5 mLearning Apps
To use in the classroom
1) Animation Creator HD Lite
Students can use this app to create an animated story of their choice, with options to create characters, dialogues, setting, and even add their own audio. This app would be great for a creative writing assignment at any grade level as it encourages students to come up with an engaging story and display it in an interesting way. Moreover, the animated game peaks student interest as they are now creators of a product they have been thus far only consumers of.
http://www.techlearning.com/default.aspx?tabid=100&entryid=4583
2) Socrative
This app allows students to complete assessments via any internet-connected devices. For example, teachers can transfer a pre-made quiz from a Word document into an Excel spreadsheet which is then programmed with the testing prompts and answers. Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of this powerful and free website is the feedback. Socrative provides teachers with an Excel spreadsheet that color codes all correct and incorrect responses. By manipulating the columns, teachers get a glaringly obvious representation of the students’ learning and the effectiveness of the lesson. This makes it an efficient tool for formative assessments.
http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/5-apps-to-promote-student-centered-learning/
3) Voicethread
This app allows students to create a text, audio, or visual file and upload it for others to see. I would use this app in the classroom as a tool for students to respond to a discussion prompt. They can either right out their response, record their response by uploading an audio file, or create a video to add something interesting to the discussion. Other classmates can then view their discussion post and create a response back. This app provides students with more choice in how they wish to engage with the lesson materials, while also encouraging creativity. This app also provides a safe environment for students who may be afraid to speak out in class.
http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/5-apps-to-promote-student-centered-learning/
4) Mobl21
With Mobl21 you can create topical study guides, flash cards and quizzes which can be accessed by students in your classroom. Learners receive an email notification providing them with the information to the access points and using the username and password set-up by the admin they can access the content. This would be a great tool to make studying more interesting and focused for students; however, I would limit what I would put on the app as a teacher and encourage students to make their own study guides using this app instead. If I were to create all the content for this app, I would be doing all the study work for the students which is problematic.
http://www.slideshare.net/bjschone/20-mlearning-tools-in-60-minutes-mlearncon-2010
http://www.slideshare.net/bjschone/20-mlearning-tools-in-60-minutes-mlearncon-2010
5) Polleverywhere
Is an online polling system that can be used in classrooms to gauge student understanding, interest, and thoughts in real time during lessons. Polls can be simple voting systems or they can be more complex and ask students to write down their thoughts. The polls can be left anonymous or can be made public to the rest of the students. I would use this in my classroom as a fun tool to continually rate student interest or understanding in the current topic so I know whether to spend more or less time on the content or whether I need to deliver it in a more engaging manner. It is a very useful tool to receive instant feedback and to keep students engaged.
http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/5-apps-to-promote-student-centered-learning/
http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/5-apps-to-promote-student-centered-learning/
Why mobile learning?