Teach with Your iPhone: Apps to Use in the Classroom

Teach with Your iPhone:  Apps to Use in the Classroom

Photo Credit:  macsd via Flickr

So much has been made about the implications that technology has in the classroom, and much of that buzz seems to readily accept the idea that students have 1:1 access to devices and technology.  Edutopia blogger Monica Burns is a huge advocate for 1:1 devices, but in this post she identifies several iPhone apps that can be used by individual teachers to simply change up their routine and engage students in a different way.

One such app, says Burns, is called Mastery Connect, which keeps the Common Core State Standards at the teacher's fingertips, so that lessons designed can be easily aligned for greater student learning.  Another cool app the author recommends is the Pick a Student app, which takes the guesswork out of calling on students during discussions.  It's often awkward for teachers to work so hard to avoid calling on the same student repeatedly while neglecting others.  This app allows the teacher to enter in a class list, and by pushing a button, a name from the list pops up to be called on next.  Its randomness keeps students on their toes and engaged in the discussion.

For practicing with standardized tests, Burns suggests using a Timer app, such as Sand Timer or Traffic Light, which allow teachers and students to work within the confines of a time limit without the intimidation of a countdown clock.  For readers, the Book Leveler app allows teachers to scan the bar code of a book to determine its reading level, text complexity, and appropriateness for given student.

The Groovy Grade app seems like little more than a calculator, but it allows teachers to input the number of questions on an assessment and, when divided into the number of correct answers, the percentage and grade are provided.  A Word Press app allows teachers to update their blog, add homework assignments, or send messages to students as simply as sending an e-mail.

DocScan HD sounds like a wonderfully useful tool.  It allows the user to simply snap a picture of a meeting agenda or memo or important document, and then it converts it to a PDF file or JPG file.  And My Script Calculator allows the user to write their problems on the phone's screen so that it can convert it into numbers and solve the problem.  Very cool.  

Until every student has a device in his/her hands, true 1:1 technology-based learning will be a challenge.  But with cool apps like those mentioned here by Burns, the engagement of technology can be shared with students and the teaching of individual teachers improved with a single iPhone.  A pretty powerful tool.