Gadget of the Day, Ipad Apps for Ed (part 2)

Time and again I repeat the refrain "It is not about the Apps."  This continues to be true, when applying tech in the classroom, start from your objective and let the tools assist you, don't begin planning with the tech.

Having said that, here are some notes on Apps I like and use.

Browsing: None of the browsers have the flexibility to manage Blog post composition, for that I sometimes use bloggsy, but 9 times out of 10 I just open the laptop.  I am really beginning to see this as a limitation of hardware (memory, screen space, keyboard) more than a limitation of browser.

Safari: Hooray for the default browser.  when I was first using Safari a little over a year ago I was frustrated.  Since then the browser has matured and works for most of what I need it to do.  

Chrome: I love the incognoito tabs, and the availability of a wide range of plug-ins.  When I get frustrated in Safari, this is the first stop.  I like to have several browsers to choose from and Chrome is one I alsways want available to view my work in a couple of different browsers.

Puffin: I bought this browser and it is my "flash secret weapon."  I think that the browser is actually loading the webpages on a proxy someplace and then sending it along via a remote-desktop-like mechanism.  This is evident in the lag as you wait fot he browser to connect and then refresh.  While it might seem a bit more slow, it almost always works.  When I need to check a setting or fix a layout in blogger (requires flash inside of flash), Puffin gets the job done.  

Superpowers: I have these apps on my Ipad and I think I could really do cool stuff with them, but I haven't put the time into them

Ignition: This allows me to connect to my desktop through my Ipad.  The cool part of this is I can control presentations on my IWB from the Ipad.  I also discovered I could open my web-cam and remote view into my classroom from ANYWHERE.  Pairing this with my remote microphone allows me to see and talk to my class without them knowing where I am.  This, it turns out is super-creepy and rarely pedagogically helpful.

Netmaster: This app, at the minimum allows me to see my network.  Beyond that, I don't know what it does.  I suspect I could do and know some great things, but mainly this app is here because it seems lame to have only one app in a category labeled "superpowers."  I think this app might me a radioactive spider, but I have not yet been bitten.