Lowell

Assignment 1 iTunes U

iTunes U is a place to go for curriculum course video from academic institutions.

Assignment 2 Applications

10 content specific (educational) applications.

1. The Elements: A Visual Exploration. The app costs $13.99 but as a chemistry teacher this app is a must have. Each of the elements on the periodic table has a visual representation as to what actually looks like. The Element Name and Atomic Number are given along with each visual representation. Other information is provided as well such as Atomic Radius, Atomic Weight, Density, Melting and Boiling Points, Half-life, Electronegativity, along with percent abundance in the Universe, Sun, Earth's crust, Earth's oceans, and in Humans. I would use this app with the smart board to introduce the students to the chemical families and show them what each element looks like. The reviews are from great to fair with the biggest compliant being the price of the app. 4.5 out of 5 star rating.

2. Science360. Free App. Very interesting graphics and exciting narrative. I did download the app but find it hard to navigate. I felt I was inside the center of a huge ball with all the science video stories surrounding me. I would be nice to have a list of science video categories (if there's one, I did not find it) to choose from. Most of the videos are interesting but I would like to pin point topics by specific disciplines; such as biology, chemistry, physics, etc. Then I could insert short video clips into my instruction. 4 out of 5 star rating.

3. NASA App HD. Free App. I love all things space from space shuttle/Apollo/Mercury, satellites, solar system, and beyond. App provides numbers high quality photos everything including pictures from the Soviet era rocket programs. The app provides quick links to all NASA centers and respective feeds (live streaming, twitter, facebook). The app allows for access to thousands of NASA images. 4 out 5 star rating.

4. MoonPhase. The app costs $1.99 and I downloaded this very same app several years ago on my first iPhone 3S however, I do not recall paying for it at the time. In the Earth and Space Science course I teach, we have the students do a moon plot assignment over a two week period. I am fully aware of the various apps and internet access so if students use technology to complete their moon plot assignment rather than actually going out to view the moon and draw it phase, then fine. As long as students are aware of the various moon phases and their order, then mission accomplished. App includes Werewolf warning and features like using a moon out of cheese. Fun yet educational. 4.5 out of 5 star rating.

5. Planets. Free App. Another app that I down loaded on my first iPhone 3S. I use this app more for finding the constellations rather than the planet but it does both. Your iPad takes your longitude, latitude, and local time to map the sky. The cool feature of this app is it will allow you to position your iPad to north looking down on your iPad then if you hold your iPad over your head to match the sky, the image inverses to match exactly sky. Celestial sky maps are made this way but do not have the ability to inverse the image if you want to look down on the celestial sky map. Another fun yet educational. 4.5 out of 5 star rating.

6. Elevation Chart. The app costs $1.99. The app allows you to get your elevation from any place on earth in feet or meters. App graphically shows elevation changes and distance traveled. This app would be good to record the distance and elevation changes on our school's annual Devils Lake State Park Field Trip. I know we hike up 550 ft on Pot Hole trail but only because of the use of a USGS topographical map. I think it would be good for students to verify their own efforts with their on apps rather than take the teacher's word for it. My own experiences with apps that plot or map elevation and distance is that you need to constantly need to have data reception (No Wi-Fi in the wilderness) witch is not always available outside of urban areas and the iPad has to be on all the time which drains the battery especially when searching for data. 4 out of 5 star rating.

7. Molecules. Free app. Very interesting visual representation of molecules. However, it is not too useful as a high school chemistry teacher and students may not have any use for it at all. The app would be suitable for students if they were able to put in their own molecules rather than only being able to select molecules from a list of complicated molecules. It is neat to see the molecules rotate but if your are not an expert or researcher in chemistry, this app would have very little value. Although the app rates a 4 out of 5 stars, I would not recommend it for high school science.

8. Lewis Dots. Free app. Presently, I have students draw with paper and pencil their Lewis Dot Structures ( aka: electron dot diagrams) to see how various atoms chemically bond with each other by obeying the duet and octet rules. I have yet to try this app but since its free I will let the students know about it when we get into chemical bonding to see whether they find it useful or not. The reviews that I have read for this app seem to be that its not that great yet but has the potential to be very good once they work out all the bugs. 3 out of 5 star rating.

