Apps for getting started

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 app Notability ($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.

4 thoughts on “Apps for getting started

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

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