Week 6 - Essential Apps for an App-less World...

This week's blog topic requires me to discuss five apps that I could use in my English classroom, however, this topic actually hit on quite a vein of frustration, as my school doesn't allow students to use mobile devices, nooks, kindles, or iPads/tablets in the classroom. I have quarreled bitterly with my administrator over this topic, but the tired and outmoded insistence that evil tech devices will distract students and endanger faculty members prevails, so I will happily research these apps, but it will be a distant day before I can actually employ their use. Alas.
1. Stanza. This free app allows you to read digital books on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. It is linked to several free literature providers, such as Porject Gutenburg, so it allows kids access to a library at their fingertips, as well as organization tools for books and reference materials.
2. Grammar Up  - Selected by Apple for its “High School Survival Guide,” this iPhone and iPad app provides a quiz system with over 1,800 grammar questions in 20 difference categories. Older students can use the quizzes to help prepare for various tests and exams by going through categories of questions or they can simulate the test environment with random questions. The quiz format and real-time error feedback provide students with the opportunity to improve their strategies for grammar success.
3. Writing Prompts - This writing prompt generator app uses pictures, colors, words, genres and different types of writing to provide creative inspiration for writers and writing students. The app also includes a database of 600 creative writing prompts in the form of quotes, story openers and writing exercises that can be used to jump-start student writing projects.
4. Chicktionary - This popular Internet word game is now available on the iPad. Players unscramble a roost full of hens (each hen represents a letter) and create as many words as possible. The iPad app supports dragging and shaking gestures to move and shuffle hens. Ten game levels and a variety of silly hidden features will keep students engrossed as they exercise their vocabularies.
5. Pages - This word processor app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch allows teachers and students to create assignments, presentations, handouts, tests, and other types of document that includes text and graphics. Sixteen templates are provided for different types of documents, and pages can be uploaded to iCloud and accessed from other Apple devices.