The education industry is currently focusing firmly on the use of technology in facilitating learning in the K12 education sector. With this, popular traditional methods of teaching have undergone a sea change. The usual methods of imparting learning have been bolstered by newer, alternative approaches that make judicious use of the latest available technologies.

With the focus shifting from learning by rote, to making learning a fun, engaging and interactive experience, a number of companies have started successfully developing computer and mobile apps for education. These apps are meant to enhance the transmission of knowledge and aid in student-teacher-parent inter-communication. These make the overall learning process a much more interesting and immersive experience to facilitate better absorption and retention for K12 students. Here are some of the most important education apps meant for use in the K12 education sector –

1. Edmodo – Viewed as the next generation learning tool which will enable both teachers and students to stay connected and share information, Edmodo has been a sought after learning management solution for quite some time. Easy to use and accessible over the web and on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, this app is a platform where teachers can manage their classes, interact with students, set up lessons and perform student evaluation procedures. Setting up multiple classes, sharing documents and creating different kinds of project are easy for teachers, while students can access lessons and complete assignments online. Parents of students also have the option of monitoring their ward’s activity and performance.
2. ShowMe – Used extensively in the K12 education sector, ShowMe is a free app which allows teachers to create dynamic, enthralling presentations for students. With tablet versions and web-based access available, ShowMe does not just allow teachers to create presentation. It also maintains an exhaustive range of free presentation in their database which teachers can access and use.
3. Notability – A popular note-taking app that has found favor among teachers and students for its excellent potential in the education sector. The workflow makes it easy for teachers and students to coordinate, retrieve important class notes, make annotations and share with peers. Integration with popular web-based storage services make things easy, as teachers can create shared folders for class notes for every student in a particular class.
4. Grammar Up – Grammar is one of the most important subjects that student in the K12 sectors need to master. Grammar Up provides students with detailed and comprehensive multiple-choice question sets, with instant evaluation and a system of tracking student performance and progress. The tests are customizable in a variety of ways.
5. Yuzu- With this app, students can have access to a large number of high-quality and interesting textbooks available in various online formats. The vast amount of digital education content will be of great help to any student, and the in-built feature of being able to highlight, annotate and segregate portions of the e-text make the learning process intuitive and focused. This app can be a great replacement for physical textbooks in the K12 education sector.

See any of these apps on your or your family member’s smartphones? Write in to us and let us know.

In the K12 education sector, the focus for quite a while now, has been on learning in an enhanced, intuitive manner which helps with understanding and retention of a particular subject. For learners, it is important to grasp the essence of a topic, go in-depth with its understanding of the subjects and develop good retention, association and recall about those subjects. Creating exciting and interesting courses is now of paramount importance, and that is where gamified learning comes in. The K12 education sector is thought of by many as the most vital and significant period of learning phase for an individual and therefore, for this sector, gamified learning presents an opportunity to deliver education which remains relevant over the years and makes a difference in terms of enhanced engagement when imparting education.

Why Gamified Learning Works

Playing games is always a rewarding activity. In any scenario where a game-like situation is involved, there is the prospect of a challenge and a consequent reward when that challenge is surmounted. It has been found by researchers that this activity stimulates the body and mind and releases the endorphin hormone. Endorphins are essentially neurotransmitters and they make the mind more receptive and ready to accept, analyze and retain information of different kinds. Gamified learning makes use of this stimulus-response and makes learning a fun, engaging and immensely fulfilling experience for those in the K12 sector.

The Many Benefits of Gamified Learning

Gamified learning can be judiciously used to improve the quality of education imparted at the K12 level. It has a number of important benefits that make it one of the best routes to take while devising courses, curriculum and teaching methods. Here are a few important and resounding benefits –

• More Engagement for Learners – Gamified is essentially an “experience-based” learning process which has the power to fully engage and hold the attention of learners. It inspires a positive and conducive frame of mind about the learning process, and by forming the important association of particular pieces knowledge to particular rewarding or fulfilling experiences, enhances absorption and long-term memory.
• Fun and Interactive Learning – The interactive element present in gamified learning ensures that learners feel involved at all times. It brings the participation element to the table and ensures that learners become more invested towards the learning process. The immersive experience also makes things fun and exciting for learners.
• Better Absorption and Retention – By blending the release of endorphins with alternative, interesting ways of presenting information, gamified learning servers to dramatically enhance knowledge absorption and knowledge retention among learners. Not only do learners learn quicker and better, they are also able to easily retain and recall relevant knowledge when they need it later.
• Simulation-based Experience – In gamified learning applications, the environment is usually one of simulation where rewards come consistent with the performance. Better performances bring more rewards, and this inspires learners to try harder and put in more focused effort.
• A Better Learning Experience Overall – For the K12 sector, it is important that the knowledge imparted makes a lasting difference. With gamified learning, the whole learning experience receives a facelift. Learners can take advantage of the experience and situation-based learning to develop themselves better.