Top 10 Android Apps for College Students

I came across this list today as I was searching for educational Android apps. Have any of you used these apps? I hear a lot about Evernote so I'm planning to install it on my phone today (available for both iPad/iPhone and Android).

There's a free flashcard app and a few others that are productivity and study skills focused. Check them out and let us know what you think!

http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/11/28/students-android-apps/

What have you found most interesting and/or useful in your use of the tablet thus far?

From my earlier entries it would be obvious that I am enjoying my discovery of Box.com. I am not sure if it is the  free 50Gb or its potential for classroom use that is making me feel giddy.

I build alot of flash based E-learning modules, quizzes and interactions that help make the models available to my anatomy students anywhere they have internet access.

The cross-platform nature of Box.com has allowed me to access my documents stored in it from the android tablet on loan to me, an ipad, and an Iphone as well as the web. This will more than cover the majority of devices students might have to gain access to material posted within Box.com

Size makes a difference. However seamless and pain free Dropbox is, we are limited to 2Gb of which I am painfully close to using up. I find myself deleting or moving other files just to allow new material to fit. Box.com will more than take care of storage needs though the granting of access to others is somewhat clunky compared to Dropbox.

Update: Free 50GB cloud storage for android devices.

As promised, I mentioned I would take a closer look into Box.com. So far it has been quite fruitful and has potential for classroom use.

1) It mimics the sandbox(dropbox) feature in Angel. You can create folder and assign collaborators to each. The collaborators can be assigned different levels of use  from being editors to viewers etc.

Students can be invited to view documents , videos or links etc stored in a created folder. They would receive emails with a link to the folder or you could copy the link and send it manually by email etc. Permission, access and security can be set for files and folders.

2) If one has a heavy use of  youtube, videos, links etc in their course or would receive documents from students, Box.com does look like it can fulfill that niche with its free features. In essence, it could serve as a great collaborative base or a tranche of extra material for students to access outside of Angel/black board.

3) If WiFi or internet is limited or sketchy for the student or instructor, they could download the Box.com app to an Android device, or iphone, Ipad etc and through the app, be able to download specific documents for offline viewing.

4) Did I mention that you could also install a Box.com add.in (extension) to Office 2010. With it, you can directly create and save, share or open Office documents to folders in Box.com ( straight to cloud) without a browser. Screenshot: http://www.box.com/s/8nrf9btjn1qygslmci9s

I guess it is pretty obvious that on closer inspection I got bitten by the Box.com bug!

Ike Nwosu

Free 50GB cloud storage for android devices.

I recently came across Box.com through a friends recommendation. They are offering 50GB free for life to any one with an android device who registers on their website or through an android app.

I haven't explored the features yet but from reviews I have read, it doesn't have the magic that Dropbox has. However, I couldn't pass on 50GB free storage for life. Who knows one day I might have a need for it.

One can always upgrade for a monthly fee to enjoy additional features, even then, I doubt it comes close to the functionality and simplicity Dropbox.

There is one catch though, as a marketing tool, they will access your contacts list  (from your gmail account) but will not store the contact information on their servers. They want to mine email addresses I guess, to spread the word. I had no problem with this as I set up a new email account to access the android market place. I don't have any contacts stored in this email account.

Enough for now, if you want to take advantage do soon: This promotion ends on Friday, March 23, 2012 at 11:59pm PST


http://blog.box.com/2012/02/android-users-get-50gb-free-get-your-box50gb-and-enter-the-box-mobile-giveaway/

Ike Nwosu

"Idea Sketch" Flow Charts

"Idea Sketch", http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/idea-sketch/id367246522?mt=8  an app that I found on the iPad, has allowed me to abandon the usual paper flow chart I use in the classroom to have students make a flow chart in a system.  For example, I usually have students read an excerpt from a nature journal and have them make a flow chart of the food web that is written about. To make the flow chart, students get a piece of paper with the names of the organisms in the journal excerpt. Students cut out the names and arrange them on the desk or table.

