Take your lesson plans from your classroom to your students’ smartphones. Here are 6 apps for every subject that will assist you in teaching!
Tired of having to ask students to put their phones away in class? Well, stop asking. If they want to be on their phones so much, then why not incorporate smartphone use in your lesson plans? Jeff Dunn, blogger for Edudemic, provides The 70 Best Apps For Teachers And Students that you can start using within any classroom setting. By including these apps in your itinerary, you can take advantage of the abundance of technology that may already be available to you.
Six of the 70 apps Dunn presents covers all different subject areas: Reading, Writing, Math, Science, History, and Art. These apps are easy to introduce to your students and are great for schools on a budget. Educational apps also provide some tremendous supplementary material for your classroom. It is good to mix in some new material — keeping your students on the edge of their seats all year long.
Reading - iBook
In any reading class, a course requirement is to read, right? Finding the right book can feel... never ending. Often times students misplace or damage the books you planned to reuse in the future. iBooks is a perfect app to take your paperback troubles away. iBook can be downloaded on any Apple device: iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Mac computer.
A few things to love in this app:
- You can highlight passages you wish to keep in mind.
- Take notes on pages and print them!
- Find key words or phrases by using the search tool.
- Best news: It’s FREE, and free is great for any school’s budget.
With this app you are able to access books for any reading level. Another great bonus, instead of passing out an endless number of books to your students, have them download the book on their smart device. One, it is a much simpler process. Two, you will never have to worry about a misplaced book again, since that smart device never leaves their hands!
Writing - Dictionary.com
I remember being in high school, grammar and spelling were always a constant and important issue covered year after year. Although dictionaries were always available, looking through them was such a pain. Dictionary.com is an app that takes away the pain. This app will reduce your students’ spelling and grammar errors in an instant. Dictionary.com encourages them to use correct grammar and spelling with ease of every day use. Your students may even learn a few new words while they’re at it.
A few things to love in this app:
- Spelling suggestions for words typed incorrectly.
- English Dictionary and Thesaurus on any smart device.
- Audio pronunciations of words.
- The second budget friendly app: it's FREE!
Lugging around those big dictionaries, and flipping through thousands of pages can be exhausting. Say goodbye to those heavy books, with Dictionary.com on your smart device there is no more heavy lifting required. With this ease of use your students will use their dictionary more often. Sit back and watch their vocabulary grow!
Math - Math 42
Tired of using the same math homework equations? Using the same book from year to year can get boring. Mix up your homework assignments with Math 42. Math 42 is a perfect app for creating a new template for your lesson plan.
A few things to love in his app:
- Extensive number of exercises for all math levels.
- Ability to view student progress.
- Points out student strengths and weaknesses.
- Budget minder: It’s only 99 cents!
Allow your students to experience mathematical success when working with their own smart device. With the ability to view your student progress, you will know exactly where each student needs a little extra help. Supplement your daily lesson plans with a few new mathematical equations from Math 42. Subtract the old lesson plans, add the new!
Science - BrainPoP
Watching the same science videos over and over can cause your students to doze off. With BrainPoP you can be sure to educate your students in new ways. This means no more naps in class. Your students won't want to miss out on your new science lessons.
A few things to love in this app:
- New science videos daily.
- Fun science quizzes to test your knowledge.
- Budget Friendly: It’s Free!
With this new app, science can reach your students on a device that they are familiar with and are able to interact with. BrainPop provides quizzes on an interactive touch screen. These fun science quizzes are a great opportunity for extra credit! Add this app into your classroom and learn new ways to inspire your student about the world they live in — Science is everywhere!
History/Geography - Barefoot World Atlas
History class is a subject that you may feel as though new things never occur. The past is the past right? But what about the history we are creating today! New things may never occur in your history books, but we found an app to help your classroom stay up to date! This app can teach your students about the world they are living in — the history they are apart of. With Barefoot World Atlas you can breath new techniques and visuals for your subjects of the past.
A few things to love in this app:
- Virtual view of the globe.
- Fun facts about every country.
- Tons of mini videos.
- Photographs from all over the world
Incorporate Barefoot World Atlas into your new history lesson plans and watch your classroom view the world from the palm of their hands. This great app comes with additional packages, if you decide this is what you classroom needs. Take the past and enjoy it in the present!
Art & Creativity - DIY
Who doesn’t love the occasional do it yourself project? With this fun app you can bring “do it yourself” projects into your classroom. The DIY app is great for your students when following directions on their smart device.
A few things to love in : this app:
- Step by step, easy to follow instructions.
- Share feature, so your students can share their progress at home.
- It’s FREE!
The DIY app will help guide your students when you’re not right next to them. This allows you to teach from anywhere in the classroom. Watch your students progress and enjoy the projects that they create. This app will give your students new ideas and the push they need to try something new and creative. Hey, they can even try these projects at home!
With BYOD (bring your own device) being such a huge hit with kids today, why not incorporate new apps into your daily lesson plan. There are so many educational apps that can provide you with daily new ideas. See how technology can make its way into your classroom, and learn something new everyday with your students. Inspire and be inspired, with the educational apps you can provide to your students!
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