Ask Nancy: Exploring Tablets and Apps for Education

[author][author_info]Nancy Elwood is the co-founder of PACE, and is the executive director of SHARE, where she leads a staff of education consultants serving throughout Europe and Eurasia. Nancy and her husband Mike live in Budapest, Hungary, and have two adult sons. She enjoys opening her home to guests and playing “Words with Friends.” This year, she and her husband celebrate 30 years of ministry in Europe.[/author_info] [/author]

If you have ventured into the world of education resources for iPad, Android and Windows tablets, you may feel like you did the first time you set foot in a foreign country. It’s new and exciting, yet overwhelming! Most of us would love to take advantage of the wealth of apps and websites but we also realize that finding the gems among the gravel may be a time consuming task. Thankfully, there are tech-wise educators doing a good bit of the sorting for us so that we can find specific resources more readily.

One question you might be asking is which tablet to recommend for educational purposes: Apple, Android or Windows. The October 2013 edition of eschoolnews.com (www.eschoolnews.com/current-issue) offers an article suggesting reasons that Apple has dominated the education market and why newer Android tablets are now competing for their share. Some Android developers are even offering preloaded education tablets. For example, these tablets specifically target young learners: VTech
InnoTab 2S, LeapPad2, Kurio 7, Nabi , and Amplify.

Once you have chosen a tablet, it’s good to think through what categories of apps you will need even before you start to look. Will you use them for yourself for professional development? Do you need tools to help you get organized or to keep track of data? Will you be evaluating and recommending apps to parents as a tool for helping a child with academic practice in a certain subject or as a resource for a particular topic? Will you suggest apps as a means to support a struggling student?

All of these needs can be addressed through a myriad of apps and websites which have been developed in recent years. Fortunately, there are accompanying reviews and critiques to help us discern which are worth the investment of money and/or time. Here are a few to get you started:

• For Apple Users, go to iTunes Store>app store>education. Also check out teachwithyouripad.wikispaces.com

• For Android Users: http://android4schools.com

• Lists of “best apps” for Apple and Android:

• www.eschoolnews.com/2013/04/26/new-10-of-the-best-apple-and-android-apps-for-education-in-2013
• www.onlineclasses.org/resources/40-amazingly-educational-ipad-apps-for-kids
• K – 12 Tech Tools: http://edutechdatabase.wikispaces.com
• www.edutecher.net/links.php and check “apps”
• www.appstoreapps.com/top-50-free-education-apps

• A library of tech resources from the Tennessee Board of Regents: www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=58780

• Use of Technology for Children: www.edudemic.com/technology-for-children (good article with graphics and statistics to share with parents) and www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/touch_and_grow

• Newsletters to regularly peruse for tech and general education resources: www.commonsensemedia.org, www.eschoolnews.com and www.greatschools.org

What are your tablet recommendations – iPad or Android? What’s the most effective educational use of a tablet you’ve seen?

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