Sunrise Calendar App: Free App for Mac, Chrome Desktop, iOS or Android Devices

Sunrise Calendar App is an excellent way to gain access to your Google Calendars across multiple platforms. Recently, Sunrise became available as a stand-alone Mac App in addition to being available for iOS devices, Android devices, and Chrome. The best thing about Sunrise right now is that it’s free. It is easy to use and simply gives you easy access to your Google calendar. You can also connect some social media accounts such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as Evernote. It’s simple interface makes it an excellent choice for a Calendar app across all your devices.

Sunrise Mac App Interface

Here are some other interesting features of the Sunrise Calendar App.

• Compatible with Google Calendar, iCloud and Exchange
• Synchronizes in real time
• Quick Add Event Feature
• Reminders
• Connect to multiple Google Calendars
• Supports Mac notifications
• Offline Mode

If you’re looking for a calendar app for your Mac, Desktop or handheld device, you will find Sunrise Calendar App's simplicity and ease of use reason enough to download it today. For more information about the Sunrise Apps, check out their web site (https://calendar.sunrise.am/).

Need an Inexpensive Outliner App for Your iPad or iPhone? Try Cloud Outliner

As a former English teacher, I have often believed in the power of outlining as a means to organize thoughts for a project and a presentation, and now, as an administrator there are still many times I use the strategy to organize thoughts or ideas for a school-wide project. Obviously, users could use just about any word-processing app to create outlines, but with the advent of mobile devices, being able to create an outline easily on my iPad or iPhone is a must, and word-processing apps are just a bit too complicated for this activity.

There are, of course, many outliner apps available for mobile device users, but some are as costly as $29.99 and others, while free or less expensive, do not offer all the features one would want in an iOS app. Recently, I downloaded and tried an outliner app called Cloud Outliner, and it has proven to be an inexpensive solution for creating outlines on iOS mobile devices. It basically offers users these advantages:

• Inexpensive: At just $2.99 it is obviously not as expensive as some of the other outline apps available such as OmniOutliner, which currently sells for $29.99. Understand, though, it does not have all the features of the more expensive outliner apps, but it is a fully functional option for the price.
• Syncs with cloud accounts: Currently, users can sync their outlines with both Dropbox and Google Docs.
• Email Outlines: Users can email their outlines to others as well.
• Simple Interface: Cloud Outliner's simple interface is easy to learn and use. It has just the right amount of features for creating effective outlines.
• Evernote integration: This is one of the best features for me. You can create an outline and sync it to an Evernote notebook. That makes it just one more app that expands the functionality of Evernote.

Cloud Outliner for iOS

Creating outlines as an educator and school leader is still an excellent tried and true way to organize school projects and ideas. Cloud Outliner offers users looking for an economical choice an iOS outlining application that is simple to use. For more information, check out "Cloud Outliner in the iTunes Store."

Using Google Forms to Create a Walkthrough-Observation App for the iPad

In response to my "Top iPad Apps for Administrators," a few readers have emailed me asking for “observation” or “walk-through” apps for their iPad. There are some options out there, but I chose not to use them for three reasons. First of all, most of the apps I researched, while free, have what I consider expensive subscription costs (You can't beat free). All of the apps I explored and that had potential, just required more money than I was willing to pay. Secondly, most of the observation and walk-through apps I reviewed do not allow for the level of customization I want. When I conduct walk-through observations, I want the flexibility to change the “look-fors” according to our current focus and emphasis. Many iPad walk-through apps do not give you this freedom. Finally, there’s a free alternative. You can create a Google Form in your Google Drive account, and set it up as an iPad observation app right on your iPad. That's a free option which is difficult to beat.

For the sake of this article, I will not describe how to set up a form on Google Drive. There are other resources for that. Let's assume you already have your Google Walk-through form set up, and you want to be able to access to that form on your iPad. Here's how you get that access.

Setting Up Access to Your Google Walk-Through Form on Your iPad

1. Open your Safari browser, and log in to your Google Drive account through your browser. It may ask you to install Google Drive App, but for now, close that out by clicking on the “X” in the corner.

2. Once you are logged in to your Google Drive account, you should be able to locate the spreadsheet attached to the form you have created. Once you have found your form spreadsheet, select it.

