by Viviana Woodbury,
What with the almost universal proliferation of smartphones among students, even at the elementary school level, it would seem like a no-brainer for an educator to utilize mobile apps as effective and readily-accepted learning tools. And if an educator can’t find an app that does exactly what he or she wants, the logical next step is to develop and publish their own. Besides, what else do they have to do with all the free time with which all educators are blessed?
There is one comment that my professor in Teacher’s College made over 20 years ago which I will always remember. “You need to truly understand your students, where they are coming from and what interests them if you want to have any hope of reaching them.” I believe that statement to be true in many ways. If we truly want to excite and engage our students in learning, then we need to consider their interests, prior experiences and what ultimately motivates them. While the answers to these questions will vary from child to child, there is one area of interest which is virtually unanimous…technology and the use of social media. In fact, according to a relatively new 2013 survey from Pew Internet and American Life Project, together with Harvard’s Berkman Center, 95% of teen students use the Internet and 81% of them utilize social media sites. (1) This is a number which continues to grow daily. With these facts in mind, those in the education field should harness this unique force in order to benefit their students, schools and districts in general.