iPad Adventure Class - Week 5

The final week of the afterschool adventure class is here!  We decided to create a summary movie of the apps that we used over the course of the class.  We used iMovie to edit the movie!  Unfortunately - we did not have enough time - we weren't able to practice or edit as much as we would have liked.  We also typed up our scripts using an app called on air. The On Air app allows your words to move across the screen much like a teleprompter.  I think the students enjoyed this activity.  I'm including the link to the movie - I saved it in lower resolution, but it still takes a few minutes to load. 

http://db.tt/rdkjW4xQ

iMovie by apple - ($4.99) - This app is more expensive than most apps we use - but I have used iMovie on my mac at home and I didn't want to play around with trying out all the other apps.  iMovie is easy to use and very easy to export when finished.  It comes with some base themes and music that can make your movie even sharper.  
You can read more about it here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id377298193?mt=8

On Air by Mark Richardson (Free) - This app is a basic teleprompter app.  This app was simple to use and provided us what we needed quite well.  I will say that this app seems to crash often when used in landscape mode.  If I were going to use a teleprompter on a larger scale I would probably look to other apps.  The price was right for what we needed!
You can read more about it here: http://itunes.apple.com/ph/app/on-air/id398208944?mt=8

Powerschool

Now that my child is in second grade - we have the ability to montior his grades with powerschool.  I just realized that there is an app for that too!  (there is an app for everything - I am pretty sure)... So, of course, I installed it and now I monitor his grades through the app.  I think it works great.  I like that you  see their picture next to their grade - which will be handy when both my kids are on powerschool.  Anyway, your school has to be using powerschool to have it be of any use to you.  So, if your child is on powerschool and you have an iphone, ipad, or ipod - it's a free app - check it out!
PowerSchool for Parents by Pearson School Systems (free) - Check and monitor your childrens grades!  You can read more about it here  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/powerschool-for-parents/id444983648?mt=8

Thanks!

iPad Adventure Class - Week 4

Hi everyone!  Sorry it has taken me so long to update this blog.  Seems like life is super busy!  Anyway, last week we used the Puppet Pals app to create some cartoon movies.  The kids had a blast!  We were running a little short on time - so I'm sure these aren't as polished as the students would like.  The links are available temporarily as they are associated with a dropbox account for the afterschool class.  I will remove these links by the end of the school year. 

Puppet Pals HD by Polished Play, LLC ($2.99) - The $2.99 version is the "directors pass" which includes numerous characters and backgrounds.  There is also a free version that has limited characters and backgrounds.  I highly suggest trying the free version out to see what you like.  You can also create your own characters and backgrounds - using either the camera or any drawing app.  The final movie is saved to your camera allowing this to be easily shared via email.  You can read more about Puppet Pals here http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/puppet-pals-hd/id342076546?mt=8

I am also a big fan of Toontastic.

Toontastic by Launchpad toys (free - $10) - The free version has limited play sets.  Toontastic has a more formal approach to the story telling - It walks you through the story arc - Setup, Conflict, Climax, Challenge, and Resolution.  You create different scenes for each portion and can have music to accompany it.  There is a lot of wonderful material on their website www.launchpadtoys.com that will help you learn how to use this app.  I did not use this for the afterschool class because I didn't think we would have enough time to use it appropriately.  Also, the output format is to the "toontube" - so it's not as portable as the Puppet Pals app. You can read more about toontastic here http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toontastic/id404693282?mt=8

Thanks for reading!