Wearable technology, a relatively new phenomenon to enter the market, has already caused a lot of stir among gadget users. The smart watch market is emerging as an interesting technology disruptor. With the launch of the new Apple watch, corporate life may be well set for a visibly drastic change in future. The innovative smart product is made to be used in conjunction with Apple phones and tablets, and can very well become the harbinger of change in our day-to-day corporate lives. Let’s dive in and see the influence this watch can have on our corporate lives.

The Possible Impact

While corporate life and activities today have a lot to do with smartphones and tablets, the launch of the Apple watch means that people are now more likely to glance at their wrists rather than whip out their smart devices every now and then. According to market research, a staggering 45% of consumers are expected to acquire and use smart watches in the coming years. This powerful piece of technology and its adoption can very well bring about a sea change in corporate life, office policies, productivity and daily routine. Positive changes are likely to improve corporate life and spur creativity and efficiency, while negative changes can have a detrimental overall impact.

Staying Engaged

Mobile phone alerts and notifications have long been considered one of the largest distractions at work, although it might sometimes be necessary for people to receive work-related communication on their smart devices. With the new Apple watch, receiving notifications has just got easier. This has the potential to distract people in office and take up more of their time with activities of a more personal nature. Corporate efficiency can suffer a setback for the same reason. Breaks in concentration during an intense period of work might happen more readily if people are sporting smart watches.

Many are of the opinion that, instead of the new technology, it is the work culture and practices that influence this change. The need for corporate employees is to concentrate on their work for long durations of time without distractions, and the Apple watch might provide them with yet another excuse to take multiple, non-productive breaks. To minimize the occurrence of these, several experts have noted that there needs to be an overhaul of company policies.

Changes to Expect

With the massive potential that the Apple watch has to offer, it can be easy to turn things around and use the device as a positive influence on corporate life. With a plethora of productivity apps and solutions expected to be available shortly, companies can integrate the device into their daily business workflow. There is a need for more stringent security practices and privacy policy to protect sensitive information. A great example of using the Apple watch to aid corporate processes is to use the technology for access control and time attendance instead of clunky key cards. Company updates, important information about events, seminars and training programs can also be made available on the Apple watch, making it a smooth and seamless companion for your corporate life, exuding a positive, conducive influence.

Do write in to us and let us know what other possible ramifications can come out of the Apple Watch.

According to the latest statistics by Business Insider, 58% of the mobile retail revenue has been driving the top 500 brands in 2014. In-app purchases account for the rest of the business. Another study by Google indicates that 82% of smart phone users choose to browse retail websites on their phones rather than on their computers. Today, there is a mobile app for simply everything. For businesses, this has implications far deeper than gaining leads and enhancing revenue streams. Here’s a list of top 5 retail apps that every modern business should utilize to their benefit –

Vend POS

Vend POS has been integrated with the iPad and enable businesses to connect with clients and global customers at any given time. Used by businesses all over the globe, Vend POS can be integrated with receipt printers, barcode scanners and cash drawers. Making financial transactions, reporting, and building analytics for your business is made simple on this app. Even without an active internet connection, Vend POS allows a seamless business process. The software has been further integrated with programs like Shopify, Timely, Xero, and Stitchlabs.

PayPal Here

Another innovative app for iPad users, PayPal Here lets you to accept payments and do transactions just by connecting to mobile device and dedicated PayPal dongles. It is a highly trusted transaction platform for many businesses across the globe and further allows the business to send e-receipts over email and text messages. Since it requires customers to check in with their mobile devices, PayPal Here is also a beneficial tool to personalize interactions and guarantees a repeat purchase.

Collect

Collect has been developed to engage businesses in making repeated business out of first time sales. Used by many businesses globally, Collect integrates customer loyalty and reward programs to attract customers to do repeated purchases. Personalized marketing exchanges also enable the businesses to increase foot traffic sales and establish push notifications. Companies can use it as a tool to track every customer’s shopping history and send customized notifications.

RetailNext

RetailNext has long been used as an in-store solution, helping collect massive amount of customer data and actionable insights to engage and convert. The application taps into several data sources including Wi-Fi, POS Systems, and promotional calendars, staffing systems, weather and much more. The app also organizes and converts all such data into reports and graphs that are easy to understand.

Xero

Xero enables your business to stay updated on your financial front even when you are not connected to the internet. The app allows you to approve, create and generate invoices using your mobile device. The application will help you upload receipts and track expenses. The automation features integrated with this app lets you import and categorize transactions on the go, allowing the business to focus on the core business activities rather than spending time on daily balance sheets.

Modern day retailing is all about simplifying the way we buy and sell. Do write in to us and let us know which apps from the above list are a part of your digital marketing strategies.

