I searched on many educational websites which apps are the ones teachers use in their classrooms, and I found out I have been using some of these for a while as a student. There were some other apps I didn't know about, and I started using them to know if I would include them in this list, or not.
I found many lists of apps, but there were many apps that are not used in Argentina for different reasons, for example, some of them use software that is not available or broadly used in Argentina (For example, Apple's IOS), or hardware that needs to be imported or that is very expensive.
What I wanted to do was to make a list of Apps that any teacher or student with either a computer or smartphone could profit from. To select the Apps I would include in this list, I thought of their usability in and out of the classroom, if they have an App available to use it on cellphones (something that students do a lot), and if it serves to the purpose of bringing technology into the classroom. Besides describing some of the things you can do with this apps or websites, I will give you my opinion on them, since I used them all.
Here they are! *drum roll please!*
1- Google Drive.
Google Drive gives students and teachers the ability to create collaborative documents and presentations, serves as a backup for documents and allows storing photos and files. It has many useful functions: you can suggest editions, edit documents on-line, use/edit images and pictures.
One of the things I like about Google Drive is that there is an Android app, which makes everything easier. I have it installed on my smartphone, and it's great. Another thing to point out is that it is constantly being updated, adding new tools or ways of using it. You can use google drive to edit and make comments on your student's works, and they would be added automatically, which means you won't need to send and receive e-mails.
2- Evernote.
Evernote is an all-utility tool for note-taking. It has many functions: Clip web articles, capture handwritten notes, and snap photos to add to your notes. It has an impressive function: There's no need to build slides, just one click and your notes are transformed into a beautiful screen-friendly layout. Besides those, it has many more interesting functions. There are windows and Android apps available, and also a Google Chrome extension. I like this app because you can sync all you notes and have them at hand in all your devices. Besides, it's very easy to use. In case you are wondering, it works without internet connection, and it syncs your notes when you have internet connection. In this case, students can use evernote to make lists of things they have to do so they won't miss any deadline.
3- Foxit reader
Foxit Reader is a small, lightning fast, and feature rich PDF viewer which allows you to create, open, view, sign, and print any PDF file. Its viewer is configurable, you can edit and add bookmarks and you can also convert Word documents to pdfs, and many other functions. There's also an Android app if you want to use it in your phone. If you have Conectar Igualdad's netbook, Foxit Reader should be installed in your netbook but in an older version. The best thing you can do is to update it to the last version, you'll see it's great. I have it on my netbook and It's much better than the old version.
Foxit Reader is a small, lightning fast, and feature rich PDF viewer which allows you to create, open, view, sign, and print any PDF file. Its viewer is configurable, you can edit and add bookmarks and you can also convert Word documents to pdfs, and many other functions. There's also an Android app if you want to use it in your phone. If you have Conectar Igualdad's netbook, Foxit Reader should be installed in your netbook but in an older version. The best thing you can do is to update it to the last version, you'll see it's great. I have it on my netbook and It's much better than the old version.
4- Libre Office
"LibreOffice is a powerful office suite; its clean interface and powerful tools let you unleash your creativity and grow your productivity. LibreOffice embeds several applications that make it the most powerful Free & Open Source Office suite on the market" I couldn't have explained it better myself. What it's most important about Libre Office is that it is compatible with many document formats such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher and it allows you to use an open standar extension, the OpenDocument Format (ODF). I've used it for at least 4 years and I think it's the best alternative to Microsoft Office. The best thing about it is that it's free.
5- Edmodo
Edmodo was created to bring education into a 21st century environment. It takes learning beyond the classroom by providing a free, safe place for teachers and students to connect and collaborate—anytime, anywhere. Edmodo lets you seamlessly integrate and manage e-learning. Some of its features are: you can create secure groups that take learning beyond the classroom, connect and collaborate with students and fellow teachers, post and turn in assignments, polls, and more. There's an Android app that works very well. I use it to communicate with my teachers and I know some people that use it with their students and they think it's awesome! So do I, of course.
Edmodo was created to bring education into a 21st century environment. It takes learning beyond the classroom by providing a free, safe place for teachers and students to connect and collaborate—anytime, anywhere. Edmodo lets you seamlessly integrate and manage e-learning. Some of its features are: you can create secure groups that take learning beyond the classroom, connect and collaborate with students and fellow teachers, post and turn in assignments, polls, and more. There's an Android app that works very well. I use it to communicate with my teachers and I know some people that use it with their students and they think it's awesome! So do I, of course.
"One of the greatest innovations in education was the blackboard. For the first time in history, teachers could present their lessons visually and engage students to participate in the conversation. The whiteboard has done the same for business—helping us to explore and share ideas more effectively." Prezi is a virtual whiteboard that transforms presentations from monologues into conversations: enabling people to see, understand, and remember ideas. It's a great alternative to Power Point presentations. I use it because I think it's innovative and the best thing about it is that you can edit Prezis online along with other team members, for example (something you can't do with Powerpoint). Students can use prezi as a way to innovate in their presentations and to edit online and simultaneously.
