Tap-Swipe-Pinch General: Integrating the Tablets into the Classroom

Below is a text that summarizes almost all the applications that might prove useful in the classroom. I have obtained this document from TSP course in Barcelona, and I have tried some of the applications myself in the classroom, which was an exciting experience as a teacher. The motivation that we derive from the use of technology in the classroom, I believe, is the best part of becoming competent in online teaching activities. Hope you also enjoy trying some of these apps!

A-Z of apps

Here are some apps and online tools we think you might find useful in your teaching and/or learning. We have included information about availability on iOS, Android and web, however some apps are also available on additional platforms. All apps listed here are free, unless stated otherwise, with most giving you the opportunity to upgrade to a paid version.

If you have any suggestions for apps you would like us to add or would like to discuss how you might use mobile devices and apps in your teaching and learning please contact tel@sussex.ac.uk.

A

Audioboom - a website and app that allows you to post and share sound files. Universities and schools use Audioboom as an easy and effective way to give tutors and students a voice (iOS, Android, web).

Aurasma  - An augmented reality app allowing you to turn everyday objects, images and places into new oppourtunities for engagement through augmented reality experiences. The app uses the camera in your phone or tablet to recognise real world images and overlay a variety of media. (iOS & Android).

B

Blendspace - create your own blended lessons to help flip your classroom. Collect web resources and add interactive quizzes to help track students’ progress (web).

Blogger is Google’s blogging platform. It is easy to use on the web or with mobile apps. Blogging is a good way of developing writing skills and spreading word about your work to a wider audience, see also Wordpress (iOS, Android, web).

Book Creator - an app that lets you create your own ebook. Add text, images, video, sound and links to create your very own multimedia ebook (iOS £3.99, Android £1.50).

Bristol Online Surveys - Allows you to create, run and analyse surveys online. BOS offers an extensive range of question types as well as ‘routing’ (branching and skipping), the ability to attach images and files, share surveys with colleagues and set a range of options for responses. The University of Sussex has an organisational licence so registered students and members of staff can get a BOS login. ITS provide details of how to request and create your BOS account. (web)

Bubbl.us - use this free app to create shared mind maps with colleagues and students. Colourful and creative, these mind maps can be embedded in a webpage, saved as an image and easily shared (iOS, web).

C

CamScanner - scan paper documents using the camera on your mobile device. Easily scan and enhance your documents with notes and annotations before converting it into a PDF to share with others (iOS, Android).

Canva - from blog graphics and Facebook covers to posters, presentations and business cards Canva helps you to easily create and share exciting designs. Canva is a great tool to help anyone create professional designs (iOS, web).

Colwiz is a free reference management tool, developed at Oxford University, which facilitates collaboration and sharing (iOS, Android, web). 

D

Digify - a secure way of sharing files that allows you to track and unshare them even after you have sent your files. Your files are view-only and cannot be copied or downloaded, you can also set a viewing limit meaning that once this time has elapsed your file will self-destruct (iOS, Android, web).

Diigo - a social bookmarking tool that lets you keep a collection of bookmarks synced across devices, annotate and share bookmarks and join groups that interest you (iOS, Android, web). Read more in the blog post 5 essential apps for students.

Dropbox - a cloud storage solution. A free account with Dropbox gives you 2GB of cloud storage helping you to access your documents quickly and easily on all of your devices (iOS, Android, web). See ITS advice on using Dropbox at Sussex.

Duolingo - a free app designed to supplement language learning by gamifying the learning experience and utilizing the competitive nature in all of us (iOS, Android, web). Read our review of Duolingo

E

Easel.ly - allows you to quickly and easily create your own infographics. Choose from thousands of customisable templates or start from scratch to create an eye catching design which can be embedded or shared online (web).

EasyBib - a bibliography generator. EasyBib assists you in compiling and formatting your bibliography, choose from many different referencing systems including MLA, Chicago and Harvard (iOS, Android, web).

Evernote helps you to remember everything across all the devices you use including mobile phone, latop, PC, tablet. Allows you to take notes, record voice notes, save bookmarks, capture photos and create to do lists (iOS, Android, web).Read our review of Evernote

Explain Everything is a tablet-based whiteboard and screencasting tool. Although the app is not free (£2.99 in September 2014) there are no further charges to use it. The iPad app has more functionality than Android or Windows versions.

