Mobile Learning
Apps for Secondary Students
Animation Creator HD express
Animation creator HD express allows students to create their own animations. Using such an app, students who have difficulties expressing themselves through more traditional channels may convey complex concepts through their animations, following the direction of multiple means of action and expression in UDL. For example, rather than creating a short story, or writing a summary of a piece of literature, students may create visually based stories, or through the use of Animation creator HD express convey the key concepts of the chosen piece.
Posterous
Posterous enables students to create their own audio recordings. Using apps such as Posterous may allow students with difficulties presenting in front of larger groups to provide well rounded, polished, and confident audio presentations. I may provide students the option of presenting their essay, PowerPoint, etc., in person, or allow them to use an app such as Posterous to pre-record their work, and play it in class.
Notability
Notability allows students to take notes how they want to, where they want to. Notability is an app for iOS devices that allows the user to type or handwrite notes, record audio, highlight their own notes or PDFs, and alter PDFs and images. I would encourage the use of this app for all my students, as I think that it provides a flexible means of taking notes and caters to a variety of learner preferences.
Google Drive
Google drive is just one take on cloud storage, allowing users to store and retrieve documents across devices, and limit the amount of storage required on their devices. It also allows multiple users to access documents, and deposit assignments. I might use google drive to allow students to deposit digital assignments, both during and outside of the regular class period.
Google Docs
Google docs allows for multiple users to access and modify the same documents, simultaneously if necessary; the unique aspect therein is that Google docs displays edits made by other users in near real time. This would be a useful tool when polling the class for examples or answers, as well as providing a means for absent students to participate in class discussions and coursework.
Remind.com
Remind is a useful tool that may help to keep students on track both in the classroom, and on the go. Remind is a service which sends students scheduled reminders via text or e-mail, should they so choose. I believe that this mobile technology might appropriately take advantage of technology which the students are already sure to be utilizing, and in the process assist them in staying organized and on top of their assignments.