Just a little while ago I recieved an email from Barnes and Noble saying the long awaited Nook Color App store is now ready. This is what I had been waiting for because it now unleashes some of the Android operating system on the Nook Color to give a tablet experience. I went over the the Nook Apps site to see what was in the initial offering. As to be expected, the offerings are rather slim but there are a few apps teachers should look at if they have the Nook Color or thinking about one. Here are some of the apps that caught my attention:
Word of the Day (Free): Could be a way to review vocabulary or pickout those great SAT words.
Study Droid ($2): Allows users to create flash cards on the web and study anywhere.
Miss Spell's Class ($1.99): another way to learn vocabulary from Dictionary.com.
Dictionary.com ($2.99): handy dictionary app never hurt anyone.
Math ($1.99): Basic math tutor.
Fliq Calendar and Fliq Notes (Free)
Quickoffice Pro (Unknown): Allows users to create and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files on the go.
Goodreads (Free): Possibly a great way to get kids to read. Users can keep track of what they read, give recommendations for books, form small book clubs, and more.
My6Sense (Free): Allows users to read their RSS and Social Media feeds on the go. Could be good for picking out those blogs and tweets that are valuable to class.
GoBeeChallenge (Free): Surprised this offering was not located in the learn section but looks like a great way to learn geography from the National Geographic.
Pulse News Reader (Free): Another blog reader which has a limit on the number of blogs one can subscribe to.
Drawing Pad ($1.99)
Tikatok (Free) Barnes and Noble is trying to hook budding young authors with their free app that allows kids to create and share books they create.
Matching Zoo ($1.99), My First Zoo ($.99), Animal Show ($1.99): Looks like some Nook Color App developers have a soft spot for animals. Should be good to teach students about the other creatures that inhabit the Earth with us.
Tap To Talk (Free): This could help ESOL and students learning to read.
There are other offerings such as language tutors available as well. If you did not see something you like, you could get the developer's kit and start programming your own apps. The Nook Color should give developers with an interest in education an interesting challenge to create apps that tap into the reader's abilities. I could see some interesting apps that could help students read better in the future. In the meantime enjoy Angry Birds.