What device did you get for Christmas?

Did you get an iPad, Kindle Fire or a Samsung Tablet?  Is it a family device or does everyone have their own? 

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

My children each got an iPad 2 for Christmas, I already have an iPad 2 (I'm on the lookout for an iPad 3), my husband has a Motorola Xoom and a Samsung Tablet as well that he uses for work.

If you have an iPad, how should you handle the iTunes accounts for multiple users?   

Here is a website that will help you manage one account and several devices.  You are only legally allowed to have five devices attached to one iTunes account.  My daughter got her first iPod touch when she is in elementary school.  It was a no-brainer...everything was managed through my iTunes account.  I needed to have control over that account.  (In the terms of service, it states you much be 13 to have an account.)  Now that she is in ninth grade, I think she needs to have an iTunes account of her own.  It is a simple transition.  She still has all of her music on her iPhone, but is now purchasing music and apps with her own account.  If she got a new iPhone and wanted to transfer all of the music to her new phone, it is a little more complicated.  We will cross that bridge when we get there!  My son is in middle school and this is his first Apple device.  I thought it would be a good idea for him to go ahead and start with his own account.

In this BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) day and age, what apps should you start your kids with?  

 

• First and most important, I recommend a gmail email account.  They will be able to use Google Docs and the G Drive with this.  G Drive allows you 5 GB of space for free.  It is also a great idea to get them going with a Google calendar.  You can link Google Calendars together so it is easy to keep up with everyone's activities.
• If you teach your child or student how to use the G Drive, you will not really have a need for Dropbox.  If you aren't using Google or G Drive, then Dropbox is another option.  It allows you one GB of space.
• The last option I would suggest is Skyfire.  It is also free and works with an app called OneNote.  I have recently downloaded this and I like it, but I do not have a lot of experience with it, so I can't give much advice on this one.
• Note-taking-  I have three apps that I really like, but I am starting my kids out with two.  The first one is Evernote.  This is a great app and program.  The thing I LOVE about this program is that it is Account Based and not just Device Based.  What I mean by this is that your account can be accessed from any device or any computer.  You can also "share" notes or notebooks with other users and you can email notes directly from the account.  This would make working on anything collaboratively a breeze.  It also will hold any type of file from Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint and even Audio files.  You can do audio recordings and you can take pictures from Evernote or upload pictures from your camera roll.  The BIG DEAL about Evernote is the ability to access it from anywhere.
• The second note-taking app that I love is Notability.  Notability has several functions that I find valuable.
• Create Notebooks-  Notability allows you to create different notebooks to keep all of your notes organized.
• Import documents- You can import PDF's and the write on them or label something.
• Import a Web Clip- Import a section from a website to a note.
• Import a picture- Import a picture from your camera roll into your note.
• Write in a magnifying glass- At the bottom of the note, you can write larger then with the click of a button it will be in your note in much smaller writing.
• Audio Recordings-  You can do Audio Recordings to go with the notes you are writing or typing.
• Change the type of paper.  You have the choice of different colored paper, lined paper or plain white paper.
• Best of all- Export to Evernote or Dropbox!
• One app that I have not tried, but would like to is Penultimate.  This works a lot like Notability, but it is developed by the Evernote company so should work pretty easily with Evernote.
• Kindle-  This is a must!  Begin to get as many books as you can through Kindle.  This is a great way for kids to learn how to read more deeply into their books.  They can take notes while they read and highlight important parts.  They can even search for key words or phrases.  If they run across a word they don't know, they can click on it and get the definition.
• Browsers that allow Flash- As many of you know, Apple does not support Flash so there are several things that you can't see or use on the iPad.  Puffin, Photon, Swifter are all browsers that allow some Flash content to be played.  It doesn't always work flawlessly, but you can at least view what you need.
• Whiteboard-  There are several whiteboard apps, but I am starting my kids with Whiteboard and Skitch.  Whiteboard is a great app that allows iPads to connect through a wifi connection.  Kids can then work on the same drawing or problem at the same time.  Skitch is a whiteboard app that easily connects with...EVERNOTE!!! 

These apps should get your kids started and get them going if there school is a BYOD school.  If not, these will be great apps to get them going to go between home and school.

Good luck!