By on September 26, 2013
One of my least favourite questions that I receive as an educational technology consultant is, “Do you know any good apps?” The reason I dislike this question is because I feel it does students a great disservice. Too often I see iPads and the like loaded up with hundreds off apps, many of which are either never used, or not educational in nature. My philosophy is to always approach from a student needs perspective. So rather than provide a long list of great apps (of which there are too many to count) I will often ask a follow up question such as: “What is it that you want the student to be able to do?”, or “What are your goals in using the iPad with this student?” . I find that if we approach from a student needs perspective first then we can hope to avoid the problem of being overwhelmed by an avalanche of apps. Further to this, I usually suggest that a team try a limited number of apps first and become familiar with them before adding more.
In order to help guide discussions I often use a resource such as – Educational App suggestions for Students with Special Learning Needs.
This resource was created by SD71 in conjunction with SET-BC. It includes descriptions and links to a variety of educational apps. The apps are organized according to curricular area and are mostly no-cost or low-cost. As a bonus, the recommended apps are tried, tested and true – having been vetted by a cross section of educators across the province.
If you find it useful, please pass it on.
Educational App Suggestions for Students with Special Learning Needs
*** not sure who the author or this post is, there was no name on it. Unfortunately, the site is no longer available, but I think it is a great idea to have a site with a description of the educational apps out there.
This is an interesting subject. I believe that most of the instructors might use one app or two in class, or even suggest a couple to students. The “Do you know any good apps??” It is a very typical question that I get from my students or even among coworkers. There are so many apps out there that one does not know what to pick. I pick a few and try them myself. These days we have the google play and App Store where we can read other user’s reviews. What do you do when you are in search of an app? Do you look at the reviews? Do you download it because it was recommended by someone?