In the world of technology, there are many devices that are competing for mass adoption into classrooms. Tablets, notebooks, netbooks, iPod Touch, and smartphones are all competing for attention in the education market. Each of these devices has some limitations and advantages. I will briefly talk about each type of device before diving more in-depth into some smartphone apps.
Tablet computers are touch devices that would be greatly suited for mass viewing of materials. If an entire classroom had these devices, it would be very easy to explore webpages or books together. However, these devices are not made to create material. Therefore, they are somewhat limited in their application in the classroom. Netbooks are nearly fully featured notebooks that are smaller, easier to transport, and have longer battery life than full sized notebooks. Acer and Asus are 2 manufacturers of these devices. They are relatively inexpensive and are packed with functions. You can install any application that would be applicable for Word Processing, presenting, or web exploration. The one drawback to these devices is the lack of a CD-ROM. But, they are extremely useful and relevant in education. The iPod Touch is a small touch sensitive device that is similar to an iPhone. There are literally thousands of applications available to the iPod touch users through the iTunes app store. The main educational uses of iPod Touch would be individual web searching, research, and listening to podcasts. That takes us to the world of smartphones.
It seems that everywhere you turn today, you see someone with their eyes glued to the screen of their smartphone, either checking out the latest text message from their friend, surfing the latest status updates, or downloading the latest application or game that will keep their attention during times of boredom. What many people do not realize, is that there are many applications available that are useful from an educational standpoint.
There are literally thousands of apps out there that are great for helping young children... flash card apps, state memorization apps, capitols, geography, history, but there are not a lot of applications out there to help high school students. As a teacher of a vocational area, agriculture, I searched for a long time for applications that would be useful in my particular area. There are a few that I have been using, and a few that I downloaded just for the purpose of researching what is available. I will share with you some of the more interesting applications that I found in regards to my particular teaching area.
The first app I will discuss is an Android app called "Distance and Area Measurement." Quite a self explanatory name. This application is very useful for determining the size of a pasture, cropland, pond, or any other area for the purpose of determining grazing area, crop yields, fertilizer application rates, or perhaps even a fish stocking rate. My students have projects that utilize this type of information, so this app will instantly add a level of reliability to those measurements.
Real Calc Scientific Calculator is a free application for Android that turns your smart phone into a true scientific calculator. The most interesting feature of this app is the fact that it will do unit conversions directly in the calculator. This allows you to go from pounds to tons, square meters to acres, or liters to gallons in a few swipes of your finger. This is a tremendously useful app for smartphone users. It can be used in any classroom, not just mathematics.
Another application that I downloaded on my HTC Inspire is called "Bubble". It is an app that uses sensors inside the phone to determine if an object is level. This is a very accurate and useful tool for my students in our welding shop. When I had my iPhone, we utilized a similar app to help in leveling the frame rails on a trailer in conjunction with a traditional bubble level. It is just another amazing free app that makes smartphones more and more useful in everyday life.
Document Scanner is a useful application for anytime in your life that you have seen something on paper and needed a copy machine OR a scanner. This app lets you take a picture of a document, it transfers the picture into a PDF file which you can combine into a multiple page document. You can then email or share that PDF document and bring that information with you. Who would have thought that we could scan dosuments with our cell phones! There is a free 7 day trial version of this app, but the full version of this application costs $3.98.
On a personal note (because I am a personal type of guy), I love golfing. There are several golf apps that are available on the Android Marketplace and iTunes app store. Free Golf Range Finder is an easy to use, free app that gives golfers the distance to the hole on the golf courses that they are playing.
In conclusion, the amount of applications for smartphones is continually expanding. It is easy to find smartphone applications for elementary learning levels, but you have to dig a little deeper to find useful applications for older students.
Jared...thanks for the Free Golf Range Finder app. I will pass it on to one of my kids, he is always looking for a new golf app. He has caught the golf fever. I enjoy playing as well, but I'm not hooked on all of the new hype he has with the game and equipment.
ReplyDeleteJared looks like you found some great apps. The idea that you can have a scientific calculator on your smartphone would have saved me some money in high school an college...those things are expensive. All the document scanner apps seems pretty neat. Did you try it? I wonder how well it works. I might give the free trial and try. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI use the bubble level too! Isn't it so much easier to use than to carry around a three foot aluminum level? I use mine everyday whan leveling out shelves, chairs, and benches.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know that I'm not the only one that does it "old school".
Great detailed explanation and apps you have to share! I have Bubble and have used it. I have crooked eyes. For some odd reason everything I hang/put together is crooked. Bubble helps. Too bad I can't use it on the Christmas tree I put together every year!!
ReplyDelete