3. Once the spreadsheet is loaded, you need to convert it from mobile view to desktop view. To do that, just click on the “Go to Spreadsheet View” link at the top of the page. This will bring up another Google page, giving you two options: “Continue to desktop version” or “Return to mobile version.” Select “Continue to Desktop Version.”

How to Change to Spreadsheet View

Selecting Desktop View in Safari

4. After the spreadsheet loads, you will see the familiar desktop layout. Like you would on your desktop, go to the “Form” drop down menu, and select “Go Live Form.” This will bring up the actual form in your browser. Now you’re ready to set up your Icon access on your iPad.

5. Go to the Share button on browser bar, just next to the URL indicator, and select “Add to Home Screen.” This action will create an icon on your iPad Home Screen for your form. From this point on, you can easily access your Google form walk-through through this icon.

Select "Add to Homescreen"

The ease with which you can create Google forms to capture those “look-fors” in walk-throughs makes spending hundreds of dollars purchasing walk-through apps and walk-through data collection systems for your school or district a bad idea. You can easily create your own “Walk-through Observation System” by using just Google Forms, and then use these simple steps to get access on your iPad.

Stickyboard 2: Simple-to-Use, Now Free Sticky Note App for iPad

Stickyboard 2 is an interesting app because of its simplicity. Users might find this app quite useful in note-taking situations, mindmapping, or brainstorming. With Stickyboard 2, users can use a combination of "stickynotes" and handwritten text to do any of these things.

Here are a list of features of the Stickyboard 2 iPad app.

• Create multicolored sticky notes on your Stickyboard. You can also choose from 3 different fonts for the typed text.
• Handwrite notes or draw using multiple colors. Ideal for using a stylus.
• Email your whole stickyboard to someone as a PDF or as Text.
• Create multiple storyboards and save them in your gallery.

Though short on features, Storyboard 2's simplicity and features offer a great deal of possibilities for both the classroom and for other educators looking for a simple app for note-taking. Best of all, Stickyboard 2 is currently free. Click here for more information on Storyboard 2.

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Penultimate: Handwritten Notes App for iPad That Syncs with Evernote

Earlier this week, I mentioned Notability as an app of choice to take handwritten notes on the iPad. It is an excellent choice for those looking for an inexpensive option for notetaking and an app with a number of features.

Another app for the iPad that offers users an excellent experience in taking handwritten notes is the iPad app, Penultimate. Now that Evernote has assumed control of this app, it's ability to sync with that application offers users an interesting feature not found in Notability.

Penultimate is an excellent choice for a note taking app for a number of reasons.

Penultimate's Notebook Interface

• Currenty Penultimate is a free app.
• It has a simple user interface.
• Users can create multiple custom notebooks for their notes.
• Insert existing photos or take new ones and insert those within your handwritten notes.
• Penultimate fully syncs with your Evernote account, which means you ultimately have access to your handwritten notes within your Evernote account.
• Choose your pen color or size.
• Choose the paper format for your notes.

Note Taking Page in Penultimate

But unlike Notability, Penultimate only allows you to take handwritten notes. There is no feature that allows you type text notes. Still, for those looking for an excellent app for taking handwritten notes that syncs with your Evernote account, Penultimate is a great choice. For more information about Penultimate, check out Evernote's web site. http://evernote.com/penultimate/

 

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Revised List of Top iPad Apps for School Administrators

In November 2010, I wrote a blog post entitled “Top iPad Apps for School Administrators.” That post has been one of the most popular on my blog for quite sometime. Now, two years later, I have found myself using many of the same apps, but also some newer ones as well. I thought it time to revise my list of iPad apps now that I have returned to using the iPad. Not all of these apps are free, but I consider the price for these apps to be well-worth the costs. If you are new to the iPad and are looking for apps for your tablet, these are a  good start. If you are a power iPad user, hopefully you will find an app or two here to add to your list, or maybe you can suggest some of your own top apps. You will also notice I have included some entertainment apps on my list as well, after all, even principals need to wind down once in a while.


Here’s the “Revised 21st Century Principal’s Top iPad Apps for Administrator’s List.”


E-Book Apps and Reading Apps

Free Books: This is an excellent app for those educators and administrators who love the “classics.” With this app, users get access to over 23,000 classic works. The former English teacher in me loves this one. For more information on the Free Books App for iPad, check out the iTunes Preview of the Free Books App.

