Cramming with apps: virtual teachers provide lessons on the go

By Peter Zschunke Dec 25, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Berlin - Do you want to learn to recognize bird calls? Pick up a new computer programming language? Learn Chinese?

Chances are, wherever your academic pursuit takes you, there's an app for a tablet or smartphone that will help. There are 19,000 apps in the iTunes Store's education category.

At the Android Market, there are 13,000. But beware, not every educational app is the ideal tutor. A study by German consumer goods tester Stiftung Warentest, comparing English vocabulary trainers, found many with weaknesses in their contents and approach.

So what should a good academic app look like? 'It's important that it's interactive, with multimedia capabilities and individuality,' says Michael Cordes, director of the continuing education team at Stiftung Warentest.

Thus, an app that only tutors - as opposed to one that offers exercises and then quizzes the user about information learned - will have less value.

The targeted use of images and sound can't be underestimated either; ditto when it comes to the option of making lessons suit an individual's needs.

'The more influence I can have, the more I can use the programme in a targeted fashion,' says Cordes, who has a background in educational science.

'Change of pace is also important,' he says. Some apps that were tested turned boring quickly. Especially when it comes to complex topics, it's important that exercises offer some variety.

When it comes to IT topics, it's best to use a problem-based approach, says Christoph Sahner of video training service Video2brain. 'The presentation of workflow is the real strength of video-oriented teaching.'

For example, Video2brain offers an iPad app that is not just for use underway, but for practicing new software or learning a programming language at one's desk.

That way you can watch the video on the tablet and try out the same steps yourself, says Sahner. 'Tablets are great because they are big enough to show details in videos and, depending on the context, pull in other media.'

Long-distance schools like Germany's Studiengemeinschaft Deutschland are also big believers in educational apps.

'A well-made app transmits information in a playful way and is part of the overall academic concept,' says Andreas Vollmer, head of the school's study programmes.

That means printed course materials like study guides as well as podcasts, in-person seminars, web courses and time with tutors.

'The app should give participants added academic value,' says faculty director Harald Stuermer. 'This way you can check your status, even if you're in the train on your way home.'

The school first started using apps in economic curriculums.

'For the next educational application we took on the more complex topic of solar heat as part of the curriculum for the conclusion of the course on renewable energy,' says Stuermer. 'That brings two trendy topics together - renewable energy and mobile learning.'

A prime example of how special function can be used for learning with a mobile device comes from Evernote, with its quiz app Peek and the iPad 2 display shield Smart Cover.

The cover, which comes in four pieces, sends signals to the tablet. Uncovering one piece might show a question. The answer only becomes visible when the next piece is lifted.

It's even possible to simulate the experience for people who don't own a Smart Cover or have a first generation iPad, using an app called Virtual Cover, with questions and answers popping up as users swipe the screen with their finger.

'But the biggest advantage of Peek is that , thanks to the notes they've stored in Evernote, people can make their own quizzes based on specific topics,' explains Evernote manager Dmitry Stavisky.

Mobile learning can also work for younger students. German publishing house Langenscheidt is working on language apps for children as young as four.

'We catch up to the children at the point where they happen to be,' says developer Christian Noss. That means a focus on fun, with some English lessons on the side.

Some combine cartoon figures, animation and a digital picture book into an English-German listening game. Children tap on images and hear the words for those images in both languages.

'We made a point of skipping any text,' explains Noss, who says that voice recognition might also be integrated into mobile learning, just like it is with Apple's newest iPhone. 'This is a very exciting development.'