The Google Play Store for Android devices is full of wonderful apps that can be used to support learning in your classroom and extend this practice at home. For teachers and parents looking to utilize their Android tablet effectively, there are plenty of fantastic apps to reinforce key concepts being taught in the classroom. Math and English language arts (ELA) apps will support students looking to master new skills, and video streaming apps can help them build prior knowledge as they explore new topics.

Attention Grabbers

Peekaboo Studios has lots of great reading apps for Android devices. Ultimate Reading Grade 3 and Middle School Vocabulary Prep are two examples of what they have to offer students in the Google Play Store. With apps designed for a variety of grade levels, it won't be hard to find one that meets the needs of your students.

There are apps for every subject area that can be easily accessed on Android devices thanks to iTooch. For math and ELA, teachers and families can choose from apps for students in third through eighth grade, including iTooch 6th Grade Math and iTooch 4th Grade Language Arts. Free to download, these apps let you choose to purchase individual chapters as study materials.

One of my favorite iPad apps is also available for Android tablets. Pic Collageis a wonderful tool for children to create posters and tell their own stories. Students can add text and pictures to their screen to make a creative writing piece come to life or create a storyboard for putting events in a book into a sequence.

TapToLearn also has some fantastic free apps that cover both math and ELA skills. Math vs. Zombies is an engaging math fluency app, and Spelling Hero is the perfect tool to prepare students for a spelling bee. Both of these games are sure to grab the attention of elementary and middle school students.

Documentaries and Current Events

Tablets are great for streaming video, and there are lots of apps you can use in your classroom or recommend for parents to try out at home. Discovery Channel has a comprehensive app that lets users check out clips and full episodes of popular television shows. You're sure to find a video that connects to a social studies or science topic you're covering in class. Another great resource for high-quality video is the Smithsonian Channel. With its rotating selection of content, you can keep checking back to see if there is a video that will hook students during a lesson you're planning.

To bring current events into your classroom, there are plenty of great choices for accessing videos that will give your students a window onto the world. If you saw a clip on a news program the night before class that you want to share with students, you can view clips from the previous day (along with up-to-date content) from NBC Nightly News or ABC News. Teachers and students can also stream video from CNN and the New York Times to support students who might need extra help reading text about events affecting the world around them.

Have you used an Android device in your classroom? What are some of your favorite apps for streaming video content, supporting students in math, or helping them succeed in ELA?