I spent the last couple of days exploring more apps for the iPad. I now have about 100 apps loaded. It was a struggle for me to accept that this can be a tool rather than a toy.

Some of the tools I have installed include the following:

1.  Google. The command "calculate" will be extremely useful for modeling problems at the board. For example, I simply whip out my iPod (or iPad) and say "calculate 135 times cosine of 40 degrees, and the answer is displayed immediately.

2. Dropbox. I already had it on my home computers and my school computer, but having it on the iPad allows me to transfer student files to iAnnotate for grading (or any file for marking it up). I also added SugarSync because that's where I store my video clips.

3. iAnnotate. Already discussed.  Outstanding tool for grading.

4. Noteability. Already discussed. Very good tool for notetaking.

5. Wolfram Calculus. Will easily do any calculus I'm likely to encounter in AP physics. For example Integrate: (x^2 - 15)^-1 quickly provides the indefinite integral plus graphical plots of the integral.

6. Adobe Reader. As they say, it's the gold standard for reliably viewing PDF documents on iPads. It also has its own set of annotation tools ... not as complete ad iAnnotate, but sufficient for reading a pdf and highliting important parts, adding typewritten, comments, etc. It also provides the connectivity needed for other apps such as iAnnotate.

7. Astrid. A great listmaking app.

8. AppPriceDrop and AppsGonefree. This is how I obtained most of the apps that I downloaded. Every day apps that you normally would pay for go on sale for free. I've found that the consumer ratings are a pretty reliable way to determine if the "free" app is worth it.

9. Other physics related tools. Tag readers, barcode reader, scientific calculator, iPhysics, NASA, Dictionary.com, the particle circus, PopSci, Cosmic, USB Disk Pro, YouTube, NOVA elements, Stopwattch, iSeismometer, Exoplanet, 3D Brain, HubbleSite, and some university lectures, audiobooks, podcasts, physics videos and physics books.

These are all tools that will (and have already) make me a more productive and better physics teacher.

Next I need to explore tools that will directly benefit my students. Please comment on what apps you would want on your students' iPads that will benefit their learning physics.

Thank you.