A Guide to Using App Technology in the Classroom

The use of technology in the classroom is growing. It is sparking the interest of educators and students with new and interesting ways to explore information. Mobile devices, for instance, provide motivating ways for instructing students in many subject areas. Educators are able to offer exciting multimedia opportunities for new learning. The changes, of course, do not come without some bumps in the road but with educators networking, to solve the obstacles, it is exciting to discover the many benefits of implementing technology into instruction.

How to Use Apps

As mobile devices turn up more and more in classrooms the questions continue to grow about how to best use them. One way is to substitute paper notebooks and textbooks with ebooks. Although electronic textbooks are a positive benefit to the environment, and likely more cost effective than paper, there are more important gains to focus on. Investigation into how to best use this technology in the classroom is needed to optimize the benefits for instructing children. For instance, there are many benefits that come from providing children with opportunities for creating and learning with multimedia.They can be used to explore a spectrum of subject areas. Discovering ways to utilize apps effectively in the classroom is one way to help with the transition into this new technology.

The growing availability of apps is creating a buzz of new learning. There are an increasing number of blogs and websites that provide reviews on educational apps as well as activity ideas for them. For example, in a science class students could access an app that identifies different leaves and then use it to explore their outdoor environment. In math class teachers can create polls to ask questions and have students answer them on their personal mobile device. Students respond via text messaging that allows them to share answers without the fear of being wrong. There are also apps i.e. Face Time that let students video-chat with peers in other parts of the world. Some are also being developed to assist special needs students in the classroom. Apps can be used for calculating or recording data, accessing information, or creating exciting projects. Staying informed on the latest applications, and networking with other educators on how to use them, helps establish new and relevant instructional strategies for the classroom.It also ensures technology is used responsibly and effectively for the purpose of learning.

Technology in the classroom is growing and offers educators a spectrum of instructional opportunities. For instance, there are many benefits to using mobile devices when they are employed to introduce students to multimedia learning. Reading textbooks on screens is not the goal. Neither is giving students a device to use without specific learning goals and a plan to execute them. There are important teaching decisions that need to be made first that will determine the best apps to use and how to use them. Employed wisely, however, technology in the classroom offers many exciting benefits for students and educators.