iPad Apps for Language Classrooms: A Collaborative List with Sylvia Duckworth
I have the pleasure of regularly discussing iPad tools and other educational technology with my friend and fellow educator, Sylvia Duckworth. Sylvia is a prominent leader in the French teaching community in Canada and has created an incredible array of classroom resources for language educators.
Recently, I asked Sylvia if she’d like to collaborate on a curated list of our favorite iPad apps for language instruction. She immediately agreed. What follows is a collection of tools that we both actively use in our classrooms. Apps marked with an asterisk (*) are our must-have essentials.
To make this list more useful, we’ve organized the apps into two categories:
1. Content Consumption Apps and 2. Content Creation Apps.
1. Content Consumption Apps
These apps are designed to help students absorb information, build vocabulary, and engage with interactive stories and games. Many offer multilingual options, making them adaptable across language programs.
- Class Dojo – Free
Web version available - Decide Now – $0.99
Fun decision spinner useful for speaking prompts or group tasks. - Random Name Selector – Free
A great classroom management tool. - Touch, Look, Listen – $1.99
Excellent for early learners. - StoryToys Apps – $4.99 each
High-quality interactive storybooks. - French Words for Kids (Montessori) – $3.99
- Feed Me (French) – $1.99
- JeuxPourLire – $3.99
- eFlash French – $1.99
Pro tip: Turn on “Questions” mode in settings for added challenge. - ★ Gus Learns French – $3.99
- Canadian French App – $9.99
- ★ Qui est-ce? – Free ($1.99 for full version)
- 4 Images, 1 Mot – Free ($1.99 ad-free version recommended)
- L’il Red – An Interactive Story – $3.99
A wordless book great for promoting speaking and storytelling. - Google Translate – Free
- WordReference – Free
- TextGrabber Translate – $5.99
Especially useful while traveling — translate signs, menus, and more.
2. Content Creation Apps
These tools empower students to create, perform, record, and present content — helping them express what they’ve learned in dynamic ways.
- ★ Book Creator – $4.99
Ideal for digital storytelling and publishing. - ★ Sock Puppets – $3.99
- Puppet Pals HD – $4.99
- ★ Puppet Pals 2 – $4.99
- Tellagami – Free
- YAKiT Kids – Free
- PowerPoint – Free (read-only)
Full version requires Microsoft 365 subscription. - Keynote – Free with new devices ($9.99 otherwise)
- Haiku Deck – Free
Simple presentation app for student-created slideshows. - Songify – $2.99
Turns speech into music; great for pronunciation practice. - VideoStar – Free
- GarageBand – $4.99 (Free with new devices)
- ★ iMovie – $4.99 (Free with new devices)
Powerful tool for creating videos and story projects. - Stop Motion Studio – Free
- Green Screen by Do Ink – $2.99
Excellent for creative storytelling projects. - Titan Player – Free
Allows offline playback of YouTube content. - Action Movie FX – Free with optional paid effects
- Backwards Cam – $1.99
- SloPro – $3.99
Create slow- and fast-motion video effects.
Read our SloPro review - ToonCamera – $1.99
- Over – $1.99
- iPhoto – $4.99 (Free with new devices)
- Diptic – Free with in-app purchases
Great for collages and classroom posters.
See our Diptic review - Voice Recorder / Voice Record Pro – Free
Reliable for student oral assessments and feedback.
Miscellaneous Tools & Utilities
- Socrative – Free
Instant quiz generator and formative assessment tool. - Frenchie Teachie ABCs – Free
An iPhone app that scales well to iPad. Great for learning alphabet, colors, and numbers. - I-nigma (QR Code Reader) – Free
One of the fastest and most reliable QR scanners. - Grade It – Free with in-app purchases
Quickly calculates grades and percentages. - AirDrop – Built-in (new iPads)
Instant file transfer between devices. - Instashare – Free on iPad, $3.99 on Mac
Transfers iPad projects to desktop.
Get Instashare
(Note: must be installed on both devices.) - Dropbox / DropItToMe / Google Drive –
Cloud storage and backup.
Apps like Book Creator can export to Google Drive as .epub files.
Use the Readium Chrome extension to read .epub files on your computer.
Final Notes
This is not a comprehensive list, but rather a curated selection of tools that Sylvia and I have found useful, reliable, and engaging in our language classrooms. Whether your students are just beginning their language learning journey or creating multimedia projects in French or any other target language, we hope these apps inspire you to explore and experiment with what’s possible on iPad.
Feel free to share your own favorite apps or tips with us on Twitter — we love connecting with fellow educators.
Conclusions
Sylvia:
Over the past few months, I have concluded that the iPad is an indispensable tool in my class. French vocabulary apps are a great way for students to spend some extra time at the end of class to build and practice their vocabulary. The creation apps allow the students to practice their French in authentic ways and to showcase their language skills. The camera allows students to personalize their projects and to make videos and trailers. The iPad is particularly conducive to partner/group collaborative work as the students play vocabulary games and create projects together. Finally, the boot-up ease of the iPad saves valuable class time compared to laptops.
Is the iPad a fad? NON!
Is it an essential tool in the Foreign Language Class? BIEN SÛR, MON AMI!
Steve:
There is such a wealth of educational apps out there. We hope this list can narrow down some of your favourites. The iPad, if used to its full capabilities, is a fantastic teaching tool. With more knowledge and awareness of creation-type apps, we hope that you can create diverse, exciting and original projects with your class! Whether you are lucky enough to have a 1:1 iPad program, or if you just have one iPad, the possibilities are endless.
Do you have any favourite apps that you would like to share with us? Please let us know in the comments!
Thank you so much for reading our collaboration! Like this post? Please share with your PLN/colleagues!
About the Authors:
Sylvia is an award-winning teacher who has been teaching Core French for 30 years in Toronto, Canada. She provides workshops on Technology in the FSL class and can be reached on Twitter (@sylviaduckworth) and on Google+. You can find her resources at about.me/sylviaduckworth. Check out her profile on teachingwithipad.org.
Steve is a French teacher in Richmond, BC. He teaches French to Grade 1 through Grade 5. He is an avid educational tech teacher, who is always looking to learn more. He has given various iPad workshops in BC, and uses his iPad every day in his FSL class. He enjoys blogging at teachingwithipad.org. Follow him on Twitter (@sly111)