1) Remembering

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Tips2012 iPad App Guide #16: Popplet

Popplet is a hugely popular mind-mapping tool which enables teachers and students to visually represent and organise information using text, hyperlinks, images, and sticky notes (popples). Available as a web application (beta, via subscription) and iPad app, Popplet is remarkably simple to use, and is suitable for all ages.

Popplet requires a free account (we’d suggest creating class / group accounts for students), and completed ‘popplets’ can be saved as JPG or PDF files, embedded into web pages, or shared via Twitter, Facebook, and Email. Printed popplets make great classroom displays.

If using as a web app, teachers may be interested in the Popplet Education Licensing scheme.

For: Teachers, Students (Early Childhood through to Secondary)

Cost:  Popplet Lite is free, but we highly recommend the full featured Popplet app, which is available for $5.49AUD (Download Link). The full app allows users to sync Popplets across devices and the web. 

Requires WiFi: No, but required to obtain images from online sources.

Educational Applications

  • Create curriculum plans, mind maps, shared bulletin boards, scrapbooks, photo galleries,
  • Remember, organise and comprehend new information
  • Map concepts and create timelines
  • Use to assist note-taking and planning for writing
  • Enable real-time student collaboration via shared ‘popples’ – on iPads / iPad and web.
  • Use Popplet as a presentation tool (Click here for details)
  • Click here for more creative ideas 

Recommended Reading

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Tips2012 iPad App Guide #11: Pages

Pages is a feature-rich word processing app for iPad. Users can select from a range of pre-formatted templates, or create a document from scratch. Best used with an external keyboard, Pages is quick and easy to use, and is ideal for typing up notes, creating new documents, etc.

It offers options to export documents (via email) in Pages format (for Mac), Microsoft Word, or PDF, ensuring that they can be read on different platforms. A recent (2013) update finally enables users to open Pages documents in other apps, including Dropbox.  

For: Teachers, Students, Administrators

Cost: $10.49 AUD (Download Link)

Requires Wifi?: No

Educational Applications

  • A useful replacement for Microsoft Word – which negates the need to leave class to go to the computer lab.
  • Word processing applications (handouts, notes)
  • Useful templates for posters, letters, etc.
  • Create ePubs, or eBooks – to share on the iPad

Further Reading

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Tips2012 iPad App Guide #10: Socrative

Socrative is marketed as a “student engagment” and “instant assessment” e-clicker device which runs off ANY web browser (on your laptop, smartphone, iPod, iPad, etc).

It enables teachers to quickly and easily set up short multiple choice / short-answer / quiz assessment activities, which students respond to using their own devices. Student responses are collated, and displayed on the classroom screen or emailed to the teacher.

According to educational research by deJong and Lane et.al (2009), many students and teachers find “clickers” extremely engaging, so Socrative may well be worth experimenting with (depending on your preferred teaching approach). It is a cheaper alternative to traditional (hardware) clicker response systems.

For: Students, Teachers (in 1:1 or BYOD classrooms), University Lecturers

Cost: Currently Free (Requires Teacher Registration)

Download: Teacher Version    Student Version

Requires Wi-Fi: Yes

Socrative introduction video  from Socrative Inc. on Vimeo.

Educational Applications

  • Instant assessment / feedback
  • Polling in Class, Lectures, Conference presentations

Recommended Reading

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Tips2012 iPad App Guide #9: Diigo

Diigo is a connected teacher’s best friend!

Diigo provides a simple way to bookmark, annotate, and search the hundreds, if not thousands of websites that we bookmark from our Twitter feeds, web searches, and collegial recommendations. It allows users to tag, highlight, and add sticky notes to ANY webpage, and because they are stored in the cloud, they can be accessed on almost any device. And it’s available as an iPad app!

We highly recommend the Diigo for Educators account (free, but requires a school email address), which provides teachers, and their students, with a powerful research tool at their fingertips. To find out how you can use Diigo in the classroom, please review the links below.

Don’t forget to install the web highlighter / toolbar for your browser!

For: Teachers, Students, Administrators

Cost: Free (Download)

Requires WiFi?: Yes

Diigo V5: Collect and Highlight, Then Remember! from diigobuzz on Vimeo.

Educational Applications

  • Research / Inquiry – share useful links
  • Collate favourite classroom games
  • Professional Development (Curate favourite websites)
  • Join Diigo education groups (examples)

Examples of Diigo Libraries

Further Reading

How do you use Diigo? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Tips2012 iPad App Guide #7: Dragon Dictation

Dragon Dictation is an speech-recognition app that allows users to instantly dictate text, emails, tweets, etc on their iPad, up to five times faster than typing on a keyboard.

While it takes time to ‘train’ Dragon Dictation to recognise your voice, this app can be very helpful for students with dyslexia, and struggling writers. It’s worth experimenting with.

For: Students, Students with Diverse Needs, Teachers, Administrators

Cost: Free (Download Link)

Requires WiFi?: Yes

Tutorial: Dragon Dictation from Jessica Pack on Vimeo.

Educational Applications

  • Practicing fluency and pronunciation in LOTE, or English as Second Language classes
  • Supporting struggling writers – note-taking, brainstorming
  • Dictate memos, short documents, etc (productivity)

Recommended Viewing

Dragon Education Case Study
Dragon Dictate on iPad – Video Tutorial

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Tips2012 iPad App Guide #3: Google Apps

The Google App brings the full functionality of the web Google search to the iPad, and enables users to access mobile versions of their Google applications (eg. Gmail, Docs, Reader).

For: Students, Teachers, Administrators

Cost: Free (Download here)

Requires WiFi?: Yes

If you get stuck, you can always check out Google Help.

 

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Tips2012 iPad App Guide #1: Evernote

What it does

Evernote for iPad is a cross-platform app for recalling / remembering information. You can use this app to save website screenshots, notes, pictures, and audio comments; which are instantly synchronised between your computer, mobile device, and web Evernote account. (It is also available for Android devices).

For: Teachers, Administrators, Students ( Upper Primary / Secondary)

Cost: Free –  Download Here

Requires WiFi? Yes

Educational Applications

  • note-taking
  • research
  • references
  • to-do lists
  • organising information

Video Tutorial

Further Reading