My favorite app that I found is called Barefoot World Atlas. It costs 4.99$ and is available on iPhones iPads and iPod Touch. The app is an interactive globe that allows users to explore the world and its cultures geography and peoples. Users can zoom in on regions or countries of the globe and are they're presented with tons of resources on geographical features climates comma cultures, local time and weather, indigenous animals and food and music. Regions are animated with dozens interactive icons that represent unique features of the region or country. There are also tons of real pictures of each region that viewers can see kind of like using Google Earth.
I think the app would be perfect for any sort of geography class. It makes exploring the globe super interesting and provides tons of information right at your fingertips. It would be really easy to use in an assignment---Students would use the app to select a country or climate or culture that they were interested in depending on what we were studying. So for a unit on climates, students would use the app to explore and select a climate to study and then complete an assignment based on that region.
While the app doesn't actually make them create anything, I think that it is much more engaging and interactive than most other forms of learning. I think it would be very effective at generating curiosity and helping students want to explore.
I do feel like this app would be efficient in a geography class because it helps students get a big picture of the globe with relevant facts and information right at their fingertips. It has condensed important information and facts all into one place so it makes research very effective for users. It would save students time having to search multiple websites trying to find information for their country or region.
The reason I chose this app is because of how fun it is. I want to download it just for myself to play with after watching an intro video about it. The animations are super fun and the way you can scroll across the globe and countries is super engaging.
The second app name is ‘Congress’ and it allows students to follow bills in activities going on in Congress. It is free in the Google App Store and compatible with all Apple and Android devices. The app allows you to follow your representatives or research any members of Congress currently participating. It shows what bills are coming up and how each Senator voted on the bill. It also tracks floor activity in committee hearings and allows you to follow the progress of bills through Congress.
Students could use the app to track a bill through Congress, finding one that interests them and researching its impact and importance then giving regular updates on its progress through the various committees. This would help students really understand the process of a bill becoming a law and gives them a first-hand experience being involved in the process. The app makes contacting senators or their secretaries very easy so students can learn to become involved in their community.
The app falls under the “IA” category (Interactive, amplifies). The app interface allows students to select what bills and people to follow then gives updates on those selected things to keep the user completely up to date. It also has mediums to allow users to contact their political representatives and get involved in the political process. It amplifies material that otherwise might have been given just through direct instruction. A teacher could simply lecture on how congress works and why its important etc….but this app really makes Congress accessible and real to the student and amplifies an otherwise convoluted and somewhat boring lesson topic.
