About iOS Devices and iTunes for Education As many educators have discovered, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch are easy-to-use iOS devices with a variety of uses for the classroom. (They’re called iOS devices because they use the Apple iOS operating system.) Students are using iOS devices to view educational. Apple was one of the first companies to make multi-touch devices available to the public via the iPad 2 (iOS 5+) and various portable Macbooks. However, their multi-touch technology is confined to multitasking gestures such as 'pinch and zoom' (using two to five fingers) or swipe actions to navigate and close screens. Apple doesn't want to compete with Google's Chromebooks on price. Its $299 iPads are really at least $450 when you include a keyboard case and stylus. To reverse Google's takeover of the education.
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One area that I have not written much about on this blog is educational apps. This is mostly due to the fact that my school has one first generation iPad and two iPod Touches for the entire school. We also ban cell phones and other electronic devices, so these are not available for use in the classroom unless the teachers specifically plan for the kids to use them for a lesson or activity, hand them out to the kids and collect them at the end of the lesson. I won't pretend to be an expert on apps in the classroom, which is why I haven't covered their use here.
However, with more and more schools investing in iPad carts, iPods and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, it's an important topic. I don't want this to be one of those 'top 10 apps' posts, so I will share a few thoughts about apps in the elementary classroom, some implementation ideas for certain apps, and an obligatory list of resources. This information is based on my own knowledge that I have built through talking with colleagues, through my experience implementing the limited devices that I have access to, and through attending conference sessions devoted to apps in the classroom.
What is the Role of Apps in the Classroom?
Why should we be using apps in the classroom in the first place? What's the difference between sitting a kid in front of a device and sitting them in front of a television or a video game? Well, honestly, there is no difference if all we do is put the device in a child's hand and say, 'Go' -- without any particular plan. Devices can be great babysitters just as computers can be great babysitters when implemented poorly. As I have stressed in other posts, it's important to choose a digital tool of any kind only after we have already pinned down the learning goal. Next, it is important to decide if we want our students to practice a skill, access information or create a product. This will help decide the role of the app in whatever we are teaching, and it will guide our selection of the app. It is also important to think about the ratio of devices to students. This will help define how the apps and device(s) can be best used to meet learning goals. Should students be paired up or should they rotate through a center, or are there enough devices for everyone? This will affect how we select an app -- if it requires a long period of time to create something or if it's a simple review of skills. The role of the app should be defined by the learning goal and the app's functionality.
What Does It Look Like to Bring Apps into an Elementary Classroom?
Depending on the amount of devices you have deployed in your classroom, apps could be used as tools for calculating or recording data, accessing information and reference materials, or creating a product that meets a learning goal. The first two uses are the easiest to implement, as they are fairly passive. All a student has to do is open the app and either compute or record data, or consume information within the app. Once students begin to create content within an app, the teacher must know what the app's functions are, what it's capable of and how the students will hand in/display their work.
In addition to the functionality of the apps, it is important that procedures and expectations are in place for how apps are used and for students staying on the task at hand. While that is more suited for a discussion about using mobile devices in the classroom, it is hard to separate the apps from the devices they are accessed through.
Cost
While there are a ton of free apps out there, as with any product, it's sometimes worth it to pay for quality and functionality. Some schools with schoolwide device implementation programs link up a payment method with the iTunes account they created for the school. However, if a school only has a few devices (like mine), the easiest thing to do is to set up an iTunes account without a credit card and use prepaid iTunes gift cards for app purchases.
The management that goes into syncing devices and apps could take up a whole other blog post, but that gives a basic idea of the two ways to pay for apps.
If you're not sure whether an app is worth paying for, the resources below should help. Most of them list the price and the functionalities of each app, making that decision a lot easier. Also, some app developers offer their apps free from time to time. By following AppShopper (or downloading their free app) you can keep abreast of sales and freebies.
Some Resources for Educational Apps
With Apple's Education Store growing every day, there is no shortage of apps. However, knowing what they do, whether they are worth the money and for what kinds of purposes they can be used is another story. Luckily, many educators have made it their mission to simplify the process of finding the best apps out there. Here are a few of them.
- 60 Apps in 60 Minutes -- Brandon Lutz not only has a great wiki, but also does a great presentation of apps at conferences all over the country. This wiki has links to all of his presentations and includes great overviews and tables of apps for education.
- iPads in Schools Livebinder -- Mike Fisher has pulled together a ton of resources on using iPads in the classroom. There is a tab for 'App of the Week' as well as a tab for 'Best Free Apps.'
- Android4Schools -- This site, started by Richard Byrne (of Free Tech 4 Teachers fame), is dedicated to all things Android. It's a great place for educators not using iOS (aka Apple) devices or those involved in BYOD initiatives.
- Edutecher -- A website and an app itself, this site is created and maintained by Adam Bellow and allows users to search for apps by subject area and grade level.
From the last two decades, the influence of technology on education has been huge. Earlier, the education was associated with money, but gradually, the things have been changed.
Today, communication centers, laptops, mobile phones, and tablets have been considered at one point or another as technologies promising with top educational apps for adults.
However, smartphones stand apart from all these technologies. According to data compiled by the research firm Nielsen, approximately 58% of American children from 13- to 17-years-old owned a smartphone as of July 2012—an increase of more than 60 percent over the previous year.
Moreover, in the United States, 98% of high school students have access to some kind of smartphone, according to a report by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow.
Across the world, students are increasingly bringing their own smartphones, installed with best education apps, to the classroom to improve their access to information. With the number of mobile learning apps, it becomes a lot easier for students to understand the particular subject in more depth.
