Can Mobile Learning Apps be the new way to supplement School Education?

In today’s time, who doesn’t have a Mobile Phone and an affordable mobile Internet connection? Even the rural most people today either have it or aspire to own an affordable smartphone. 

In 2019, the number of mobile users was as high as 4.68 billion worldwide. Which means 67 percent of the world population has access to mobile phones. Even in India, the mobile penetration is increasing extensively and mobile connections have reached the majority of our rural households. With the advent of the Jio era, the availability of high speed internet on these android devices has reached the remotest regions and people of our country.

This combination of mobile phone adoption and availability of affordable high speed internet has inspired the majority of people to use mobile phones as a source of entertainment, work opportunities and also a source of education and growth for their children. 

Since the onset of this covid-19 pandemic, the education world has further been propelled to being digital. Digital Learning has been there for long, but more like a supplement which parents were using at homes but with this lockdown;  schools, coaching institutes and teachers who were earlier not completely in sync with adopting digital education have moved totally to elearning and using digital tools and learning app supplements to educate their students. This lockdown situation has become the much needed push. 

Teachers have ditched their inhibitions and inertia and have started relying on virtual interactions. In these times, the overall school education system is undergoing a sea change. Majority of teaching and learning today is happening online via live classes and through digital supplements. Students are being given access to live classes on skype or zoom app, teachers are taking doubts and sending homework via whatsapp,  and additionally, online resources or a mobile learning app is being actively used to supplement conceptual understanding and practice for the students at homes under the guidance of teachers. 

The progressive teachers are suggesting best of learning apps and educational solutions to students which cover all subjects and can be used in complement to their online classes. 

Mobile app based education is extremely popular now because it is handy, convenient and cheap if compared to any other mode. Even all edtech companies are actively promoting learning apps with heavy discounts if you want to subscribe and learn through their mobile app. 

Companies like Toppr, Akash, Meritnation and Byjus who were earlier focussing on selling tablets preloaded with content, are also promoting their mobile apps in these times since deliveries of tablets and moving around of sales agents has stopped totally. New additions like the iDream Learning App and SmartSchool StudynLearn are focussing on further specializing in app based learning and offer additional subjects and content to the schools, teachers and students. iDream Education infact has made their app, the iDream Learning App totally free for all users due to the lockdown. 

A key advantage of mobile app based learning is that you are not just educated about the subject, but also various life skills and additional content is also available in some of these apps.

Learning apps can be used by parents also to handhold their children in digital education. The apps give usage reports and assessment results to parents so that they can monitor and coach their children. It also enhances tech skills of both the parties, parents as well as the children. 

We all are well aware of how our ways of living are affecting the environment every second. Millions of trees are cut every day, just to meet with the demands of papers. Shifting to digital learning will contribute our bit to the environment by reducing the use of paper. Mobile education also brings a lot of ease, personalization and efficiency especially in concept clarity. 

One of the biggest advantages of digital learning on apps is a non judgemental learning environment. A key reason for our student’s introverted behaviour in classrooms is the peer pressure and the inability to grasp concepts in group learning where they cannot learn at their own pace, and not even ask openly for repeating in classrooms. But on the mobile app, they can easily pause, replay and repeat the videos, animations and lessons as per their personal learning speed. This greatly helps students to learn comfortably without being judged, and therefore they find it enjoyable and use the digital tools proactively. 

You can replace live classrooms with video lessons,  books with e-books, notes with digital notes and physical tests with practice and tests on the mobile app with instant feedback. If used properly by schools and teachers, app based learning can truly empower the schools to become digital powered schools for future. 

You can study whenever you want, wherever you want and ask doubts and relevant personal questions to the teacher. So the teacher’s role becomes that of a personal guide and a facilitator and not just a sharer of information. 

Students will be able to study whenever they want to which will enhance their adoption, usage and retention. 

One of the latest and most interesting learning app for online education which we would like to highlight is the iDream Learning App. As shared above, the thing we like the most about this app is that it is completely free for all students, schools and teachers during lockdown. It covers all subjects and all classes from 1st to 12th, and the fact that it has additional content like a digital book library and life skills content which other apps don’t have.

It offers the complete balance of a digital school supplement, learning productivity and holistic development of the children. You can read more about them at www.idreameducation.org