Learning with apps - 8 tips from the media expert

The virus has paralysed everything: lessons, everyday life, life itself. But just because children are no longer allowed to go to school doesn't mean they have to stop practising. This works very well with books, vocabulary books and the classic card system, but learning apps on smartphones and tablets bring a breath of fresh air and variety to everyday learning.

Of course, these digital offerings cannot replace lessons, but they can certainly motivate students to learn at home. What's more, many apps are surprisingly good or playful. Our media expert Thomas Feibel took a look at them.

Interdisciplinary: Anton App

The «Anton» app is one of the most successful learning apps on the market. In the subjects of German and maths, it offers exercise units for pupils from Year 1 to Year 10 with economical graphics. Everyone can set their own priorities according to their own needs in order to improve, for example, with tense forms or subjunctive I and II. In maths, too, all the usual types of arithmetic are covered, from multiplication tables to fractions and quadratic equations. Although the subject of English is omitted, the app provides two chapters on «German as a second language». There are also the subjects of biology and music. New content is added regularly.
Conclusion: Amazingly comprehensive
Anton
1st-10th grade
App for iOS and Android
Free of charge

Logical thinking: Monkey Swag

The teaching of geometry skills is often very factual. However, it is much more exciting when children aged ten and over are allowed to sail to islands with monkeys in pirate costumes to dig up treasure. In over 100 tasks, they have to understand the instructions on the treasure maps in detail. It's easy at first. «The treasure,» it says, «is buried at the foot of the rock five kilometres south of the shipwreck.» It quickly becomes more complex: cardinal points, kilometre numbers and route markings are added. If the pirate digs in the wrong place, he only pulls a rotten boot out of the ground. If he finds a treasure of gold, he moves on to the next island. The tasks become trickier and more difficult, but remain enjoyable.
Conclusion: A successful mix of geometry, geography and logical thinking
Monkey Swag
From 10 years
USM
App for iOS and Android
Approx. 2 francs*

Creativity & presentation: Book Creator

Pupils can design their own eBook with the «Book Creator». Everything is possible, from a self-written story to the design of a school newspaper to the preparation of a presentation. Operation is child's play and self-explanatory, as the app only has two control buttons. The plus sign is used to insert photos, sketches or text fields. Each of these elements can be moved to any position on the book page. You can write either using the keyboard or by hand with your finger or a tablet-compatible pen. Using the «i» button, the details are then brought into play: the selection of text shape, size, font, colour or backgrounds. It is even possible to integrate audio and video examples. This makes the «Book Creator» a wonderful alternative to conventional PowerPoint presentations.
Conclusion: A very useful tool
Book Creator
From 8 years
Tools For Schools Ltd.
App for iOS and Android
Approx. 5 francs

Foreign language tool: LEO

For years, the digital dictionary «Leo» with the lion logo has provided invaluable services for pupils when it comes to looking up words and terms in other languages. English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian and Polish are available. The translations work in two directions: either enter the English term and find the German equivalent or vice versa. «Leo» is also available as a website at www.leo.org with additional offers such as grammar training.
Conclusion: Indispensable in everyday foreign language learning
Leo
From 8 years
Leo GmbH
App for iOS and Android
Free of charge

Physics / Gravity: Brain It On

When it comes to physical phenomena, experiments often lead to clearer insights than dry explanations. «Brain It On» focuses on the topic of gravity. Each level of this extremely clever game presents children and young people with a specific task. They have to draw something to set things in motion on the screen. It is completely up to them what they draw with their finger: a line, a ball or a scribble. Every object drawn suddenly plops down to tip a seesaw, for example. The tasks in which only two of three balls have to fall into a bucket are more sophisticated. It can sometimes take longer to work out which sketches cause a glass to turn completely upside down. The great thing about «Brain it on» is that everyone learns something from the failure so that they can do better in the next step. What's more, there is not just one solution to the challenges.
Conclusion: Very illustrative gravity game
Brain It On
From 8 years
Orbital Nine Games Inc.
App for iOS and Android
Free of charge

German / Writing: Appolino Writing

The «Appolino» series from Lehrmittelverlag St. Gallen is one of the classic Swiss educational software apps that teach maths and German in a factual and unagitated way. Without gimmicks, the focus is on didactically well thought-out teaching. In the «Writing» app, for example, pupils are asked to enter the word «Bart». In an illustration, an arrow points to the beard of a wizard. A speaker says the word loudly, clearly and slowly, emphasising it. The learners then draw the individual letters into the gaps. Later, sentences dictated in this way are written. It is also possible to write your own stories. Suggested topics such as «At the zoo», «In the forest» and others are provided. What's particularly great is that the explanations don't present any obstacles because they are all read aloud. The maths apps are similarly carefully structured.
Conclusion: Very solid educational software
Appolino Writing
From approx. 3rd grade
Teaching materials publisher St. Gallen
App for iOS
Approx. 19 francs

MINT / Programming: Cargo-Bot

There are numerous offers for learning programming, such as «Scratch», which, however, requires a lot of familiarisation. Minicomputers such as «Calliope mini» or robot construction kits such as «Lego Wedo» cost money. An app like «Cargo-Bot», however, takes an uncomplicated and playful approach - for free. Although the app is in English, it is largely self-explanatory. Colourful crates in a factory are to be re-sorted according to instructions using a gripper arm. To do this, children and young people insert directional arrows into various command fields to create a programme. With the five difficulty levels of «Easy», «Medium», «Hard», «Crazy» and «Impossible», both younger children and teenagers will have a great time.
Conclusion: An obstacle-free start to programming
Cargo Bot
From 8 years
Two Lives left
App for iOS
Free of charge

Biology / Augmented Reality: Virtuali-Tee

Augmented reality, AR, means «augmented reality», i.e. when something that does not actually exist can be seen on the screen of a smartphone or tablet. «Pokémon Go», for example, works in this way when it comes to catching little monsters outdoors. Augmented reality is also very suitable for imparting knowledge. The British company Curiscope has developed a special T-shirt for this purpose. When a child puts on the so-called «Virtuali-Tee» and another child scans it with the associated AR application, the app provides a lucid insight into the inner world of the human body. The app provides a very vivid and realistic insight into bone structure, blood circulation, digestion, respiration and the urinary tract. Some insights can be swivelled 360 degrees. You don't have to read anything, a narrator cheerfully recites everything. A very innovative and explorative approach. The app is free, the T-shirt is available in various sizes from online retailers.
Virtual-Tee
From 8 years
Cursiscope
App for iOS and Android
App free of charge, T-shirt approx. 30 francs

* Prices in the app stores are subject to fluctuations and may change.

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