According to a popular Chinese proverb “A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.” Even though people today do not read as many books as they used to 20-25 years ago, they still have an opportunity to put some knowledge in to their pocket, so to speak. Modern technologies have changed our concept of education. It’s very important for both teachers and learners to keep up with all innovations in this field, as the interest towards using technologies in the classroom is increasing. This time we’ll focus on iPhone, one of the most popular mobile devices used by students throughout the world.

An iPhone offers various applications for learning. Below, we have come up with ten most widely used apps for students. The current list contains the most recommended apps. We are not trying to say that these 10 applications are the best; you could surely search for others that better satisfy your knowledge needs.

1. iBooks (free)

iBooks is an application, which allows you to download and read books for free. In order to read them, you need an iTunes account and make sure the books are either in .pub or .pdf format. You will enjoy reading the files as if they were authentic paper books with colored covers and pages.

In addition, recently, Apple has launched another project – iBooks 2. It is especially focused on academic textbooks and contains a rich library of academic resources. Unfortunately, at the moment it is compatible with iPad devices only.

2. iTunes U (free)

iTunes U provides access to over 500 000 free lectures, videos, and books in all fields. You could watch lectures from the best universities in 26 countries, check assignments, and connect with your classmates. iTunes U is a new approach to university education, which is open, accessible to everyone, and as diverse as possible.

3. Khan Archiver (free)

Khan Archiver is another useful app for watching free academic lectures. It will let you watch Khan Academy videos completely free. Khan Academy contains a rich collection of videos in the fields of Maths, Science and Economics, Social Sciences, Computer Sciences, etc. The difference between this app and iTunes U is that the former one provides access to more lectures (and also not only at university level). This project has a great chance to develop and grow in popularity very quickly. Besides, most of the videos have been translated into several languages (Chinese, Turkish, Arabian), and there is an ongoing process of translation into dozens of other languages.

4. Dictionary.com (free/$3)

It is an offline dictionary, which contains over two million synonyms, antonyms and definitions. It also lets you check the spelling or the pronunciation of every word. If you prefer the add-free version, it will cost you $3 only .

5. Wikipedia (free)

This app for iPhone allows you to search the vast base of Wikipedia. Since it’s an offline application, it could be used everywhere and on all occasions. Yet, you should be more careful while using Wikipedia for academic purposes because like any other encyclopedia, it only provides you with some important information. Despite that, Wikipedia has one advantage – it remains completely open and accessible.

6. Wolfram Alpha ($4)

One of the biggest projects launched recently, Wolfram Alpha contains information about almost everything possible. It provides precise answers to any questions making it a must-have tool for every student. This application is able to solve mathematical problems, show detailed information about your location, analyze classical literature, etc.

7. Anatomylab ($10)

Anyone who is studying medicine, biology or interested in the field of human anatomy will find this application quite useful. Anatomylab represents the whole process of dissection along with detailed explanations. Up until now, it is considered to be the best anatomy app on the market.

8. National Geographic World Atlas (free)

The app is designed particularly for iPhone and iPod Touch. You will enjoy the high-resolution maps, interactive 3-D globe, facts and statistics about every country in the world.

9. Genius Scan ($ 3)

As every student needs to scan documents from time to time, there is an app, which could do it easily: Genius Scan is able to convert all your pictures in to .jpg or .pdf formats. Besides, you can also take a picture of the whiteboard during classes and share it with your classmates.

10. Study Blue (free)

Study Blue application makes your studying more effective. You can create flashcards, share them with your classmates, or search for someone else’s flashcards, check your knowledge, etc. Study Blue keeps you motivated and interested in what you are studying.

As you can see from the above list, modern technologies cover all dimensions of the process of education: cognitive, social and interactive. iPhone has greatly contributed to this progress with its useful apps, which make students feel more comfortable and confident in their academic life. We are sure that the competition between Apple and Google will bring about better education applications in the following years.

Author bio: Steve Armstrong is the creator of GlobalPuzzle, which is a challenging online puzzle game where participants answer amazing questions put up by the world community and get WISDOM hidden in a unique picture painted by a talented artist. Follow @GlobalPuzzle to be updated on the recent news.