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Using Mobile Apps to Enhance Learning
Posted December 5, 2018
By: Jonathan Coons
On this we should all agree: the revolution of smartphone adoption is over and it is no gross generalization to assert that each incoming SIUE student has a one. Given this, as educators, we should be past treating them like a nuisance fad, and we should be working to increase our students' knowledge so that they can properly leverage these ubiquitous tools. However, there is a gap in the ability of our students to be able to apply the actual capabilities of these devices, because, in general, people rarely go beyond everyday apps such as Facebook, Email, YouTube, or Google Search. One way to rectify this is for us to work to deliberately increase our students' mobile literacy by purposefully integrating these devices in the classroom. To that end, at SIUE there are a number of supported apps for smartphones, which also provide a solid point for interested instructors to begin supporting them. Here are introductions to two.
Poll Everywhere App
Poll Everywhere is a live interactive audience participation tool. Instructors can use it to engage with their class in real time, either through embedding polls into presentations or using the system to present polls on the fly during lecture. Students can download and open the app using the University's wireless network, Eduroam, enter the instructor’s chosen username, and instantly begin participating. Poll Everywhere has custom polls and a number of interesting “preset” polls, such as: Clickable Image, Word Cloud, and Competitions, to name a few. The Competitions preset was recently added. This feature is quite interesting because it means that instructors can host their own trivia contests during a lecture. In Competitions, points for correct answers are tracked, so lectures can be turned into games. Friendly completion can be a wonderful and fun motivator for students.
Zoom Cloud Meetings App
I recently consulted with an instructor who was looking for a reasonable method for her students to record themselves for a professional presentation. After meeting with her, I suggested the Zoom Cloud Meetings app. Zoom is a platform for online video and audio conferencing that can also record sessions. IDLT prepared a set of step-by-step recording instructions in the ITS Knowledge Base that the instructor could link her course, further simplifying the process for students who might not have used the app before.
In summary, our students can only benefit from being more knowledgeable about the devices they have invested in. The ITS Instructional Design & Learning Technologies group can help you activate the potential those devices have to promote learning. We would love to help you find engaging ways to utilize the apps mentioned in this article and incorporate them into your classroom, or brainstorm the use of other technologies. Please contact ITS at help@siue.edu or 618-650-5500 to find out more or schedule a consultation with one of the designers today.