Idea Sketch works so much better for this activity. I created an "idea" with the names of the organisms in colored shapes on the screen. I sent the idea to each of my students via email, and they could open the idea, move the shapes around their screens, put arrows between them, and send the idea or a jpg of the flow chart they made back to me via email. I can grade each individual's food web outside of class, and do this without paper!

I have also made ideas using this app for pollution production from various energy sources where students had to add their own shapes with different pollutants, and I will use it to help students investigate product life cycles, and learn the order of the steps in wastwater treatment. I can probably use this app in every topic I cover because so much of the content I cover is systems- or process-based.

I used a flow chart app last semester for the android, but there was no ability to communicate the flow charts among individual iPads. With Idea Sketch, I can create a flow chart template, send it out, and grade each student's final product easily.

I have used this app in the classroom for group work, and have sent them an idea to take home for homework.

As Curtis mentioned earlier, this app works just fine without wifi, so students can work on their flow charts outside of class. They only need wifi to get the idea from me, and send me their final products.

Can we have this app on the android, too?!?!

Spring Pilot Pre-Survey

Thanks to all who have completed the pre-survey so far. Here are some statistics from 11 participants:
6 Female
5 Male

45% are between 51-60
27% are between 41-50
27% are between 31-40

45.5% have 5 years teaching experience at Parkland
18% have 6-10 years teaching experience...
9% have 11-15 years teaching experience...
2% have 20-25 years...
1% has 25+ years...


9% rated their basic technology skills as "adequate"
36% rated their basic technology skills as "good"
54% rated their basic technology skills as "very good"


18% rated their feeling of using a new piece of technology in traditional classroom as "neutral"
45.5% excited
36% very excited


9% claimed they were "anxious" about using new technology in the online environment
18% are "neutral"
54% are "excited"
9% are "very excited"

45.5% of participants are "very comfortable" using a mobile tablet
36.4% "comfortable"
18.2% "neutral


5 people own a mobile tablet
6 people do not own a tablet


Of those who own a tablet:
40% use it 1-2 times a day
40% use it 5-10 times a day
20% use it more than 10 times a day


54% of participants think their basic computer skills will improve using a tablet
45% answered no to the question


The list of ways faculty anticipate using the tablet for teaching:
A link to the net
A way to draw on the screen
Mobility in the classroom
Using applications
Storing photographs to show students
Using key note and pages
Finding apps that student can use to learn course content better
Interactivity to reiterate ideas and concepts taught in class
Use tablet to review course materials
Grade and respond to course work electronically
Primarily as instructor demonstrating apps since not all students will have device
As a way to provide feedback and drafts with students
To show media files
To communicate with students more easily
Expose students to several apps that relate to design and specifically typography
Increase ways to connect to students
Advanced knowledge of training materials
Test new products
Introduce students to new products


Kim Pankau

WARNING: No wifi Ahead

When choosing apps, especially for the mobile classroom, apps that do not require wifi access 100% of the time are very valuable. Learning often happens outside the classroom. It happens in an outdoor lab, a class fieldtrip or just students reflecting on course material as they go about their day. Students may also want to digest some of the course material during some free time, but when they don’t have wifi access. The concept of apps started with smartphones, which are devices that are connected to the internet almost 100% of the time. However, 65% of tablets in general and 75% of iPads are wifi only. Apps specifically made for tablets seem to be aware of this and often provide “offline” content and functionality. The apple app store does a good job of separating iPad apps from iPhone apps so you can easily choose only apps designed for the tablet platform. However, the Android market does not make this distinction. This often makes it difficult to find apps that don’t require full time wifi access. We encountered this issue several times last semester, especially when using Google docs. However, a new update to the Android Google docs app now allows for offline editing. I’m sure this trend will continue as developers realize that users want to use their devices even when they don’t have wifi. Please respond to this post with any useful apps that you have found that don’t require wifi access.