When I returned to work after my maternity leave, there were some new additions to my classroom — two sleek iPad Airs and a shiny new SMART Board, brought in to enhance lessons, engage students, and support learning.
I want to be able to use technology to support my lessons and I know it’s a great way to keep my students actively involved in their learning. I often give my kids an assignment using web tools and just sit back and watch them soar. They are able to get much more out of an unfamiliar program than I can and often end up teaching me along the way — a phenomenon that not only keeps them excited about learning, but also boosts their confidence in the classroom.
How, though, do I know what apps are really going to be helpful? Where do I start looking and how do I avoid being swayed by an inaccurate publisher's description in the app store. I could definitely use a little direction as to what programs, apps, and websites can best support my lesson plans.
Enter edululu.org. This site stars Lulu, a wonderful cyber-dog who has been working like, well...like a dog, to explore and review educational apps for classroom and home use. This is far and away the easiest to use and the most comprehensive listing of reviews I have found for educational applications. This website will ensure you aren’t "barking up the wrong tree" when it comes to your downloads.
Powered by Groupe Média TFO, Lulu the wise puppy will fetch you an extensive listing of educational French Apps or English Apps. So in short, edululu.org provides teachers and parents easily-accessed, credible advice regarding entries in Google Play and Apple’s App Store. EduLulu’s evaluations are the work of teams of independent experts, including teachers, parents, ergonomists, designers, and web developers. Together, they have done the work for parents who are looking to find an app to help support what is happening in school, to bridge a gap in your child’s learning or just to keep your child’s brain growing through the dog days of summer.
Exploring the site, I found many of my daughter's favourite apps, such as the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn series, reviewed and given a deservedly high rating. Lulu and I seem to agree on some of the best for the classroom too, such as Sight Word Ninja. Starting with age zero and heading up through high school, I was able to find many new apps, not only for classroom use, but also to engage and entertain my tech-saavy toddler.
Here are some tips to ensure you find the perfect apps when navigating the site:
Technology is always at our fingertips and edululu.org can be a powerful tool when used well in a classroom. There's no debate that technology is here to stay. Thanks to Lulu and my modern-minded students, this old dog is learning a few new tricks, one download at a time.
This is proudly sponsored by our friends at EduLulu.
www.edululu.org
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