apps
Don’t Forget the Fun Factor in Educational Games
Too often, educational games are neither fun nor educational, and there are plenty of educational games that fail on both those counts. Without an exhaustive study of games and game designers, it’s hard to pinpoint why. Do those making educational games have little experience in game design? Or do those making educational games have little [...]
Music for the Masses: Apps and Sites for Learning to Play Tunes
Flickr:NZGabriel By Audrey Watters In his remarks at TEDxNYED a couple of weeks ago, education activitist Will Richardson shared an anecdote about coming home one day to the sound of “Don’t Stop Believin’” on the piano. It was his daughter, a novice pianist, who’d placed Will’s laptop next to her and taught herself the song [...]
Defining the Differences in Screen Time
Context is as important as content. Time, place and purpose matter. Pushing forward our discussion about the value of games and apps, David Kleeman wrote in response to the article: “Every screen has benefits and cautions, quality content and junk.” In this essay on the Huffington Post, Kleeman, who’s the president of the American Center [...]
Screen Time For Kids: Is it Learning or a Brain Drain?
When it comes to video games and apps, what’s a parent to do? On one hand, we’re bombarded with messages about the perils of letting kids play with computer games and gadgets. On the other, we’re seduced by games and apps marketed to us as “educational.” It’s a tricky line to navigate. The spectrum of [...]
Four Fantastic Citizen Scientist Apps and Sites
Project NOAH By Audrey Watters Citizen science expands scientific inquiry and research from academics, researchers, and clinicians to include volunteers “outside the lab,” if you will, many of whom do not have formal scientific training. Volunteers — individuals and large networks of people — aid scientific projects through observations, calculations, and other support efforts. Here’s [...]
Finding Value in Mobile Learning Apps
The mobile app world is changing constantly, as are learning theories around them. For more context on the Cooney Center’s study “Is There an App for That?” here’s my Q&A with Dr. Michael Levine, executive director of the Center, Dr. Cynthia Chiong, the report’s lead author, and co-author Carly Shuler. How does this report change [...]
The Future of Mobile Learning Apps
The mobile app world is changing constantly, as are learning theories around them. For more context on the Cooney Center’s study “Is There an App for That?” here’s my Q&A with Dr. Michael Levine, executive director of the Center, Dr. Cynthia Chiong, the report’s lead author, and co-author Carly Shuler. How does this report change [...]
7 Important Traits of a Great Mobile Learning App
Parents shouldn’t feel guilty about letting their kids play games on their mobile phones — especially if they’re educational ones. That’s one of the main conclusions in the recent study released by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, “Learning, Is There an App for That?” The report uses information from three quantitative and observational studies conducted [...]
Classic Children’s Stories Come Alive on the iPad
Mashable finds a way to relive our favorite childhood stories with “5 Classic Children’s Tales Reinvented for the iPad.” We’ve already mentioned “Alice for the iPad,” but Mashable also tips its hat at “Popout! The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” “The Frog Prince,”Aesop’s Wheel,” and “Jack and the Beanstalk.” Check out the interactive features: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4kqYvUwxfo&feature=player_embedded#!
5 Apps That Could Help to Stop Cyberbullying
By Sara Bernard Okay, no app is really going to “stop” cyberbullying, but a few are trying. Perhaps the most lauded recently is the “Find Help” application on Facebook. Often blamed as an easy venue for cyberbullies to target victims, Facebook has partnered with the monitoring site SafetyWeb to create an app that allows users [...]
Follow MindShift