Mobile apps: The secret ingredient for improving pupil outcomes?

Government research has shown “the more intensely parents are involved in their children’s education, the more advantageous the effect on pupil achievement”.[1] What’s more, “schools which successfully engage parents make use of a broad understanding of parental engagement, and their parental engagement strategies accord with the interpretations and values of the parents they are aimed at”.[2] In other words, schools who successfully engage parents/carers, do so with parents/carers in mind, reaching them in a way that works for them.[3]

Are you ‘appy’ with your school’s communication system?

Image credit: radixsolution.com

With smartphone ownership at record levels and school budgets getting tighter, more schools than ever are looking at mobile apps as an alternative to often expensive and outdated text-based communication systems.

Tablets in your classroom

iPads and tablets are increasingly being used as a bankable classroom resource to complement traditional modes of learning.

Studies have found that tablets help to foster creativity, encourage collaborative learning and promote equal learning opportunities for pupils in classrooms. However, educators also struggle with use of these devices. They are constrained by finances and lack the knowledge and awareness of how it can be used to teach.

A new initiative by Carphone Warehouse, Tablets for Schools  aims to ensure all 11-year olds have access to tablets by the end of 2013. Schools across the UK could see tablets being used in everyday teaching and learning.

Tablets for Schools was started earlier this year by the  corporate social responsibility wing of the mobile phone and e-tablets supplier. Brands like Acer, Sony, Samsung and Microsoft have partnered with the retailer to provide these tablets.

According to their website, they promise to take schools through the process of purchasing and implementing tablet use in schools. This includes choosing and buying a tablet, resources on tablet accessories and teaching practice, technical support and online safety for children.

While you’re at it, why not check out the Technology section on TheSchoolBus site? We have helpful topics on Software Licensing, Technology Procurement and more.

Buffering knowledge

My high school classroom experience featured pens, chalkboards (sometimes whiteboards in our more innovative classrooms) and textbooks. These often outdated and always crudely annotated textbooks offered a wealth of information, if you could secure one complete with a full selection of pages.

We made do, the books did what they were required to do and I secured a good education. As a bonus I gained high endurance levels and good calf development due to carrying a bag loaded with dense textbooks around for five years of my adolescence.

The idea of lessons based on media and the use of devices such as tablets was ludicrous. Tablets were for stomach upsets and videos were for the day before summer holidays – mainly Sister Act 2 or West Side Story.

An insightful video has caught the attention of TheSchoolBus editors this week featuring a former hedge fund analyst named Salman Khan. Speaking on the ever-interesting platform TED Talks, Salman explains how he moved away from managing vast amounts of money to investing heavily in the education of students across America.

Salman’s innovative not-for-profit website, the Khan Academy, features informative videos created to aid teachers and students by explaining complex concepts to pupils at their own pace. The privacy of a pupil’s bedroom allows them to be less fearful of asking questions and re-watching videos. The chance of looking ‘dumb’ is eliminated and so students can watch videos as many times as they need to before they ‘get it’.

Questions are provided to gauge understanding and students will move on to the next concept only when ready. Answering ten questions correctly on the current topic shows the pupil is ready to learn more advanced concepts. A framework based on increasing difficulty ensures that students learn in the correct order and gain a ‘whole understanding’.

Salman discusses ‘Swiss cheese’ sized holes that remain in pupils’ understanding at the end of classroom lessons. These holes can often be left unfilled and as they accumulate vast gaps are left in the pupil’s overall knowledge of the subject. These gaps, if not addressed, are then built upon as the pupil progresses further into the curriculum unprepared for the advanced topics they will face:

“You get an 80% in riding a bicycle …. next semester? Unicycles!” -Salman Khan

He calls for teachers to look at the use of videos to allow pupils to learn at home. Classroom time can include time for what was traditionally ‘homework’, with the teacher available to help and answer all queries. The Khan Academy website also tracks the videos pupils use and shows their activity on the site.Teachers can use the statistics to find ‘sticking points’ for pupils and tackle them head on.

This kind of targeted learning on an individual basis offers teachers a chance to fill the ‘Swiss cheese’ gaps in every pupils’ understanding. It is far from perfect. It does not cover all subjects and, unfortunately for us here in the UK, is USA centric. However, fractions are fractions and World War One is World War One.

The use of videos is something every teacher has to decide for themselves. The ease of which concepts can be conveyed seems to be an incredible asset for teachers and some may even be inspired to make their own. Your pupils may find the videos insightful and entertaining, and I have no doubt they can enhance, if not form the basis of, any child’s education. However, despite the apparent advantages it is important for educators to bear in mind, moving from textbooks to mac books does run the risk of leaving children with weaker legs and poor endurance levels.