The iPad version of iHomework is already on our list of the best iPad apps for college students, and we’re exited that’s it’s now available for download onto any Mac in the new Mac App Store. The new version allows you to sync with the app on your iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad, so that no matter where you are, you’ll have all the info you need to keep on top of your school work.

You can use iHomework to organize nearly every aspect of your academic life. You can track assignments, books and reading, and teacher information. IHomework also can be integrated with iCal to keep track of events, tests and assignment due dates. There’s space to mark the locations and times of classes, put you can set up reminders.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Mac App Store is now open for business, right on your own desktop. If you’re using a Mac computer running Mac OS X Snow Leopard, you may have noticed that there’s a big software update ready for you to download.

The new App Store, which works much like the App Store you’re already familiar with on your iPod Touch, iPad or iPhone, offers the same great advantages for your laptop or desktop computer. The App Store makes searching for new apps easier, facilities installation and also helps you keep purchased applications up-to-date.

Read the rest of this entry »

I took a French course just about every year of my education, from second grade to my senior year at Sarah Lawrence College. I’d like to imagine that I’ve been exposed to a lot of strategies of teaching French, many of which are less exciting than others. I was recently sent two apps that aim to help students learn aspects of the French language from Erasmos: French Gender and French Numbers. I would have benefited greatly from these tools.

Even as an advanced speaker of French-as-a-second language, I know that gender is something I still struggle with using correctly. During the year I spend studying in Paris, I used my dictionary to look up the gender of words constantly. The French Gender app for iPhone comes with an impressive reference section that includes 66 word-ending possibilities, color-coded by gender. Click into each ending to find a list of examples and a list of exceptions, each accompanied by its English translation. You can also click each word to hear it pronounced. There’s a section to practice your ability to apply these rules. For those who want to give the app a test-run before purchasing, you can try the free version which only includes six word-endings.

Read the rest of this entry »

Punflay, the creator of the Kandy Fish picture book app, has expanded its digital library for kindergarteners and preschoolers with a nursery rhyme app. The Ryhmes for Tots iPad app features animated versions of classic children’s rhymes, including “Humpty Dumpty”, “Jack and Jill” and “Hickory Dickory Dock.” Each rhyme is currently available for 99 cents, and each comes with five related activities.

I took a look at the “Humpty Dumpty” rhyme. During the animation, children can see the words and hear them at the same time, which can encourage reading skills. The additional activities include a rhyming game, a matching game, a simple puzzle, connect-the-dots, and a shape search.

Read the rest of this entry »

Reminiscent of The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, Kandy Fish from Punflay is an educational iPad app that’s aimed at teaching preschoolers colors and shapes. The main feature of the app is an iterative picture book that kids can either watch as an animated cartoon or experience in a “book” format with a voice-over feature that reads the text as the user turns each page. The colorful fish teach a lesson in color, shape and direction.

The app also features four age-appropriate games. “Kandy Kolor” is a virtual coloring book, depicting the pages of the picture book. Preschoolers and kindergartners will enjoy this activity, although older users who wish to color “inside the lines” may find the touch-screen capacities on the iPad somewhat limited for drawing. The “Color Pots” game develops color and matching skills, and the “Kandy Fun” game helps kids identify patterns. The “Kandy Time” game teaches preschoolers about shape and direction. “Kandy Time” is slightly less intuitive than the other games, so kids might need a parent or older sibling to show them how to play.

Read the rest of this entry »

Being a new student at a large university can be intimidating. You don’t know which building your next class is in, much less where that building is located on campus. You could wander around for hours, trying to find your destination, and end up even more lost than when you started. You could ask another student and risk them laughing at you or just ignoring you- or you could use SCVNGR to get really familiar with your new campus.

SCVNGR is a location-based social gaming app. So far, SCVNGR has partnered with 360 universities around the country to create design scavenger hunts that will help students become more familiar with their campus. Read the rest of this entry »

Laptop? Check. Textbooks? Check. Phone apps? You’ll want to make sure you have these must-have college apps if you want to survive. It seems iPhone was right: There really is an app for that!

For Friday nights: The Drinks and Cocktails app has tons of drink recipes. It’s perfect if you want to save some money and make your own happy hour.

For history class: Can’t keep your presidents straight? USA Presidents provides a picture and a short bio of our past commanders in chief.

For math class: Don’t sweat the college algebra test. With Mathemagics Lite you can figure out complicated multiplication problems and much more.

For note taking: Say goodbye to that annoying spiral notebook. Evernote lets you make text and audio notes. You can even take a snapshot of professor’s slide show. Read the rest of this entry »

I love my iPod Touch. I can listen to music, surf the Internet, and study for my classes. Study for my classes? That doesn’t seem like it fits in with one of the coolest music playing machines today. But thanks to iTunes’ educational apps, it actually fits quite nicely.

iTunes offers many education apps, ranging from language learning apps to flashcards to preparation for SAT or ACT tests. iTunes U also helps students study when they are on-the-go. iTunes U allows professors to connect with their students through their iPods or iPhones. iTunes U offers note cards, syllabi, and audio and visual files for students to use when studying.

Read the rest of this entry »