Educational application developer Steve Glinberg is a friend of edu.Mac.nation and the creator of KidCalc, 123 Color Talking Coloring Book, and 123 World Geography Coloring Book. He also has created “HD” versions of 123 Color and 123 World Geography for the iPad.

Steve recently launched a wonderful donation program for iPhones and iPod Touches. Below is information about the recycling program…

“Put your old iPhone or iPod touch to the best possible use – donate it to a public or private school or to my recycling program so it can be put to effective use as a learning tool for kids.  Steve Glinberg, developer of the popular iPhone and iPad apps KidCalc Math Fun, 123 Color Talking Coloring Book, and 123 World Geography Coloring Book, today announces a recycling program for iPhones and iPod touches that aims to bring high technology mobile devices into classrooms.

With the recent release of the iPad and impending release of a new generation of iPhone, iPhones and iPod touches of previous generations are going unused in homes everywhere.  Children around the world are successfully using high technology mobile devices for learning in classrooms.  Teachers are incorporating iPhones, iPod touches, and now iPads into their curriculum at an increasing rate.  However, schools are constrained by ever tightening budgets.  Many of these powerful devices with the capacity to interest, engage and teach children are ending up in drawers, or on shelves, where they sit, hardly being used, after the owner upgrades a newer version.

I have heard from teachers and parents for nearly a year just how valuable a role iPhones and iPod touches are serving in classrooms.

We need to get used iPhones and iPod touches into classrooms, where price is the barrier precluding their introduction into the curriculum.  That is what I aim to accomplish with this new recycling program.

Owners of iPhone and iPod touches that are hardly used or that you are for other reasons willing to part with, please contact me at the email address below.  People interested in making a financial donation or in donating a new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, please ship the device to:

iPhone/iPod touch Recycling Program

c/o Steve Glinberg

4230 East Towne Blvd, Suite #231

Madison, WI 53704

Upon receiving used iPhones and iPod touches, I restore them to factory state, install dozens of apps currently in the App Store’s education category, and send them on to teachers who have registered to receive one.”

(Via KidCalc Learning)

Interested teachers can leave a comment at Steve’s website or email recycle@123colorapp.com to register to become a recipient of an iPhone or iPod touch. When you register make sure to include information about where you teach, the age range of your students, information about their exposure and use of computing and mobile computing devices, as well as a description of your need for an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Thank you Steve for launching such a wonderful recycling program!

Related posts:

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“123 Color by KidCalc” has rocketed to the #1 spot in the Educational App Category of iTunes only a few hours after being listed in the “New and Noteworthy” section in iTunes.

Below is an updated video that lists the new accomplishments of the app as well as information about what features/additions will be in Version 1.2…

(YouTube Link)

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Super Why! from PBS Kids

PBS is known for wonderful television programs for children. Classics such as “Sesame Street” and “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” share airtime with newer shows such as “Caillou” and “Sid the Science Kid“. A PBS show that my son loves is “Super Why!“. The adventures that the “Super Readers” go on include phonics, learning the alphabet, word pronunciation, and spelling skills. This morning, while we were watching an episode together, I decided to check to see if there was an application in the iTunes App Store for “Super Why!” and I was surprised to find one!

Super Why! from PBS Kids —>

Here is the full App Store description of the application…

Super Why! for iPhone

“This collection of four super literacy games provides interaction with each of the four main characters from the TV series: Alpha Pig, Princess Presto, Wonder Red and, of course, Super WHY! Each game focuses on the character’s special word power, intended to help your child gain the power to read!

ALPHA PIG’S LICKETY LETTER HUNT
Help Alpha Pig find his way home by identifying the letters he needs!

PRINCESS PRESTO’S WANDS-UP WRITING
First, choose the right sounds. Then trace the letters on your touch screen and get instant feedback when you’ve drawn the letters correctly.

WONDER RED’S RHYMING TIME
Find the rhyming words missing from Wonder Red’s word basket.

SUPER WHY’S STORY SAVER
Finish each story to save the day. Help Super WHY! complete the sentences that fit the story.

LEARNING REWARDS
Kids collect virtual stickers as they learn and can decorate their sticker book with over 50 items.

