So, this one is a little late coming, but hey it is here! So as the world turns more and more apps for the iPhone keep coming and we have some good ones here this week. We have two space apps, a virtual tour of the Library of Congress, a graphing calculator app, and a flashcard app. So read on past the link to get the details.
American Museum of Natural History: Cosmic Discoveries
This app is interesting, but not incredibly organized so finding specific information can be kind of hard. When you open the app you are welcome with a beautiful mosaic of Saturn. You can pinch and get information about each particular photo, which is pretty impressive. They also have a stories section. This can give you loads of information about various heavenly bodies and the Rose Center (which has made this app). Anyway, it is fun for an OK app and of course the price is right – free.
NASA
This is the official app for NASA, so you will find quite a bit of information. They have lots of photos, videos and even a link to NASA TV. The biggest section of the app is the Missions. You can view all ongoing missions and their information. What is even cooler than that, if the mission is a satellite or space station in space (go figure) you can get the exact location of the satellite or structure (is that the right term) in space. So if you are a star gazer and love to see man made objects whizzing by, this app would be great for that and being free it is a good one to have.
Free Graphing Calculator
This is an app that will graph your math equations for you. It is not the easiest thing to use. You need to add the equation, save it, and then graph. It would be nice if you could just input the equation and quickly graph. If you have two graphs, you can find the intersections with just the click of a button. The app will never replace a TI-86 or anything, but if you need a graphing calculator in a pinch this might do it. I’d look around for more options, I’m sure there is better out there.
FlashCards and Kid Games
This app is designed for small children. You have ten choices and you can shuffle through all the categories. Once in a category you can tap the screen and a voice will tell you what you’re looking at. If there are words, you can touch each letter to have the app spell it for you. It is good for early childhood children, but I’d recommend being nearby when your child wants to use the app. It is fantastic, simple, and free.
Library of Congress – Virtual Tour
This is what it says. It gives you a virtual tour of some special areas in the Library of Congress where you can view special documents or read a little about the library itself and its collections. If you’re into libraries and there is some good info about some articles like the Declaration of Independence.
Technology in the Classroom 