Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

22 favorite mobile apps: Appy Hour on the Future Trends Forum

In June of 2018, the Future Trends Forum ran an experiment. We didn’t host a guest, as we usually do. Instead, we hosted an “Appy Hour,” a session where we invited participants to simply share their favorite mobile app for learning. (The idea came up during the June 7th Forum discussion. Kudos to the community for thinking of it!)

The experiment turned out to be… a wild success. People jumped onto video to share app after app. Discussion flowed freely.

This wasn’t done programmatically. I didn’t pick or pre-load ready-to-go speakers. Several days before the event I fired off a mass email, as is customary for each Forum. When I started the session, I introduced the topic then simply opened the floor to volunteers. This was very ad hoc and organic.…Read More

The best (and newest) mobile apps for college students

It comes as no surprise that the mobile apps market is flooded with educational options this time of year, as college students head back to school and look for ways to put their smartphones and tablet apps to good use.

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A new app automatically silences your phone during class.

And in case you weren’t aware: a recent survey from CourseSmart showed that 53 percent of college students said they would be more likely to complete required reading in time for class if it was available digitally or could be accessed on a mobile device. Eighty-eight percent of students said they have used a mobile device to study for a test at the last minute.

That’s a 10 percent jump from the number of students who admitted to mobile cramming last year. The results show a clear desire for more academically-geared mobile apps.

ConsumerReports.org has released its annual list of the latest free educational apps designed for students, and eCampus News staffers have picked out three apps that could prove most useful during the 2013-14 academic year.…Read More

Students step up to deliver university mobile apps

Entrepreneurial university students are filling a void of mobile developers in Queensland by building and selling applications to the University of Queensland and its students, ITNews reports. Former UQ student Aaron McDowall, together with fellow student Kim Hunter, built the university’s navigation app UQnav in 2011, as part of their Bachelor of IT studies. They successfully sold it to the university, which later hired them. The app has received more than 53,000 downloads. The university has since launched an open day application and has an O-week app in the pipeline. “Maps was one of the deficiencies that had been brought to their attention,” McDowall told iTnews. “They then approached us with the view that they would like to buy the app off us and the IP associated with it, and also hire us both to continue developing it to get it to a first release state.” Hunter has since gone on to work with a local mobile development company, while McDowall has stayed on within the university’s IT services department.

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Mobile apps make college sporting venues more like home

Colleges have struggled to install Wi-Fi networks in football stadiums.

Stanford University’s athletics department released a smart-phone application this fall that might help the stadium experience compete with the ever-improving living room experience.

The crystal clarity of big screen high-definition TVs, the boom of surround sound, and the convenience of a kitchen a few steps away—all advantages of the couch-bound sports fan, who doesn’t have to fight circuitous lines for nachos and a soda, and who has a perfect view of the field from start to finish.

Stanford unveiled two mobile applications that could add convenience to an often inconvenient day at the school’s sports venues.…Read More