Academic Innovation Blog

5 Useful Apps in the Classroom

Happy New Year!! A new year means the start of a new semester. If you are like me, then you are always looking for new ideas to get students engaged in the classroom. As technology advances, so do the amount of ideas to keep students engaged. There are countless new (or old) apps that are being developed to aid students in their quest for learning.

There are five apps I use in my classroom that have transformed my teaching style. These apps increase classroom engagement, student communication, and student’s retention of concepts. Even though I teach math, the apps I am about to introduce can be used for any classroom. Check them out.
 

​Kahoot

Every conference I have attended has had presenters that used Kahoot. Kahoot is a free game based on a classroom response system, similar to PollEverywhere. You can administer quizzes, discussions, or surveys. Multiple-choice questions are projected on the screen, and students answer with either their smartphones, tablets, or computers. The app requires no registration for the students. It is an app that I use every semester. Once I said let’s use Kahoot, my students were the most excited I have seen them in the classroom. I guess anything is better than just lecturing. Click to see the Kahoot! inclusion and accessibility policy.
 

Nearpod

My favorite app is Nearpod. The app allows the professor to manage the classroom by utilizing the app’s interactive presentation and assessment tools. To use the app the instructor creates a presentation. The student then logs in on any smart device, enters the code and is ready to answer the questions. Nearpod contains polls, quizzes, videos, images, and a drawing board (my favorite). The drawing tool allows me to give my students an equation that they will solve on a smart device and send back to me. I am able to go over each answer and give students instant feedback in the classroom. Students cannot see names, so it is totally anonymous. Only the instructor can see a comprehensive report on who did what. Click to see the Nearpod Accessibility Conformance Report. 
 

Doceri

Doceri is an interactive whiteboard/screencast recorder for the iPad or Surface Pro with a built-in desktop control. It allows annotate over my notes, display the notes on the board, and save them to my iPad. The app allows me to present from anywhere in the classroom. This permits me to walk around the classroom and help my students while they are working on a problem that was presented on the board. One can also record the class notes, then post them in Falcon Online or make short videos for the students that can be saved as mp4 files which can be emailed to students or published on YouTube. Doceri is already part of our desktop load set in the classrooms; you can download the app on your device and then sync it with the desktop.
 

ShowMe

ShowMe is another interactive whiteboard application. It is very simple to use and it allows you to create and record voice-over tutorials. The tutorials can either be shared in Falcon Online or individually emailed to your students. I use it with my online Statistics and Trigonometry courses when I want to provide extra help or reinforce a math concept students had trouble with. ShowMe is free for 5 recordings, however you can always delete your presentations on the app and make new presentations. The cost for the premium subscription is $5.99. It also can be used to flip the classroom. Click to see the ShowMe Accessibility Conformance Report for PC and IOS. 

Notability

Notability is an app for the iPad where you can create lecture notes and other classroom materials that can be saved on your device. The notes integrate handwriting, typing, drawings and pictures all in one. You can also use it to annotate PDF documents such as your students’ assignments and PDF forms. I use it to create PDF classroom notes, save them and post them in Falcon Online. Many of my students use Notability as well when taking notes with the iPad. It is simple to use. The cost is $9.99.

 

Please contact me if you have any questions or you want to see how these apps work in the classroom. Or visit the Faculty Innovation Center, in person between 8AM - 5PM M - F, email at fic@daytonastate.edu, or call 386.506.3485 for assistance.

Gabi Booth
Professor, School of Mathematics
gabi.booth@daytonastate.edu
386-423-6306
 

Hybrid Workshops

If you're interested in a hybrid option for the Faculty Tool Set 102 and/or Universal Design for Learning/Accessibility workshops, then you're in luck! We've created 4 hybrid options below, offered on the Daytona campus. Registering for these sessions will allow you to both work within the online course shell, but complete a portion of the training in a face-to-face session. Please read the registration details from the links below.

Hybrid Sections for Faculty Tool Set 102

Click to register for the hybrid section here. Taught by April Brunning, Production Manager. This course is being offered at the WDSC TV station, building 400. 

February 22nd 

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

March 8th

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Hybrid Sections of Universal Design for Learning/Accessibility

Click to register for the hybrid section here. Taught by Bill Harrison, Senior Instructional Designer and Instructional Technologist. This course is being offered over by the Faculty Innovation Center, in room 204.

February 15

9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

March 22

9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

As always, I encourage you to subscribe to this blog so that you can comment and ask questions. When you subscribe you will also receive email notifications of future posts. You can also contact us in the FIC at fic@daytonastate.edu or 386.506.3485 for assistance. Or visit us between 8AM - 5PM M - F.

Cheryl Kohen
Director, Division of Online Studies
cheryl.kohen@daytonastate.edu
386-506-3405
http://www.daytonastate.edu/onlinestudies/