Mobile Technology in Education

While researching mobile apps this week, I came across Mastery Connect, a recently announced set of apps copyrighted 2011, which are designed to allow teachers and administrators to collaborate and share formative common assessments.  The apps are available for download on a pc, ipod, or ipad.  The components include Mastery Tracker, Common Assessments, Learning Community, and Progress Reports.  These are fee-based apps which allow users to evaluate and track individual student needs using real data along with providing access to a collection of peer-created common assessments.  Given the focus on measuring student progress through assessment, this set of apps blends technological features to make tracking and evaluating student improvement through assessment easier.  Mastery Connect also has a free Common Core standards android app which allows anyone to locate K-12 common core standards for Math and Language Arts.  


Motutu is a new homework assistance app aimed at students in grades 6 through 12. During the introductory period, the service is free for a limited time.  After the introductory period is up, then a 20 minute help session will cost students $4.99. Additional minutes will run $1.99 each if a session goes over 20 minutes.  The app is currently available iOS platforms but not for android technology.  Students are able to connect with tutors who hold university degrees in related fields for math and science help. The service sends users a session summary which can include screen shots and transcripts of the chat session.  This allows students to refer back to the information at a later time.


Another app I discovered this week is Thoughtboxes which is an organizational tool.  The app allows users to organize their to-do lists by topic or what they refer to as “trains of thought” with color-coding.  Important tasks can be highlighted and checked off when done.  Thought trains can be shared for collaboration.  The app offers a free version with 3 thought trains.  Full access for unlimited trains of thought is available for a fee.  An app such as this could be used for organizing assignment tasks in the classroom or for organizing group projects through collaboration. This would be a way to integrate technology so students’ can visually track what they need to accomplish and help them foster individual responsibility for completing their assigned tasks. 


I have heard a lot of talk about using QR Codes in the classroom.  QR stands for quick response and a QR Code basically functions as a short cut to a website.  QR apps can be downloaded to mobile devices and then when users take a photo of the QR code, the device opens the webpage.  I see these a lot in periodicals.  They are those funny looking squares with the black boxy designs inside. This would be a great application for use in the library.  If QR Codes were placed on books, students could scan them and be directed to websites with reviews and information from or about the author.  I think this will be a type of app we will continue to hear more about.


Mobile technology will have many benefits in the classroom, but it often comes with a hefty price tag which may slow the integration into educational settings.  Many students have access to this technology through their own devices so the question is raised should students who have the technology be allowed to use it in school and how will the technology be provided for students who do not have their own devices. Other issues arise for older buildings that were not constructed for wireless connectivity. Integration of mobile technology will require creativity on many fronts.