With so many schools switching to a 1:1 iPad program in the next couple of years, I am starting to get some common questions. As you might imagine the most common question I get from teachers who have been given new iPads is, “Do you have any suggestions for apps I should download?” Or, “What are the best Catholic iPad apps to use with students?”
Rather than pretend to think I could possibly keep track of all of the amazing Catholic apps and prayer apps that are being released for the iPad and the iPhone, I'll defer to the experts. Check out this list of websites to get some ideas for new Catholic apps and prayer apps to use in your classroom.
1. CatholicApps.com
The name and the URL says it all! Tom Lelyo, the main author and founder of CatholicApps.com, provides excellent reviews of the latest iPad and iPhone apps as well as the apps in the Android marketplace.
Each app gets a rating based on price, performance, usability, design, and catholicity. The authors also share the pro's, con's, and overall impression of the apps.
2. CatholicMom.com
Our friend and author, Lisa Hendey, hosts a number of different authors who contribute to the Catholic Tech Talk feature on CatholicMom.com. Writers like Sarah Reinhard and Dorian Speed share their expertise and experience using technology often sharing the newest and best apps for Catholics, particularly those who focus on catechesis and parenting.
3. CatholicTechTalk.com
A rising star in the Catholic tech world has been the website CatholicTechTalk.com. Not long ago they began a great resource for reviews and information about Catholic apps. This website has a great group of writers and offers engaging conversation about the Church and technology today.
4. CatholicApps (Wordpress Blog)
The Wordpress blog, catholicapps.wordpress.com, has a treasure chest of information about Catholic apps for prayer, politics, saints, confession, and more. Although not as well known as the websites above, there is some extensive information about many different Catholic apps as well as a list of videos to check out about the apps.
Classroom Assignment Idea: What are the best Catholic apps?
As teachers, we all know our students are much more tech-savvy than we will ever be. Why not take advantage of this? Why not save yourself the time and let them do the searching?!
Give the students an assignment to find and review Catholic apps and prayer apps on their iPads. Collect the reviews as a written assignment or have them create a video review using their iPads and post it to a public place like YouTube or your LMS.
You could even have them present the apps in class. Or if they are reviewing prayer apps, have them sign up to lead class prayer using the app.