Tell a Tale

Tell a Tale

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tell-a-tale/id466009468?mt=8

This app is designed for two or more people. It gives the first line in a story, three images you must use in the story, and the final sentence in the story. 
Cost: FREE
Pros: The story is randomly generated and there is no time limit, so this app is all about creativity and collaboration.
Cons: The free version has limited pictures and phrases, so after a while the images repeat. Although, after using this app for several days, I have never seen the EXACT same combination of the five elements.
Use in the Classroom: I think this would be a fantastic and innovative new way to do writing prompts in the classroom. By allowing different students to work either individually or together, there could be some amazing creativity that would come from this one of a kind app. Tell a Tale could also be a fun game for students to play in a rainy day recess sitation, or as a station to go to when they have extra time. This app could be adapted so students use an app like PicCollage to create their own Tell a Tale stories.

Math Champ Challenge

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/math-champ-challenge-common/id566463831?mt=8

Name: Math Champ Challenge (Common Core Standards)

Cost: Free

Pros:  Challenges students’ math facts in a fun and spontaneous way. There are a variety of question topics including geometry, fractions, addition, etc. It focuses a lot on the common core standards for the levels included. There are also multiple levels from grade 4 through grade 7. There is also a “chalk board” on the lower half of the game for students to do work if they need to. In addition to the challenges, there is a “skill builder” option to practice specific areas before completing the challenges.

Cons: Challenges are timed and there wasn’t a way to change the time limit (that I found). This could make it difficult for students who struggle a little with speed to participate in the challenges.

Use in the classroom: There was also a “Math Champ (Client)” & “Math Champ (Host)” version where the teacher can host the quiz and the students can each connect via their iPads and choose an icon and it can become a competition for the whole class. The teacher receives the data from each iPad and can see the students’ scores. 

Dragon Dictation

Name: Dragon Dictation

Pros: It is a quick way to take notes. Instead of writing out notes, words are spoken and the app will record the words. Words recorded can be emailed, posted to facebook or twitter or  copied and saved for later.

Cons: Words spoken need to be articulated clearly. The application may mistake the spoken words for similar sounding words. 

Use in Classroom: This could be an app that is useful for students to take notes on information they need to remember. This could be a wonderful app for students who are learn linguistically. Students would be able to speak their thoughts on the subject and record the facts.

My experience: I have not used this app extensively, however when I tried it out the app recorded different words than I said a number of times. This could be improved by using the app in a completely silent environment.  Some other reviews also mention that the app has lost their entire dictation. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dragon-dictation/id341446764?mt=8

Todo K-2 Math Practice

Todo K-2 Math Practice

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/todo-k-2-math-practice/id666465255?mt=8

Cost: FREE
Pros: Lets students work independently to learn math facts in a new and fun way.  The games are created to give students encouragement and feel confident with math.  This app also builds fluency through repetition of math facts.  This app also has different types of games that deal with counting, tracing, tallies, dragging numerals around to create frames, and looking at addition and subtraction facts.
Cons: This is only intended for grades K-2.  I would like to see an app like this for math facts through 5th grade that has games for all types of math problems for all types of students.
How it can be used in education: This app is a great center for students to work on independently while a teacher is focusing on teaching addition and subtraction in another center, using a different technique.
Have I tried similar apps/features?  I have not tried any apps that are similar to this one.