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"Read and Write for Google is an excellent Chrome app that provides text-to-speech functions from your browser. They have just released a free iPad and Android app. The apps provide text to speech functions, which are great for ESL, learning disabled, visually challenged and struggling readers, on your device, just like the web app does in the Chrome Browser and Chromebooks.

"Google Earth is a great app to have on an Android tablet. It can be used in many ways in schools. Google Earth for Android now has an upgrade in the form of 3D and aerial imagery. The update will allow you to navigate in 3D through different areas. There are short tours of places. Much like a tour in the desktop version of Google Earth, the tours on the Android version of Google Earth include snippets of information about the places that ymanyou virtually visit."

From Richard Byrne's "android4schools" site. A free Android app that is designed to help younger students learn how the human body works. The app features eight sections: circulation, muscles, the senses, kidneys & urine, skeleton, respiration, digestion, and brain & nerves. Each section contains short animated videos that explain the functions of each system and how it works.

Eleven free apps that you could use in education

As always Kathy has Some great advice. First the infographics that set up the ideas and then offers some ideas for apps to assist teachers to use with students

Glassboard is an app for Android, Windows, and iOS phones that enables you to create and participate in private groups. Using the app you can create and participate in as many groups as you like. You can specify which groups can see the content you share and you can share notes, links, pictures, and videos. The content you share and the content others share with you is displayed in a news feed on your mobile device.

Via @mashable "Five photographers who use their Android devices - exclusively or in addition to other cameras - to shoot, edit and share beautiful photos, and they offered some advice for those looking to enter the field."

Via Richard Byrne "InClass is a free iPhone and iPad app that could be a very useful tool for students carrying those devices. InClass provides students with tools for taking text, audio, and video notes. Students can also use the app to take pictures of hand-outs, slides, and other valuable information that they see in class."

This is a simple tool that will assist with learning English (to Advanced English), Spanish, and Polish vocabulary. More languages may follow. It can be used online or with a free Android app. It is similar to a lot of other language learning applications. You can create lists of words and phrases that you want to learn or you can select a list that was made by someone else and shared to the Vocabla library. You can study each list as a type of flashcard and when you are ready you can take a practice quiz. Teachers might like using Vocabla to create a list of words and share with their class. All the students could use the list to study on their own

Via Richard Byrne "SugarSync is a cloud storage service that offers apps for iOS and Android. Using the apps you can take pictures of anything including those handwritten notes and upload them to your account. SugarSync synchronizes your files across all of your devices so that you can access your files anytime you are connected to the web."

"PicCollage is one of my favorite Android and iPad apps. It is a free that allows you to quickly arrange pictures, video, text, and stickers into collages. From the app you can share your collage to Google Drive, Instagram, Facebook, Dropbox, and many other file sharing services. In the video below I demonstrate how to use it without creating a PicCollage account."

"There are many free online tools to help their students create and learn through digital storytelling. Many of these online tools have free apps available on i-devices and Android devices. Through digital storytelling we motivate our learners to apply, contextualize, visualize, and personalize the knowledge they learn. In the post there are some great free apps, tools, and resources that will help begin creating digital stories with learners. The slide presentation embedded will explain the process and provide you with tips on managing a digital storytelling project." This is a great resource for any teacher thinking about undertaking digital storytelling with their students.

Skitch is designed for creating sketches and marking-up images. Using Skitch students can snap a picture of outlines they wrote by hand then circle or highlight the most important aspects. Skitch is available for iPad and Android. (Was bought by Evernote late last year.)

Through the narration and illustration of photos, Clarisketch saves time and improves the quality of messaging using a combination of photographs and annotated commentary. Clarisketch enables you to quickly comment and draw on diagrams, map routes, photos etc and share it with friends/colleagues via email, Facebook, Google+, Twitter or other social networks.