GoodReader: This is my favorite app for reading major PDF files. GoodReader allows users to annotate and manipulate text in so many ways. You can highlight, underline or draw a box around important passages of text. You can insert your own text on the PDF document. You can also insert “sticky notes” as well. GoodReader is a great way to read PDF files. For more information on the GoodReader App check out the iTunes Preview of GoodReader.

iBooks: This excellent ebook app allows users to read books bought from the Apple bookstore, and it also allows users to upload and read PDF documents too. For more information on the iBooks app check out the iBooks iTunes App Preview.

Kindle: The Amazon Kindle app is also a must-have e-reader for the iPad as well. Amazon has the most extensive offerings of ebooks available. The Kindle app can also be used to read documents from the web as well as well as other PDF documents. Add the “Send to Kindle” app to your Chrome browser and you can send almost anything to be read in your Kindle app on the iPad. For more information on this app, check out the Kindle app iTunes App Preview.

Nook: Those of us who are serious e-book addicts, have purchased ebooks from both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Nook app gives you  access to those purchases from Barnes and Noble. For more information on this app, check out the Nook App iTunes Preview.

(Google) Play Books: Google has ventured into the ebook market as well with their Google Play Books. This app allows you to access those books you get through the Google Play Bookstore. For more information on this app, check out the Google Play Books App iTunes Preview.

All of these e-reader apps have access to free book titles too. So, it is well-worth it to install all of these e-reader apps on your iPad.


Media Apps

EPIX: For those who are movie addicts and have a cable subscription to the EPIX movie channel, you can now add access to your EPIX movies to your iPad. For more information on this app, check out the EPIX iPad App iTunes Preview.

HBO GO: If you have a subscription with your cable provider to HBO, you can bring those movies to your iPad in streaming form with this app. For more information about this app, be sure to check out the HBO GO iPad App iTunes Preview.

MAX GO: The Max Go app gives iPad users access to programming from Cinemax. If you have a paid Cinemax subscription with your cable provider, you can access on your iPad a wide variety of Cinemax programming. For more information on the MAX GO App, check out the iTunes MAX GO Preview.

Netflix: Netflix offers users a wide variety of movies and  TV show episodes for a low monthly subscription price. You can access your Netflix subscription right on your iPad with this app. For more information, check out the Netflix iPad App iTunes Preview.

Vevo: Even school administrators like music. With the Vevo app users can listen and watch music videos of their favorite music artists. You can search and play existing music playlists, or create your own. For more information on this app, check out the Vevo iPad App iTunes Preview.

Pandora: Pandora is a personalized radio that plays music to your preferences and does so across multiple devices, from your desktop to your phone. You can listen to existing music channels or create your own around a favorite artist. For more information on this streaming music app, check out the Pandora iPad App iTunes Preview.


News and RSS Reading Apps

Feedler RSS Reader Pro: Feedler RSS Reader Pro is my personal RSS reader of choice. This app connects to your Google Reader account and pulls your chosen RSS feeds down to your iPad, where you can read them, share them on social media, or curate them to your Evernote account. For more information on this app, check out the Feedler RSS Reader Pro iPad App iTunes Preview.

Flipboard: Flipboard advertises itself as “your personal news magazine.” It is your personalized news source and then some. Users can easily add favorite sources of news like NBC, ABC and others. It is a way to get the news delivered to your iPad like you want it. For more information on this app, check out the Flipboad iPad App iTunes Preview.

Google Currents: This app functions in very much the same way as Flipboard. It is a way to personalize your news sources and have them delivered to your iPad in magazine-like format. For more information on this app, check out the Google Currents iPad App iTunes Preview.

The Weather Channel: This app is self explanatory. Users of this app have access to weather information, both their own and the world’s. Users can also access some of the other programming found on the app’s counterpart cable channel. For more information on this app, check out the Weather Channel iPad App iTunes Preview.


Productivity Apps

Blogsy: With this app, you can create and post to your blog from your iPad. Blogsy has a number of additional features as well such as drag and drop media from applications such as Facebook and Picasa. This app also allows users to work with multiple blog accounts as well. For more information on this app, check out the Blogsy iPad App iTunes Preview.

CamScanner: You can turn your iPad into a document scanner with this app. CamScanner is a free app that allows you scan items and then store them as PDF files. For more information on this app, check out the CamScanner iPad App iTunes Preview.

