Apps for education

Mobile devices with their cool interface and the apps available on AppStore or Play Store (depending on the Operating System), have become an important part on the way students interact with their books, school work and even their teachers. Also, educative apps also turn out to be handy for parents, because they are attractive for the children, but offer the possibility of developing the creativity, some basics on a foreign language and math or logic tests.

Many of us grew up thinking we knew what it meant to “go to school.” In the past, just about every student would pile up their books, head to the local school bus stop, and wait to be brought to what those in the 20th century would call a “building.” Mobile applications are not just responsible for changing how school is taught outside the classroom, but inside it as well. The range of uses varies as widely as Garage Band for iPad in music class to experiencing entire course curriculums in iTunes U.

One thing is clear: Through the power of mobile apps, the traditional way of “going to school” is about to change in a major way. Whether students simply don’t need to bring books (when an iPad will suffice) or skip the idea of a physical presence altogether, the education system needs to recognize and adapt to these sweeping changes if it’s going to emerge with an effective education model in the 21st century.

Mobile learning apps are extremely helpful in certain situations, for example, when you need to check a fact or consume small amounts of information at a given time. About three in four (74%) teens aged 12-17 say they access the internet on cell phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

What are the benefits of using these devices?

As we have seen, manufacturers are aware that the future of education lies in electronic devices, but — what can these bring to education? Can they help students acquire knowledge? Definitely. Through their connectivity, it is possible for students to access interactive and customized content through which they can fathom the areas where they need more support.

Learning through Internet also gives access to many resources that, otherwise, most schools could not afford. Taking students to visit a famous monument in Italy is unrealistic, but a virtual tour is clearly feasible. Works of art, interactive maps… Only teachers set the limits. Moreover, students can continue their courses by distance learning, studying from home.

The ability to display the information to each student, who is the one able to navigate through it and interact with it, and even interact with their own peers, encourages visual memory and facilitates the understanding of the different issues. With all the Apps for education available, students are allowed to unleash their creativity. At a pedagogical level, the motivation for learning is bolstered. This is a vital issue in order to improve academic performances.

According to some estimates, smart phones, and to a lesser extent tablets like the iPad, will be in the hands of every student in the United States within five years. And as more schools embrace mobile learning, the number of Apps for education—mobile applications that run on your smart phone—are skyrocketing.

On one hand you have the app, trendy, cool, ever evolving and students just love them. On the other hand you have exams, study and lots of learning; things that students are not so fond of. However, for some strange reason, when we combine the two, students become a lot more receptive and even more willing to learn. Success!