iPad Apps and Bloom’s Taxonomy

Here’s a lovely idea from Kelly Tenkely: a whole load of iPad apps classified according to Bloom’s taxonomy.

One of the pages from Kelly's attempt to classify some iPad apps according to Bloom's Taxonomy

I’ve had a quick look, and my conclusions are as follows:

• I am not familiar with all of the apps. This isn’t a problem, because exploring them will be an interesting and worthwhile exercise in itself. If you work with colleagues, you could share this task between you, and then share your new-found knowledge with each other.
• I am not sure I agree with all of the categorisations. For example, why is the RSS app in the ‘Understanding’ category? This isn’t a problem either: Kelly has provided a starting point for discussion. You could use this in a professional development session with your colleagues. Imagine the learning that will occur if you spend an hour debating about which app should go where.
• Why can’t some apps be placed in more than one category? For example, the RSS reader app I just alluded to could also go in the ‘Evaluating’ category.
• Is this complete? I doubt it. Which ones would you add to or substitute for the ones Kelly has provided?
• Which ones would your pupils add?
• What are the equivalent apps for Android devices?
• What are the equivalent apps for your school’s laptops?

I really like this resource, not just because of its intrinsic usefulness, but for the potential it has to stimulate discussion and teacher learning.

Here it is: Bloom's Taxonomy of Apps