Education

Education apps will help you learn new things. It’s an exciting field with many wonderful apps and here are the best of them.

Education / Reviews
KelbyTraining

KelbyTraining.com App

My friends over at Kelby Media Group have released their long awaited KelbyTraining.com App for iOS. KelbyTraining.com is an online training site for all things Photoshop and Digital Photography. The site has some of the best trainers in the world on the topics of all things Adobe. It's a paid site with the "all you can eat" or learn approach. You either pay by the month or annually. Once you're signed up you can watch as many classes by as many instructors as you want 24/7. New classes are added regularly. 

What's in an App?

Although KelbyTraining.com is web based, the videos were all be delivered in Adobe Flash. This of course meant that it was difficult if not impossible to watch the classes on iOS devices. This lead to the development of the KelbyTraining.com App for iOS. This FREE App (yes you still need a subscription to KelbyTraining.com) allows you to log in with your online ID and enjoy all the same classes right on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. The video quality supports full 720p HD as long as your internet connection will handle it and will dynamically adjust video quality for slower connections so that you don't miss a beat. 

Once you're logged in it's really easy to find the classes you want to watch. You can either search by instructor, subject or just view the new courses. Pick the class you want to watch and just start watching it.

 

Great Start

The App is a Great Start, and I definitely look forward to using it on the iPad while on the elliptical machine. The one place I'd use it even more is on the plane for my long haul flights. This is where my feature request comes in. Like many of these Apps that allow live streaming, the KelbyTraining.com App doesn't currently allow for offline viewing. It would be great to be able to download a few classes before going offline and still being able to watch them on the go. This would also help even during those times where WiFi isn't available and 3G is too slow. Otherwise, the App has all that I require and I look forward to using it more.

 

You can learn more about KelbyTraining.com here.

You can get the KelbyTraining.com App for Free here from the iTunes

Education / Reviews
Word-Wall-HD

Word Wall HD for iPad

 

I'll just throw this out there now. Dollar for dollar, this is the best reading and writing learning App that I've ever tried. I'm constantly looking for Apps to improve my 5 year old twin's reading and writing comprehension so I try out a lot of Apps. Word Wall has the best interface and the widest array of learning tools of any App that I've seen yet. All of that for a great low price.

What You Would Expect

There are certain things that you would expect out of an App designed to teach children to read and write. First you would expect that the App would combine a visual representation of the letter or word, with an audible pronunciation. Second you would expect that the App would give an example of where the kids would see the particular letter. A for example would be seen in apple.  These are the things that you would expect, and Word Wall doesn't disappoint.  It has all of the basics that you would look for in an App of this kind.

 

The Games

I have found (at least with my kids) if there aren't any good "games", they won't pay attention.  There has to be something that entertains them and keeps them interested. Word Wall does games right. There are 4 different games to play. From jigsaw puzzles, to memory games, they have a great selection. Each game keeps a running tally at the top of the screen telling you how many you have left to complete before you "win". They are all very interactive, an very well designed.

 

What I Didn't Expect

Something that I didn't expect that I found in this App lies within the word spelling section. The child selects the word combination "AM" for example. Word Wall spells it, and shows it, but then it uses it in a sentence and shows an image that depicts that sentence. For AM word wall gives you the sentence "I am happy." and shows a smiley face laughing. My twins found this section particularly exciting and it really kept their attention. I was both surprised and impressed with this.

 

Conclusion

Word Wall is a really great interactive App to teach children to read and write. at $.99 it's really a no brainer. If you have children learning to read and write, you should definitely get this App.

 

You can get Word Wall for iPad from the iTunes store for $.99 here: iTunes

Education / Reviews
DrReichelsIQTest

Dr. Reichel’s IQ Test HD

So you think you're smart? Let's find out how smart you really are. Don't worry, there is no need to feel embarrassed or smug about your IQ. However, I did find that taking this test was very humbling. Dr. Reichel's IQ Test HD for iPad (there is an iPhone/iPod touch version too) is very well done. You should plan for about 45 minutes to get through the whole test and let's just say I was quickly reminded of what it was like taking tests in grade school. The clock is ticking and you have a series of all kinds of tests to get through.

You will be tested on 

  • Comprehension
  • Linguistic Ability
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Logic and Reasoning
  • Abstract Thinking
  • Working Memory <-I suck at this
  • Quantitative Reasoning
  • Spatial Judgement
  • Processing Speed and Accuracy 

I found the test to be challenging, but fair and at the end I was slightly disappointed in my score, but I did OK. You have the option of having nice background music playing or not. The music is designed to relax you and help you think, but if that's not your thing you can turn it off. You do get to review the ones that you got wrong at the end. I suggest taking the test whenever you are fresh as opposed to the end of the day like I did. As I reviewed what I got wrong the next day, some of them were obvious to me and I thought to myself, "duh! You knew that one." My weakest area was the Working Memory section. I think I got them all wrong in that test and I don't think I would have done any better the next day :)

This App is well executed and while it was grueling taking it I actually want to try it again. Also if you've got one of those "know-it-alls" in your midst, this will at least keep them busy and quiet for 45 minutes. :) I'd also be willing to bet money that they don't do as well as they think they would.