Dropbox: This app gives you access to your Dropbox cloud storage account. It is like having your office file cabinet on your iPad. You can also set this account up to automatically receive any photos you take with your iPad. For more information on this app, check out the Dropbox iPad App iTunes Preview.

Google Drive: If you have a gmail account, you have a Google Drive. With this app you can access both the files you have uploaded to your Google Drive for storage, and you can create Google docs and spreadsheets in this app as well. For more information on this app, check out the Google Drive iPad App iTunes Preview.

iKeePass: This app allows users to store and retrieve passwords in a single place. You only need remember one password for all your log-ins with this app. It is also completely compatible with the well-known open source password program called KeePass. For more information about this app, check out the iKeePass iPad App iTunes Preview.

Keynote: Keynote is a presentation app created specifically for the iPad. Users can create and show presentations. Keynote also opens PowerPoint files as well. In comparison to other apps, this is a bit more expensive but well worth it. For more information on this app, check out the Keynote iPad App iTunes Preview.

Outline: Outline is a Notebook app very similar to Microsoft’s OneNote desktop application. It allows users to create notebooks and then populate those with content. For more information on this app, check out the Outline iPad App iTunes Preview.

Pages: Pages is a word processor created for the iPad and mobile devices. Create documents or open Microsoft Word documents. This app's functionality as a word processor makes it also worth the price. For more information about Pages, check out the Pages iTunes Preview.

Printer Pro: This app is the only app I have been able to find that allows me to print from my iPad through my wifi. I can print to a printer attached and shared through my desktop computer. For more information about this app, check out the Printer Pro iPad App iTunes Preview.

Wunderlist: Wunderlist is an excellent, simple to use To-Do List App. Users can create multiple task lists, and those lists are automatically synced to the web version of the app and back to any desktop versions. For more information about this app, check out the Wunderlist iPad App iTunes Preview.


Social Media Apps

Diigo: This app gives users access to their Diigo accounts. Users can access their bookmarks and notes uploaded to their Diigo accounts. For more information on this app, check out the Diigo iPad App iTunes Preview.

Edmodo: Edmodo is the premier social media environment for educators. Users can use the iPad app to access their Edmodo accounts. For more information about this app, check out the Edmodo iPad App iTunes Preview.

Facebook: The Facebook app gives iPad users access to their Facebook accounts. It is quite simple and easy to use. For more information on this app, check out the Facebook iPad App iTunes Preview.

Google+: For users of Google+, there is also an iPad app as well. With this app users can access content from their Google+ account. For more information about this app, check out the Google+ App Preview in iTunes.

LinkedIn: The LinkedIn app gives users access to their LinkedIn account. Check out the LinkedIn app preview in the iTunes Store.

Skype: Skype is an app that allows users to video conference and message others. It is an excellent option for out of state interviews for prospective teachers, as well as for bringing experts into the building that would normally be inaccessible. For more information about the Skype iPad App, check out the Skype iPad App Preview in the iTunes Store.

Twitter: The Twitter app gives users access to their Twitter accounts. Users can use this app to join in the conversation on Twitter right from their iPad. Its simplicity and ease of use make it great choice for an iPad Twitter account. For more information about this app, check out the Twitter iPad App iTunes Preview.


Web Apps and Web Browsers

Chrome: The Chrome browser for the iPad gives users the Chrome web browser experience on their tablet. This browser has the same look and feel as its desktop counterpart. By logging in, users can access their Chrome bookmarks as well. For more information about this web browser, check out the Chrome for iPad iTunes Preview.

Browsing Pad: This web browser is also a powerful note taking and curating browser as well. It is a browser for the user who needs to take notes while perusing web resources. It also integrates with your Evernote account. For more information, check out the Browsing Pad iPad App iTunes Preview.

Google Voice: Google Voice gives iPad users the ability to send and receive text messages through their iPad. All you need do is set up a free Google Voice account and number to use this app. For more information about Google Voice, check out the Google Voice Preview in the iTunes Store.

Google Search: This app gives users access to all of their Google apps. In particular, this app works extremely well to access email. I have two Google email accounts, my school account and my personal account set up through this app. It works very well for users who have multiple Google accounts. For more information about the Google Search App for iPad, check out the Preview for this app in the iTunes Store.


No doubt many of you also have your favorite iPad apps too. Feel free to those too.