iPad Apps for School

The Best iOS Apps for Students and Teachers

games

Germ Blaster Offers a Fun Way to Learn About Germs

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Germ Blaster is a fun iPad and iPhone game developed by Rice University’s Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning. By playing Germ Blaster students learn about six types of pathogens and the “weapons” used to fight them. Before starting the game students review each pathogen and what makes it different from the others. Then they review the methods used to fight those pathogens.

In the game students fight off the pathogens by selecting the appropriate weapon to kill the approaching pathogens. If they get stuck and can’t remember which weapons fight which pathogens, students can pause the game to look up information about the pathogens.

This game is appropriate for grades 5 (age 11) and higher.

Thanks to Jen Deyenberg for suggesting Germ Blasters. 

Use TinyTap to Create Your Own iPad Games

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TinyTap is a free iPad app that allows you to create simple games based on pictures that you take. The purpose of the games you build is to help young students (pre-K through grade 4) practice identifying objects and patterns.

To create a game on TinyTap you upload pictures or take new pictures and arrange them into a set. Then select each image to create questions about it. To create your question press the record button and start talking. When you have finished talking select a portion of your picture to serve as the answer. I created a small game about objects in my house. I took four pictures of things in my house. Each question asked players to identify the objects in my house. For example, when a player sees a picture of my kitchen he or she has to identify the tea pot by touching it.

If you don’t have time to create your own games or you just want to see what others have done, you can browse the TinyTap Market. In the Market you can find a mix of free and paid games. A few of the free games that your students can play include “Dress for Winter,” “Match It,” and “Who Is Bigger?”