Edmodo

Format: iOS, Windows (via internet browser), Droid (via internet browser)
Price: Free
Vender: iTunes, Google Play

Edmodo creates a message board for students to access teacher created material, respond to items left by a teacher and their peers, and take online quizzes in a Facebook like environment. It does not allow students to message each other, is closed from outside access, and allows for teachers to monitor student work. Students can only access Edmodo when they are given access to a teacher-created groups or classes.

James: I like the potential that Edmodo has, and I am planning on having each student have an account next year. This will let me post Flip instruction, allow absent students to see what occurred in the classroom, and also take formative assessments. The teacher creates groups for students to belong to, which can be classes or small collaborative groups. I tested this for a literature circle, and it has a lot of promise.

Please read the first comment below before setting up your Edmodo account.

ProCon.org

Format: iOS
Price: Free
Vendor: iTunes

The ProCon.org app is an RSS feed to the procon.org website.

James: With the move towards Common Core Standards, and the "special place" for argument, I have begun using procon.org as a venue for different perspectives on current issues. While not every topic is age-appropriate, it still is a cornucopia of argument. Especially useful is resources for the current presidential election.

iBooks

Format: iOS
Price: Free
Vendor: iTunes

Publisher's Description: Both a way to read books and a way to buy them, iBooks transforms the simple act of reading into something simply delightful.

James: iBooks is Apple's "Nook" or "Kindle" app. It is a pretty good eReader, but what I like about it is that it can take any PDF file you download onto the iPad, which then can be organized into "bookshelves". In iBooks, the PDF page turns are vertical, rather then the horizontal scroll that is typical in other PDF readers.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Format: iPad, Droid
Price: Free
Vendor: iTunes, Google Play

Merriam-Webster Dictionary on the iPad.

James: I prefer the M-W Dictionary over the Dictionary.com App. The app has a clean interface.

Evernote

Format: iOS, Windows OS, Droid OS
Price: Free
Vender: iTunes, Developer Homepage, Google Play

Evernote makes it easy to remember things big and small from your everyday life using your computer, phone, tablet and the web.

James: I use Evernote on my PC at work and home, and on the iPad. On the PC, I have downloaded the Evernote clipper for Chrome browser and use it to clip nonfiction articles for use in class and professional articles for me. Because Evernote keeps everything up in the Cloud, what I clip at home, I can access at work, or on the iPad. In Evernote, I have made behavior logs for each class, parent contact logs and committee notes to track what was discussed from one meeting to the next. Evernote can work like a simple word processor, and notes then can be bundled into notebooks. A great app!