ABOUT SUPER WHY!
The SUPER WHY! app from PBS KIDS was developed by Bean Creative in partnership with PBS and Out of the Blue Enterprises, the producers of the breakthrough preschool series SUPER WHY. The series is designed to help kids ages 3 to 6 with the critical skills that they need to learn to read (and love to read!), including alphabet skills, word families, spelling, comprehension and vocabulary.”

Impressions

My son managed to navigate and find his way around the entire application after only a few minutes. He tends to do this with new apps. It is his way of “exploring” and seeing what parts of the application he wants to start with first. His two favorite literacy activities happened to be led by his two favorite show characters “Whyatt” and “Princess Pea”. “Whyatt” leads the “Super Why’s Story Saver” activity and “Princess Pea” leads the “Princess Presto’s Wands-up Writing” activity. My personal favorite, out of those two, is the “Wands-up Writing” activity. I like how my son hears the sound of the letter, is expected to pick the letter out of a group, is instructed on how to write the letter, and then is given an opportunity to practice writing it. This is great and I hope to see proper letter writing transfer over to his writing on paper.

Below is a short video of my son using the application to help you see what it is like…

(YouTube Link)

Overall I am quite pleased with all that this application has to offer. If your child is a fan of the show then you should consider checking out the application too!

Feel free to comment below about this post and don’t forget to check out the new edu.Mac.nation page on Facebook!

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Update: 2/24- 2:30 p.m.

The latest creation by KidCalc developer Steve Glinberg is coming soon to the App Store! The name of his new application is “123 Color” and based on my initial tests I am very pleased with all that it has to offer. I also believe “123 Color”, once in the App Store, should be featured in iTunes just like Steve’s math application KidCalc. I suggest that you check out the stellar reviews and comments Steve has received for KidCalc in the App Store.

123 Color

I have tested numerous coloring applications for children and none compare to “123 Color”. Steve’s newest application has the same type of basic coloring features in some of the other popular children’s coloring apps plus much more. His work reaches farther by seamlessly blending in number and letter recognition. The layout and controls are easy to learn, the artwork is adorable, the audio is crisp and clear, and the little touches (number and letter line auto scrolling, musical animations, etc.)  that Steve adds to the user experience really makes “123 Color” a must have application for any parent or grandparent of young children.

Since the application is still in the approval process (it was submitted yesterday) I will save my full review for when it is out.

Here is a video I shot tonight of my 3 year old son practicing his numbers and letters with “123 Color”…

Update: 123 Color by KidCalc is now in the App Store!

The comments so far look excellent:

Here are a few..

wnpmrfw

“Consistent with Kidcalc in how entertaining and unbelievably engaging it is for my daughters. They won’t put it down and have been laughing and dancing around the house all morning to the music played after they finish a drawing!”

LovelandBell

“I have many of your apps and they are all impressive, but this one is the best, no question about it. Kids are just very fortunate to have your apps to learn from. They teach extremely well, and they grab and hold kids’ attention better than any other apps in the app store.”

Related posts:

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photo credit: bionicteaching

Here is a positive snippet regarding laptops (Macbooks) in the classroom…

Classrooms of the future: Laptops bring lessons to life – Las Cruces Sun-News:

“The laptops — 25 students units and one for the teacher make up a mobile computer lab that teachers can check out at the school. There are two such labs, plus a class set of iPod Touch units, that are available at Jornada, said Principal Arsenio Romero. He said the technology has really changed how teachers use computers in their lessons. ‘Before, we were using technology as an extra,’ he said. ‘Maybe a fun activity in the computer lab on Fridays.’

By bringing the computers to the classroom instead of the class to the computer lab, he said, teachers are better able to integrate the technology into everyday lessons.“

(Via Las Cruces Sun-News)

A few examples of student use are provided in the article. These include students using Apple’s iWork application Pages to create posters, Safari to browse the web for resources, and a class set of iPod Touches (no mention of how they are used).

Clearly the laptop cart model is beneficial to the school and classroom highlighted in this article.

I wonder a few things though…

Where do you see the “lab” model going for schools?

Do you have a laptop cart in school as well as a computer lab? How often are they utilized and for what purpose?

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Early last year I wrote about a wonderful application that my son uses called “Shape Builder”. The same people behind that application have come out with a new application called “Preschool Connect the Dots“.

