The Digital Backpack: Nine Must-Have Free iPad Apps

Your district has made the iPad plunge: Either every student will receive a shiny new iPad or every class will have an iPad cart to use for all classes. Here are the must-have apps foralliPads—and the best part is they are all FREE!

App

Cost

Features

Grade

Highlights

Dictionary.com (opens in new tab)

Free

Thesaurus

Example Sentences

All Grades

Word of the Day

Calculator Free (opens in new tab)

Free

Three calculating modes- Standard, String and RPN

All Grades

Retina Ready

Biorhythm calculator

Tip Calculator

Great colors- to help differentiate

UPAD Lite (opens in new tab)

Free

3 in 1- notepad, bookpad and photopad

All Grades

Monthly and weekly calendar- use as a memo pad

Educreations Interactive Whiteboard (opens in new tab)

Free

Recordable whiteboard

All Grades

Enables differentiating instruction

Study Blue (opens in new tab)

Free

Make your own Flashcards

All Grades

Use photos, audio or text for your vocabulary word

Doodlebuddy (opens in new tab)

Free

Drawing App

All Grades

Comes with paintbrush, chalk, glitter, and more

Inspiration Maps Lite (opens in new tab)

Free

Graphic Organizers

All Grades

Free version comes with 5 graphic organizers

CNN for iPad (opens in new tab)

Free

News

Grades 4 and up

Needs Wi-Fi

Toontastic (opens in new tab)

Free

Storytelling

K-6

Storytelling and understanding of the Story Arc


Vicki Windman is a special education teacher at Clarkstown High School South.