Tag: smartapps for preschoolers

Posted on by Edsys

With blended learning becoming popular, there has been a huge rise in popularity and production of educational apps in the market. Educational apps tend to give the otherwise boring classrooms a makeover. The students who were once too ignorant to your lectures will turn interested in classes with these interactive and informative educational apps such as the smartapps for preschoolers.

However, to choose the best from the never ending list of educational apps is not an easy task. Majority of the apps may be good at only some aspects. They may lack in some aspects that may affect their popularity with time. Therefore, you must be extremely careful when you choose the apps for your classrooms.

With technology entering classrooms, there have been notable changes in the curriculum and in what is being taught in the classroom. Lessons have been reduced to games and storytelling in order to instil interest in students and to change the atmosphere of a classroom into a lively one.

Here is a list of 7 Splendid Apps that can be really helpful to you, as a teacher and suit the needs of your classroom:

1. Adobe Voice

Adobe Voice is a digital storytelling and presentation app from Adobe. The app enables students to narrate stories using a series of digital images. The images can be shown collectively like a montage and the app has various in-built templates and a library of music and images that the students can utilize to build and narrate their story.

2. iMovie

iMovie is a video tool that can be used in ipads or apple laptops. Students can use iMovie to edit video clippings and create short movies of their own. Students can insert titles, add effects and add soundtracks of their choice. At the end, you can choose a day to showcase their works in the classroom.

3. Pixlr Editor and Pixlr Express

Pixlr Editor and Pixlr Express are online photo editing tools that students can use to manipulate an image creatively. They can crop, add effects and overlay the image which can then be used for project works, assignments etc.

4. Aurasma

Aurasma is a popular augmented reality tool and is available free of cost. With Aurasma, teachers can tag a physical object to a video or 3D scene related to the object and students who checks out the object with a mobile device can see the attachment. For example, students or teachers can create videos about the books they recommend and attach them to the books. This can act as suggestions to other students who are in search of a good book to read.

5. StripDesigner

StripDesigner app encourages students to improve their creative side. The app enables students to create comic strips using images and templates available within the app.  They can also add dialogues to their comic strips and present them in front of fellow students.

6. edWeb.net

This is an app meant for educators. It is a community where educators can discuss about different teaching techniques and tips to improve classroom conditions, online. The site also hosts webinars for teachers occasionally.

7. Too Noisy

You can’t expect a classroom to stay silent for long. The volume gradually increases with you screaming on top of your voice at the end. Too Noisy is a Classroom Management app apt for such instances. Teachers can set a volume limit using the app. Then, the app notifies the teachers and students when the classroom volume goes beyond limits. This helps you to have a control over your class and gradually, you can see your classroom atmosphere turning peaceful.

Give these apps a shot and you will be amazed for sure on having better control over your class. Learning becomes fun and entertaining and you can see your classroom bubbling with enthusiasm for that is all you need to have a better classroom.

Apart from the apps given above, there are many apps available in the market that can also help in the management of a school as a whole like the time table management software, work force management system etc. These software help you to reduce manual efforts while increasing the productivity and save schools of the unwanted expenses. 

Posted on by Edsys

 

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune” -Jim Rohn

As a student, you were never trained to speak up in school nor at home. If you sat silently without daring to give a single opinion on anything, you may be staying the same even today. There might have been a moment when you wished to speak up, but didn’t have the courage to do so. You might have cursed the school you studied in for not grooming you to talk. You might have wished that you got an opportunity to express yourself and for those who did, you hailed them as heroes…the failure of traditional learning…

That is exactly why educators are leaving behind traditional teaching techniques and are adopting technology involved learning. In traditional learning, knowledge is limited to books but technology involved teaching provides greater opportunities for the students to learn and explore. Apart from that, it allows students to connect on a global level and earn deeper knowledge about a certain subject. To support technology involved learning there are many mobile and web applications, such as smartapps for preschoolers, available. The school apps, which are in the form of games or activities instill interest in students and make learning an easy affair. Apart from apps for learning, there are many applications that also ensure safety of students such as ParentApp and also allow effective interaction between teachers and parents.

Must Read:

     10 Cool School Apps for Teachers

The field of education has just begun adopting technology to classrooms and therefore, the students are yet to be acquainted with the changes. As a teacher, it is your responsibility to ensure that students are comfortable in the new classroom environment where Internet is the star.

If you are thinking about ways you can prepare the students for a connected world, here they are:

1. Encourage Students to Speak Up

Every student may differ in terms of character and behaviour. Some may be smart and extra active while others may be shy to even speak a word out. The reserved behaviour won’t help them in future especially while attending an interview. Therefore, it is necessary to motivate the students to speak up. In the Internet connected world, students may find it much easier to speak up since they don’t meet anyone in person but just have to give an opinion. This adds to the confidence of students and hence, the teachers should ensure a positive environment for students to come forward and speak their mind out.

2. Student Blogs

Blogging is being practised in many schools across the globe. It provides students an opportunity to think creatively and write anything related to the currently relevant topics. Blogs are one of the best tools for students to raise their voice and give opinions.  Ask students to update their blogs on a regular basis and share the links to the blogs so that other students can go through the blog posts and comment.