7-Any.Do
"Any.do Moment is a quick & playful experience that helps you plan your day every morning. It makes planning your day fun & simple.
With the Any.do web-app you can easily sync your tasks from your mobile to your home computer."
There's and extension available for Chrome users and allows a quick short cut to manage your tasks right from the browser. With Any.do's reminders you'll never forget to do the things you wanted to, at the right place or time. It's a good app for you and your students. For example, they won't forget to hand in practical works or assignments. There's also a twin app for Any.Do, it's called calendar. It syncs with Any.do, so you can see your tasks right inside your calendar. You can use both of this apps on Google Chrome and smartphone. I have both of them on my Smartphone and I love them. Since they're synced, I add notes or things to do on Any.Do and are automatically added on my calendar along with their notifications.
8- BeFunky
BeFunky is a website where you can design posters. It has many features. Any tool you need is at your fingertips: crop, straighten, adjust exposure, saturation, and more. Add anything from a vintage filters to artsy effects, or stack them to create a whole new look. There are also apps available to download to you Android Smartphone. BeFunky can be used to make posters of interesting topics, teachers can make posters too to present new topics.
7-Any.Do
"Any.do Moment is a quick & playful experience that helps you plan your day every morning. It makes planning your day fun & simple.
With the Any.do web-app you can easily sync your tasks from your mobile to your home computer."
There's and extension available for Chrome users and allows a quick short cut to manage your tasks right from the browser. With Any.do's reminders you'll never forget to do the things you wanted to, at the right place or time. It's a good app for you and your students. For example, they won't forget to hand in practical works or assignments. There's also a twin app for Any.Do, it's called calendar. It syncs with Any.do, so you can see your tasks right inside your calendar. You can use both of this apps on Google Chrome and smartphone. I have both of them on my Smartphone and I love them. Since they're synced, I add notes or things to do on Any.Do and are automatically added on my calendar along with their notifications.
8- BeFunky
BeFunky is a website where you can design posters. It has many features. Any tool you need is at your fingertips: crop, straighten, adjust exposure, saturation, and more. Add anything from a vintage filters to artsy effects, or stack them to create a whole new look. There are also apps available to download to you Android Smartphone. BeFunky can be used to make posters of interesting topics, teachers can make posters too to present new topics.
9- Save As PDF
This extension lets you easily save web pages to pdf.
The available options include page size, page orientation, margins, password protection, initial view, etc. It's very good to save web-pages you don't want to print or don't have time to do so.
10- AtubeCatcher
It is a simple freeware application focused to individuals and students for personal, private and non-commercial purposes, this application is a download manager that helps you to backup videos from social sites like Dailymotion, MySpace, Yahoo, etc. to play back them offline and export them to many formats (MPG,AVI,MP4,3GP,3G2,WMV,PSP,MOV,FLV). With the quality that you choose, you can encode your videos to standard formats as DVD,VCD,IPOD,PSP, etc. It's great, I've used it many times and it's very easy to use. Teachers and students can use aTube Catcher to download videos they want to use in their classrooms and have a plan B in case their's no internet connection.
I chose these apps and websites because I have used them and I think teachers and students really can take advantage of them. For me, the success of integrating technology does not lay in using it, but in to know how to use it and profit from it.
I hope you liked my post. See you soon!
This extension lets you easily save web pages to pdf.
The available options include page size, page orientation, margins, password protection, initial view, etc. It's very good to save web-pages you don't want to print or don't have time to do so.
10- AtubeCatcher
It is a simple freeware application focused to individuals and students for personal, private and non-commercial purposes, this application is a download manager that helps you to backup videos from social sites like Dailymotion, MySpace, Yahoo, etc. to play back them offline and export them to many formats (MPG,AVI,MP4,3GP,3G2,WMV,PSP,MOV,FLV). With the quality that you choose, you can encode your videos to standard formats as DVD,VCD,IPOD,PSP, etc. It's great, I've used it many times and it's very easy to use. Teachers and students can use aTube Catcher to download videos they want to use in their classrooms and have a plan B in case their's no internet connection.
I chose these apps and websites because I have used them and I think teachers and students really can take advantage of them. For me, the success of integrating technology does not lay in using it, but in to know how to use it and profit from it.
I hope you liked my post. See you soon!
Great post, Agus! The list is really useful. I myself love working with Google Drive, Prezi and aTube Catcher. However, I didn't know all the others. 'Save as PDF' sounds extremely interesting and useful, I'm gonna have to give it a go!
ResponderBorrarHi, Lu! Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you liked my list. Try any of these and then tell me what you think! :)
BorrarHi there, Agus! Very interesting post :) I use most of the apps you suggested and they are really useful, especially Google drive, aTube catcher and libre Office. I still haven’t tried Prezi because I like PowerPoint a lot but I will have to modernize. BeFunky sounds quite interesting, too, I will definitely try it!
ResponderBorrarThanks for reading, Sol! I'm glad you liked it. I think that Prezi is a good alternative to PowerPoint, but it doesn't mean you aren't modernized! haha. See you!
Borrar