Want to Build a New App? There's an App for That, Too Competition in Apple’s App Store is so tough that even strong concepts must be planned to perfection before any development should start. So enter App Cooker: A hot new iPad app that makes sure other apps have the right ingredients in place before any development begins. App Cooker ($19.99) from Sophia-Antipolis, France-based Hot Apps Factory helps aspiring designers organize, plan and get app projects ready for production. 30-year-old Xavier Veyrat — the designer of App Cooker — spoke to Mashable about the development of the platform and the steps that go into creating a masterpiece app recipe. Have you always been into design? Always. What type of design inspires you? Companies such as Apple, Dyson and Braun are some of the main sources of my inspiration because they care about usefulness and beauty at the same time. How did the concept for App Cooker come about? Two years ago, I started to work on a gaming app with my partner Johann. What makes a good app?
Introducing School-Wide Digital Citizenship Practices with iPads An elementary school in our district recently got 30 iPads and asked for some advice implementing them with students and teachers. In addition to suggesting some starter apps, I recommended that we have conversations with kids around the appropriate use of these devices. While almost every child has used an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, the exciting learning opportunities these mobile, Internet-connected, media creation devices create also open the door to new challenges. Cyberbullying or inappropriate web publishing happens more through the camera than regular computer use does; the mobility of the device combined with the reality that multiple users are using the device with no personalized, password-protected, network-tracked accounts makes it more challenging to keep track of who is doing what with the device or that the device itself is safe. Rather than tell the students how they should and should not use iPads, I felt compelled to involve the students in the conversation.
25 Ways To Use iPads In The Classroom In case you haven’t heard the news, we’re putting out a special mini-issue early next week. It’ll be available in the Edudemic Magazine iPad app and, best of all, FREE to subscribers! If you’re not (yet) a subscriber, it’ll be just $0.99. The following is an excerpt from just one of the articles in the mini-issue. So you’ve got one or a few iPads that you want to use in the classroom. Las mejores aplicaciones de iPad para profesores y alumnos La primera vez que cae un iPad en tus manos, te maravilla su pantalla táctil, su navegación y los vivos colores de sus libros y revistas. De hecho normalmente se considera el iPad como un tablet elegante para consumir información digital, más que como un medio para editar y producir contenido. Sin embargo, a medida que vas descubriendo sus maravillosas aplicaciones, ves que te permite generar un potente flujo de trabajo para mantener la información organizada, construir material académico y plasmar ideas de forma creativa. Para facilitarte el trabajo de elegir entre miles de aplicaciones, he creado unos mapas mentales que se centran en las mejores aplicaciones que el profesor y el alumno puede usar para mejorar su productividad, su organización, su pensamiento creativo y la creación de contenido. 1. (Para ampliar la imagen, haz doble clic sobre ella) 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Para más información sobre Feedly, puedes leer nuestro post: Personalizando la revista de tus sueños.
Turning Students into Good Digital Citizens 21st Century Literacy | In Print Turning Students into Good Digital Citizens Schools have always been charged with the task of producing good citizens. But how has our definition of a "good citizen" changed over the ages? By John K. In today's world of near-ubiquitous connectivity, in which ordinary people have almost instantaneous access to unlimited stores of information and the ability to interact with anyone, anywhere, anytime, what does it mean to be an effective citizen? Ask a K-12 educator these questions and chances are the answers will have something to do with teaching proper behavior and setting appropriate prohibitions. But some educators, particularly those who think about this issue in higher education, will say that digital citizenship has less to do with safety and civility than participation in the worldwide online conversation--participation that requires a set of relatively sophisticated skills.
Load Up Your iPad with a Massive Library of Over 38,000 Free eBooks The iPad is a great device to read on, and if your digital library is feeling a little bare then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve found some of the best places to get free ebooks, ready to be downloaded and opened with iBooks on your shiny new iPad (or iPhone, iPod, Kindle, Nook, or Android, for that matter). Project Gutenberg Top 100 – Full of classics, if you’re only going to visit one source for free ebooks, Gutenberg should be it. They have over 38,000 free ebooks available, and their top 100 list is basically a mirror of the Western Canon of literature. Gutenberg is probably the best source online, but other sites offer free ebooks too: If you download the books onto a Mac or PC, emailing them to an iPad or iPhone is generally the easiest way to transfer them over quickly without syncing. Know any other quality sources for free ebooks?
iOSteacher Ways to Evaluate Educational Apps I am conducting a series of workshops in Florida and was asked to share a rubric to help teachers evaluate educational apps as part of the workshop. In 2010 Harry Walker developed a rubric, and I used his rubric (with some modifications by Kathy Schrock) as the basis for mine. (Read Harry Walker's paper Evaluating the Effectiveness of Apps for Mobile Devices.) I kept in mind that some apps are used to practice a discrete skill or present information just one time. My rubric also emphasizes the ability to customize content or settings and how the app encourages the use of higher order thinking skills. Here's what I chose to spotlight in my rubric: Relevance The app’s focus has a strong connection to the purpose for the app and appropriate for the student Customization App offers complete flexibility to alter content and settings to meet student needs Feedback Student is provided specific feedback Thinking Skills Engagement Student is highly motivated to use the app Sharing
Almont Community Schools I Education Apps Review - I Education Apps Review