3. Ask for Feedback

Just like you have an opinion on the performance of every student you teach, students too have something to say about your teaching. But, they rarely get a chance to voice their opinions. You can ask your students to give their feedback on your teaching via Internet. This can help you to improvise your teaching skills. It is also a way to show that their opinions do matter.

4. Tell them that you don’t have all the Answers

Usually, teachers are considered to be equal to an encyclopedia. They are expected to know about anything and everything on Earth and are expected to answer every question a student asks.  Prove them wrong this time and encourage your students to explore and find the answers themselves. This gives the students a better understanding of the subjects themselves and to make use of the connected world to the fullest.

Recommended Read:

Top 12 Classroom Management Tips

5. Let them Understand the difference between Progress and Performance

Without putting efforts, nobody can achieve anything. Also, in education, performance of students is evaluated on a regular basis. Hence, it is not sufficient for the students to perform well just once. They should make regular progress in their academic performance in terms of grades and understanding of the subject. Technology involved learning provides a better platform for students to explore every subject in depth and for the regular analysis of their performance.

6. Offer Engaging Topics

In traditional learning, teachers don’t usually discuss about a topic further with students once it is taught from the text book. Be different and starts discussing about topics relevant to the subjects students learn. Let them use all kind of technology and Internet to find out more about the subject and have a better understanding of the same.

7. Digital Story Telling

Give this activity a try. It is the modern version of already existing story telling in schools. Ask students to narrate a story based on a particular theme, a historical event or about life on the other corner of the Earth. This helps students to think more and develop their creativity. They also get to learn about different culture and how they are different.

Posted on by Edsys

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”-Malcolm X

What we learn today is to be put to use tomorrow. But it’s not easy to face the competition in future just using bookish knowledge. Technology had stepped into the field of education long ago. Books have been replaced with gadgets and lessons with apps such as smartapps for preschoolers that are in the form of games or activities to instil interest in students.

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think”-Margaret Mead

Unlike traditional learning which provides limited knowledge to students that is just confined to the textbooks, technology involved learning provides a much wider platform for them to explore every subject in depth. With the blending of technology with education, students are given the opportunity to make independent choices, to think and to face challenges.

Changing trends…

Technology evolves with time and schools are supposed to be updated about the changes made and introduce students to the same.

The current trends in technology involved learning are:

SMS/texting in classroom

About a decade ago, schools had prohibited students from bringing mobile phones or any other gadgets of the sort. But now, schools use text messaging as a tool to connect with students as a part of e-learning. It involves SMS quizzes, surveys and texting of questions to students before teaching a chapter in class. Text messaging can also used to remind students to bring a study material or to do homework and to connect with a generally shy student.

Use of apps for parent-teacher communication

Before, parent-teacher communication meant the parent-teacher meetings that were held post examinations in schools. Many parents tend to miss the meeting due to their work or other reasons. For such parents, the apps for parent-teacher communication, such as the ParentApp are a blessing. ParentApp provides the opportunity to parents and teachers to interact with each other whenever they have time. Also, parents are provided with reports regarding their child’s performance in school and the latest happenings in the child’s school.

Social media in classroom

You usually use a social media network to connect with your friends and family. But some schools have come up with the idea of using social media platforms such as twitter to connect with students and to hold discussions about a particular topic.

Free online courses

You want to learn two courses or more at the same time? If it was before, you had to wait for one course to be completed before you start another. But online courses have made it easier for you to learn whatever you want. The classes will be held in the form of webinars and study material will be in the form of e-books.

3D printing

Visual learning is always more effective than theory. Students tend to learn faster and understand a subject completely using 3D printing. All you have to do is print 3d models of all complex structures and use them to teach students.

The future trends in technology involved learning will be:

Digital textbooks

The field of education is all set to undergo a tremendous change by going paperless. Students won’t be carrying around textbook but a tablet or a gadget of the sort with digitalized versions of textbooks stored in them. This move can help the schools save huge amounts of money.

Time management tools and communication software

In future, students may not have to attend school on a regular basis. They will be able to sit at home and connect with teachers via communication software to attend classes. There are various time management tools available in the market so that educators can ensure that students are completing their assigned tasks on time.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

At present, Employees in many offices rely on their own devices such as laptops, tablets etc. to work rather than using company owned systems. He “Bring Your Own device” practice has shown to increase productivity among employees and saved the companies lots of money in terms of products and computers. This trend is soon going to hit educational institutions as well.

Cloud-based apps

Cloud computing is getting popular these days and very soon, you will see it entering the world of educations. Many cloud based tools are going to be used where sharing of information will get easier.

Open textbooks

Open textbooks are gaining popularity in schools around the globe. They are digitalized textbooks in print, e-book or audio format that can be downloaded, improvised and shared by students, teachers and parents.

The trends in educational field are quick and happening. Hopefully, the upcoming trends will change the face of education sector by providing wider platforms for students by letting them think deeper about subjects and preparing to face various challenges.