The document discusses factors to consider when selecting educational apps for student use. It notes that while price is a consideration, educational value is more important. Effective apps teach or practice curriculum skills, create evidence of learning, and produce learning materials. Other criteria include usability, the ability to work with other apps and files, and appropriate learning curves. The document provides examples of effective educational apps and resources for reviewing apps.

1. Selecting Apps
for Student Use:
Looking
Beyond the
Price
Gail Lovely
Gail@GailLovely.com
LovelyLearning.com
Gail@GailLovely.com

2. The App Store…
Like a box of chocolate

3. The App Store…
A HUGE box of chocolate

4. SOME STATS…
http://148apps.biz/app-store-metrics/
 Apps available for download: 659,936
 Education Category: 65,530 (active)
 Average App price: $1.99

5. What are the numbers?
From 2009 to 2011 apps for toddlers -
elementary school have grown from
47% to 72%
of the education collection*.
Gail@GailLovely.com
*(iTunes)

6. Price…
 Free? Really?
Gail@GailLovely.com

7. “All television is educational television.
The question is: what is it teaching?”
Nicholas Johnson

8. Educational Criteria
 Teach or practice curriculum or skills
of value
 Create evidence of knowledge or
skills
 Produce materials to learn with or
from
 More than CUTE, ENGAGING, FUN.
Gail@GailLovely.com

9. Apps and Application of Apps
Educational researchers and
practitioners alike assert that the
potential of new technologies for
learning is likely to be found not in
the technologies themselves but in
the way in which these technologies
are used as tools for learning (Means &
Olson, 1995; Owston, 1997; Valdez et al., 1999).
Gail@GailLovely.com
From NCREL: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/reading/li300.htm

11. Gail@GailLovely.com
Book Creator

12. “Don’t bring in an elephant
to teach the color gray.”
- Madeleine Hunter

13. Educational Criteria
 Ability to play well with other files
and apps
 Appropriate learning curve
 Useability
Let’s Look at Some!
Gail@GailLovely.com

14. Gail@GailLovely.com
StoryKit

15. Additionally – format matters
 Does the app consider multiple
users?
Bluster and Futaba
are examples of this…
Gail@GailLovely.com

16. Additionally – strategy matters
Does the app target the users
appropriately?
Toontastic is a wonderful example
of this…
Gail@GailLovely.com

17. App Selection
 A few “technical” things to look
for…
Gail@GailLovely.com

18. Technical Criteria
 Ability to get files off device
 Screenchomp (free)
◦ Output to link on their site (with ads)
◦ On the iPad on which it was made
 Explain Everything ($2.99)
◦ Output to: Email, Dropbox, Evernote,
Box, YouTube…
Gail@GailLovely.com

19. You HAVE to be Careful…
 There is a reason 30% of apps are
opened only once.
Gail@GailLovely.com

20. Gail@GailLovely.com
Reading Level MisMatch
Screenshot from Casey’s Contraptions

21. Gail@GailLovely.com
Confusing…?
Screenshots from Live ABC

22. Gail@GailLovely.com
Lets Look…

23. Examples
DialSafe Pro – teach to use phone
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dialsafe-pro/id438306615?mt=8
Free
Audio Note – audio synched to pen
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audionote-notepad-voice-
recorder/id369820957?mt=8
$4.99
Futaba Classroom Games
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/futaba-classroom-games-
for/id487979995?mt=8
$4.99

24. Examples
Math Doodles
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/math-
doodles/id526959716?mt=8
$2.99
Kids Puzzles – African Plains
http://itunes.apple.com/fi/app/kids-puzzles-african-plains/id438085328?mt=8
Free
Book Creator
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/book-creator-for-
ipad/id442378070?mt=8
$4.99

25. Just a few more?
Toontastic – write a cartoon
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toontastic/id404693282?mt=
8
Free (not really)
StoryKit – write a book
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/storykit/id329374595?mt=8
free
Moment Diary – learning journal?
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/momentdiary/id352263913?mt=8
free

26. App Developers I like…
• Grasshopper Apps
• Nosy Crow
• National Council for Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM)
• Apple
• LittleBit Studio

27. Apps by Blooms Taxonomy
 http://www.edutopia.org/ipad-
apps-elementary-blooms-
taxomony-diane-darrow
Gail@GailLovely.com

28. Apps by Bloom’s Taxonomy
 http://www.schrockguide.net/bloo
min-apps.html
Gail@GailLovely.com

29. Apps by Student Action
 http://edtechteacher.org/index.p
hp/teaching-technology/mobile-
technology-apps/ipad-as
Gail@GailLovely.com

30. App Selection
 Places to hear from others
 http://www.tcea.org/ipad
Gail@GailLovely.com

31. App Selection
 Places to hear from others
 http://www.iear.org/
Gail@GailLovely.com

32. Reviewers of Apps
Children’s Technology Review -
http://childrenstech.com/
Common Sense Media -
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/
Also educators on Pinterest and Twitter
and
User Ratings (in the store or
Gail@GailLovely.com
marketplace)

33. App Selection
 Places to hear from others
 http://teachwithyouripad.wikispac
es.com/iPAD+Apps
 http://www.techchef4u.com/
Gail@GailLovely.com

34. App Selection
 http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/sur
prisinglyeduapps
Gail@GailLovely.com

35. Over-Whelming Support
 Lists, lists, lists… (not just apps)
 http://www.livebinders.com/play/
play/26195
 http://www.livebinders.com/play/
play/40590
Gail@GailLovely.com