45+ Teacher Recommended Educational Apps

Part of the Cool Sites series and Mobile Learning category

Educators are beginning to see the potential of using mobile devices and apps for ongoing professional development, as well as to improve literacy and cognitive development for learners. Apps are equipped with several features that motivate learners to create stories, presentations, and projects that are hands-on and use their creativity as well as their critical thinking skills. Once an app is downloaded, many features can be accessed without an Internet connection. Educators can also use various apps at conferences to connect with other educators or capture a presentation. Below are the various apps nominated by teachers for an Edublog Award so they must be worth checking out. Each has a link and a description. Make sure to check out the Edublog Awards for blogs, wikis, and web tools that teachers worldwide have recommended.

Recommended Free Apps

DropBox- (free, Android & i-devices) Get 2 GB of storage for free to upload photos, videos, documents, presentations, and audio. You can make these private or public (provides you a link to share for others to download). Save photos and videos taken with your phone’s camera, share and send files via email, or copy and paste links to share with another app. Export files to other apps and favorite them for offline viewing.
** Try storing your presentation slides or handouts and easily provide a link to your participants to download. Have your students use this to create folders of their group projects and input the data. Check out my Diigo bookmarks for lesson ideas.
Remind101- (free, Android & i-devices) safely text students and keep in touch with parents.
Evernote- (free, Android & i-devices) Create text, photo and audio notes with your mobile device that auto-synchronize your notes to your Mac or PC. Makes text within snapshots searchable. Add, sync, access, and share files (PDF, Word, Excel, PPT, and more) among the different versions of Evernote.
** Try keeping notes of the presentations and workshops you attend or try brainstorming and planning your next presentation on this app! Great for students to do research, turn in class assignments, or do research. Check out my Diigo bookmarks for lesson ideas.
Drawing Torch- (free, iPad) drawing and story experience where the student becomes a Night Zookeeper and participates in creative drawing missions to look after thousands of magical animals and defeat the monsters that attack the zoo. Features: 9 tools such as fill, colour mixing and multiple brush sizes, email share, 2 story chapters, 22 unique missions
Nearpod-(free, iPad) teachers will love making interactive, multimedia lessons that students can access and answer all within this app.
ShowMe-(free, iPad) interactive whiteboard that allows students and teachers to create videos of work or lessons. Draw, add images, and record audio to narrate.
Edmodo-(free, Android & i-devices) teachers create an online private/public community for their students to interact and learn online. There are various apps embedded and features that help students to answer poll questions, post replies to discussions, create online profiles, post assignments, receive grades, access a calendar, and so much more!
Flipboard-(free, Android & i-devices) interactive digital magazines based on your social media feeds (news websites, Twitter, Google Reader, blogs, Flickr, Facebook, Instagram)
Flying Books App-(free, i-devices)Multimedia books offered in English, French, Spanish and German. Kids listen to an expert narrator or read on their own. Record a story or create personalized books with artwork and photos.
Scoop.IT-(free, Android & i-devices) aggregate, curate and bookmark favorite resources from your Twitter, Facebook, or on the web to create a multimedia e-zine. You get 5 free so you can have students create different ones for different research topics or themes.
TeacherCast Pro-(free, i-devices) great App Reviews, Podcasts, Blogs, and Screencasts as well as links to the Teacher Cast Twitter, Facebook, and Daily Newspaper
WoW Armory-(free, Android & i-devices) supports World of Warcraft play. Create and maintain characters, access the Auction House, plan adventures, and keep up with guild activities
Haiku Deck-(free, iPad) create dynamic presentations on your iPad. Many different backgrounds, themes, creative common pictures, and fonts. Helps students learn visual design as each slide is meant for a few words. Try this for your next presentation.
Apps Gone Free-(free, i-devices) find free great apps and reviews about them
Aurasma-(free, Android & i-devices) augmented reality platform that lets the user discover, create and share virtual content, integrated into the real world.
Babbel-(free, Android & i-devices) learn a language with vocabulary that has images and is pronounced, learn phrases, and practice your pronunciation by speaking into the app
Brain Pop-(free, i-devices) watch animated movies that tie into various subjects then take an interactive quiz. Ties into the famous website for students.
EBSCO Host Mobile-(free, Android & i-devices) access your library’s database and bookmark resources, save pdfs of articles and email research
Educreations-(free, iPad) interactive whiteboard that allows students and teachers to create videos of work or lessons. Draw, add images, and record audio to narrate.
Free Video Downloader-(free, Android) download videos from many websites to your mobile device for later viewing
Frotz for iOS-(free, i-devices) play various interactive fiction adventure games. These are text based so you read literature in a fun, interactive way
Google+ Mobile-(free, Android & i-devices) access many of your favorite Google apps to create, produce, or organize your work or your students’ work
Knapp Elementary Family Engagement App-(free, Android) great example of a school designed app that engages parents and students
Lino-(free, Android & i-devices) Online sticky note board. Include links, images, video, and audio as well as change the size and color of your fonts. Has various background options and other attractive options. It’s embeddable as well.
Math v Zombiez-(free, i-devices) kids save themselves from a Zombie attack by doing math
Mindsnacks-(free, i-devices) educational games to learn various languages
PBS Kids-(free, Android & i-devices) various apps including the ability to favorite shows and watch video clips and play games on the device
Remember the Milk!-(free, Android & i-devices) free task and productivity manager
Rover-(free, iPad) free educational browser
Shazam-(free, Android & i-devices) this device listens to music samples played anywhere aloud in restaurants, movies, stores, etc then tells you the title, album and singer. It also links to lyrics, allows you to save to a Spotify playlist, and watch the Youtube video
Skitch-(free, Android & i-devices) annotate images and websites with capturing and doodle and text tools
Skqueak-(free, i-devices) add voice, drawings, and zoom to your photos
Sock Puppets- (free, i-devices) If you enjoy playing with sock puppets, you’ll love this app that allows students to create a sock puppet show. Choose the sock puppet characters, personalize the characters by adding your voice, select the scene and props, and record a video. Send this by email or upload to Youtube. Watch this great example.
Socrative-(free, Android & i-devices) Engage students by turning information into multiple choice, true/false, short answer, quizzes, cool games and more that students can respond to on their mobile devices and/or web
ThreeRing-(free, Android & i-devices) snap a photo of written work, capture video of presentations, or record audio of student discussions. You can also upload digital files from your computer.
Toontastic- (free, i-devices) This app is designed to walk students through the storytelling process of choosing a scene, climax, setting, conflict, and characters. Students even choose music to match the characters’ emotions and create a digital storytelling video that is shared on their global digital storytelling online channel where the students win badges for their creations.
TripIt-(free, Android & i-devices) personal online trip and travel manager that allows you to connect with others, provides you flight and hotel itineraries and more.
Voicethread- (free, iPad )upload an image, text, or video. Invite others to comment through doodling, text, video, or audio. Ties into the web platform. Check out my Diigo bookmarks for lesson ideas.
Whirly Word-(free, i-devices) word puzzle and games with background music
WordPress-(free, Android & i-devices) blogging app, edit and create new posts, manage comments
Wunderlist-(free, Android & i-devices) productivity app that allows you to sync and create tasks and schedule alarms and reminders
Zite-(free, Android & i-devices) interactive digital magazines based on your social media feeds (news websites, Twitter, Google Reader, blogs, Facebook). It also recommends news based on topics you pick and these social feeds.

