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"Educators are beginning to see the potential of using mobile devices and apps for ongoing professional development as well as to improve literacy and cognitive development for learners. Apps are equipped with several features that motivate learners to create stories, presentations, and projects that are hands-on and use their creativity as well as their critical thinking skills. Once an app is downloaded, many features can be accessed without an Internet connection. Educators can also use various apps at conferences to connect with other educators or capture a presentation. Below are the various apps nominated by teachers for an Edublog Award so they must be worth checking out. Each has a link and a description. Make sure to check out the Edublog Awards for blogs, wikis, and web tools that teachers worldwide have recommended."

"New York City science teacher and iOS developer, Frederick Feraco Jr., has 9 titles in the app store to help students prep for their regents and final exams. These apps are all part of his “Buddy” apps consist of lessons, videos, interactive quizzes, daily news feeds and flash cards. They are broken into topics: chemistry, biology, physics, earth science, environmental science, global history, US history, integrated algebra, geometry geography,anatomy and physiology, astronomy, middle school life science, physical science and health education."

"It's still no easy task to develop your own apps. Yes, some talented teachers have programmed their own. I know many adults and youth are interested in developing apps. I was pleased to see Schools.com produce this infographic about how to become a mobile app developer."

"The iPad platform provides teachers with lots of good resources to assist in developing children's speech and language. The features of the iPad allows Apps that provide students with the ability to interact with words with all their senses. They can listen, see, touch and record while developing their vocabulary, language, articulation and grammar skills."

"Based on the feedback we received from our staff, we decided to officially start our professional development with 'iPad Basics' or as we called it, 'iPad Tips & Tricks.' The goal of the PD was to get teachers comfortable with their iPads so that they could become more confident and start experimenting with them in their classrooms. Because we know our teachers are not all at the same place, we created 3 levels of the training. We are offering the sessions on three consecutive Mondays and you can read more about the planning process here."

"An iPad is a toolbox that gets filled with tools such as apps, is a portal to communication and collaboration with others, and when guided by teachers who have been appropriately trained, students become truly engaged and motivated critical thinkers. Working with Tony Vincent and our Technology Team, our teachers will receive the professional development and support to successfully carry out our goals."

"Every teacher seems to fully acknowledge how quickly and comfortably the average student adopts new technology. The truth is, students learn how to have fun on an iPad pretty quickly, but they don't always learn how to trouble shoot, be safe, and learn effectively right off the bat. Having a team of students that are well trained in iPad support can help build leadership amongst your students, and will help alleviate the stress on both students and teachers as they learn to adopt this new technology."

This wiki is intended to be a clearinghouse of applications, lessons ideas and experiences using the iPad in the classroom. The intention is that all apps listed have been tested and recommended by teachers using them. The Apps pages are generally created using google docs spreadsheets, feel free to update the wiki or the spreadsheets. (A link is provided on each page for the spreadsheets... at least the ones I've started working on...) At this point, as a high school science teacher, most of the apps I've recommended and investigated are geared to this level. Some can be used at any level. I invite you to add pages dedicated to your areas of interest and expertise if they are not already listed here. I would love to see a section on Literature and Language and Elementary Skills added to the wiki along with additions to any of the currently developed spreadsheets. It would also be sweet to share specific lessons or ideas for applications and activities.

"Footsteps2Brilliance, Inc.™'s Academic Language Program for Students (ALPS) delivers a robust library of stimulating ebooks and educational games to parents, children and teachers anywhere/anytime through innovative mobile gaming technology. Developed by educational experts usingthe latest research on cognitive development, ALPS provides young learners with 1,000 essential vocabulary words through interactive eBooks that are sure to engage today's digital students whether at school or home."

"With the end of the school year, Apple is taking the opportunity to remind schools and educators about a free professional development program that it's offering. Called the Tune In Series, the program is a series of webcast events covering the iPad and many of the technologies that Apple introduced during its education event in January. The series is running every week through the end of August."

"It doesn't take more than a cursory exploration of the application Explain Everything for the iPad, to find out that it is an incredibly useful and versatile app. So what is Explain Everything, exactly and what does it do? Well the answer to that question is in the name of the application itself. You can use the app to explain and share tutorial videos, collaborate with others and develop ideas and you can also use it to do live interactive presentations, using an iPad in the classroom."

"We know that apps are here to stay. Schools are jumping on board quicker than you can say, "WOW!" Our request? Please look at the gaps in education, as far as apps are concerned. ABC and Math apps are covered! How about some apps that address the various skills involved in reading, social studies, history, science, health, nutrition and physical education. There is a definite need for apps that cover content"

"The iPad is not going to replace teachers or 'fix' education. There is a cost implication that must be taken into account and only an educator will know if it is right for their students. Indeed the cost-benefit analysis for an establishment must take into account a host of factors when considering iPad use in the classroom. However, if there are iPads in the classroom, there are a number of applications that can enhance learning and assist the educator in developing student skills. In fact, the iPad allows educators to build on existing styles and increase flexibility in their classroom whilst personalising learning."

"In his book "Start with Why" and the accompanying TED talk, author Simon Sinek claims that we're all very clear about "what" we do. In fact, you often define yourself by what you do - "I'm a teacher" for example. You focus heavily on "how" you should do whatever it is you do and usually develop a routine to make it easier."

"Last Thursday was a great day of professional development as 30 educators from around the Northwest visited Westside's iPad Open House. This was an opportunity for IT directors, teachers and administrators to see students in action and learn about the process of deploying a 1-to-1 iPad program."

"Apps on multi-touch devices like the iPad or Android smartphones have the potential to revolutionize early childhood education, and help build a stronger foundation for lifelong learning in the 21st century. But, this potential needs to be realized. It is not a given that technology in the hands of young children will benefit their development."

"Writing is the backbone skill in literacy learning0 There are actually several free web tools that teachers can use to easily develop and boost their students writing capabilities"

"Individual Education Programs (IEP) can be difficult to put in place at the best of times. IEP's are sometime a source of concern and frustration. The more informed people are about the IEP process the better the IEP can be. Parents will normally work with teachers to develop a plan to help the students succeed in school. The IEP assists this process by describing the goals the whole team sets for a student during the school year, as well as any special support needed to help achieve them. Here are a number of apps that make managing and collecting data for the IEP Process just that little bit easier."

"Rainbow Sentences, by Mobile Education Store, is another incredible learning tool, just released, by the award winning developer Kyle Tomson! Initially, when using Rainbow Sentences with students, we were taken aback by how many different levels of play can be adapted for differing student's needs. There are three levels of play with 55 sentences in each level, and 6 levels of sentence complexity. Kyle worked diligently on this app perfecting ever feature and made the app customizable with every conceivable setting. Rainbow Sentences offers a unique environment for improving a student's ability to create grammatically correct sentences."