Cool iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad Apps for Your Students

AppsaurusI recently downloaded an app on my iPhone called Appsaurus. What this app does is recommend other apps based on your interests—a little bit like Apple’s Genius. I think it might be a bit buggy because I keep blocking some types of games apps, and I even turned off those types of app recommendations in my preferences, but I’m still seeing them. An app reviewer noted the same issue in her review. However, that issue aside, I have learned about some great apps through this app. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but it is a pretty good list of apps that your students who have iPod Touches, iPhones, or iPads might find useful. Prices are accurate as of June 30, 2010, but are subject to change.

Homework and Planning

iHomeworkiHomework. iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Max OS X. This app bills itself as “the only app you need in order to stay organized in school.” iHomework allows users to add assignments, courses, and teachers. An interesting feature of this app is that it allows users to visit the course website or email the teacher. It allows students to keep track of grades, add repeating assignments (such as weekly quizzes), create to-do lists that can be used for non-educational activities, too, and sync between the OS X and the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. $1.99.

myHomeworkmyHomework. iPhone, iPod Touch, and Mac OS X. This app is described as “a simple and easy to use iPhone and Mac application that allows you to keep track of your homework, classes, projects and tests while interacting with a really cool design.” It does indeed, have an attractive design. This app also has a sharing feature that allows students to “transfer homework or class entries to friends and email homework reminders.” I can’t tell from the website whether the iPhone/iPod Touch app will sync with the Mac OS X app. Free.

ThingsThings. iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Mac OS X. I use this app as a to-do list and grad school planner. It enables users to create repeating events and specify when they end. It syncs with the Mac OS X app. Things also allows users to create projects with multiple to-do steps, file goals as “Someday” items, which is handy if you want to do it but aren’t sure when you’ll get to it, and allows you to specify the number of days before the due date that the reminder will appear in Things. $9.99.

iStudiez ProiStudiez Pro. iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. This app allows users to input flexible schedules and keep track of their grades. The app has a nice design. The calendar feature resembles Apple’s iCal app. You can try out a “lite” version of the app for free. $2.99.

Notetaking

EvernoteEvernote. Mac OS X, Windows, Web, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Blackberry, Android, Palm Pre/Palm Pixi, Windows Mobile. This app “to save your ideas, things you see, and things you like. Then find them all on any computer, phone or device you use. For free.” The granddaddy of useful applications, Evernote allows users to take notes, clip web pages, take photos, take screen shots, and organize and tag items into different notebooks. Free.

SpringpadSpringpad. iPhone, iPad, Android, Web. This app allows users to bookmark sites, take notes, take pictures, and scan bar codes. You can integrate it with Twitter or Facebook, and email. Free.

Stick ItStick It. This sticky notes app allows users to take notes and put sticky notes on their lock screens and bump phones to transfer notes to other phones. $0.99.

I know there are a lot of wonderful iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad apps for education, and this list only discusses a few useful apps. Do you have a favorite? Please share in the comments.

5 thoughts on “Cool iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad Apps for Your Students”

  1. Thank you for posting these ideas! This fall I will be working as a part time tutor with AmeriCorps and we are integrating Ipod Touch technology in our work with students. I have been looking for education based apps and this list is an extremely helpful place to begin! I also wanted to give a big thank you to Dana for posting this blog! I am working on my initial licensure for English education and your thoughts and ideas excite me about becoming a teacher every day!

    1. Thanks! If you are interested in more apps that might be helpful depending on what tech you plan to use, I also have these on my iPhone: Google, Goodreads, Stanza, Kindle, Shakespeare Pro, Louvre, Love Art (The National Gallery, London), Barnes & Noble eReaders, Classics, iBooks, PoemFlow, Sherlock Vook, SnapTell, Animoto, Dictionary, Google Earth, Star Walk, Wikipanion, Diigo, Twitter, and WordPress. Not all of these apps are free, but I don't remember that any were expensive.

  2. These are all great apps! I have to recommend Dropbox. Not only is it a powerful backup/cloud data storage app for win/mac; there is a companion iPhone app where you can view all of your documents. This is really helpful for image store/pdf viewing on your phone or just referencing a paper or emailed handout. I keep all my documents stored in Dropbox. The app is free. http://www.dropbox.com/

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