5 Top Educational Apps For Middle School Teachers
We all know how important it is to integrate technology into our classrooms when we can. That’s why I’m so happy to have George Campbell, a freelance writer specializing in various topics including education, to supply me with a helpful blog post on 5 TOP apps for middle school teachers! Please be sure to add your own favourites by commenting on this post!
~~~
1- Science Glossary (Free)
Science Glossary is an app which offers students a comprehensive glossary of scientific terms, as well as a collection of succinct biographies of famous scientists. Simply enter a scientific term and the app provides an easy to understand definition as well as additional scientific terms related to the topic which was searched. Teachers and students can also use the app to connect with the educational website; Vision Learning. The website promotes itself as a “free digital resource for teaching and learning science”, so all you need to get started is an Internet connection! This combination of the Science Glossary app and the Vision Learning website enables both teachers and students to access detailed science learning modules in order to further supplement studies and stimulate scientific curiosity!
2- GoSkyWatch Planetarium – the astronomy star guide ($3.99)
With the GoSkyWatch app students can explore the universe from the palm of their hand! This app presents over 200 high resolution images of planets and deep sky objects in day, sidereal and time lapse animation. Students can immerse themselves within images of constellations, boundaries and star patterns as well as comprehensive information on the various planets, stars, comets, constellations, galaxies and DSO ephemeris data. This app also informs students of the current moon phase calendar as well as sunrise and sunset times, enabling them to extensively expand their knowledge of the universe.
3-Mental Maths (Free)
Mental Maths is an app is created by educational agency Maths Doctor. They provide a series of educational resources which are centered around the principle that; “every leaner is an individual with their own needs, abilities, strengths and weaknesses”. Subsequently, both their website and app endeavour to offer children multiple methods through which they can enjoy expanding their mathematical knowledge. To use the Mental Maths app, students simply select a maths topic and are presented with a related question. There is no time limit whilst they work out the solution in their head, then swipe the screen to reveal the answer. If students get the answer wrong, they are able to try again as many times as they wish until they confidently understand the mathematical principle. What’s more, the app hosts a built-in percentage tracker so that teachers can monitor their students’ progress and challenge their newly developed knowledge with an end of topic test. As a result, this simple yet creative app offers a fun and interactive medium through which your students can overcome any mathematical obstacles!
4-History: Maps of the World (Free)
History: Maps of the World provides a great resource for developing your students’ historical and geographical knowledge. Using the app, you can gain exclusive access to 178 historical maps from across the world, all of which display the source of each map as well as highlighting any geopolitical and geographical shifts which have occurred over time. Within the app, maps are grouped by category or era, or alternatively can be located via a keyword search. Each map is accompanied by a wealth of information which details its rich historical significance. This facilitates an innovatively visual method through which you can educate your students about major historical, social and regional changes.
5-Grammar Girl: English Grammar Podcasts on your iPhone
Grammar Girl provides a series of audio episodes, each of which lasts between two and seven minutes. This creates a quick and accessible method of improving your students’ grammatical accuracy and impart helpful writing tips. Additionally, you can download and read the transcripts of each episode in order to recap any points which any of your students may have found challenging. The creator of Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty, is a magazine writer and senior editor who “strives to be a friendly guide in the writing world”, ardently believing that “learning is fun, and the vast rules of grammar are wonderful fodder for lifelong study”. As a result , grammatical errors are explained using accessible and understandable language, as well as logical reasoning in order to help establish new concepts and correct old errors. Alongside the app, Fogarty posts regular blogs on her website which offer fun and quirky ways of expanding your students’ grammatical capabilities.
~George Campbell is a freelance writer from Birmingham, England. You can follow him on Twitter @George1Campbell~
