Education used to be boring.
Just a couple of decades ago, hard-working teachers had to go above and beyond to engage their students with traditional methods. This task wasn’t easy at all, given the fact they had to engage a couple of dozens or even more students in the classroom.
Thankfully, things have changed. Now, thousands of apps have found their way into the classroom to help educators keep students more engaged. It’s become possible to learn pretty much about anything just with a smartphone or a tablet.
One can say apps have become a must in the modern classroom.
Using mobile apps in education the right way still remains a complex task, though. Learning how to use them smartly and achieve the best possible outcomes is something that many educators are still getting a solid grasp of.
If you’re looking to learn about the benefits of mobile apps in education, keep reading. We’re going to talk about four excellent advantages that apps are bringing to the table.
1. Higher Student Engagement
Students nowadays are faced with constant distractions, but apps can help educators keep them engaged and focused during lessons. Technology is very addictive and engaging by itself, so if one chooses the right app, one could make amazing lessons.
Here’s some proof. In this recent study, a group of international researchers has used a gamified learning app to boost student engagement in the subject and got these great results:
- 12 percent increase in student retention
- A significant positive correlation between performing well on app tasks and receiving higher grades
- 12.23 percent in student engagement.
The students perceived the app as more engaging because it required interactive input from them. Gamification brought the element of competition and rewards to those who performed well, which students saw as motivating and encouraging.
The results like these have contributed to a rise in the development of well-performing gamified learning apps. The Android version of Kahoot!, one of the most popular ones, for example, has been installed more than 10 million times.
2. Easier Explanation of Complex Topics
This is something that any educator can relate to. There’s this really, really complex topic that just can’t be explained so easily with the words. However, the educators are expected to handle every single concept, theory, or everything one finds in a textbook.
Mobile apps are a perfect companion for educators here, and here’s why.
Let’s suppose a teacher needs to explain a very complicated topic in biology. Instead of thinking about how to put their explanation into words, they use an infographic maker app and create a visual explanation!
Not only it makes the process more engaging for the teacher, but it also makes it easier to understand for the children. Since 65 percent of the population are visual learners, chances are that the majority of the class will appreciate an explanation in the form of an infographic.
On top of that, infographics and other visuals are more engaging than a written text while providing much more information.
3. Making Learning Fun
This is one of the most important benefits for students, obviously, and a major promise for educators. The element of interactivity brought by the engaging app content is the most interesting aspect for students regardless of where they study.
Here are some examples:
“If a teacher uses a video communication app to connect with students from another country for a language learning class, this could make the experience much more fun and engaging,” says Rob Lee Yang, an educational writer, and researcher at GrabMyEssay. “Speaking to a person whose native language you’re learning can be a great experience for every student, and even motivate them to learn more.”
Next, if a teacher uses a gamification app that introduces competition and rewards, they can promote cooperation, teamwork, and communication amongst students. They are given a sense of urgency because, in games, they have control over the decisions their teams make. As a result, they do their best to perform better and win.
The educator, who provides continuous real-time feedback and maybe small rewards as the game progresses, plays a major role as a motivator and guides the process like a manager of a mini social media network.
4. Allow Self-Paced Learning
Many students want to tackle the new information at their own pace. If the teacher can’t allow this for some reason, chances are that the outcomes of these students won’t be as good as they can be. On the other hand, if the educator gives students some control over the pace of learning, he or she can help them with developing problem-solving and self-reliance.
5. More Organized Workflow
Mobile apps aren’t only beneficial for students. Educators can get tons of value from them, too. One of the best examples of the benefits of using a mobile app is the opportunity to be more organized about their work. Google Classroom is a great option to include here because it allows teachers to:
- keep “paperwork” in one place
- Assign pre-made homework in one click with the student receiving the notification
- Get detailed feedback on student answers as well as why they made mistakes
- Assigning homework to groups
- Easy access to teaching materials and students works
- Keep classes organized by creating topics
- No lost work because everything is in the digital form.
The full list of Google Classroom benefits and features is certainly impressive, which makes it a worthwhile platform for tech-savvy teachers. In fact, it’s an all-in-one tool for managing and teaching classes, which made it one of the most popular apps in its category with 10 million+ downloads.
More Fun, Engagement, Self-Paced Learning, Organization, and Feedback: What’s Not to Like about Mobile Apps?
Mobile apps have gone a long way from being outlaws to a must-have solution in the classroom. The list of the benefits they provide for both teachers and students is certainly impressive enough and worth giving them a try.
With the number of educational apps increasing every day, we should look forward to seeing even more interesting solutions for students. They have now greatly taken up them as a cool way to learn so mobile app development for the educational industry will remain a hot topic for years to come.
Diana Adjadj used to be a marketing consultant for Specific Appraisals for over 2 years. Now she is sharing her experience and practical tips in her blog. Diana also is a good friend of TrustMyPaper and BestEssayEducation where she gladly shares her notes for writing blog posts and does some editing.
Digital Technology Influenced Modern Education