Drowning in a Sea of Apps: App Ed Review as a Lifesaver

1. Drowning in a Sea of Apps: App Ed Review as a Lifesaver Corey Lee, Ph.D Todd Cherner, Ph.D Spadoni College of Education Coastal Carolina University

2. Background • The Horry County School district gives all sixth, seventh and eighth graders the iPads. (myhorrynews.com)6,000 iPad, 10,000 iPad next year • 20,000+ educational apps listed in The App Store as of January, 2012 (Earl, 2013; Rao, 2012)

3. Existing Databases (Rank by its traffic based upon trafficestimate.com) BestAppsForKids.com Graphite.org FunEducationalApps.com EdShelf.com uen.org/apps4edu teachingappz.co.uk edapps.ca

4. Existing Databases • BestAppsForKids.com • Launched: 2011 • Creator: Lesley Taylor, educator • Purpose: help parents find the best apps for kids • Apps Listed: 864 • Traffic: 202,300 visits / month • 6,743 visits / day

5. Existing Databases • Graphite.org • Launched: 2013 • Creator: Common Sense Media • Purpose: To help educators find the best apps, games, websites, and digital curricula rated for learning • App listed: 230 • Traffic: 146,700 visits/month 4,890 visits / day

6. Existing Databases • FunEducationalApps.com • Launched: 2010 • Creator: Nathalie van Ee • Purpose: Provide the best fun and educational apps for kids • Apps Listed: 670 • Traffic: 135,400 visits / month • 4,513 visits / day

7. Existing Databases • EdShelf.com • Launched: 2012 • Creator: Mike Lee, internet entrepreneur and former software developer • Purpose: To help teachers find the right educational tools for their needs • Apps Listed: 500+ (users-based apps) • Traffic: 38,000 visits / month • 1,267 visits / day

8. Existing Databases • UEN.org/apps4edu/ • Launched: Unknown • Creator: Utah Education Network • Purpose: To help teachers find the right apps for their teaching practices • Apps Listed: 640

9. Shortcomings of Existing Database Questions • Most are written for general. • Most do not provide original app descriptions. No educational information. • Rankings are not detailed. • The classification system used by these apps is not specific. • Very limited instructional ideas for how an app can be used by teachers in their classrooms.

10. New Initiative (AppEdReview) Questions

11. New Initiative (AppEdReview) Questions • Teacher-Centered • A brief, original description of the app; • Three or more instructional ideas aligned to the Common Core Anchor Standards for how the app could be used in PreK-12 classrooms; • A comprehensive, 26-point evaluation of the app based on its instruction, design, and potential to engage students

12. New Initiative (AppEdReview) Questions • A Purpose Classification: skills-based, content-based, or function-based • The App’s Target Audience: infant-pre-schoolers, kindergarten-2nd graders, 3rd-5th graders, 6th-8th graders, and 9th-12thgraders • Subject Areas: Art, Early Literacy, English, Foreign Language, Math, Science, and Social Studies • The Cost: free, paid, or trial membership

13. New Initiative (AppEdReview) Questions • Comprehensive evaluation rubric • A comprehensive, 26-point evaluation of the app based on its instruction, design, and potential to engage students.http://appedreview.org/26-point_rubric/ A. Instruction A1. Rigor A2. 21st Century Skills A3. Connections to Future Learning A4. Value of Errors A5. Feedback to Teacher A6. Level of Material A7. Cross Curricular Connections A8. Cooperative Learning A9. Accommodation of Individual Differences B. Design B1: Ability to Save Progress B2. Integration B3. Screen Design B4. Ease of Use B5. Navigation B6. Learning Demands B7. Goal Orientation B8. Information Presentation B9. Media Integration B10. Cultural Sensitivity C. Engagement C1. Learner Control C2. Interactivity C3. Pace C4. Flexibility C5. Interest C6. Aesthetics C7. Utility

14. New Initiative (AppEdReview) Questions Rigorous Review Procedures • For each report… • Two Editorial Board Members (EBMs) rank an app independently. • The EBMs collaborate on a description of the app. • The EBMs collaborate on creating 3-5 instructional ideas for the app. • The EBMs collaborate on an attention getter for the app (5-15 words). • The EBMs calculate the averages for the rubric dimensions based on their rubric rankings. • The Proofreader critiques the report.

15. New Initiative (AppEdReview) Questions Editorial Board Members’Credential All Board Members are state certified teachers and hold or are earning a graduate degree in education. All Board Members have been trained how to evaluate educational apps using the App Ed Review rubric and how to compose app reports for teachers about techniques for using apps effectively in their teaching practice. http://appedreview.org/editorial-board-members/

16. New Initiative (AppEdReview) Questions Review Request We welcome suggestions for Apps that we might feature on AppEdReview. While we are unable to guarantee that the app you recommend will be reviewed, we consider all of the suggestions we receive. http://appedreview.org/request-review/

17. New Initiative (AppEdReview) Questions Benefits for Joining Editorial Board • Having your reports published to the App Ed Review website; • Being part of scholarly and professional presentations; • Collaborating on scholarly articles related to educational apps; • Having your name, picture, and brief biography posted to the App Ed Review website; • Gaining a deeper understanding of educational apps and how they can be used as part of your teaching practice; • Additionally, once funding for App Ed Review is secured, all Editorial Board Members will be the first group of people to be contacted. • http://appedreview.org/join-editorial-board/

18. Questions Questions

19. Today’s Takeaways Questions Bookmark these Websites • AppEdReview.org • BestAppsForKids.com • Graphite.org • FunEducationalApps.com • EdShelf.com • uen.org/apps4edu

20. Contact Information Corey Lee Coastal Carolina University Assistant Professor Spadoni College of Education clee@coastal.edu Todd Cherner Coastal Carolina University Assistant Professor Spadoni College of Education tcherner@coastal.edu