Mobile Learning: A Handbook for Developers, Educators, and Learners

APPENDIX B

The Great App Checklist

In our conversations with educators, one of the biggest gray areas we found was how to determine which app is a good one. Many teachers rely on colleagues or word of mouth, or go with the first app they find that meets their needs. There's no denying that the educational app marketplace is full of options, but this poses the problem of how to find and choose good apps. With the high volumes of apps available in app stores, and numbers only increasing, there is a strong need for ways to clearly differentiate apps and guidance on how to decide which should be downloaded and which should be used in the classroom. It's an important discussion because there simply isn't time to download and try each app that might seem to meet the needs of the user. Learning how to swiftly and accurately judge an app without investing a lot of time (and, if it's not a free app, money) is essential to the mobile classroom. For educators the challenge of finding a good app is also surprisingly hard.

Developers have a different problem: standing out in a crowded market. This is certainly an exciting and active sector of development and technology to be involved with, and one that we feel will continue to raise the bar on the caliber of educational technology available and demanded in the classroom. However, this also means that making an app that stands out and meets the needs of the educational market and your intended audience is even more important.

We offer this checklist ...