You Don’t Need an iPad for These Web Apps!
Apps are a great educational re- source, but if you don’t have a tablet, smartphone, or iPod
touch, you can’t really use them, right?
Well, not exactly. You actually can
access thousands of free and paid apps
on your desktop, laptop, or netbook
using Google Chrome.
Registered users can simply go
to the Chrome Web Store and start
searching for apps. Once you click
on the apps you want to try, Google
Chrome automatically places the icons
on your homepage. If it turns out that
you don’t like an app, right-click and
select Remove.
One limitation of many of the
free web apps offered through the
Chrome Web Store is that some are
not actually apps, but shortcut icons
to the apps’ webpages. Some have
in-game advertising that may not
be suitable for young children. And
some are littered with advertisement
banners that create a distraction during game play.
But despite those drawbacks, you
can still find hundreds of apps to meet
your students’ learning and productivity needs.
I’d like to recommend a few apps
that are fun, educational, engaging,
and appropriate for most young children. You do not need to use Chrome
to access them, but it makes it easier
for younger kids to find them without navigating through menus and
toolbars.
Language Arts Apps
Here are a few apps that are good
for bilingual and younger students:
Great Big Fancy Word Game. This app
helps develop and enrich vocabulary.
Hangcards. This combination of the
game hangman and flash cards aids
vocabulary development.
In the Nick of Rhyme. Sesame Street’s Super Grover helps learners with rhymes
in this app.
Math Apps
The following are a few math web
apps that my students enjoy:
CarrotSticks. This online multiplayer
game is designed to hone math skills
(from www.carrotsticks.com).
Khan Academy. This site offers free video
tutorials on subjects ranging from math
and science to history and literature.
Students can revisit material they studied in class or learn new topics they are
interested in at khanacademy.org.
Math Arcade Games. Shoot down attacking aliens with your knowledge of math
facts (from www.imathgame.com).
Math Motorway. This multiplayer racing
game from www.mathmotorway.com
helps students practice math facts.
—Juan Carlos Venegas is an elementary gifted
and talented bilingual and dual-language teacher
in Houston, Texas, USA. He is the father of three
tech-savvy children and is currently working on a
master’s degree in instructional technology.
