Minecraft is an open-world game unlike any other. Players are placed in a borderless, randomly generated land with no supplies, directions, or objective. It is up to them to decide what to do and how to do it. Players collect materials from the world around them in order to ‘craft’ items and build whatever their mind can imagine. The concept is similar to playing with LEGOs, only the amount of blocks is limitless.
Last.fm is a music streaming service that allows users to listen to their favorite songs, while discovering new artists through a comprehensive recommendation function called “autoscrobbler.” Last.fm builds a detailed profile of each user’s musical taste by recording details of the songs the user listens to. Users establish a library of favorite artists and genres, and can then stream music through Last.fm’s radio feature. Last.fm recommends music based on a user’s listening pattern, and provides information about the band and their current tour schedules.
IXL Math is a website where users can practice math problems at nearly every grade level. Questions are administered one at a time, in a fun and interactive environment. Users are notified if they are right or wrong immediately after submitting an answer. The site is as applicable for children in preschool as it is for middle school aged students, and IXL Math is currently being updated to feature higher level content like Algebra and Trigonometry.
BrainPOP Jr. is a web-based educational platform designed for children in kindergarten through third grade. It offers curriculum-based learning through interactive lessons that align with state educational standards. The platform includes in-depth video lessons that assist with homework and cover a variety of subjects, including Science, Reading and Writing, Social Studies, Math, Health, and Arts & Music.
Flipboard is a social media aggregation app that pulls newsworthy stories from a variety of social media sites, blogs, and news outlets, combining them into a personalized, magazine-style display. Users can organize their home screen to feature categories they are interested in, and can even connect Flipboard with social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter to receive stories that get retweeted or shared. After entering a few search parameters, users simply flip through a collection of articles until they find one that piques their interest.
Snapchat allows users to take and send photos, videos, and messages (called “snaps”) to friends and family members. Users can add filters, text, or handwriting to images and videos they take before sending them off to their favorite Snapchat friends. Snaps sent are available for an amount of time allotted by the user, up to ten seconds, and once that time is up, the message disappears permanently. Users can tell when someone has viewed or taken a screenshot of one of their snaps, as well as receive messages from other Snapchat friends.
