Follow @ed_apps   When I found out our school was going 1:1, I was very excited.  I felt ready to ntegrate technology due to coursework I had taken through our local writing project, Prairie Lands Writing Project.  This learning track is structured around 21st Century learning.  We experienced many technology integrated writing assignments to better engage students in the writing process.  One of my favorites was creating Book Trailers.  The Book Trailer was introduced as an alternative to the traditional book report. We all know how traditional book reports work: ...

Follow @ed_apps Garageband is a great app that I think any student or teacher using an iPad should consider buying. It is a multi-track audio editing app that is as robust as you will ever need (unless of course you teach audio production). Later this week I will be posting a new page full of Garageband resources for teachers, students and learning. For now, you can get your brain juices flowing by reading the list below, watching the embeded ‘how to’ videos,  and then go start playing with Garageband yourself! Download Garageband from...

Follow @ed_apps   A staple of web2.0 in the classroom is using a variety of online comic creation websites for students to write fiction, re-imagine historical events or re-tell personal experiences. With the iPad, creating comics is even faster and easier, without the headache and worries of student accounts. The only struggle sometimes is getting content off of the iPad, but for that, check out our post on iTunes File Sharing Strip design is a great tool to use your pictures and graphics (or some you find online) to tell...

Follow @ed_apps Toontastic is a quick and easy way to get students excited about story writing. The simple interface walks kids through the process of story telling, where they choose settings, characters and dialogue. The included story arc madkes the process very visual, and various music samples help to create mood. What is so unique about this app is that students can easily animate and narrate their story. While I wish there was a way to export videos to files, it does make it easy to share content on the...

Follow @ed_apps   Platform: iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android Price: 4.99 (iPad) FREE (iPhone) Mindmeister is a mind-mapping app that allows users to draw rich, connected concept map. It has all of the benefits of paper concept mapping with the added richness of mobile technology. Maps can be saved within the app, photos and web links are easily added, and when you are done maps can be emailed (maybe to hand in to a teacher). The greatest benefit the technology adds is the collaborative function. Multiple iOS and web users...