-+++iApp+Reviews

=**Apps Worth A Download!**=

All prices are in USD (The US app account has more apps, and gets them before we do here in New Zealand, and has a better selection of books on iBooks) If you want a US account ask and i'll let you in on that little secret! : )

StopMotion recorder is an application that takes the work out of making animations like claymation. You are able to set the app to take pictures at varying time intervals, manual or when you clap your hands. (Students find that very effective) It also has an onion skin and grid feature that makes it very easy to set the background up. Once you have taken pictures of the selected scenes you are then able to change the FPS and make the animation look smooth, then export to camera roll or email, facebook, twitter and youtube straight from your iDevice.
 * StopMotion [[image:Screen_Shot_2012-03-02_at_9.45.20_AM.png width="258" height="391" align="right"]]**


 * Google** (Free!)

If you're thinking, hey, I've already got safari what do I need a search engine app for.??. Then think again!!
 * Search by taking a picture with your iPhone camera. Image recognition technology recognizes objects and returns relevant search results.
 * Good at identifying barcodes, products, famous landmarks, storefronts, artwork, business cards and print ads.

But my favorite...
 * Search by speaking into your iPhone. This is a must have!


 * Supports American, British, Indian, Australian or South African English accents, Afrikaans, Cantonese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified and Traditional), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Zulu.

TonePad Pro is a music app. It has little dots that represent tones and time. The higher up the tone you click the higher the tone, additionally the further right you tap the further delayed the tone. With a full 16x16 matrix you can create any music you want. The lite version has advertisements and you can not export the song created to a ring tone. Some of you wont need this function, but I purchased the app as it will be a great creation tool for my kids, and felt the need to support the developer....
 * TonePad Pro** ($1.29) or
 * TonePad Pro lite** (Free!)

Read me stories is very similar to MeeGenius. Its a library of books which can can pay to download additional books. Again these are read to you and words are highlighted. The books in this app are lower level and suit my ESOL students or students that are lower level. The pages are 3D and look great. Plus in some books you can click a character and they make a sound. Slightly more interactive than MeeGenius.
 * Read me Stories** (Free!)

MeeGenius is a media book library. It contains 5 free books, and you can also download additional books within the app. As each word is narrated it is highlighted. The illistrations are pretty basic and a few look like they have been screen dumped from a book. I use it for instructional reading groups where each student has an iPod and reads the text as it is narrated to them. I question them in small groups to help them gain meaning from text and understand themes and characters within the story.
 * MeeGenius!** (Free!)


 * Math Genius** ($1.99)

Math Genius is a mathematical application where you are confronted with problem solving word questions. Not your normal every day questions, some of these really require a lot of thought. I use this for an activity when my students have finished their math tasks. As you answer each question correctly the app keeps track of what you have correct and which ones you need to answer. There are hundreds of questions that increase in difficulty as you progress.

Mathletics is a quick fire, Math basic facts test against other players online. But with this app you can now 'challenge' others via peer-to-peer. One person creates a game and up to three others can join in. You can play using wifi or bluetooth so you are not restricted by the schools network. Very easy interface and my students say that the layout of the numbers is fine! (I think its a bit weird having the numbers split and along the sides of the screen. I guess I should start using my thumbs!)
 * Live Mathletics Challenge** ($1.99)


 * iMotion HD** (Free!) __or__
 * iMotion HD [export to iTunes/Youtube/email]** (In app purchase for $1.99)

iMotion HD is essentially a stopmotion camera, and It has to be one of the easiest apps I have ever used. However essentially all it does it take pictures at specific times. When you start creating your movie, you can choose to use the automatic time-lapse camera with a mic, use the manual capture, or use the **__ [|iMotion Remote] __** You can also add a title for your movie. While making the video, you can use the onion skin or add the grid to help you get a better video. Depending on your settings, you may click capture or it may automatically take a picture within the period (in seconds) you set.

Once you're done with the movie, you're ready to share it. You can also edit the speed (time lapse between frames) to slow/fasten the movie. With an in-app purchase, you can export the movie to your photo albums, iTunes, e-mail account, YouTube or to the iMotion gallery.


 * iMotion Remote HD** (Free!)

iMotion Remote HD is an app which opperates across your local wifi network. It allows you to to remotely control iMotion HD. You can take pictures when ever feel the need, and preview the images you have captured. Obviously you will need an additional iDevice to control your first iDevice.

Okay, I’m not a fan of wikipedia. In fact I steer my students away from Wikipedia as a comprehensive resource. Students need to be looking past Wikipedia and verifying other sources for information. However, I will agree that Wikipedia does offer a starting place for research. What impressed me about this app is that it caches most of what Wikipedia has to offer (mostly text) and offers offline functionality. So if the network goes down, the class can keep working. That’s a nice fallback to have in a ‘digital classroom.’ The one draw back is the size it occupies on your iPod. //**3.05 GB!!!**// //- The lite version has the top 1000 searches only//
 * Wiki Offline** (9.99) __or__
 * Wiki Offline lite** (free)

Students can edit and customize some old, classic picture books, and also create their own books from scratch. Take a picture using the iPods camera, and then add text to the page, or draw their own illustrations. The pre-existing books used in the app bear little resemblance to the classic tales you already know. "Three Little Pigs" is more violent here than the standard version, while "The Three Bears" is so friendly that is has zero antagonism between Goldilocks and the bears. Over all an excellent app which students can create their books. Would be great if upon completing a book the students could share their work. Perhaps exporting and then uploading to youtube or something similar?
 * Story Kit (**FREE!!**)**


 * Fantastic Contraption** ($2.99)

Fantastic contraption involves the understanding of concepts such as action/reaction, gravity, to make your contraption move towards a goal. My students found that trial and error worked well for the first few levels, but then started noticing what concepts worked and what didn’t. They have also found that one or two simple designs could be modified to meet most of the challenges of different levels (so far). There are 43 levels which increase in difficulty as your continue, but you can also skip a level if you find it too difficult. This app is a great way to help students learn about cause and effect, physics, and pulleys leavers and mechanisms.


 * //My Spelling Test//** ($1.29)[[image:Screen_shot_2011-08-02_at_7.56.53_PM.jpg width="286" height="412" align="right"]]

Students enter a name for their spelling test. They type in the word, then record their voice saying the word. Once they have finished entering all of their words into their spelling list, they can begin the test. Their voice says the word, and the student types it in. The app records their results. Students have never found spelling so much fun! Also saves time as there is no need to buddy up with a partner to test.