Below are a list of some the features…

iPhone Apps for Kids – Preschool Connect the Dots Game to Learn Numbers and the Alphabet:

“Children can ‘tap’ or ‘draw’ to connect sequential numbers (123), upper case letters (ABC), and lower case letters (abc). Joining all the dots forms the outline of the shape and reveals the beautifully illustrated image, a really fun sound effect, and the object name spoken by a speech therapist that specializes in early childhood development!

With over 200 puzzles, children can randomly play from all the categories of:

* Transportation (26 puzzles) like Ambulance, Airplane, Bicycle and Bulldozer…

* Musical instruments (35 puzzles) like Accordion, Banjo, Clarinet, and Drum Set…

* Animals and Bugs (86 puzzles) like Armadillo, Bat, Cheetah, and Dolphin…

* Food (28 puzzles) like Apple, Birthday Cake, and Candy Canes…

* Objects (34 puzzles) like Microphone, Magnifying Glass and Mail Box…”

(Via Touch Screen Preschool Games)

I assume these numbers will increase with each update.

Below are some images and descriptions of the application…

Settings

One of my favorite features of this application is the well organized settings page. A parent looking to use this application with their child will have no problems customizing it to fit their child’s needs and interests. The easy “on and off” toggle can enable numbers, letters (both lower and upper case), sound, and various categories. For my son I leave most of the toggles on. A year ago I might have toggled off the lower case letters and the “allows drawing” option. The image below shows three different screenshots merged together into one…

An added feature is something I’ll call the “multi-tap”. With some applications my son accidentally ends up on a page with contact links. When he pushes on these links the application closes out and up pops the email application. In “Preschool Connect the Dots” the envelope subscription button needs to be pressed 5 times before it will open. Same is true for the suggestions button. This keeps my son from accidentally entering out into the mail application. This “multi-tap” feature can be found throughout certain parts of the “Connect the Dots”…

Connecting the Dots

Clicking on each dot is one of the options for connecting the dots. I suggest this setting for children who have not quite mastered the fine motor control of drawing the connecting line. A child can still press each dot to complete the connection even when drawing setting is turned on.

Here is a shot that shows connecting lines that were created by simply pressing each corresponding letter. From “C” onward you can see where the lines have been drawn. With such small dots on the screen it can be a little challenging for young fingers to make those connections. My three year old son had a little trouble at first. With a little practice he was able to do a better job.

Something positive about the dot layout is the absense of any other menu item. Menu items can get in the way and clutter the user experience.

After all of the dots have been connected the mystery object is revealed with sound effects and a clear voice telling the child what they have just revealed.

The process of connecting the dots seems simple but it finds new life with the added features, various depths of complexity, and intuitive interface. I am happy I bought this application for my son and I certainly know that he is happy too…

What do you think?

Does your son, daughter, grandchild, etc. like to play “connect the dots” on paper?

Have you tried this application?

Feel free to comment below about “Preschool Connect the Dots” and don’t forget to check out the new edu.Mac.nation page on Facebook!

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Tony Vincent, from Learning in Hand, has compiled an excellent list of suggestions for using the iPod Touch with students…

Learning in Hand Blog by Tony Vincent:

“Bringing iPods into the classroom is a great way to give students access to learning tools. However, there are so many things to keep in mind to make the iPods work smoothly in the classroom. While my list of dos and don’ts is for iPod touch, much of the same advice can be given for using iPod classic and nano in classrooms. The list is for large or small class sets of iPods; if students are using their own personal iPods you’ll have a different set of considerations and technical issues to deal with.”

(Via Learning In Hand)

Below is the bulleted list of Tony’s “Dos” and “Don’ts”. Comments of mine will have an * and will be in parentheses. To read detailed descriptions for each of these check out Tony’s post at Learning in Hand…

(*edu.Mac.nation comments)

Dos

- Do sync all iPods to one computer.

- Do name iPods.

- Do set iPods for automatic sync of all content.

- Do make playlists. (*makes for better organization)

- Do delete content. (*no need to fill them up all the way and risk losing something you need later)

- Do configure the Music app for easy access to playlists and podcasts.

- Do label or engrave iPods.

- Do set up an itunes account for the classroom computer.

- Do know you can authorize more than one account on a computer.

- Do use a flash drive to transfer apps between computers.

