Paper by FiftyThree

I recently began a Master's in Education program that focuses on educational technology, and as a requirement for this program I had to purchase an iPad - what a sacrifice, right? Needless to say, I was pleased to finally have an excuse to purchase an iPad.

Once I had my new tablet in hand, I immediately searched the web for "must-have iPad apps," and I found lists galore of all the apps I absolutely "needed" to have on my iPad. Out of all the apps I investigated based on those suggestions, the coolest app I found was Paper by FiftyThree. It turns out Paper was the Apple App of the Year in 2012, so maybe you've already heard of it, but it's seriously cool.

I have been wanting a better way to design presentations in my classroom, and Paper allows me to do that. It's definitely geared more toward artists, but I'm not an artist - I'm just a Spanish teacher who's particular about how I present information.

I was initially taken by Paper when I saw how awesome it made my handwriting look:

I tried using Paper for what it was intended for, art:

But as I told you before, I'm not an artist. While I was still having fun goofing around on the app, I sent this to my husband:

But realistically, this is the kind of thing I want to use it for:

I envision creating my own pictures and layouts for PowerPoint and Keynote in my classroom.

So that's my first impression of Paper by FiftyThree. The initial download is free, but if you want to use anything besides the drawing tool and preselected colors, you'll have to pay a few bucks.