Technology has spread from being popular in the home and workplace to the classroom. Educators and students are finding new applications and websites to feed their hunger to learn.
Quizlet, Kahn Academy and 3D Brain are a few of the popular and free apps available to students and educators.
Quizlet is an online learning tool that was recently converted into an app. Quizlet offers online vocabulary flashcards that a student can design to meet his or her needs. “Quizlet is versatile and can be used for many different subjects,” sophomore Mitch Albers said.
Kahn Academy, an educational database, is another useful app for students and educators. “It says the curriculum in a different way,” senior Nic Petschen said. “I then can go home and watch it as many times as I need.”
Students can search for a subject and watch videos based on the lesson they need assistance with.
Kahn Academy’s videos are written by a team of people that specialize in the given field. “They strive to cover every subject in a variety of ways,” Petschen said.
For world language help, Leo is a great option. Leo is a language translator app that does more than translate. “Along with the translated word it gives you grammatical help of how to use the word in a sentence,” senior Carson Miller said.
Teachers are even incorporating apps in their teaching to help students succeed. AP Psychology teacher, Andy Gagnon uses the 3D Brain app for his psychology students. “It can enhance a lecture,” Gagnon said.
The 3D Brain app shows a virtual brain. Users click on a part of the brain and it displays a name, definition, list of functions and several other helpful facts.
The app, Poll Everywhere, allows teachers to receive immediate feedback from their students. Students text their answer to a question on the board and their text will appear on the screen.
On Interactive sites, professors, teachers and scholars in each designated field made a huge database of educational games. The app offers numerous games for all levels and ages.
A website that will allow for a more refined and case specific app search is educationalappstore.com. This website allows users to add filters, such as age, grade, and price to an app search.
As the use of electronics becomes more accessible in the classroom, many students without a smart phone or tablet can feel left behind. However, Quizlet, Kahn Academy and Leo are also online websites. This allows for students without a smart phone or tablet to also further their educational success.
Apps in the classroom, “allows for visual and kinesthetic learning as well,” Petschen said. Technology incorporated in the classroom allows for enriched lessons and learning.
