Educational Apps
A Compiliation by Brooklynn Knutson
Hello there! Below are 7 apps that I have researched and believe could be utilized successfully in a K-12 Classroom with a specific aim for Biology and English Language Arts studies! Click on any of the 7 app headers for more info, thanks for reading my flyer :)
A Journal Jar has been made by teachers and filled with scrolls of topics for students in the past and now this free app allows the user to shake it, spin it or press it and then students will be provided with a topic at random to write about! No extra time spent by teachers to create their own and Journal Jar currently has 150 topics! It is intended for grades 1-5, however, I think that it could be adapted for older students by combining 2 or more topics to create a zany story that they must use their creative writing skills to adapt into one.
gamerbabe360. Journal Jar. 2008. Flickr. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
If any of my university classes have a link to TED Talks as a way to learn about a topic it is always my first choice! The app is free and available to Android, iOS7 and is also on YouTube! TED Talks is a collection of videos where people share great ideas and I have always found the speakers to be very captivating. It is also how I learned about Khan Academy!
TED Talks Salman Khan: Let's Reinvent Education
Khan Academy
This is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing a free education on a wide variety of subjects! It allows students to work at their own pace and to challenge their learning so it can improve. It's great for a flipped classroom because the student may watch Khan Academy lectures for homework and then get all the help they need during class time. This enables the student to have help available when they need it rather than relying on the computer for help or parents who may no longer remember the material.
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As an Education student whose minor is biology, I think this free Android app has great potential in a high school classroom. It allows the teacher to easily revise tests and also to use some of what other great teachers have made for testing material. It takes complex processes such as nitrogen fixation and breaks it down for students. Best of all, while the app is designed for tests, a teacher could simply go through the material in class as a review for what could be on an exam, or pick and choose questions that may stump kids and further explain concepts.
abdlzizk. mitochondria. 2011. Flickr. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. <https://www.flickr.com/people/61373154@N02/>.
This free video app allows the user to create a compilation of pictures and video then record their own message along side! Additionally, the app comes with music that can be added if desired. This could work great for a Biology class to take pictures of each step of their dissections and then compile it with a video to explain the steps in detail. Or, in an English Language Arts/Lifeskills classroom this could be used to tell a frame-by-frame story about the student's life. It runs on most iPhones, iPod Touch 4/5 and most iPads. Please visit Videolicious to learn more!
This app is designed to teach skills on social situations and friendship for children ages 3-13 who are in need of assistance for a variety of social disorders such as ADHD, NLD, and Austism to name a few. They can help these kids to better grasp how to interact with their fellow students, make friends and understand social cues. Social Adventures includes 80 activities as well as a parents tips section. The downside is the app is priced at $19.99, however, the reviews for it give it 4 stars in both quality and learning ability so it may pay for itself in results!
Suzie, Sun. Dracaena Blooming. 2011. Flickr. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
This app costs $7.99 in the app store but that's very cheap compared to a textbook and this app details the events speculated to have occurred from the birth of the world until now. Additionally, in 2011, Back in Time was named among the Top10 iPad Apps! It comes in many languages and could be used in a Biology classroom to outline important events in Earth's history. It may also work well for a flipped classroom because the students could gain a basic knowledge of the big concepts being covered and come to class with all of their questions.