- Do get a charging cart, case, or tray if you have the money. (*one place for them all)

- Do have procedures for passing out, turning in, and syncing.

- Do secure iPods when not in use.

- Do have earbuds for each student.

- Do create a web clip icon for your class or school website.

- Do use a URL shortener. (*I prefer bit.ly)

- Do have consequences for misuse.

- Do create a usage contract. (Check out Tony’s example contracts)

- Do set up email.

Don’ts

- Don’t give students the iTunes account password. (*Never never never!)

- Don’t sync iPods with any other computer than the original.

- Don’t feel you need to sync iPods everyday.

- Don’t spend too much on iPods. (*Those pricey 32 gig. models are nice but are not needed)

- Don’t buy expensive accessories.

- Don’t mistreat batteries. (*Don’t overcharge them)

- Don’t stick with just free apps. (*Sometimes you “get what you paid for”)

- Don’t use liquids to clean the screen.

- Don’t put up with a glitchy iPod.

- Don’t forget professional development. (*Often the last priority)

Suggestions

Tony did a fantastic job with the list and the details that he provides on his site.

What would you add to the “dos” and “don’t” list?

Feel free to comment below and don’t forget to check out the new edu.Mac.nation page on Facebook!

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The 2009 Best App Ever Awards winners have been announced. This is the second year for this “best apps” competition. The purpose of the awards are to select the “best” applications from various categories. The overall winner for 2009 was the entertainment/game application “Pocket God.” To me this is not surprising based on the success of the application. It is funny, cheap, and entertaining for kids and adults. The success and accomplishment of Pocket God, although commendable, is not what interested me the most when I checked out all of the winners.

What interests and pleases me about this competition is how they recognize, and categorize, educational apps. Instead of just having a “Best Educational App” category they have a “Best Just for Fun Kids App”, ” Best App for Toddlers”, ” Best App for Pre-Schoolers”, “Best App for Primary School Kids”, “Best App for Middle School Kids”, and “Best App for High School+ Kids”. This pleases me because it recognizes how broad the “educational” application category can be.

How did the rest do?

If your are interested I suggest that you head over to bestappever.com to check out the complete list. To help you out a little bit I have put together  just a few of the categories and some of the applications that either won or received honorable mentions…

To see the applications in iTunes click on the “Available on the iPhone App Store” images:

Best Educational App Category

The winner in this category was “iStudiez Pro.” I personally have not tried this application before but I have tried and reviewed “Wheels on the Bus” which received an honorable mention.

Here is a snippet of what I had to say about “Wheels on the Bus” back in March of 2009.

[Apps for Toddlers] “Preschool Arcade” and “Wheels on the Bus” | edu.Mac.nation:

“One of the best features of ‘Wheels on the Bus’, from an educator’s perspective, is the ability for my son, or another child, to hear the same song in other languages. At the top of every ‘scene’ is a purple button with a music note inside. The screen below appears upon pressing this purple button . By default, the ‘English’ version is selected. The song (along with French, Spanish, Italian, and German) can be played in a female voice as well as a piano version. Some, such as the Italian and German, require a little bit of time to download. This happens all from right inside the application and a progress bar appears at the side of the language choice.”

“Wheels on the Bus” also was an honorable mention in the “Best Apps for Toddler” category.

Best App for Pre-Schoolers Category

The winner in this category was “iWriteWords“. This application was one of earliest that I reviewed and I believe was one of the first applications that I made a video for. To this day I think it is one of the best applications for practicing letter writing. It is cute, easy to use, and highly polished.

Animatch, from Lima Sky (the makers of Doodle Jump) received an honorable mention in this category. Animatch was one of the earliest matching games that I remember purchasing for my son.

Here is a video of my son playing Animatch…

Best App for Primary School Students and Middle School Students

Dictionary.com won both the “Primary School Students” and “Middle School Students” categories and I have to agree that this free application is superb. The application includes more than 275,000 words, 88,000 synonyms, and it has an audio pronunciation button for each word. This is quite helpful for new vocabulary.

What do you think?

Are there apps you think should have made any of the “best” lists?

What apps do you feel would be better alternatives?

Feel free to comment below and don’t forget to check out the new edu.Mac.nation page on Facebook!

