Get Educated on Education Apps

September 19, 2014

How many education apps are there in the Google Play store?

a) 20K b) 30K c) 50K d) 70K

a b c

d) All of the above

For example …

45%

On the flipside

With so many apps and sites, it’s hard to quickly separate the wheat from the chaff.

And so few lesson plans that integrate technology.

Persona 1: Tech-forward classroom teacher

Identifiers • Pioneer • ELA • 6th grade

Desires • Cutting-edge products • Connections to standards • Ideas for practice

Persona 2: Instructional technology coach

Identifiers • Go-to • Cross-domain • PD leader

Desires • Breadth • Lesson plans • Integration models

Persona 3: District instructional tech leader

Identifiers • Approver • Outcomes driven • Creates systems

Desires • Best practice • Privacy and efficacy • District reputation

Beatriz A. Houston Independent School District District-level Sr. Manager, IT

Philip C. is looking for …

Subject-specific Content-agnostic

If it’s for ELA, what does it cover?

Reading? • Phonics • Comprehension • Vocabulary

Writing? • Structure • Tone • Fluency

And to what end?

Most important, is it any good?

What does good for learning mean?

Engaging • Is it engrossing? • Is it high-quality (graphics, no bugs)? • Would students want to play again?

What does good for learning mean?

It builds conceptual understanding.

What does good for learning mean? It encourages critical thinking.

Does it build conceptual understanding?

What does good for learning mean?

It’s relevant to students’ lives.

What does good for learning mean?

It challenges them.

What does good for learning mean?

Learning is integral, not an add-on.

What does good for learning mean?

Has supports • Supports for different learners • Tutorials and hints if students get stuck • Resources for teachers

Quiz apps can be OK, too.

School and district-level administrators

Privacy Efficacy

Outcomes

Major opportunity for you

89% of teachers believe edtech can improve student outcomes

But only 18% of teachers use edtech

at least once per week

54% of teachers spend an hour or more per

week researching products

72% of teachers find rating and review concept appealing

Meet Common Sense’s Graphite

Graphite has:

Reviews

App Flows tie products to practice

Missing pieces

People • Middle school • High school • ELL/ESL

Subjects • Writing • Social studies • World languages • Biology, chemistry

Tips for making your beta product

better

1. Think like a teacher.

2. Make products that stress experiential, constructivist learning.

3. Respond to students with constructive feedback, advice, and helpful hints.

4. Provide teachers clear, actionable data on student performance.

5. Support a diverse range of learners.

6. Cover the right amount of learning content – without sacrificing depth.

7. Encourage kids' collaborative and collective learning.

8. Balance kids' privacy/safety with teachers' need for relevant assessment data.

9. Meet different kids right at their level.

10. Represent diversity -- gender, race, and culture -- without bias or stereotype.

11. Deliver a kid-friendly experience that promotes distraction-free learning.

12. Innovate and go deep to make your product essential.

Pitch us Erin Wilkey Oh, Apps ewilkeyoh@commonsense.org Jeff Knutson, Websites jknutson@commonsense.org Tanner Higgin, Games thiggin@commonsense.org Shira Lee Katz, Editorial broadly slkatz@commonsense.org

Questions