Smartphone apps have definitely changed a lot of things associated with our lives. One thing is for sure that the young people around the world, particularly the ones in schools and college have been greatly benefitted by the use of smartphone apps. As per some sources, over 40 million students from different parts of the world make use of Android apps for education in some or the other way. No doubt, this figure is expected to increase manifold in the near future. This is the reason why even teachers are not behind in utilizing the platform of Google and iOS apps to help their student in improving performance. In case you are wondering how on earth the educational apps can prove helpful for the teachers then you must go through this blog.

Sharing of Information

With the help of mobile apps, teachers are now able to distribute information among their students, that too in almost any kind of form. Be it Word file or PDF, with just few taps now a teacher can easily send across multiple files to his or her students, which can be assignments, study materials, exam details, etc. Not just that, the same apps can even allow the teachers to assess their students’ performance, and provide instant feedback on the same. Nearpod and Exitticket Student Response System are two such perfect examples. Extremely easy to use and highly efficient, these mobile apps can be used to encourage as well enhance digital teamwork between the students and their teachers.
Considering the huge numbers of educational apps users, Google recently came up with an excellent mobile app called Classroom. This brand new app will allow the teachers to keep their students informed about the upcoming assignments, and it will also help the instructors to set the status of the assignment as done/incomplete. Since its inception, over 30 million assignments have made their way through this mobile app.

Bringing in Agility and Mobility

So, unlike the traditional ways that involve distribution of paper based assignments among the students and then collecting the same from them for the assessment, the mobile app version offers greater flexibility and efficiency. Most importantly, this version of education significantly brings down the amount of time wasted in the allocation of assignments; its collection; assessment of the same, and finally sharing the feedback with the respective students. In short, the mobile apps for educational purpose have added amazing mobility and agility to the teaching and assessment methodology.

Something More

The mobile apps for education are not just about teaching purpose, but some of them perform larger roles. Nowadays, teachers can maintain a record of their students’ set of behavior through the mobile apps. The same apps can be used to report a case of bad behavior to the supervisors or to the respective parents. Teacher’s Assistant Pro and Teacher Aide Pro are two such apps you can check out. Hence, the apps are helping teachers to organize their classroom in a more effective way. In this way, teachers now have more control over the students’ performance with the help of mobile apps.

People often say that interesting methods or ways should be used when it comes to help the students learn something. We too are of the opinion that the conventional methods of teaching do not go well with most students of today’s times, as they find those methods quite mundane. This could be one of the reasons why there has been tremendous rise in the use of educational apps in the last few years. Currently, the educational apps have not only changed the way toddlers or kids used to start their learning phase, but also the face of today’s classroom.

Worldwide trends on how education sector is embracing technology  

Android smartphones, iPhones and iPads are being widely used these days by the teachers as well as their students to share study materials, complete and submit assignments, and evaluation of the same. For example, around 1000 schools in the United Kingdom incorporated iPads in their teaching methodology. More than 1.5 million iPads were brought into the system by the schools, and the device successfully replaced the conventional textbooks with e-books. No doubt, the incorporation of online textbooks made it possible for the students and the teachers to explore the vast pool of information. So, the application of iPad in the classroom has definitely turned out to be a successful one.

Skype, which is one of the most widely used applications in the entire world, has its own platform for the teachers, and it is known as ‘Skype in the Classroom’. By the end of 2013, more than 50,000 teachers joined the online classroom to assist their students in the learning process. More than 3,000 Skype Lessons are available for the teachers to explore, and they are using the resources happily.

Our take

We strongly believe that the era of blackboard and chalk is soon going to be a thing of the past. The educational apps is not only affecting the way in which classrooms are managed, but also the way through which students learn. Well, the change is definitely a positive one. Unlike textbooks, one can easily update the e-books with just few taps, and not to forget the huge numbers of trees we save through this method. Nowadays, students or teachers do not have to wait for the new books to arrive or wait for the updated edition. The next best thing about the e-books through the educational apps is that financial issues do not come in the way of a student’s curiosity to learn. There are plenty of Android and iPhone/iPad apps available through which students can have access to numbers of e-books for free.

Teachers also believe that the incorporation of technology in the education sector has made it possible for the kids in the classroom to be self-sufficient researchers. And, this finding is basically a result of the survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. The findings also focused on the fact that the learning process of today’s classrooms has turned out to be much more autonomous than before. So, the modern classroom is radically different from its predecessor, where the students had to depend mostly on the teachers to gain knowledge and clear their doubts.

