Thing 18: Education

There are several apps I use for education and could be useful for schools.

When I was working and helping students preparing for research, I allowed them to use Wikipedia to get a background for their topics and to determine key words to use in their searches. They could not cite Wikipedia, but it was an important lead-in to their project.

A small segment of a TED Talk could be used as an introduction to a class topic or as a follow-up.

Duolingo could be suggested as a supplement to a language class. I am using it now to brush up my German. It includes units introducing individual concepts such as verbs, prepositions, noun genders so certain segments could be targeted for extra practice. Since it almost seems like a game, it might appeal to students.

The 3D brain is fantastic! With all of the new discoveries about the brain, I feel the need to understand more about its structure and characteristics. The app isolates different parts of the brain and then provides information about what it does. Beyond that, it provides links to recent research.

Another app I chose was the Advanced English Dictionary & Thesaurus. I do crossword puzzles and have not found a replacement for the old book my mother used to help her solve puzzles - and the internet is not enough! Plus, I write a bit and am always searching for a synonym to keep the text fresh.

I have long wished that there was an app to teach me algebra, a gap in my own education that has eluded me for most of my life. A while ago, I tried a short video from the Khan Academy which helped me make sense of an entry level algebra concept. The problem in eighth grade was that we just memorized formulas, which was easy. The difficulty was knowing which formula to apply when.