Sometimes choice is overwhelming, particularly when it comes to iPad apps. How to choose? Luckily, lists of recommended and/or featured apps abound. If nothing else, they help corral the choices into categories which might be helpful in some cases. Apple’s site offers their own list that showcases favorite and award-winning apps for education. Following is a sampling of what you can find there.
History of Jazz ($3.99) is an interactive timeline with a long list of features that include a history of the genre, biographies and sample tracks from jazz legends, and a glimpse into what’s happening in the world of jazz music today.
Solar Walk—3D Solar System Model is available for a limited time for 99-cents. Travel through space and time with the Time Machine feature. Find information on all the planets and learn about the moons that orbit the planets. (The authors elected to include Pluto stating, “Yes, we know that Pluto is no longer considered a planet, but by popular vote it has been added to the Solar System Model anyway.”) Watch the movie collection or zoom through the galaxy. Bonus feature: If you can get hold of a pair of cyan-red 3D glasses you can use the app in 3D mode.
At $6.99, plus in-app purchases ranging from 99-cents to $4.99 ($29.99 for the entire instrument collection), Notion is an editor and playback tool designed for the serious composer. Visit the Notion site to learn more about its long list of features that include orchestral samples by The London Symphony Orchestra, interactive keyboard, guitar fretboard, and drum pad, audio mixer, chord symbols and diagrams, Dropbox integration, and more. Share files as .notion, PDF, MusicSML, or MIDI files.
Bring out your inner artist with SketchBook Pro ($1.99). The app’s myriad tool set supports layers, a wide variety of brush styles (even more available via in-app purchase), image import from the iPad’s Photo Library, blend modes, PSD file export, customizable palettes, and a great deal more. The app also includes a template gallery and both Dropbox and iCloud support.
NOVA Elements is a free app built around the PBS program “Hunting the Elements.” Added features include a game hosted by tech pundit David Pogue and an interactive periodic table.
Want to see more? Visit Apple’s education site for more app suggestions grouped by category.
Further reading:
5 Good iPad Apps Worth Checking Out
Track Changes on an iPad with Office2
GradeBook Pro, or One Grading App to Rule Them All
Fifty Essential Apps for New iOS Device Owners
Sharing and More With The Diigo Browser for the iPad
Are any of your favorites listed here? Have another app to recommend? Leave a comment and tell us about it.