9 Essential Apps for Back-to-School

If you're like many parents you've already compiled your back-to-school checklist. New clothes. Check. New school supplies. Check. Kids mentally prepared for the new school year. Radio silence.

If you couldn't check the last item off your list, you're not alone. The majority of Canadians (86 per cent) have spent more time shopping for school supplies than mentally preparing their children for the start of the school year.

A nationwide survey conducted by Léger Marketing on behalf of Oxford Learning revealed that 66 per cent of parents feel that their children are academically prepared for school, only a quarter (27 per cent) say that their children practiced their math and reading during the summer.

"The best back-to-school preparation happens when students get their brains ready for the school year ahead. The sooner students are prepared to learn, the easier the transition to classroom becomes," says Dr. Nick Whitehead, Co-founder and President of Oxford Learning.

Technology can help.

No longer thought of as expensive gadgets, a number of parents are looking to mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets as legitimate learning aids. Mobile devices help students stay organized, record lectures, research and stay in contact with their peers and their parents. Even a three year old can easily navigate their way around a tablet. Plus, as more and more models enter the market, prices are gradually decreasing.

Here's a list of budget-friendly apps that will help prepare your kids before the school year begins and beyond.Kids Learn to Read
$3.98 for Android

Aimed at preschoolers, Kids Learn to Read is a delightful game that invites preschool-aged children to practice blending sounds together to read and spell simple words, such as "dog", "sun", and "big".

WordReference
Free for Android and iPhone

This application provides access to the excellent dictionaries found on WordReference.com in format made for Android mobile devices, the iPhone and iPod Touch. It's perfect for anyone taking a foreign language course or studying abroad.

Graph.tk
Free for Android

An app for math majors, Graph.tk brings the graphing capabilities of your calculator to the browser. It's easy to use and good for plotting graphs based on equations. Users can collaborate on a problem and work on graphs together or tackle a question on their own. It's rare to find an application that will help with graphing and the mathematical nature of Graph.tk make this app special.

StudyStack
Free for Android

StudyStack helps students memorize anything with millions of flashcards that have already been added to the site or the ability to create their own. There are dozens of flashcard categories including foreign languages, math, LSAT and GRE.


Mint.com
Free for Android and iPhone

It's never too early to learn about money. Mint's Android and iPhone app uses location-awareness to help students track transactions on the go, budget and stay on top of their finances.


Google Hangouts On Mobile
Free for Android, BlackBerry and iPhone

It's one of the best apps to for staying connected with friends, family and facilitating study groups. The beautifully designed app is fun and will help students to get organized, prioritize and communicate.


My Majors
Free for Android and iPhone

Confused about deciding what school to go to or what major to declare? There's an app for that! My Majors helps students choose the right school or make a switch
based on interests, preferences and abilities.



Quizzam!

$.99 for iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch


Quizzam! is a flexible, easy-to-use buzz-in app for classrooms that lets teachers and students use iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch devices in a group setting.

• Buzz-in mode shows the order in which students buzz in answers, allowing the teacher
identify who answers quickest, and multiple choice mode identifies which students answer
questions correctly, sorting by speed of response
• Teachers can monitor classroom participation to see when students have not answered or
have left the Quizzam! app
• Supports an unlimited number of students with simple log-in for each




Roamz
Free on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

Roamz is a location-based app that searches through the best of social platforms like Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and shows you interesting things happening around so you'll never miss out. Find and share the best of whatever is nearby. It's perfect for new and returning students who want to make the most out of their social experience at school.