The App worked perfectly and I can't find anything wrong with it besides the hard questions. LOL

You can get Dr. Reichel's IQ Test HD for iPad for $3.99 here from the iTunes

You can get Dr. Reichel's IQ Test for iPhone/iPod touch for $2.99 here from the iTunes

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Education / Reviews
Photoshop-CS5-Crash-Course

Photoshop CS5 Crash Course By Kelby Media Group

The iPad is an awesome multimedia consumption device. With a beautiful screen,the iPad is perfect for e learning. Being a photography and Photoshop person, any time I see an App like Photoshop CS5 Crash Course, I take notice. This App, is designed by Kelby Media, and hosted by Matt Kloskowski of the Photoshop Guys(http://kelbytv.com/photoshopusertv/) . This App is designed to get anyone brand new to Photoshop up and using the program quickly. It starts with the very basics, and teaches you everything you would need to know to get started and perform basic edits on your photos.
 

What You’ll Learn

CS5 Crash Course is broken down into 19 different lessons:

  • Introduction
  • The interface and getting around
  • Layers part 1
  • Layers part 2
  • Saving images and file formats
  • Resolution and image size
  • Adjusting brightness
  • Making selections
  • Retouching tools
  • Cropping and straitening
  • Fixing and enhancing color
  • Sharpening
  • Adding text
  • Camera Raw
  • Automating
  • Bridge
  • Printing
  • Customizing Photoshop and preferences
  • Matt Sums it up

Each of the lesson titles is strait forward and describes exactly what you will learn inside. The lessons range in length from 3 ½ minutes, to a little over 10 minutes, making it easy to watch a lesson or two at a time fairly quickly. One thing that I was pleasantly surprised by inside of the App, was an “auto play” feature built in to the lessons. Once you come to the end of one lesson, a count down clock starts, taking you into the next video.

The entire course is designed to be watched from start to finish, however if you’re familiar with Photoshop you can easily pick and choose the lessons that you watch. I chose to watch the course from start to finish even though I’m quite familiar and proficient in Photoshop. There are always things to be learned or different ways to complete the same task inside of the program so even if you are a veteran Photoshop user, don’t discount this App because it’s designed for beginners, it’s for you too.
 

Follow Along

One of the great things about any training coming from Kelby Media is the ability to follow along with the same images that they are using in the tutorial. No matter if it’s a book or video they always provide a link to download the images. This App is no different. Under the “Course Downloads” tab you are able to email yourself the link to download the zip file on your computer. This is extremely helpful. With anything Photoshop, doing it helps you learn it, and the great folks over at Kelby Media know make this possible for you.
 

Just the beginning

This App is just the beginning of what is coming from Kelby Media. If you’re not familiar with them visit Kelbymediagroup.com(http://kelbymediagroup.com/) where you’ll find hundreds of videos on photography, Photoshop, Lightroom, and more! Coming soon from Kelby Media is an App that will allow access to ALL of the training courses from Kelby Media to members.
 

Conclusion

If you are interested in Photoshop, or photography at all you need this App. The instructors at Kelby Media are some of the best in the world to teach this content so you can’t go wrong!

You can get Photoshop CS5 Crash Course for your iPad for $19.99 here from the iTunes

Education / Reviews
TED

TED: Inspiring Talks for Your iOS Device

I love to hear/see a great speaker in action! I love it even more when the speaker is inspirational and thought provoking. TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) has been around since 1984 with the goal of spreading "Ideas worth spreading." I've heard various TED talks over the years without really paying much attention to the organization or the collective body of work. Recently a friend shared this talk by Simon Sinek on "How Great Leaders Inspire Action":

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

I liked it so much that I realized I'm probably missing out on more talks like this one that I would like. While you can find more of these kinds of talks on YouTube or subscribe to their podcast, I felt that it would probably be easier If I could get to them in one spot on my iOS devices.

TED for iPad/iPhone

I downloaded the TED App for iPad and I love it. It has a simple clean UI. You can search and stream talks right to your device as well as even download them into the App for offline viewing using the "Save Talk" button. This App is well organized and I really can't find anything much to improve about it. you can quickly get to related themes and watch the next video. Best of all this is all FREE!

You can get the TED App for iPad for FREE here from the iTunes

You can get the TED App for your iPhone/iPod touch for FREE here from the iTunes

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