EDUCATION APPS
Most children would happily stay glued to the tablet for the day, whiling away the hours on computer games while the real world passes them by. Getting them away from that screen is an ongoing battle, but on the other hand there’s plenty of really outstanding educational apps to help them learn. And educational apps aren’t just for the young; there’s so much adults can learn online.
Finding just the right app among the tens of thousands for iPad, Android and Windows devices, however, can be challenging. Here, we take a look at some of the best education apps for people of all ages across a range of devices, and ask education technology experts: just what makes a good app?
The majority of apps featured here are for iOS and Android devices, although the market for Windows apps is growing.
GENERAL
Educreations
(iPad, free but with in-app purchase options, developed by Educreations Inc)
Popular with both students and teachers. This interactive whiteboard allows teachers to make short instructional videos or presentations for their students. It also allows for much easier communication between teachers and students, and it’s designed so the process itself is enjoyable.
Suitable for:
all ages.
Tiny Hands
(iPad, from €6.99)
A series of different games for toddlers aged one to three, sold in bundles and with a focus on matching, sorting and counting words and numbers. The apps are hugely popular with parents.
Suitable for:
toddlers.
The Khan Academy
Okay, so it’s not an app but, perhaps more than any other technology, the Khan Academy is changing the landscape of global education. It has been around since 2006, providing free mini-lectures via YouTube that cover a range of subjects including science, business and economics, history, art and maths. Fast becoming the daddy of all online education tools.
The Irish off-shoot within Khan Academy, the Mathletes challenge, is an excellent and popular online championship to improve maths skills. Open to schools and individuals, the Leinster final is this weekend, and the national on May 2nd.
[ mathletes.ieOpens in new window ]
Suitable for:
all ages.
Project252
This is a potentially brilliant crowdsourced work-in-progress. Each fortnight in 2015, Project252 focuses on education technology tools, including apps and websites, that begin with a particular letter. By the end of February, the site had listed well over 120 tools, all recommended by people who use educational technology on a regular basis.
Suitable for:
all ages
YOUR FAVOURITE APP: If there's a great educational app you've found that you'd like to share with other readers, please use the comment box below.