According to the latest report, the education apps market size is to maintain the average annual growth rate of 6.25% from 2936 million $ in 2014 to 3522 million $ in 2017. It is expected that the education apps market size will be expanded further and by 2022, the market will reach $4579 million.
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How Mobile Education Apps Are Helping Students
Today, educational apps are considered as the most interactive and useful way to attract the students towards studies and improve their productivity. As apps have brought significant changes in the education industry, various institutions and individual educators are adopting mobile apps, allowing their students to get access to information from anywhere and anytime.
Along with being convenient and simple to use, these apps have made it easy for teachers to manage their registers. Moreover, students can give presentations, hand in assignments, enhance graphical data knowledge, take notes, etc. Let’s have a look at how mobile learning apps are helping students to learn easily and complete their homework:
Learning Without Boundaries
Gone are the days when it was necessary for students to be present in the class because mobile education apps for students have made it easy for them to get access to information of different courses. Students can work on assignments remotely, check their courses, exam schedules, and get in touch with their teachers to discuss their problems and queries.
Engaged and Interactive Students
There are many pupils, who can only get so much out of the traditional textbook and whiteboard method, and this is the reason why interactive apps are great for stimulating the mind. Today, education apps for Android and iPhone are available for all types of skill levels and aid learning using a variety of teaching methods like Q and A’s, video tutorials, etc.
As we know that subjects are extensive and growing every single day, so there’s a huge amount of supporting material to any teacher’s curriculum. To keep students engaged in their studies, teaching methods must be fresh and innovative, so e-learning apps are considered as an excellent way of achieving this.
24*7 Availability
Unlike school and institutes, education application system is available all the time, so students can access their desired m-learning apps without bothering about their schedules. They can study and learn anywhere and anytime whenever they feel comfortable. Moreover, students can also get in touch with their teachers and tutors in case if they have any query or confusion related to any subject.
Instant Updates
Along with helping students in studies, there are various education mobile apps that are mainly developed to keep students updated about information like campus events, timetables, alerts, and other important information. Even, some apps make it easy for students to pay their tuition fees, library payment, etc. through applications.
So, this is how best educational apps are helping students in learning more easily and stay connected with their teachers. However, you might have a question in your mind that what are the top education apps that widely used by students, so let’s give a quick look at the best educational apps.
Top Education Apps That Widely Used by Students
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Photomath
Some of the students love math and they don’t need any type of assistance while solving a math problem. While others need some assistance when solving math problems. Photomath is the best homework app for math subject, allowing students to get an instant answer to their mathematics problems.
According to the latest report from Crunchbase, “This Croatian app, Photomath has secured $6 million in Series A round of funding, led by Goodwater Capital.” Moreover, Photomath has surpassed 100 million downloads.
Users just need to point the camera toward a math problem and it will display the answer with step-by-step instructions. The app can also help in drawing graphs. Students can make use of this app to practice so that they can learn how to do this.
Moreover, it supports everything from basic arithmetic to advanced levels of math trigonometry. So, downloading this free and top education app can help students in many ways.
Download Link – iOS | Android
Quizlet
A lot of students are facing problem in creating their study sets of different subjects, so Quizlet is the easiest way to create your own flashcards and study sets or students can choose from millions of study sets that are already created by other students.
There are more than 20 million students, who are studying for free of cost with Quizlet every month. The app can also help you to see what you are learning in a completely new way with diagrams.
So, study charts, maps, images and figures with learn and match. Discover different diagrams on Quizlet and look for the perfect one for you.
Download Link – iOS | Android
Socratic
Socratic is the widely used math problem-solving app that helps students to get instant answers to their math problems. Along with math, this homework planner app supports some of the other subjects, including English, Economics, Science, History, etc.
Makes use of artificial intelligence, this education app will help all the students to get answers and detailed explanations to clarify the concept. In addition to this, the developed considering the high school curriculum, so it is equipped with graphs and explainers.
One of the best features of this learning mobile app is that it curates web video from Khan Academy and other educational platforms. So, this is one of the best learning apps for Android and iPhone students that can be downloaded for free of cost.
Download Link – iOS
Edx
Edx is one of the top educational apps that are obtainable for free to download for students. Allow students to get online courses from the world’s top universities and institutions. Using this education mobile app, students can learn from the experts at Harvard University, Tsinghua University, Microsoft, MIT, UC Berkeley, The Smithsonian and more.
Equipped with enormous features like tests, online lectures, quizzes, personal schedule, etc. the application allows students to earn a certificate if they study hard enough. It is a must downloading education app that stream class videos through Wi-Fi and cellular connection.
Download Link – iOS | Android
These top education apps are widely used by students worldwide, and the popularity and need for such education apps and tools are increasing constantly as it can help students in many ways to achieve their goals.
How Can You Contribute to the Education Industry?
Today, education-minded entrepreneurs and organizations are highly focused on launching the next wave of inventions that can change the way students learn. Even investors are also motivated to support such initiatives and you can check out how investors invested $1.25 billion in tech education start-ups in 2013 alone.
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According to the latest statistic report, the most popular category in the Apple App Store is education that ranked no. 3 with 8.48% share.
Image source: Statista.com
As of June 2017, more than 180 billion apps were downloaded from the App Store. So, if you also wanted to contribute to the education industry and help students learn in an easy way, you can have your own education app or invest in developing educational apps.
Being an educational startup, if you have any education app development idea or learning app development idea in your mind that you think can help students, you can discuss it with us as we are a leading iPhone application development company based in India and specialized in developing applications for education.
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This page was last edited on January 11th, 2021, at 2:35.