ThingLink. Calaméo - Publiez et partagez vos documents. Slice Fractions - Un jeu de math. Tableau periodique des elements - Mendeleiev - Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie. ColAR Mix Trailer. Geteach.com. Visuwords™ online graphical dictionary and thesaurus. Zygote Body. Ways to Evaluate Educational Apps. I am conducting a series of workshops in Florida and was asked to share a rubric to help teachers evaluate educational apps as part of the workshop.
In 2010 Harry Walker developed a rubric, and I used his rubric (with some modifications by Kathy Schrock) as the basis for mine. (Read Harry Walker's paper Evaluating the Effectiveness of Apps for Mobile Devices.) I kept in mind that some apps are used to practice a discrete skill or present information just one time. Others are creative apps that a learner may use again and again, so it's a challenge to craft a rubric that can be used for a wide span of purposes. I tried to make my rubric work for the broadest range of apps, from drill and practice to creative endeavors, while stressing the purpose for using the app. My rubric also emphasizes the ability to customize content or settings and how the app encourages the use of higher order thinking skills. Here's what I chose to spotlight in my rubric: Relevance Customization Feedback Engagement.
iTunes U. Use Game-Based Learning to Teach Civics. Game-Based Learning (GBL) is another great pedagogical model for engaging students, and the term is more expansive and complex than you might think. It can range from pencil and paper games to massive online games like World of Warcraft to everything in between. Overall, it's about balancing gameplay with the learning of important content. The focus is on retaining the information learned, and applying it. This application can take place within the game itself or outside of it. So how can we use this model for civics education?
Luckily there are already resources out there to use as tools, or you can also create your own GBL games for teaching important civics content. First, you need to start with the standards -- if you don't know your learning objectives, it will be impossible for you to create or use a targeted GBL game. There are no defined learning outcomes. On the contrary, every game has a specific objective designed for the gameplay. Level One: Use iCivics to Teach the Content. The 40 Best iPad Apps for Young Learners. iBooks Author.