Best Apps to Get Your Kids Back to School
by Jennifer Thayer
Today’s digital technology is taking high school students to a whole new level of learning. Classrooms have smartboards instead of chalkboards, and textbooks and notebooks are being replaced by educational apps and tablets. These tools are proving to be beneficial to students who can easily take classroom assignments with them wherever they go.
With educational apps accessible in the classroom and at home, teens can become more rounded 21st century learners. Here are just a few of the apps they can use on their tablet pc as they head back to school this fall.
FluidMath 2014
Noted as being one of the first handwriting-based math apps, FluidMath 2014 is designed for teachers and students sixth-grade and higher in pre-algebra through calculus courses. An electronic writing surface serves as the primary workspace where users can simply write in standard math notation, including numeric and symbolic calculator functionality. This Apple-based app was researched, developed and tested over a five-year span with support of the U.S. Department of Education.
FluidMath 2014 is available on iTunes.
Pocket Physics
High school students can gain a little more knowledge about physics with this easy-to-use app, which covers most of the physical formulas with images and descriptions. It is suitable for students in high school or college. Topics in this science app include linear motion, projectile motion, force, gravity and more.
Download Pocket Physics from Google Play.
Manual for the United States of America 2nd Edition
This recently updated Apple history app provides users with a wealth of information about the United States, including its presidents, branches of government, important documents, the 50 states, the Founding Fathers, influential writings, and more. The information is timely and includes many high resolution images. This is a great app to use when writing a research paper, studying for a history test, or discussing a famous event in the classroom.
Manual for the United States of America 2nd Edition is available for download on iTunes.
Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus
Every high school student should be equipped with a good dictionary and thesaurus. While not in a standard dictionary format, this Android- and Apple-supported app is organized by grouping the words into sets of cognitive synonyms with straightforward definitions. This will better help the students find the correct meanings, as well as understand them. The dictionary and thesaurus are presented in the user-friendly MSDict electronic format.
Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus can be found on Google Play and iTunes.
Evernote
Students won’t get bored taking notes in class with Evernote. This app allows users to save class notes, due dates, study schedules and nearly everything else in one place on their mobile device. They can also add images, save web contents or set up reminders. Evernote works with Apple iPads, as well as Android and Windows devices. It is compatible with Mac OS X, Windows Desktop and Windows 8.
Download Evernote from its website, iTunes or Google Play.
It doesn’t matter if your high school student is a nervous freshman on their first day or a senior hoping to breeze through 12th grade. These apps are definitely some of the right tools your child needs to make it through a typical day of high school.
About the Author: Jennifer Thayer is a technology writer from Southern California. She is passionate about exploring new ways technology can be used to make day-to-day tasks easier. Follow her on Twitter.
