Word of mouth (or in this case text of blog) is one of the greatest ways to share ideas and new information.  While some apps have a fee associated with them and others do not, the ability to utilize apps in the classroom is priceless – IF they are well selected and implemented in a meaningful manner.
As was included in the current edition of the Leaders Letter there is a new app out that helps the science teacher utilize the Next Generation Science Standards.  Just imagine, you can have all aspects of the NGSS at your fingertips and in your pocket! While relatively new, I have had the opportunity to interact with this app in the past few weeks and while not yet my favorite (there are so many out there) it is definitely on my top ten list of “necessary and needed tools for planning.”
The  Next Generation Science Standards App was announced about a month ago by NSTA, in partnership with MasteryConnect, and is a free app for the Next Generation Science Standards. The Next Generation Science Standards app gives you multiple ways to view the standards, including DCI and Topic arrangements, and also includes convenient search functionality.
Another highlight of this particular app is that it makes referencing standards in the Common Core simple by providing a linkage between the NGSS App and MasteryConnect’s Common Core App.
As part of the partnership with MasteryConnect, NSTA is providing additional free resources within the app, including several articles from NSTA’s peer-reviewed journals, and free chapters from its line of NGSS-related titles, including The NSTA Reader’s Guide to the Next Generation Science Standards and Science for the Next Generation: Preparing for the New Standards. You can download the Next Generation Science Standards app (as well as MasteryConnect’s other free apps) by searching “MasteryConnect” or “Next Generation Science Standards” in your app store or visiting the iOS Store or Android Marketplace. (Look for the app to be available in the Windows Store soon.)
So the question then becomes – what is your favorite app used for science – it could be an app that you have students engage with; a planning tool that you utilize such as the NGSS one discussed above; or one that allows you to integrate technology into your class such as Socrative. Take a moment and share a review, post a link, or tell fellow educators how to find it!