Tech EDGE: Mobile Learning in the Classroom Podcasts
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February 18, 2018
Browsing through the Tech Edge Podcasts is quite the sight to see. The University of Nebraska has become so innovative that there are over 200 podcasts to choose from which is absolutely amazing because each one is dedicated to enhancing the educational experience we have to offer our students. AND, they all revolve around technology which is even better! Seriously though, there are so many podcasts that are helpful because of the awesome and helpful reviews and are there for our heart's desire. I chose to review two specific apps that I think will be beneficial in my future classroom. I chose to first try out Hanx Writer (minute 0:48), an app created by well-known actor Tom Hanks. This app emulates a type writer, something many students nowadays probably will never get to use because they are far and few between. It's at first glance obvious that it's meant to be fun and give you a break from the typical word processing apps that we've become accustomed to. But I think this is actually great! It allows students the opportunity to use it for extra projects and give a twist to a boring old paper. I know for a fact that this would be great to use if we were to partake in getting pen pals. It would hopefully transport them back through time and engage them to use their thinking caps. Obviously the app is limited in what you can do in the free mode, but nonetheless it provides that nostalgic feel of a typewriter. The second app I chose to test out was Werdsmith (minute 5:38). This too is a writing app, but it is the writing app you want to have when writing a novel or a substantial essay. It's super stylistic and handy in keeping track of whatever you might be writing at the time. I think the most useful part of it for students would be the Word Goal feature because it will track a daily goal of words written which will be VERY helpful in tracking students' progress. When working on the writing process this will make it easier for us as educators to ensure they are completing the weekly assignment and easy for them to know that they need to either work a little harder or can take a break. |