F

Feedly compiles news summaries from a variety of sources that you pre-select. You can customise and share your feed and a good use in HE is to use this app to access all of your students blogs easily (iOS, Android, web). Read our review of Feedly

Fieldtrip GB - a mobile mapping and data collecting app based at The University of Edinburgh, supported by Jisc. Fieldtrip GB allows you to plot data against a map that can be viewed on and offline (iOS, Android).

Figshare - allows users to make their research available to others in a citable and sharable way, allowing for research to be more open and for alternative data such as images and videos to be shared (web).

Flickr is best known as a photo storage service, now offering one terabyte of storage with a free account. For teaching and learning it is also a great source of creative commons licensed images. The mobile apps don’t include advanced search options, but they are great for syncing all your photos, organising and sharing them with others (iOS, Android, web). See the TEL blog for a handy Flickr attribution tool.

Flipboard is a newsfeed aggregator that also lets you build your own magazines by curating content from the web (iOS, Android, web). Read our review of Flipboard.

G

Gliffy - a web-based programme, Gliffy helps you to create flowcharts, network diagrams, floor plans and user interface designs to assist you in managing your workflow (web).

Google drive is a file storage and synchronisation service which offers you on-line versions of documents. You can easily collaborate and share with colleagues using Google docs, sheets and slides (iOS, Android, web).

Googleplus and Google+ hangouts. G+ is a social network with elements of Facebook and Twitter. It is useful for building a PLN (Personal / Professional Learning Network) as the ‘circles’ in G+ tend to be built around interests rather than pre-existing relationships (see the TEL at Sussex page on G+). G+ also offers Google+ hangouts for video and voice group conversations and hangouts on air for livestreaming and recording for YouTube (iOS, Android, web).

H

Haiku Deck is presentation software available for the iPad, iPhone & web only.

Hootsuite lets you manage all of your social media such as Twitter, Facebook and G+ pages from one place, scheduling posts and monitoring lists (iOS, Android, web).

I

iBrainstorm - this app enables you to easily collect and manage your ideas. Assign colours and hierarchies to your notes and share a screengrab of your noteboard with others. You can also connect up to four iPhones to your iPad to work collaboratively on a noteboard (iOS).

iBooks Author - another app that lets you create and publish ebooks. With many templates and styles to choose from you can add images, videos, interactive diagrams and 3D objects to create your own ebook for iPad (iOS).

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a web-based service, which now has mobile apps, that connects other platforms and tools. For example, you can set up an IFTTT ‘recipe’ so that every time you add a bookmark to Diigo a tweet is automatically sent with a particular hashtag - that could be useful in a teaching context. There are many ‘channels’ available and a constantly growing choice of combinations. Anyone can use it - no programming needed! (iOS, Android, web)

Instagram is an instant photo sharing and messenger app that can be used in a number of ways for education including digital story telling, photojournalism, creating photo prompts and ethnographic study (iOS, Android, web).

J

Jing - share screencaptures and screencasts quickly with this app and add text boxes, arrows, highlights or captions to add explanations. Jing allows you to capture videos up to five minutes long allowing you to create clear, concise tutorials (web).

K

Kahoot - a game based classroom response system with a competitive element. This app allows you to create online quizzes that students interact with using their mobile device without needing to sign up for an account (web).

Kindle. You don’t have to have a Kindle e-reader device to use the Kindle app. It is available for smartphones, tablets, computers and web browsers. The app allows you to buy and download books from Amazon (there are a lot of free titles, including out-of-copyright classics) and read them in a digital format.

L

Learnist - a crowdsourced collection on online knowledge, learnist enables you to search for text and video content related to your different interests. You can also view ‘Learnboards’ which provide you with lessons created by others (web).

Liberio - an ebook creator that’s integrated with your cloud storage account. You can easily convert any text based document that you have saved to the cloud into an ebook. Publish your ebook to Amazon, Google Play Books or the iBooks Store and share on social media (web).

LinkedIn is a platform for professional networking. If you are using this tool, then the mobile apps will help you to keep on top of notifications and updates (iOS, Android, web).

Lino provides a virtual canvas or board where you can stick notes, photos and files. These can be just for yourself (and can include reminders) or can be shared with others (iOS, Android, web).

