Ever since my last two posts related to this topic (one about general apps and one related to science education), I have thought more about various apps that could and should be developed for the iPad.  Some of these ideas may be based on existing iPhone apps or other software platforms, but all of these could prove invaluable to K-12 and/or college students.  Many of these are more geared towards science education since that is my expertise, but I have included other apps as well.

iPad App Concepts

1. iMeasure – This app could be a replacement for many common tools students use to make measurements (a ruler, protractor, and stop watch as examples).  Given the large size of the iPad, it could be used as a ruler along the edges.  This would work great for smaller objects students typically measure while in their seats.  It could also be used to measure the area of small, flat objects.  For example, imagine a student placing an index card on the surface of the iPad and then either tracing the edge or by just “marking” the corners of the rectangular index card.  There will be concerns about accuracy, but it could definitely be used to estimate the area.  Using the built in accelerometer, the iPad can be used to measure vertical angles as well flat angles.  A stop watch function could also be included to take measurements of time.  Part of the measuring app could be a unit converter (converts inches to centimeters, meters to yards, etc.).  As a science teacher, I know that this is be especially helpful because many students struggle with unit conversion.
2. iFormula (or written i4mula) Calculator – As a physics teacher, I would find it beneficial to have an app that has all of the physics equations/formulas built in, so students only needed to put in the unknowns and it tells them the right answer.  The idea is based off of this software program available on PCs and Macs.
3. Flipbook Animation App – There is a popular animation app for the iPhone that does very simple flipbook style animation.  I envision something that is a lot more robust.  It could be a little more along the lines of this open source flipbook style animation program.
4. Poetry Template App — In English classes students are often asked to create their own poems based on various styles of poetry.  For example, they may be asked to write a haiku, limerick, or a sonnet.  These various styles may be confusing to some students.  Imagine an iPad app that allows the user to select a style of poetry that shows the proper form for that style.  Then students can fill the appropriate breaks or syllable breaks to create their own poetry based on the selected style.  It could make it so much easier for students to create their own poetry based on different forms that have strict rules for structure.
5. U.S. State Map App – Many students have difficulty learning where the 50 states are located in relation to the other states.  This app is a puzzle that has each piece shaped as the state it represents.  The object of the game is to put the pieces together to form the entire United States.  This could be modified so there are various levels.  It could start out very simple and then get more difficult.  For example, level one could have a template available so students just match the pieces to the template.  The next level could go without the template, but some of the states are grouped together as a single piece.  And so on.  The same idea could do used for countries all around the world.  It could even be used to study the world map, or historic maps.  It would be a fun, entertaining way to study geography.
6. Career Explorer App — As students approach graduation, they begin to think about possible career paths.  Often, they do not have the necessary knowledge to make the appropriate decision.  They might say they want to become a veterinarian, but they have no clue what a typical day in the life of a vet is like, nor do they know what is required to become a vet.  The Career Explorer App would provide students the knowledge they need to make well informed decisions.  It could incorporate facts about starting salary, necessary training, various colleges or schools with training programs, as well as a video that shows the “day in the life of…”.  Such a app could be invaluable for school counselors, or even individual students to explore on their own.  Teachers could even incorporate the app into their normal classroom as well.
7. Virtual Universe App — A popular iPhone app could be the starting point.  The iPhone app has constellations and basic information about the solar system and other celestial objects.  However, I would envision something more similar to Celestia and its add-ons.  The iPad app that facilitates this would be somewhere in between the functionality of the iPhone app and Celestia.  Given the screen size and A4 processor of the iPad, it could easily handle the necessary 3D graphics to allow a person to literally fly through the solar system and universe.  They could explore far away planets and moons and learn about astronomy and astrophysics in a hands on manner.  Of course star maps and telescopes are a necessary part of this, but the simulation could be just as rewarding, if not more so.  I used Celestia with my sixth grade science students last year, and they were in awe.  They loved it!  Having the universe is the hands of your students could be very powerful.
8. Driver’s ED — The Driver’s ED app would have two components:  written test and driving test.  The written part can review all of the necessary laws involved with learning to drive.  There would need to be slight variations given the state the student is from, but that can easily be accommodated.  The real strength of the Driver’s ED app would be the virtual driver’s test.  There would be various scenarios where  the student holds the iPad like a steering wheel.  As the student drives the course, they will tilt the iPad as if they were driving.  They would need to check the mirrors.  There would be thumb spots on the screen for turn signals, gas, and break, but in general, the simulation could be a good way to practice some things involved with learning to drive.
