APP-itudes: The Apps You Need in Every Classroom

Welcome to APPtitudes. This will be a series of articles that reviews education related apps that can be of use in and out of the classroom. Some will focus on apps for teachers. Some will focus on apps for students, and there will be combo reviews. If you have apps to recommend for our series, please let me know! You can contact me on Twitter at @winchesterteach or at sarah.winchester1@gmail.com!

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Apps reviewed today:

BrainPOP Featured Movie

Quizlet

I tried these apps on an iPhone (app is similar to the iPad app) and my Galaxy tablet (Android device). Both apps are similar so it is very accessible for most tablets and smartphones available. You can find both on each devices respective app stores.

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BrainPOP Featured Movie: Price- Limited Free, but all access with subscription to BrainPOP (Good for students in and out of the classroom)

If you have ever used the BrainPOP website, you know how fun and informative the videos are (My 8^th graders love them) and that there are quizzes and activities to allow you and your students to check for understanding. The app is like a mini version of the site so it is great for tablets and phones. The free version has a featured movie that does not need a subscription or login to view. If your school has a subscription with BrainPOP, then the app opens up the ability to view all available videos, access quizzes, and more.

When you open the app, the screen shows the featured movie and quiz link along with buttons to navigate to the login, search, browse, etc. The app is very user friendly with large and easy to read font buttons. Login credentials can be a username and password chosen by you. The videos are fun and engaging with their hosts, Tim and Moby, teaching students about many topics. The quizzes are easy to use and allow you to keep track of scores for your students.

Quizlet: Price- Limited Free with lots of features, but available to upgrade for more options (Good for students and teachers in and out of the classroom)

Quizlet is an app and website that allows users to create interactive flashcard sets for study and allows users to find already created flashcard sets. The app is basically a mini version of the website. You can log in with credentials created by your own email, Google + account, or Facebook. After you login, the home screen shows the following: your sets (latest and created by you.) From here you can browse for or search different topics to find sets that others have created and shared. Once you have found a set to view, you can study the set using the match game function, flashcards, and learn (type your answer.) The app also has a speak function that will read out the information to the user.

The iPhone app allows user to create sets directly from their phones as well as going to the website to make the sets. Currently, on the Android app, you cannot create any sets, but that is a feature that is coming soon.

If you use the website, you can create sets for free. It allows users to important data, search Quizlet’s image bank to insert images, and put text in either English, French, or Spanish. Visibility and editing options on both the app and website can be put to everyone, classes, self, or people with passwords. There is also the ability to allow discussion between users.

This app/website can be a great way to help students review for quizzes and tests, but also allow for opportunities to collaborate by using the editing and discussion options. The uses can range from pre-K to college age, depending on the topic. Teachers can assign card sets to their classes for easy homework or study options outside of the classroom.