My existing iPad is overrun. Anytime I want to download something, it’s a negotiation of what goes. Now with a chance to start fresh and a goal of moving up the SAMR scale, I’ve got some priorities.
Here are my picks that I know I’ll use on a regular basis:
- Dropbox = file transfer
- Google Drive = viewing
- Google Docs = editing
GoodReader 4 ($2.99) = PDF reader/annotation appNotability ($2.99; after talking with Carol and seeing it in action, I’m sold.)- Flipboard = news, blogs and social media aggregator
- Twitter = tweet feed
- TED = TED Talks
And these are the ones I have been meaning to use and now have a nudge to do so:
- Evernote = notes, photos, links, to-do lists, etc.
- Feedly = RSS aggregator
- Skitch = image annotation
- Penultimate = sketchbook
- Pocket or Instapaper ($3.99) = save articles to read later
- Dragon Dictation = voice to text, faster than typing
For the wow factor on an iPad, I recommend the following:
- WWF Together
- The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore ($4.99)
The above lists don’t even touch the surface of content creation tools, games or discipline-specific apps. Go explore and have fun.
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And because some of us do have kids at home, these are my favorite picks for the little set (my boys are 2 and 5):
- Peekaboo Barn ($1.99)
- Monkey Preschool Lunchbox ($1.99)
- Sago Mini Forest Flyer ($2.99)
- Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App! ($5.99)
- Draw a Stickman (Episode 1 & 2 are free; EPIC is $2.99)
- any TocaBoca app: Toca Hair Salon ($2.99), Toca Robot Lab ($2.99), Toca Kitchen Monsters
- any Originator app: Endless Alphabet ($6.99), Endless Reader, Endless Numbers
- The Three Little Pigs (Nosy Crow, $4.99)
- A Charlie Brown Christmas (Loud Crow Interactive, $4.99)
Yes, these are worth every penny. I’d be happy to demo if you’re not sure.
Great list, Kim! I love these sorts of suggestion lists, because selecting what apps to go with can be confusing and time consuming.
Kim, I’ll trade you a GoodReader demo for a Feedly demo. 🙂
Also, I think Siri (built in iOS) might be better than Dragon… at least in the ways I’ve used both.
I don’t have anything new to add to this list, but I will offer a warning against Evernote. My husband lost his most important document in this app because of a synching error. Apparently this is a common issue in Evernote
I haven’t had this problem with evernote–as far as I know, but I may be using it differently. I use dropbox or google drive to synch files across devices. I use evernote for taking and organizing notes and synching them across devices.