9. Human Anatomy — There are iPhone apps out there, like this one and this one, that gives a great view of human anatomy with a mixture of text, video, and images.  The iPad app could include all of that AND review games and interactive demonstrations.  This could be used in the medical profession, medical school, or even elementary school.  There could be various levels (or versions) to meet the needs of each age group or industry.
10. Virtual Frog Dissection — Science teachers know how expensive (and potentially dangerous) doing dissections can be.  A virtual frog dissection, or any other type of dissection, could be marvelous on the iPad.  A frog would be just the right size to showcase the entire frog.  Students could use their finger as a scalpel to cut into the frog and other multitouch functions to pull back the skin or insert pins.  As they go through the dissection, they could touch various organs or organ systems and the option to read more about it or to see a video presentation about it could pop up.  There is so much potential here to help save on cost and safety in the science lab.  For more about the use of the iPad in science, go here.
11. Play Dough – A play dough app could be used in lots of situations.  I could be used to make models in history or science class.  It could even be used in Art class.  Using multitouch features, the user could easily take a piece of “modeling clay” and form it into whatever shape they need.  The app could be as simple or complex as the developer would like to make it.  It could have the option to save pictures or 3D models of the creations students make.
12. Art Studio – A cool Art Studio App could be extremely useful in an art class.  It could allow students to use various mediums (like oil paint, water colors, pencil, ink, or etching).  A partial proof of concept is already available on the iPhone with various apps, like the one and this one.
13. Origami – I am not sure about the educational value of this app, but I remember the sixth grade English teacher in my school teaching the students how to make paper cranes.  This app could be used in conjunction with math, English, or art very easily.  Two popular iPhone apps for this include Cute Origami and Dollar Origami.  However, these focus on giving the user the instructions on how to make origamis as you follow the directions.  I envision the user being able to make virtual origami on the iPad itself.  Instead of just following directions to make standard origami shapes, which it would include, there would be a mode that allows the user to try and create their own origami shapes.  It would automatically “record” the steps you used so you could recreate the origami in the future.  It would record it as a small video file and include step by step directions.
14. CAD App – I talked about this in a comment in another post I have, but a CAD (computer aided design/drafting) app could be beneficial.  You could think of it as Google SketchUp on the iPad.  Something that is quick and easy to learn.  Or it could be a more conventional CAD based program like AutoCAD.  The iPad could make it very easy to make quick mock-ups of designs (buildings, machines, etc.).
15. Draw Music – Imagine making some sort of drawing on the iPad using various colors, shapes, and strokes and then the drawing being automatically converted into music.  Or, imagine importing any picture saved on the iPad into the Draw Music app and it creates a song out of it.  You might have the option of selecting a certain style for the song (rap, rock, country, classical, etc.) or the song’s length, but then the app does the rest.  It would require a special music theory algorithm to make it work, but theoretically, at least, the program could take the various colors, shapes, and strokes and convert pixels into notes.  It would be more difficult to account for actual pictures, but it wouldn’t be nearly as hard with a built-in drawing app.  The size of the strokes or colors could be transformed to various parts of the song.  It works off of the idea of GarageBand (which by the way would be awesome to have on the iPad as well), but instead of manually selecting various loops from a list to form a song, the app would take the drawing and automatically select the loops to form the appropriate song.  This would be fairly ambitious, but the results could be amazing.

Final Thoughts

The more I think about the potential for the iPad, the more excited I get.  I wish I knew how to write programs for the iPad (which is supposedly almost identical to writing apps for the iPhone).  I may have to convince myself to learn how to do it.  The only problem is anything I could make would not be as good as what professional programmers could make.  If any programmers want ideas for apps to write for the iPad, I am chock-full of ideas.  I’d be willing to discuss those ideas with you in more detail if you’d like.

I’m also working on another article for iPad Game Concepts in Education as well.  It should be available sometime this week.

To read about 10 iPad Game Concepts, go here.

Related posts:

1. Three Concepts of iPad Apps for Schools
2. iPad App Development…for Education
3. 10 iPad Educational Game Concepts
4. The iPad’s Potential for Science Education
5. Six Ways the iPad will Transform Education
6. The iPad IS a Media Creation Device
7. Apple iPad vs enTourage eDGe
8. A Friendly Disagreement about the iPad and Education
9. iPad as an Education Tool
10. My iPad is in Transit