Post 2: Creativity Apps for the Classroom

The constant developments in digital technology have provided new opportunities for learning in the classroom. There are hundreds of apps available that can spark students' imaginations and help them hone in on skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking. The four creativity apps that I chose to explore for this post are  Book Creator, MindSpace, MakerStudio: Kids, and Tinkercard.

Book Creator Screenshot

Book Creator is an app that allows students to create books. The free version has plenty of options for students to express their creativity. It was easy to use and navigate. There are different fonts, backgrounds, and page borders to add individuality to each story. Students can record their voice reading their stories or there is an option for the computer to read them. There is an option to pay a one-time fee of $4.99 and have full access to the features, which include additional design features and comic strip templates. There are not any preset images to choose from, but you can upload your pictures from your device or you can save images to your camera roll from the internet, just be sure you have the correct permissions to use them. This app can be useful in the classroom as students learn how to create storylines and sequences. There is an option for schools to purchase the full version, which has the option for collaboration. This could give the students an opportunity to work on a class book. Once their books are complete, students can either upload them to iBooks, upload them as a PDF, or as a video. 

My Family Tree Screenshot: 
created on MindSpace

Another creativity app I recently became acquainted with is MindSpace- Mind Map which is a concept mapping app. This app is only available on Apple products. My iPad is a few years old now, so the newest version of the app was not compatible with it, but the version I got still works. There is no tutorial available, so it took a while for me to click around on the icons to figure out all the features of the program. I did not love this app, but after spending so much time figuring it out, I decided to stick it out to complete a family tree. The free version offers a limited amount of design options as far as the skeleton of your concept map, but it does have different fonts and colors to personalize it. It has basic emojis to use as icons, but you can also upload your own images. This app could be useful in the classroom to help students learn how to organize their thoughts and information, but in my opinion, there are so many similar apps available, I would suggest finding one that is easier to navigate. 

Screenshot: Sample City from Maker Studio

Maker Studio is another creativity app I explored. This is a fun animation application targeted toward younger children between the ages of four and fifteen. Students have the option to create basic animations such as 2D flipbooks or more detailed animations such as 3D worlds, objects, and characters. I would have to practice with the app some more before I used it in my classroom but overall I think it would be a great addition to help students develop their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. The only downfall to this app is that there is not any sound and the tutorial is just a hand you have to visually follow across the screen to grasp the concept. There is an option on the character animation that lets students voice over their animations, so they can create mini storylines. 

Screenshot: Circuit Tutorial from Tinkercad

The final creativity app I explored for this post is Tinkercad. Tinkercad is a design app that gives the user several options to create 3D designs, circuits, or code blocks. As I mentioned in my previous post, I am not proficient with technology, so I still have a lot to learn; therefore, this app was difficult for me to understand. Although it seems like an advanced program it says it is intended for 4+ years old and it has great reviews as an educational app. It has step-by-step tutorials about how to operate various features, so with some further exploration I think I could learn how to use the program and develop my own critical-thinking skills. Overall, this app could be useful, especially in any STEM courses or units. 

There are many creative apps for educators to choose from. It will just take time to explore and decide which ones are best suited to help your students meet their learning goals.