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Starting this morning you should see a button toward the top of your iPhone/iPod Touch App Store “New” Featured Apps section that says, “Apps for Kids”. Pictured above is a screenshot I took of the button. Apple has compiled a set of applications that they believe are great for kids. There seems to be a healthy balance between skilled based educational games as well as a fun dose of entertainment applications (ex: Doodle Jump). There are some insanely popular apps mixed with lesser known applications.

This “Apps for Kids” feature is similar to the “Apps for Toddlers” feature back in October. Only this time the age range is obviously reaches higher (into elementary school) and it seems as if the total number of applications listed is a bit more than what Apple posted in the fall.

Below are some specific applications that I have purchased for my own kids and some I have reviewed or mentioned here on edu.Mac.nation…

To see the applications in iTunes click on the title links or the images:

FirstWords: Animals

This was one of the earliest applications that I reviewed here.

http://www.edumacnation.com/2009/03/toddlerwords/

My son still loves “making” words with this app. It is easy to use for a small child and certainly is a must have for parents of a toddler entering Pre-K or Kindergarten.

Wheels on the Bus was featured here back in March of 2009…

http://www.edumacnation.com/2009/03/newtoddlerapps/

I get a kick out of going back and listening to some of the old recorded sections of the “Wheels on the Bus” song. Hearing my son’s voice from almost a year ago on some of the portions melts my heart a little (sappy… I know.)

My son and I get a lot of laughs from this application. From the day we first bought it we started recording little bits of our conversations together. I would ask my son questions and he would respond. Sometimes the questions were silly and other times they were simple, “How are you doing today?”. At the end of each silly sounding recording you can hear my son grab the phone and ask to hear what we just recorded played back. We both love the “Witness” effect.

Out of all of the applications my son has on my old (deactivated) iPhone this is the one that annoys my wife the most. I find it hilarious. It is very cute but there are some song parts that loop over and over again. Any child under the age of 3 (as well as Dads too) will love this app.

This is another application I wrote about back in March of 2009…

http://www.edumacnation.com/2009/03/newtoddlerapps/

I have always liked how the “Preschool” series of applications allows for my son to make selective choices between the different components of the application. My son has specific parts he may like one week and then all of the sudden a month later he might use another “arcade” part of the app. Applications like this do not get old and have a much longer shelf (screen) life than some single function apps.

Again, another application that is part of what I call the “Preschool” series. I wrote about this application back in January of 2009 as well…

http://www.edumacnation.com/2009/01/applications-my-2-year-old-loves/

Many of the sentiments I mentioned above regarding “Preschool Arcade” can be restated for this application. You really cannot go wrong with any of these “Preschool” apps!

This application works on many of the skills my son uses daily in Preschool. It teaches colors, letters, counting, shapes, differences, and matching. The best part for my son are the little rewards he earns as he finishes each section. The navigation is super simple and the artwork is engaging and lively!

KidCalc is an application that just gets better and better over time. New sections seem to be added with every new update and the options for customization are superb.

What do you think?

So those are a few of the applications I like from Apple’s list.

What would be some of your picks?

What do you think is missing?

Feel free to comment below and don’t forget to check out the new edu.Mac.nation page on Facebook!

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The Richmond Times-Dispatch has an article up that discusses some of the different instructional viewpoints regarding mobile devices in schools. Of particular interest to me was the section below that points to concerns of misuse…

Mobile devices said to be the next wave in education | Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Students in Colonial Heights aren’t allowed to remove the iPod Touches from the school. Social-networking sites are inaccessible for students. The devices are filtered for inappropriate content, and they are protected by the school system’s security network.

Liz Kolb, author of ‘Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education,’ said she worries about the stringent restrictions school officials place on the devices.

‘That takes away the responsibility of students to have to use [the devices] in a responsible manner, and it disconnects them to the use of the real world,’ she said.

Schools have a responsibility to teach students how to use the mobile devices productively, she said.
‘These tools just aren’t for entertainment,’ she said. ‘They’re important in today’s society for getting jobs and for being a good citizen.’”

(Via Richmond Times Dispatch)

What is your school’s view of mobile devices?

Many of the arguments in this article sound familiar and certainly are dependent on the context of the school. The worry of “improper” use of mobile devices runs parallel to concerns of improper use of other digital technologies. How much should school owned mobile devices be locked down? I believe the answer depends entirely on the school, students, community, and administration. Context is crucial.

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