Various mobile learning applications significantly benefit both students and educators by enhancing communication, collaboration, and organization. Social media apps like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook facilitate easy connections among users, including educators and students, enabling the sharing of ideas, photos, and discussions.
Useful for teaching lower-level middle and high school students algebraic concepts, this app contains a copious number of puzzles and challenges that can only be solved by utilizing algebra. Concepts taught include simple reasoning, systems of equations, and order of operations. (http://dragonbox.com/products/algebra-12)
The BioDigital Human
This app allows students and educators to analyze the human body and all of its systems via realistic 3D models. Organs, systems, and bone structures can be clicked on to give in-depth information and the model is fully movable. (www.biodigital.com)
Google Apps
Google Hangouts
Similar to Skype, Hangouts is a video communication application that lets users make video "phone calls" to each other. Perfect for communicating with students or colleagues far a part. In some circles, it is replacing traditional conference calls. (www.google.com/hangouts)
Google Forms/Docs
Forms can work either in conjunction with or separate of the Classroom app. Forms allows educators to make quizzes, tests, worksheets, surveys, and pretty much anything else in regards to classroom assignments. One's imagination is the only limit. (www.google.com/forms)
Google Classroom
Classroom is fast becoming the premier application for educators to create organized classroom pages. Many teachers are utilizing this app in a big way for each of their preps. (www.google.com/classroom)
Google Drive
Drive allows any important documents to be save to the cloud. Gone are the days of lugging a flash drive around; Drive makes organization easy. Students and teachers alike can find great use of this.(www.google.com/drive)
Gmail
Gmail is an excellent e-mail application that can be programed onto any smartphone or tablet. The most intuitive mobile e-mail app on the market. (www.google.come/mail)
Audio Apps
Spotify
Spotify is a miracle app; it gives users a massive library of licensed music to play. Educational uses of this are niche, but possible; for example, a retired Columbia ELA educator would use this app to play music that connected to various eras of literature. Music appreciation teachers can also get a lot of mileage out of Spotify. (www.spotify.com)
Audacity Portable
Audacity is one of the best free audio recording applications on computers and often used by YouTube content creators to edit their audio. Portable allows you to use Audacity from a mobile device and is immensely useful for content creators of any skill level. (http://portableapps.com/apps/music_video/audacity_portable)
Video Apps
TechSmith Fuse
Similar to Camtasia, Fuse allows users to capture pictures and video from mobile devices and transfer them to video editing software on PCs or Macs. Useful when creating video content for YouTube via a mobile device. (www.techsmith.com/fuse.html)
YouTube
YouTube is the greatest of all video content applications. You can create, upload, or view millions of videos relating to literally any topic in existence. YouTube is tied to your Google account and video sharing and viewing are both very easy from a mobile device. (www.youtube.com)
Social Media Apps
Instagram
A photo sharing app, Instragram is a free and easy way to share pictures and learning photo editing. (www.instagram.com)
Facebook
Facebook allows you to connect with people you know, as wells as form private groups to discuss and/or work with a specific topic. Must be used with care, but can be very useful for communciation if your district allows it. (www.facebook.com)
Twitter
Twitter is one of the premier social networking applications. Students and educators can connect easily with each other or millions of like-minded individuals, including celebrities. (www.twitter.com)