Paid Apps Nominated

**NOTE: These were included in the Edublogs list but I don’t endorse any of these paid products, so please check them out before you download and pay for them

Minecraft-($6.99, Android & i-devices) based on the game you can generate worlds, multiplayer over a local Wi-Fi network, and Survival and Creative modes. Craft and create with your friends anywhere in the world so long as you have hands spare and battery to burn.
Pinnacle Studio for iPad-($12.99, iPad) create incredible movies with advanced editing features
Proloquo2Go-($189.99, i-devices) full-featured augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) solution for people who have difficulty speaking.
Custom Boards Premium-($39.99, i-devices) special education app where you select templates and symbols
Quickoffice-($19.99, Android & i-devices) create and edit MicroSoft documents
Rory’s Story Cubes-($1.49, i-devices) 9 cubes, 54 images, Over 10 million combinations, and unlimited stories by shaking your idevice to roll the cubes. Create a story using all 9 face-up images.
FluencyFinder-($6.99, i-devices) students read passages and keep time and also can track improvement and progress
Explain Everything-($2.99, iPad) records on-screen drawing, annotation, object movement and captures audio. Import Photos, PDF, PPT, XLS, RTF, Pages, Numbers and Keynote from Dropbox, Evernote, Box, WebDAV, Email, iPad photo roll and the iPad camera. Export MP4 movie files, PNG image files, PDFs and share the .XPL project file with others for collaboration.