iPad Apps for the Classroom

At the beginning of last month, I asked ProfHacker readers to share their favorite apps for the new year, and there are many great contributions in the comments section of that post. Lately, I’ve been talking with my campus colleagues about ways to use the iPad in the classroom.

For the first couple of years that I had an iPad, I didn’t really consider it an essential tool. I read with interest ProfHacker posts about topics such as using the GradeBook Pro iPad app, grading on the iPad with iAnnotate, iPads and the embarrassment factor, and what we can learn about using iPads in the classroom. My own usage of the device, however, was mostly restricted to reading.

However, once I paired the iPad with a keyboard (this keyboard, in particular), everything changed: for example, I started using my iPad in the classroom as a much lighter substitute for my 2009 15-inch MacBook Pro, primarily using it to consult my notes on the day’s topics, to have access to the syllabus and other course documents, and to look something up online as needed. And after one of my regular classrooms was equipped with an AppleTV (making it easy to wirelessly connect the iPad to the room’s projector through AirPlay), I began to use HaikuDeck fairly often to accompany my lectures.

To be honest, though, that’s about all I use the iPad for in the classroom while class is in session. And so I’d like to extend our conversation (referenced in the very first link at the start of this post) about iPad apps to ask a more specific question.

Which iPad apps have you found most useful in the classroom? Please let us know in the comments, and explain how you use those apps for pedagogical purposes.

[CC-licensed Flickr photo by Sean MacEntee]