactive calendar is powered by World Book Encyclopedia and features historical information for each day of the year. Struggling for a lesson idea today or just need to fill in 10 minutes with some great facts from history.
Cram Cram is designed specifically to help students study for a big test. The app allows them to create multiple-choice quizzes and study guides with a flash-card-like system. The app even randomizes the answers to ensure students aren't memorizing a particular option. Best of all for teachers it has a massive bank of online tests you can access and administer. Don’t sit up all night planning or correcting a test again.
History: Maps of the World One of the most important tools any student can use is a historical map of the world to help them in both geography and history classes. That's where History: Maps of the World comes in.
After downloading the free app, users can view maps of all the continents at different points throughout history. The app features up-to-date maps showing current boundaries. But where it provides the most value is in its historical maps, which display boundaries and important places from periods throughout history. It's a great way to help students increase their effectiveness in geography and history class and a great discussion point in geography lessons.
Flash-Me - This educational iPhone App lets you use Cramberry (the amazing online flashcard maker) on your iPhone. With Flash-Me, you can create, edit and study your flash cards on your iPhone. These can be later shared with students in class.
Mathematical Formulas Mathematical Formulas is a must-see app for any math student. It not only helps users gain access to hard-to-remember formulas quickly, but it might also prove to be a handy studying tool.
Like me if you are not Rainman and your students hit you with something from left field in maths this is a great tool to get you out of what can be an embarrassing spot.
Spell Check. I am great spaller but this is a great tool to let your students use next time they hit a word that confuses them. Type in a word to see if you spelled it correctly and get suggestions for correct spellings. This app also doubles as a dictionary. Two for the price of none.
BBC World News – Between the BBC World News App, Australia’s ABC App and the United States NY times App you have access to three of the world’s best news services for quick facts, updates and when you need to search the archives in a hurry.
EleMints. Try out this interactive periodic table that allows you to easily learn about all the elements.