I've seen various lists online as well as the "Top charts" lists on itunes, but I'd also like to hear from real people because I haven't found much to love yet (I did find SOME to love! will post below to start the list) I know there are some nice ones that don't cost too much but I'm really not looking to invest money in this at this time because the iPad is just a loaner and I don't plan on buying my own i-anything for keeps. What I'm seeing is nice but not $xxx nice. I do want to max out on my loaned device though! I teach resource room for grades 3-8.
Here's what I like so far: Math Blaster HyperBlast - full version free, yay! - for those just-for-fun rewards because it's more fun than educational, but also involves math fact review. ShowMe - seems to have great potential but most of my students don't have internet access at home so we won't be able to really use it to the fullest. Toontastic - Looks like a nice way to reinforce story elements in a fun way and get creative juices flowing for my writing-averse students (which is, um, all of them right now). Also a possible writing prompt. Brain pop gets good reviews and seems like a nice concept though slightly boring IMHO -but I can't figure out how to turn off close captioning and get sound. Anyone? MW and Dictionary.com - much more fun than paper. More thorough too. A+ Pro flashcards - I could think of ways to improve this app, and it doesn't have major advantages over paper, but I like that you can just load sets of cards that other people made. And it does have a slight "cool technology" factor. Again, would be more helpful if students could use at home... iBooks: Free finds so far include Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, Alice's Adventures..., Rikki Tikki Tavi, 100 Facts of Ancient Egypt, Historical Heroes, and Stories for Boys. There were a bunch for younger audiences and a whole lot that I would have to review for appropriateness before giving to my students (insular religious school) Futaba: Cute word reading game but only at low reading level. Would love to see options for higher level phonics/vocab there because I really like it but have no kids the right age/grade range for it now.