M

Mendeley helps you organise, share and discover. Quickly reference your citations, read and annotate PDF documents, connect with colleagues and share papers, notes and annotations securely (iOS, web).

Mindmeister is a mindmapping app. Mindmaps are a great way to organise ideas (iOS, Android, web). You can read more about Mindmeister in the 5 essential apps for students blog post.

Moovly - a cloud-based video and multimedia creator. Use library images as well as your own images, audio and videos to create and edit exciting content that can be shared, published or downloaded (web).

Morfo - an app that lets you turn a photo of someone into a talking 3D character. Great to use as part of a presentation (iOS).

N

Nearpod allows teachers to share interactive presentations to students’ mobile devices, control the pace of the slides and display responses to quizzes etc. on the screen in real time (iOS, Android, web). See our blog post on Nearpod and if you are interested in using Nearpod, please contact tel@sussex.ac.uk

Notability is a sophisticated note-taking app that lets you include images and handwriting alongside typed text. It is only available for iOS only but Evernote is a good alternative if you are using an Android device.

Notestream - create your own catalogue of notes with this app with ‘snackable’ notes that you can read in under a minute meaning you can read them on-the-go in a spare few minutes of your day (iOS).

The Noun Project - a project that aims to create a language of visual icons that anyone can understand. Search for previously made icons or create your own and add to this growing project (web).

O

One Drive - Microsoft’s cloud storage service. As a member of the university you are provided with 1 TB of storage, Microsoft Office for computers and mobile devices as well as Office Online, allowing you to access and edit your documents across all of your devices. Have a look at the ITS help pages to find out more. (iOS, Android, web).

OneNote is Microsoft’s solution to keeping all your notes synced across all your devices. Similar in some ways to Evernote and Google Keep it allows you to write text notes, clip content from the web, add photos and send material by email (iOS, Android, web).

OneTab - reduce tab clutter with this Chrome and Firefox extension which converts all of your tabs into an easy to manage list. Helps you save up to 95% of memory and speeds up your computer, tabs can be reopened individually or all at once (web).

Overdrive lets you electronically borrow e-books and audio books from your local library once you are a member (iOS, Android, web).

P

Padlet - an online wall on which you can post text, images, videos, links and files which enables instant collaboration with others. Your Padlet wall can also be embedded in Study Direct (iOS, web). See our Guide to using Padlet.

Paper.li - create and publish your own online newspaper. Compile articles, images and videos that interest you from across the web and share them with others (web).

Pearltrees is ‘a place for your interests’. Built around collections and communities it offers a space to curate web pages, files, photos and notes (iOS, Android, web).

Piktochart - an online tool for creating infographics. With lots of templates and easy ‘drag-and-drop, point-and-click’ editing you can make your data / information into a visually appealing, easy to understand infographic that can be downloaded or shared online. (web)

Pinterest lets users ‘pin’ visual bookmarks to themed ‘boards’ and share them with the world (or not) (iOS, Android, web).

Plickers - a quizzing/polling tool that doesn’t require the use of individual apps or computers by participants. Quickly ask multiple-choice questions to  groups of up to 63 and collect answers in real time. Useful to check understanding of key concepts in a seminar setting or gathering popular opinions. (iOS & Android)

Pocket - you can save articles, videos or anything from the web in your pocket with Pocket app (iOS, Android, web). Find out more about Pocket in the the '5 mobile apps for students' blog post

Poll Everywhere is a mobile-based student response system. Students can vote by text, Twitter or using a web browser, but the mobile apps are another alternative (iOS, Android, web). If you are interested in using Poll Everywhere please contact tel@sussex.ac.uk.

Pomotodo - based on the Pomodoro Technique, helps you to get things done by encouraging you to work for 25 minutes at a time with 5 minute breaks to increase productivity and improve mental agility. (web, iOS & Android).

Powtoon - allows you to create animated videos and presentations from a template or from scratch to make learning resources more visually engaging. Allows direct video exporting to Youtube and Vimeo or download as Microsoft Powerpoint File. (web)

Q

Quip - a mobile productivity suite for group work. Create shared task lists, use the chat function to communicate without the need for email and simultaneously edit documents to avoid sending back and forth multiple versions of documents (iOS, Android, web).

Quixey is an Android app that searches for apps. Tell Quixey what you want to do and it will find an app for that!

