by Margaret Jones
Teachers today have a lot of options to teaching effectively. They no longer simply have a whiteboard, markers, and chalk to illustrate their lessons with. What’s more, they can even use technological means to help out struggling students.
English teachers especially must give thanks for the invention of learning apps. These can be downloaded on any smartphone or tablets, which children usually have at home today. Even if they don’t, many educational institutions are now equipped with tablets for student use.
Below are the best apps English teachers can employ to enhance their methods. Even if the teacher I not that comfortable with using technology, students may perk up when they see apps being initiated into their routine learning:
This app is free but available only for Apple users. It is downloadable on iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone. Basically, it includes thousands of digital book right where you can access them easily. This can help a teacher read up on what they have to teach the students. Moreover, students can also benefit from having a required or extra reading book with them. This would mean no more lost or torn books, making it easy for everyone to be on the same page.
The works on this app are mostly classic and contemporary. They are all taken from sources like Feedbooks and Project Gutenberg. Users of Stanza can even purchase new books from the partner stores affiliated with the app.
The reading interface on this app is also very easy to use and operate. Users have praised the layout and the ease of reading. Plus, there are also reference materials and class notes. Students of Literature would especially find this feature useful in understanding their material and writing about it.
This is an iPad app which uses animated sequences. It is hence a perfect app for those teachers who are in charge of younger students. The sequences are enhanced with voiceovers and sound effects.
Using this app, students can get familiar with their letters, especially when it comes to writing upper and lower cases. Spelling and reading games are also available for everyone to enjoy while learning.
This is a game-based app, which also has interactive feature. It operates by using consistent and repetitive actions to help out its users. It especially helps readers in their beginner stage, both for sounding out words and spelling them.
Another enjoyable feature of this app is the animation. There are hand-drawn illustrations and animations that make even the simplest stories interesting and pleasing. When it comes to games, there are several levels that would keep raising the bar for readers. This challenging mean of teaching would make sure students progress at a reasonable and productive rate.
This is another iPad app that is useful in making one’s own e-books. The books can even have their own customized illustration, drawings, photo, writing styles, and even audio. The books, when completed or in transition, can be shared between users through the app or with email.
The advantages of this app include the fact that it can improve literacy, imagination, and creativity in students. This would help students not only read and write, but also give free reign to their imagination. They can then share their works with teachers or peers. The feedback and praise they would receive would greatly help and encourage them. Who knows, you may even have a budding writer on your hands.
This app is so successful and popular that it was selected by Apple for its “High School Survival Guide”. It basically gives out a quiz system that contains almost 2000 grammar-based question. Since grammar is an essential subject but a tricky one, students usually struggle with it. By asking students questions on the subject in several categories, this app could make them practice it over and over again.
Any grammar teacher would agree that practice is the key to mastering English grammar. With this app, students can prepare for tests by mimicking the environment with random questions. There is also a real-time feedback option. This would pinpoint where a student needs improvement o they can focus on their weak area.
Utilizing technology when teaching and learning is fast becoming a necessity. In the near future, we may soon see apps developed for individual classrooms. In the meantime, using the apps above would greatly help any English teacher in improving their teaching tactics.
Every teacher should hence look into researching and look up apps that could help with their learning outcomes. Other than the apps above, there is a range of learning apps that may even help the student with learning disabilities. In any case, students should be encouraged to improve their reading and writing skills when they study English. If they use apps for this purpose, so much the better.
Margaret Jones is a professor of English Language and English Literature at UK Assignment Creator. She is a staunch proponent of utilizing modern technology in education. She is well-versed in six different languages. She loves reading literature of the different language.
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