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Here are my three favorite recent free iPhone apps which psychologists will appreciate.

1.  Psych Drugs–an A-Z of psychotropic drugs, their generic and brand name, drug classification, uses, typical doses and half-life.

2.  3D Brain–I’m amazed this one was for free!  This app provides a list of each brain structure, narrative about the structure, and a labeled, color-coded, three-dimensional 360 degree view including x-ray view of inner structures.

3.  Quiz SP Lite–a free version of an app which provides sample quiz questions from the National School Psychologist Certification Exam.  A larger quiz bank is available for a modestly priced paid app.

Tip #1:  Sometime the most obvious uses are overlooked.  Psychologists who do many evaluations, and particularly school psychologists, carry around a lot of stuff!  Anything we can do to lighten the load is a good idea.  iPhones and iPod Touch come with a clock application which has a stop watch feature.  Use this for timed performance tests in your psychological evaluations.  It is precise to a tenth of a second, silent and therefore not distracting to the subject, and it is discrete to use.  It also has a lap timer for recording multiple times.

Tip #2:  Don’t forget this technology started out primarily as a media player.  Convert audio portions of tests, such as the CTOPP or WJ-III, to mp3 and put them on the iPod.  Then you won’t have to carry around another device,  such as a cassette or CD player, and the audio will likely be clearer than if you played the CD through your laptop speakers, thus preserving standardization and the integrity of the test.  You can use external mini speakers or the ear buds.  If you use the ear buds, don’t forget to have a supply of disposable ear bud covers on hand and sterile alcohol wipes in your office to clean before and after each client.  Here are some places you can order ear inexpensive disposable ear bud covers http://practicon.com/Disposable-Headphone-Covers/p/70-8115/c/210/    http://www.shopwiki.com/earbud+covers

This is the start of a new blog designed to provide a forum to exchange information about use of technology, and specifically iphone/ipod applications, in the fields of psychology and education.    Be aware though, that I am shamelessly also trying to promote some applications which I had a hand (well….actually a mind) in developing (–the really smart people did the hands-on stuff).   I am very proud of iBAA (Behavioral Assessment Application) and Keep in Mind, an application for Behavior Intervention Plans, both available from Future Help Designs (www.futurehelpdesigns.com).  I look forward to hearing how others use technology, so please contribute.