Meet "TED" - a useful app for technology class & Top 10 Tips

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“Ideas worth spreading” is the phrase that caught my attention when trying to find apps that would be useful as an educator in a present-day classroom. This phrase of spreading ideas is simultaneously attached to the app TED that I found on iTunes. TED is a free series of videos from people around theworld talking about a mixture of science, music, technology, political and educational topics.  

Downloading TED for free first interested me because having resources that are available for little or no cost is essentially an important factor when looking for useful apps to use.  Also, looking at the devices that this app was compatible with helped me to zero in on applications that were accessible to me.  I located TED on the iTunes store so it is understandable that TED would mostly be formatted for Apple software like the iPhone or iPad.

One of the coolest features of this app is that on the upper right-hand of the homepage is a button that when you click “listen” allows people to listen to these videos on the radio like you would NPR, when you don’t have time to sit down and watch the videos. The button “inspire me” at the bottom of the homepage is perhaps my favorite feature in that I can create a playlist from the series of talks that interest me. After clicking “inspire me” the screen will divide into categories like funny, courageous, jaw-dropping, ingenious, informative, inspiring, beautiful, and fascinating, which allow me to build a playlist based on my interests and the amount of time I have to listen to these talks.  Subject searches, videos listed by most popular, and alphabetize videos based on topics are just a list of the other features available on TED.

I turned to iTunes for finding apps because it was already software that I was similar with using and felt comfortable navigating to find an app that would be applicable in a classroom. Though TED is not the traditional educational app it would be useful giving students the opportunity to hear the thoughts of other people in particular fields—almost the same way teachers use YouTube or Podcasts in the classroom to teach a unit. TED would be the type of tool teachers could use to enhance learning, because students could listen to people talk about a wide variety of subjects; but, also students could discuss these video, reference these video, and be inspired by some of these videos.

Top 10 Tips/Uses for Apps!

1.       The benefit of using different apps in the classroom is that some sites offer discounts for using educational apps.
2.       Some apps offer books online, which can be useful for a teacher who does not own a classroom set, but now they have access to those resources.

3.       Quizzes, tests, homework assignments and i.e. can be generated using apps software for students to access.

4.       Apps are useful to reach the interests and variety of learning styles of students.

5.       Some apps are available that provide a wide-variety of educational videos and forums so the class can stay updated on current issues locally and globally.
6.       There are apps that help students learn the new words, practice math problems and creates flash cards for study that can be shared.

7.       Lots of apps are helpful to use in the classroom, because they are interactive!

8.       Apps can be used to track students’ progress, classroom management, and post points so that learning can also be fun and be more like a game.

9.       One of the challenges can be going through on the apps available, but focusing on free educational apps and following forums can helps to reduce the apps clutter and focuses on the ones that work.

10.   Using apps in the classroom are useful because it also gets kids invested in technology and draws on the critical thinking skills and technology skills that will come across in their future. This way students are more comfortable this using these programs.