Education Apps to Help Inspire Students and Teachers

New technologies are changing the ways that educators teach, the ways that students learn and the ways that teachers and students communicate. The proliferation of tablets and other smart devices, for example, has been matched by the development of myriad apps designed to help inspire and engage both students and teachers in new ways. These are just a few examples of how apps can enhance the teaching and learning experience in STEM and non-STEM subjects:

iPad in the Classroom
 
•Apps for students: Sparking students’ curiosity about math and science is a crucial first step toward improving STEM education. Lest teachers run out of ideas, an array ofapps can provide inspiration. This list of 10 apps to get kids excited about science from Mashable includes Rocket Science 101, a free app that helps kids learn about spacecraft, NASA history and yes, rock science. Also on this list is Muscle System Pro III, an app that originated from the Stanford University School of Medicine and helps students learn about the human muscular system.

•Apps for teachers: Preparing and organizing new lessons can be a hectic process for teachers, but these apps curated by Edudemic can help simplify and streamline both processes. With Evernote, teachers can compile a wealth of articles and helpful notes to keep for future reference. NMSI English Director Michelle Stie-Buckles also uses Evernote to share files with her colleagues, a strategy teachers can use to improve collaboration among their colleagues. Another preparation app is Nearpod, which enables teachers to deliver content such as quizzes and video to student devices in an interactive format.

•Apps to transform students into teachers: Still other apps have taken their cue from the well-known saying “the best way to learn is to teach.” Apps like ExplainEverything allow students to create video tutorials and interactive presentations that they can share with others, giving them the freedom to explain what they’re learning from their own perspective and why it matters to them. SlideIdea is another presentation app that lets students take advantage of an iPad’s camera and microphone to add pictures and audio recordings to presentations.
 

All of these apps can help enrich the learning process. Whether you’re looking to inject creativity into your instruction, spark student interest in STEM or get a handle on note-taking and lesson planning, there’s an app for that!
 
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Did you enjoy this post? Check out these other NMSI articles:

•Competency in Computer Science: A Crucial Element of STEM Education
•More Coursework Alone Doesn’t Boost STEM Achievement
•How Failure, Big Brands and Men Can Help Close the Gender Gap in STEM


 
Image Credit: Sean MacEntee for use under the Creative Commons