#appevaluation

Before a teacher actually uses an app or a web tool, they must first evaluate how it can be used in the classroom.  Teachers can use rubrics or checklists to review the app based on certain criteria.  I’ve analyzed many apps and web tools to use in my classroom and some of the aspects I found to be important are cost, ease of use, lack of ads (or at least ones that are acceptable), how content can be exported from the app or saved via the cloud, and promotes higher order thinking and creativity.  I found that a checklist was more applicable for evaluating the apps.

Evaluation Guide:

Critical Evaluation of a Content-Based iPad/iPod App

Created by Kathleen Schrock

             When evaluating an app for your classroom, you need to know one thing: Is it helpful for my students? Unfortunately, it is not as easy as a “yes” or “no.”  Our students are complex, range in educational levels, and require numerous adaptations.  Therefore, choosing an app that is perfect for your room requires several check points. I found that Kathleen Schrock’s evaluation tool was an efficient way to think through the students in your classroom.

Valuable Content Check-Points

           As much as we love a fun and creative app, we also need to make sure it meets the standards set by Common Core and our school’s curriculum.  Being able to check that the skills we are using is being reinforced will definitely benefit our students as well as support what we are already teaching in the classroom. Also, an app or tool that provides feedback and/or reports is also beneficial to tracking student progress or deficits.  If an app or tool does not provide this feedback, whether to the student or to the teacher, there is no real understanding if the student is gaining any valuable instruction or learning. If a teacher is unaware of a student’s progress, it makes it challenging to determine where students are struggling and that time could be better spent doing another activity.

           As I stated earlier, students in a single classroom could be in numerous levels in their education. Therefore, differentiation is almost required in a regular education classroom.  In my classroom, reading, writing, grammar, and math are all differentiated within guided group instruction.  Having an app or tool to support that differentiation would be beneficial to prevent students from getting frustrated or bored on an inappropriate level.  

           Apps or tools that are user-friendly and having instructions available to students not only allows for students to progress through the app/tool at their speed, but also allows for the teacher to continue working with other students.  If students are unsure of the requirements to fulfill their task, they may guess their assignment, complete it incorrectly, and show an untrue deficit.  Paired with this ease-of-use also includes navigation abilities: does the app/tool work consistently and effectively throughout a lesson or game?  Teachers who assign such apps or tools typically do so when they are supporting a skill or concept they have already taught.   Therefore, to have the time to work with others students while an app is supporting instruction with easy-to-use and easy-to-follow instruction, allows uninterrupted instruction for all students.  Having instructions that are simple to follow is important, but having multiple versions of instructions can help students, especially on a lower reading level or grade level.  If students have the choice to watch a video, listen to instructions, or read you are able to meet all learning styles and meet the needs of students with possible reading deficiencies.  

Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy          

Finally, the section at the bottom of the evaluation tool gives educators a choice to evaluate the tool based on its taxonomy level.  It is a valid point to check which level each app addresses that you are using with your students so you know which students can use which app.   Preventing frustration and below proficient work outcomes can be done easily by determining which level your app/tool sits.  Also, as students move through the levels with your instruction they can move through apps/tools to prevent boredom and redundancy in their practice.  

Overall, I think this evaluative tool would be effective when searching for an app/tool for my classroom.  I appreciate the prompts to check all of the points listed above, as we often get lost in the ease and availability of apps that we might overlook major components. Using this tool when presenting an option for addition or expense of an app to a PTO or administrative body would also be effective.  

Resources:

I chose to focus on evaluation of content apps.  Right now at my school, most of the teachers, with the exception of the 5th grade team, are interested in using their iPads for content apps.  This is a quick and easy way for them to integrate technology and feel like their kids are still doing something productive and educational.  Don’t worry, as the instructional technology facilitator, I am slowly working on getting them comfortable with incorporating digital activities that focus more on 21st century skills or as our district is emphasizing, the 4 C’s, collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking.  These are more of the skills, I feel, that the creation apps tend to require.

After reviewing the various checklists and rubrics, I decided to take the rubric modified by Tony Vincent and add a couple categories that I felt were important to create my own rubric.

I added in a row to evaluate the authenticity of the app.  However I didn’t want to just consider whether authentic learning opportunities were available but also whether the app felt like you were learning through a game or app or if it was just learning with a theme slapped on top.  This probably comes from my enjoyment of board games in my personal life.  Some of the best board games have the theme and gameplay intricately linked so that the game play makes sense within the context.  The worst games on the other hand are just a “roll the dice, move a marker” type game with some sort of theme slapped on.  All the versions of Monopoly are a great example of this.  While it may be fun to play Harry Potter Monopoly, the game play of Monopoly has nothing to do with the world of Harry Potter.  So it was important to me to evaluate how well built the app is and whether it’s theme and structure is tied in well with the learning.

I also saw on some other checklists considerations of the technical aspects such as cost, ads, and whether we can even use it.  I also thought this was an important category to add to the rubric.  It doesn’t matter how great the app is if we can’t afford it or use it on our devices.