Quizlet uses flashcards, tests, and study games to make learning more fun (iOS, Android, web).

R

Realtime Board - online whiteboard and collaboration tool. Outline projects with a team, track and develop ideas with brainstorming and add files and documents to your boards (web).

RefME automates the referencing process. You can search by book/journal article title, DOI, ISBN, ISSN or simply copy and paste any website URL to create a reference. (iOS, Android).

S

Scoop.it is a curation tool that lets you collect and publish content online in a meaningful, easy and rewarding way (iOS, Android, web).

Screencastify - video screen capturing software that works with Google Chrome. Allows you to capture what is happening on your screen and add audio to it in order to create great tutorials or resources for flipped learning (web).

Skype is a video calling system that could be used for distance tutorials or meetings (iOS, Android, web).

Slideshare is a way of sharing presentations. Often used by conference presenters, there is a wealth of useful content(iOS, Android, web).

Socrative is a mobile-based student response system. It is limited to 50 students and does not embed into PowerPoint so you may prefer Poll Everywhere (iOS, Android, web).

SoundCloud is a service for uploading your own audio files and finding those created by others. There is a strong social element with easy sharing and options to add comments to tracks (iOS, Android, web). Read our review of Soundcloud

SoundTrap  - choose from pre-recorded loops, use your computer keyboard to play a variety of instruments or import your own sounds. Download the finished track as an MP3 or share to social networks. Capability to invite friends to co-create and collaborate. (web)

StudyBlue lets students test themselves with flashcards made from their notes (iOS, Android, web).

Sway - is a tool from Microsoft for creating engaging presentations. Import photos, videos, tweets and a whole host of other media without leaving the Sway app. Easily re-arrange content and choose which elements to emphasise and share by distributing the URL for the presentation. (web, iOS, Android)

T

Tagboard - allows you to search a hashtag and create a board of the results from across various different social media. Your board can be embedded in a website, shown on large displays or integrated into mobile apps (web).

TED - The TED mobile apps let you watch the TED talks on your mobile device (iOS, Android, web).

ThingLink - create interactive visual resources with ThingLink. Add links, YouTube clips, pictures and videos and embed them all within one image. Read our review of ThingLink

Trello is a collaboration & productivity tool that displays your projects on boards and syncs across devices. Trello shows you what's being worked on, who is working on which element and the status of the task. Perfect for organising your own work or tracking progress of group tasks. (web, iOS & Android)

Twitter is a powerful tool for sharing information, finding out news from colleagues and making new connections (iOS, Android, web).

U

University of Sussex - this mobile app for students gives access to lots of useful information: Study Direct, Sussex Direct, the Library and Skills Hub, news updates from the website, alerts about university weather closures, a location map, email etc. (iOS, Android).

V

Vialogues - allows users to create interactive discussions around videos. Choose from their bank of videos, a Youtube video or make your own video and create a public or private dialogue around it (web).

Vimeo - lets you access your account in the video publishing platform - but you can’t upload to Vimeo from mobile with a free account (iOS, Android, web).

Vine is for creating six second videos to share on Twitter (iOS, Android, web).

W

Weebly - create your own blog, website or online store. Weebly’s simple drag and drop function allows you to quickly and easily create your own unique site (iOS, Android, web).

WeVideo is an easy to use mobile app for filming, editing and publishing video (iOS, Android).

Wordle - create your own word cloud ,choose different layouts, colours and fonts with Wordle giving greater prominence to the most frequent words in your chosen text (web).

WordPress is probably the best known blogging platform. The mobile app lets you post to your blog or monitor comments and stats on the go (iOS, Android, web).

Wunderlist helps you to organise and share all of your to-do lists (iOS, Android, web). You can read more about Wunderlist in the '5 mobile apps for students' blog post.

X

X-finder - another tricky letter to find an educational app for. This one finds words beginning with X for Scrabble players (web).

Y

Yammer - a private social network that lets individuals within an organisation collaborate. Stay connected by creating groups, sharing information and ideas and organising projects (iOS, Android, web).

YouTube - the app makes using YouTube on your mobile device easy. You can upload, share and view videos (iOS, Android, web).

Z

Zotero - a research tool that helps you to collect, cite, organise and share your sources. Collect journal articles, PDFs, images, newspaper articles and books from the Library’s catalogue and add your resources to your own library with one click (web).