There’s an
 app for that

Over 25 million people in the UK now own a smartphone or tablet. As the usage of smartphones and apps increases dramatically, the prospect of the changes that the technology can make in a variety of industries is immense. Moreover, two out of three families with children own a tablet, and mobile devices are increasingly used to consume media. One in seven children aged 5-15 owned a Tablet in 2012, which is a threefold increase from 2011, and requests for children’s programming digital channels has increased by 65 per cent over the same period.

Children are so comfortable with technology that they prefer reading on screens rather than on paper. What adult do you know with that preference?

Immense opportunities
We have seen how the internet has revolutionised commerce and banking and now, the internet is making its way to revolutionising education. With personal mobile devices students are potentially able to access and read whatever material they wish. The opportunity for content that is educational is immense.
    
In a recent Guardian article, Mike Britland, head of ICT at a comprehensive school in Bournemouth, said technology was allowing students to be more independent in the classroom, and considered that making
use of
technology that “gives students the freedom to discover solutions to problems both independently and collaboratively is a force for good.”

Chief Executive of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, David Hansen, told his members last week that he believes that within ten years all exams will be taken online. Hansen stated that “[in 10 years’ time] maths, English and science will still be core subjects but technology will have been completely embraced and will be used extensively by a generation of teachers who grew up with it.”

Effects on Pedagogy and Learning
Technology in the classroom can help students to actively learn and gives them a thirst for knowledge, helping them to engage with a subject on a deeper level. Recent studies have also shown that digital devices in the classroom help students save time and are making them more likely to do their homework.

However, technology is also transforming teaching. As the content in the educational apps or general digital educational content improves, the emphasis will be on improving pedagogy. It will mean that we shall begin to look at ways to improve how pupils take in information. Digital content help with committing information to memory as well as in creating opportunities for learning that ‘connects the dots’. By introducing educational apps into lessons, teachers are moving from ‘teaching’ to ‘facilitating learning’ – helping students find ways to learn by focusing on enhancing the process of critical thinking rather than solely looking at whether an answer is right or wrong.  

Justin Smith, founder and CEO of EducationalAppStore.com believes teachers should embrace technology in the classroom: “It’s super important that teachers research the educational apps they’re going to use before bringing them into the classroom. At the moment, it’s very difficult. It’s all about quantity. There are a lot of apps out there in the marketplace but the quality of apps is beginning to suffer. When the Gutenberg printing press was introduced at first, it was deemed a great success, giving the masses access to cheap books but when people started to look closer they soon realised corners were being cut. The same thing is now happening with apps.”

Finding the right app
So, how can teachers find the apps that will be best suited to their lessons?
    
At present, the main stores such as Google and Apple have their apps in a separate ‘Education’ topic. The way to find apps is by popularity. Therefore, the discovery of educational content depends on the marketing budget of the educational app developer. There are a number of specialist stores working as review sites in order to showcase educational apps. The Educational App Store, has created the EAS Certification in order measure the apps against curriculum, pedagogical criteria and learning outcomes. The aim is for teachers to quickly find the apps that they need in order to continue to do what they do best, to teach and inspire. The apps provide the challenging questions and learning experience and the teacher acts as the guide so that pupils reflect and critically assess their learning.
    
Thankfully, there is an increasing amount of research that is finding the empirical evidence required to support the claims the benefits of mobile learning to the educational community. Moreover, the more schools that communicate their experiences in the uptake of tablets and apps, the best practices there are to disseminate and learn from.
    
The prospect of change to find the best content so that pupils and teachers can improve their learning and teaching experiences is very exciting. It is an opportunity that has never happened before since the formalisation of education.  
 
Due to the technological savviness of children, it is an amazing opportunity to hear their opinion on the way that they learn. Teachers can also critically assess the quality of educational digital content. Teachers who use educational apps know exactly what they’re looking for in terms of how apps link into the curriculum and into lessons and are now beginning to provide feedback to educational app developers. Teachers are looking at apps much more critically and are providing suggestions for even better content. The ideal collaboration would be between developer and teachers. Let’s hope that happens soon!

Further information
If you are a teacher and would like to contribute your feedback on educational apps, please email hello@educationalappstore.com or visit www.educationalappstore.co.uk