Pointing out some popular student apps

Students enjoy their iPads for the thousands of applications in both entertainment and education. However, students say that not only do their iPads become a distraction for them, but seeing other students in class playing games distracts them as well.

by Richelle Dodaro

Students enjoy their iPads for the thousands of applications in both entertainment and education. However, students say that not only do their iPads become a distraction for them, but seeing other students in class playing games distracts them as well.

Carly Schweinberg, a senior and psychology major, said, “I really like that the iPad is a quick and convenient way to check your e-mail, homework assignments, and anything on the internet anywhere where there is wi-fi access. The only thing that I dislike is that a lot of students are playing games on the iPads during class, which causes a distraction for other students who would like to learn and pay attention in class.”

Heather McMahan, a sophomore and elementary education major said, “What I like about the iPad is the different applications you can get on. A lot of them come in handy.”

Applications such as the weather channel and Pandora Radio are popular among Seton Hill University (SHU) students, as well as the free human brain application, which is useful for psychology students in their bio-psych lab.

Jovonne Robinson, also a senior and psychology major, said, “It’s like having the world at your palms. I don’t like how it distracts me in class because I can’t get off Facebook and doodle buddy.”

The Pandora Radio app is popular among most students. “My favorite application is Pandora because it’s an awesome free app that provides great music to listen at any point in time,” said Deana Kubat, a senior and creative writing major.

Overall, the iPad is a hit among students for it’s a fun way to either cure boredom or exercise our game skills, as well as being a helpful tool in classes. Below is a list of the top ten iPad apps, as judged by a random survey of SHU students. All apps listed below are free, except for Pro Keys for which the cost is $2.99.

1.) Pandora

2.) Facebook

3.) Solitaire

4.) i-books or Amazon Kindle

5.) Doodle buddy or Adobe Ideas

6.) Hangman

7.) Weather Channel

8.) Urban Spoon – finds your location and helps you search restaurants by category in your area

9.) Epicurious – a cooking companion that provides many different kinds of recipes or plug in your food in and it comes up with a recipe

10.) Pro Keys – contains different instrument sounds to play with and record, including microphone capability