The world we live in today is so much surrounded by technology that almost every aspect of our lives depends on it. Be it healthcare or the education sector, technology has made it made its presence felt in every segment. Take the instance of education sector. It won’t be wrong to say that technology has turned over the conventional approaches of education on its head. This helps anyone to seek knowledge from anywhere and anytime. This has also led to a massive proliferation of apps on the app store. Hence in 2014, 18.3% of the total apps downloaded from Apple iTunes were educational apps. Out of the thousands of apps we present our list of apps that have really made use of technology to create out-of-the-box solutions for the education sector –

Nearpod

In case you have to make a multimedia presentation for your students then this free app can be of great help. With this free app, you can download or make multimedia presentation in just couple of hours and even share it with your students in real time. On the other hand, your students will be able to go through the presentation, interact with other students sharing the presentation, and submit their responses. While they do it, you can easily keep an eye on their interactive session and analyze their performance.

Android link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.panareadigital.Nearpod&hl=en

iTunes link https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/nearpod/id523540409?mt=8

Mathcube

If your kid is just beginning his or her learning phase then this easy to use app can be an excellent option. In an entertaining and interesting way, Mathcube will let your kid to learn how to solve simple sums involving addition, subtraction, etc.

Android link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.livezen.mathcube.google.free

iTunes Link https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/id864191079?mt=8

Exitticket Student Response System

To help student get instant feedback about their performance, this Android and iPhone/iPad app can be really helpful for the teachers. ExitTicket allows teachers to let their student know about their strong and weak points, which in turn will allow them to work accordingly, without wasting any time. This will definitely empower both teachers and the students by cutting down the time wasted in providing feedback and working on them.

Android link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.exittix.exitticket&hl=en

iTunes link https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/exitticket/id618649934?mt=8

Explain Everything

This app will let you to narrate, animate, export, annotate, as well as export almost anything you like, and all these things can be done with the help of its whiteboard tool, which is highly interactive in nature. Teachers can use this app for educating their students in an interesting way. It allows you to add objects, existing photos, and even import PFD files from the local storage.

Android link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.morriscooke.explaineverything&hl=en

iTunes link https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/explain-everything/id431493086?mt=8

Coursmos

With this free app, you can make micro-courses. All you have to do is upload a video that you already have or shoot a fresh video lesson by using your phone. Once the video is ready for uploading, simply provide a title and few lines to describe the micro-course. In this way, you can let all your students to have access to your micro-course by sharing with them. You can share through social networks or email.

Android link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.coursmos.app&hl=en

iTunes link https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/coursmos/id692934231?mt=8

Nowadays, there is no dearth of apps related to education. No matter if you have an Android powered smartphone/tablet, an iPhone or iPad, there are plenty of wonderful educational apps waiting for you. And, this is evident from the fact that over 10% of the total apps available in the Google Play Store are learning apps. So, go for them.

Higher education covers an exciting and interesting time in the lives of student- a time full of revelations and intricate learning which lets them excel in their domains of choice. Like other education sectors, the teaching and learning methods of the modern higher education sector have also been duly influenced by new technological innovations and development. Computers and smart devices now enable higher education students and teachers to make use of a whole new set of tools to enhance and enliven the learning experience.

Apps designed especially for use in the education sector have livened things up, and their appropriate use in the higher education sector can significantly improve the rate, quality and longevity of knowledge absorption. Here are a few of the most important education apps meant for use in the higher education sector –

1. Google Apps for Education – Internet behemoths Google have tailored a suite of web and mobile applications meant for use in the education sector and christened it Google Apps for Education. In essence, this is a collection of Google apps which are tuned for collaborative use. It provides teachers with a means to share and grade assignments on a group basis using the popular Google Docs platform. Accessing daily routines and schedule management can be accomplished via the Google Calendar. Google Story Builder focuses on the writing and expression abilities of student. These well-fashioned tools, accompanied with other important apps, make this a must-use in the higher education sector.
2. TED – This fascinating app can be a major source of education inspiration for those pursuing higher education. The app combines a large volume of intriguing and thought-provoking lectures, seminars and talks by people who are recognized as world leaders in the field of education, innovation and mastery of their subjects of choice. The entire database is available for users and can be viewed on multiple devices, with subtitle support covering more than 90 languages around the world.
3. Duolingo – Learning a new language is often a key activity in higher education. With Duolingo, learning a new language becomes easy and intuitive. The app engrosses students with a fun and interesting learning process that involves challenges, real-world scenarios and exciting tests. The multiple exercise types and detailed pronunciation guides keep things interesting, and students have the option of grading their progress on a daily basis.
4. iTeacherBook – This user-friendly application is a detailed schedule management system for college and university teachers and students. With the clean and navigable interface, teachers can set up multiple classes, post their class schedules online and instantly share it with their students. Course management, lecture management and attendance management are also integrated into the program. Teachers also have the option to set up assignments and manage student grades.
5. Evernote – This immensely popular note-taking app is a hot favorite among students. It gives them the option to jot down their ideas and keep a record of important information for later use. Used creatively, this can be a fun platform for thought-mapping and help students with their assignments, theses and dissertations.

Do write in your comments if you have been using any of these apps, to share your feedback of its effectiveness in your learning or teaching endeavors.