The new academic year just begun, and many of us are already scouring the Internet and its many App Stores in search for the next “It” app we can use in our classrooms. I am in favor of teachers doing this because most educational apps are great sources of information and come loaded with multimedia features that enhance the delivery of your subject.
I always get asked to recommend apps and am hesitant to do it because what might work for one educator might not be the right solution for another. With that in mind, the guys over at AvatarGeneration have developed a pretty awesome infographic to give you a feel for the current state of educational apps on the iTunes walled garden; by their count there are over 121,000 educational apps when you combine both iPhone and iPad apps. This number alone is a justification for pause, and the main reason why I suggest starting out small and taking the time to further research apps for your subject in order to see if it meets your needs.
The one thing we should keep in mind though is not to think of apps as bells and whistles, but resources that could further help with the engagement of our students. If you are thinking about integrating apps into your teaching curriculum start with one or two apps for your subject. This will serve you well during the experimentation process and help you manage the flow of information generated by students using the apps. I would also recommend keeping a list of what worked and what didn’t as this will help you narrow down the search for specific features you might be looking for in future apps. So go ahead have you pick and enjoy the thrill of the hunt for educational apps.
