Mr. Dion Norman

The new World Atlas app is the result of a partnership between Barefoot Atlas and Touch Press, and is absolutely stunning. The 3D interactive globe includes tons of information on just about everything related to geography from facts about countries, people, landmarks, history, animals and more. As you move around, the music changes and you can easily view the animated images. Once clicked on, the images come to life and you are presented with information which includes and audio reading. This is perfect for younger students who are doing research.

The app is a little expensive at $7.99 but is well worth the money. It is packed full of information and really showcases what can be created for the iPad. The only drawback of this app is its size. At 1.5GB, it takes up a lot of space so you may need to delete some other apps if memory is limited.

http://ictforeducators.com/2012/03/new-world-atlas-app-is-amazing.html

Skoolbo is a graphically beautiful 3D world where children can race against peers or virtual characters as they practice literacy and math skills which are “randomly” chosen for their skill level. Mr. Hill pointed out that the aim is to keep children engaged in the game for at least three years through an engaging environment, progressively challenging content and unique rewards. The games are set up to reward children every 15-20 minutes of play and after achieving 5000 points (approximately 6 weeks of play), there is a graduation ceremony which includes a party hosted by family members in Jib Jab style animations. Children can also collect points/coins which can exchanged for cool rewards such as super hero costumes. The feature that parents and teachers will love, is the ability to receive detailed progress reports as well as the opportunity to receive emails and alerts notifying them of important developments in student achievement.

http://ictforeducators.com/2012/03/skoolbo.html

We use Google sites to communicate with parents, share student learning, for student ePortfolios and much more. If you use Google Apps, Google sites makes it easy to embed documents, videos and albums from Picasa.

It is a must have for any educator.