This could be the catch phrase of this moment in time. Need to lose weight? There's an app for that? Sure! Convert measurements to metric? There's an app for that. Flight status? App. Virtual lighter? App. Mixing drinks? App. Turning your phone into a remote focusing device for you theater's light board?
Oh yeah, there's an app for that, too.
This week's rock star moment: using ETC's Virtual RFR app on my iPhone to power individual lights up and down in our theater as my students were focusing (aiming) the lighting instrument. No running back and forth to the light board, and immediate feedback to requests to turn the instruments on and off. It saved a lot of time, created a safer environment (no need to come off of ladders or lifts) and utilized an incredible option on our light board that we could otherwise not use because the remote focusing keypad is so dad-gummed expensive.
I was as the envy of my students - for a few hours, anyway.
Suddenly, my iPhone was working for me in instructional ways. I realize that I'm a Johnny-Come-Lately to the iPhone and educational app game, but the realization for me was just as "oh wow" as "Lammers using his iPhone to run the light board" was to my students last night. The thing has an amazing amount of potential, as I already knew. I finally was able to use it for job related activities. (Now I sound like the sixteen-year-old kid who has "just discovered" this great new band called The Grateful Dead and thinks that he is the first one to know about them. Humor me - this is exciting stuff.)
I know there are thousands of apps out there for the dumbest things (I have a few of those, too) and thousands of apps that are valuable classroom aids - and not a whole lot of time to investigate. So, fellow reader, what apps are out there that would be of use in the educational environment, and how do you use them? At the risk of turning this blog into a wiki (is that legal in this state?) leave a comment with the app you use and a brief description of how it is implemented in your classroom. If you have a link to a website/blog/wiki/YouTube for examples in your comment, even better. Feel free to revisit and add more if you so wish.
If you app me out, you will be apping others and maybe just apping yourself, too. (I need a good pun generator - is there an app for that?)
WOW! I am impressed with you and your iphone. I really want one of those phones. I'll be following your blog to see what others can do. I just can't believe there is an App for your phone to run your light board. That is AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteOne of our teacher's based his whole graduation speech on his iPhone....it was sooooo cool!! I am so jealous, down here in the boonies, AT&T does not have service so until then I have to rely on my Blackberry. :) Which, has apps, but they are way less cool!
ReplyDeleteI use many websites with my elementary students. I am noticing that more and more of them are "advertising" apps for certain activities on the websites.
ReplyDeleteOne example:
http://www.abcya.com/educational_kids_iphone_ipad_apps.htm
PBS is keeping up with the times at:
http://pbskids.org/mobile/ (you can even download a Mr. Rogers ringtone here!)
I am not using any particular app with my students at school, but apps are definitely digging into the educational realm!