Mobile Apps

Web 2.0: Chapter 9

Apple Users Android Users

If you do not have a

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hat
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● An app (short for application) is a
program designed for a specific task.
● Apps are small programs you
download from iTunes or Google Play
or the Windows Store to a mobile
device. They run on the device, and
the files that users create reside on
the device, in the cloud, or both.
○ For ex: Instagram is a
photography app that allows
people to take photos with a
mobile device, edit, and save
them on the device, and upload
them to the cloud.
Mob
il e A
pp?
● In schools, the push to implement 1:1
computing and the Bring Your Own
Device (BYOD) movement has led to the
popularity of mobile devices (tablets &
smartphones).
● Is easy for schools to use Web 2.0 tools
because students share computers. The
software they use and files they create
don’t reside on the desktop or laptop.
Students go to the website to run them.
● This chapter will focus on tablets rather
than all mobile devices because many
schools are purchasing tablets for
students to use.
 A Word about Tablets...
● The first tablet to emerge was Apple’s iPad running
on the iOS operating system. Developers created
apps to sell in Apple’s App Store. The industry grew
to include major software publishers, and today
most apps are available not only for iOS but also for
Google’s Android operating system and Microsoft’s
Windows 8 operating system.
● In the education sector (i.e teachers, parents,
students, school managers, etc.) the demand for
personal computers have gone down, while the
demand for tablets have increased.
○ According to the International Data
Corporation (IDC) education clients demand
for tablets increased from a 19.4% in 2011 to
more than 35% in 2012.
● While Apple has been at the forefront of the tablet
revolution, the current market expansion has been
increasingly fueled by low-cost Android devices.
According to the International Data Corporation
(IDC) “Apple’s success in the education market has
proven that tablets can be used as more than just a
content consumption or gaming device.”
● “These devices are learning companions, and as
tablet prices continue to drop , the dream of having
a PC for every child gets replaced with the reality
that we can actually provide a tablet for every
child.”
 Research has shown...
One of the most extensive studies on the use of tablet devices shows that there has been a significant and positive impact
on learning and still-developing changes in pedagogy. Findings from the British study at Longfield Academy include:

● Majority of teachers regularly use iPads in their teaching
● iPad use is particularly strong in English, math, and
science
● There is a high demand from students for iPad use to be
extended further
● Teachers have identified significant benefits for their
workload and have also identified cost savings
● Use of the iPad is increasingly being developed for
homework and beyond-school activities
● Students are more motivated when using iPads
● The quality and standard of pupil work and
progress is rising
● Both staff and students feel they can work more
effectively with iPads
● Levels of collaborative working have improved
● Appropriate use off apps aids learning
● Minor technical issues have arisen, often due to
user error, but are readily dealt with

The outcomes at Longfield demonstrate the value of iPads as an educational tool and the role that it can play
in learning and teaching
 Comparison Study
The Center for Digital Education (CDE) reviewed three iPad implementations in 2011 in “The Impact of the iPad on K-12
Schools” and sought the insights of district leaders about the advantages and disadvantages of tablets compared with
traditional PCs

PROS CONS

● Screen Size ● BIGGEST challenge was

● Touch Interface sharing the device
● Battery Life ● Typing with the on-screen
● Predictable User Experience keyboard was a challenge for
● The freedom from worrying students, and they tended to
about outlets, power cords, type only short pieces
and battery life.
 What Impact do Apps have in the classroom?
● With tablets and apps, teachers and students “now look
for software which meshes with their needs rather than
the other way around”

● The use of apps provides student with “effective,

efficient and highly creative processes over which they
have a high degree of control”

● Students carry the devices with them so they can have

access to them “on the go”

● Students can take the device home, so they “can

continue with the same set of apps, providing a
seamless learning experience between home and
school”
 Why are Apps Useful Tools?
el...
t lev For the Gurnee School District 56 in Illinois, the implementation of iPads has proven

istric effective. They purchased 2400 iPads for grades PK-8.

d
the ● Complete drop in discipline issues on buses
In ● Double digits to single digits on absences at their middle school
● The need to revamp technology curriculum maps for their students. The skills that
they had to wait until 4th grade to teach, they can now teach in kindergarten
● Increase in student engagement
● Students’ work is completed, and turned in (even ahead of time) at the middle
school level
● Custodians have seen a reduction in the time it takes to clean each classroom by
at least 8 minutes per classroom daily.

*These changes happened in just 6 months of implementing iPads

 Why are Apps Useful Tools?
In the classroom...
Achievement
● A 2012 research study in Maine showed that
Kindergarten students using iPads scored
better on literacy tests than students who
didn’t use the device
● They noticed an increase on:
○ Student motivation
○ Engagement
○ Interactive
● Students get immediate feedback
● Teachers can customize apps to match the
instructional needs of each child, so students
are able to learn successfully at their own
level and pace
Communication
● Tablets are well suited as communication devices
● Districts have used them for student collaborations
and for student-to-teacher-to-parent messaging
● Having a district app can make a huge difference in
communications
Replacing Outdated Textbooks
● A principal from Burlington High, in Boston, calls
the “$500 iPads a better long-term investment
than textbooks.”
● He goes on to say that books are “pretty much
outdated the minute they’re printed and certainly
by the time they’re delivered. The bottom line is
that the iPads will give our kids a chance to use
much more relevant materials”
 . . .
v er
w e ● As people focus on searching for the best app, the

Ho
coolest app, and latest app, that conversation often
overshadowed discussions of why they need it
● We need to be careful that when we implement iPads
in our classrooms we do not let the excitement of
new gadgets before goals
● Some of the most common questions are;
○ Does iPads complicate things in the
classroom?
○ How do you use an iPad in the classroom?
○ Why use the iPad in the classroom?
● In short, the iPad is a tool that can provide unique
pedagogical practices in student-centered
classrooms
What kind
Of
Apps are
out there?
 Apps for Children
with Special Needs
Apps for Children with Special Needs
(http://a4cwsn.com)
● App-oplexy (http://appoplexy.wordpress.com) -
Free
● iBrainstorm (free drawing tool) - Free
● SimpleMind+ (Mind Mapping) - Free
● Idea Sketch (Drawing and Mind Mapping) - $0.99
 When Do Teachers Use Apps?

● Recording Lessons
● Documenting Learning
● Apps allow students to edit their work
● Physical Education: PE teachers can film
students and later show them how to
improve
 Where can you find more information about Apps?
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Questions?