9. Building Atoms, Ions, and Isotopes HD. The apps costs $2.99. The apps allows students to build atoms, ion, and isotopes by providing the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The app also provides an interactive periodic table. I assume the app is relatively new for there are no ratings or reviews. The app does not use 3D orbitals but rather 2D orbits to represent the locations of the electrons. Without actually purchasing the app and running it through the paces and cannot give a thumbs up or down on this app. The publisher, Carolina Biological Supply, is a popular science supply company for science teachers. No rating or reviews at the time of this posting.

10. Oresome Elements. Free app. This is an interactive game that tests secondary students their knowledge of the periodic table and the elements. Seeing students playing games on their iPhones and iPads during study halls may have an educational alternative. Like the Lewis Dots app, I will let the students know about it and get their feed back. Very positive reviews. 4.5 out of 5 star rating.

5 personal applications.

1. Intellicast HD. I've used Intellicast.com via internet and classroom computer for several years and have it bookmarked on internet explorer both at school and home. I do not have it on my iPhone since it is not available as an iPhone app so I have settled for AccuWeather which I find to be better than WeatherChannel. AccuWeather is not as good as Intellicast HD but Intellicast is not on the iPhone. I was very pleased to find Intellicast on the iPad. The Intellicast weather radar is interactive and easy to expand coverage from your home to the whole nation simply by using your fingers. You can find the local weather for almost any location in the world. Very few ads for a free app. 4.5 out of 5 star rating.

2. Measures HD. The app costs $1.99 and I downloaded non HD app several years ago on my first iPhone 3S however, I do not recall paying for it at the time. I use the currency converter the most often since I go to Canada every year for about two weeks. When in a foreign country, you can pay for data or use free Wi-Fi and receive the current currency exchange rate automatically. There's the ability to convert lots of units of measurement from one to another very easily. There is also a calculator included with the app. Precision of the measurements is very easily done by simply moving a button left for fewer decimal places and right for more. I would recommend buying it if you do any travel outside the US. 5 out of 5 star rating.

3. Emergency Response Guidebook 2012. The app costs $2.99. The hard copy book version also from Labelmaster is about the same price. All first responders (law enforcement & fire fighters) are to have Emergency Response Guidebooks (ERG) in their vehicles. Cargo by truck, train, inter modal, etc. is required to be labeled so in the event of an incident, the first responders can quickly identify the cargo hazards, if any, and what needs to be done along with the emergency contact information. I have a similar app on my iPhone but the iPad app by Labelmaster seems to be much better. Also the iPads screen is much larger than the iPhone so it is easier to read. Two advantages of the iPad version of the ERG over the printed version is the back lit screen to read in dark or night conditions and the ability to receive updates. However, most first responders, do not leave iPads in their vehicles. 4 out of 5 star rating.

4. Topo Maps for iPad. The app costs $7.99 and I downloaded the app several years ago on my first iPhone 3S however, I do not how much I paid for it at the time. Prior to my iPhone, I had the multiple compter optial dirve (CD) version of Topo Maps. The iPad version looks to be more user friendly and provide help information. Everyone raves in the reveiws about the iPad verision of this app but I have yet to try it. The advantage of the iPad verion is you can download the map and not be at the mercy of data downloads or Wi-Fi connection once the map is installed. 3.5 out of 5 star rating but the newest version has a 5 out of 5 star rating.

5. Astronomy Picture of the Day. Free App. Each day a new astronomy picture is featured from the decades of NASA space photos and from selected NASA astronomers. I sometimes have the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) on my SmartBoard using APOD on internet explorer as students enter my classroom prior to class starting. I also have the app on my iPhone. Each photo is archived by date so if there's a photo you used before and would like to use it again, you just need to know the date of the photo. Recent reviews have complained about APOD images not being available on the iPad. 4.5 out of 5 star rating.