I’m an educator who loves apps

I do love them.

I love apps because of what I can do on the go. Apps on my mobile devices enable practice, a quick lesson, a conversation with a coach or team, or a reminder about how it is that I might think about something. Here is the story of how apps helped Aaron Ifland, a doctoral student, who attends two universities 118 miles apart, and teaches at a third.

I also love their ability to support activities that appear mundane to others, but are important in the moment. Here is an example. A few days ago, I had to get from a hamlet in Maine to a hamlet in upstate New York. I knew I had to go south through New Hampshire and Massachusetts. But that was about all I knew.

Travelling alone, I was not going to be able to consult maps or even to look at my Smartphone or iPad, not on those slender highways chock full of trucks, SUVs, and RVs. And what’s with the roads? The roads have two names and as many as three numbers. (How can it be 33W, 109 and 9S at the same time?)

My brother-in-law suggested I consider the app, GPS drive. I took a look at it and purchased it for $2.99. What a great investment! Her dulcet tones guided and soothed me during the 4:30 minute drive and for several subsequent jaunts. Some will remember the TV ad from a few years ago with a man confessing his love to his GPS on the Eastside Highway in NYC. I got his passion. I was genuinely fond of her. She helped me out.

For more about apps for performance support and learning, please visit my blog post, Apps– BIG Help, small price, at Learning Solutions magazine.