We are living in a fast-paced world, where people are continuously on the move. Mobile devices have taken over as the reigning king as they are providing mankind with the comfort and flexibility to benefit from the World Wide Web even when they are on the go. In such a scenario, the learning apps help to satiate our thirst for learning and have hence been readily embraced by people throughout the globe. Though the concept of learning apps has made a rapid stride in recent years, there is still a raging debate going on among the educationists and parents regarding the usefulness of these applications. We, at the K.R. Mangalam World School, one among the top 10 convent schools in Delhi, believe just like there are two sides to a coin, the learning apps also have their own share of pros and cons.
The Usability of the Learning Apps
Learning apps present a new arena of knowledge acquirement, and it is a field that is changing as rapidly as ever with the new platforms spontaneously sprouting each day. We believe that there is one thing that has remained constant in all of these changes and that is the potential that it holds for instructional and learning purposes and also for engaging and reaching out to the young learners.
Through the multiple educational apps available nowadays, a rich and dynamic learning experience is ensured whereby the student gets to access the content as per his or her needs and demands. The learning apps definitely serve the purpose of helping out the students to focus and improve on the specific areas or subjects. So, for instance, if a student feels that he/she needs more practice on some particular chapter or topic, he/she can specifically search for that on the app and strengthen his/her understanding.
The technology-rich apps, along with their integral elements of gamification, are successful in sustaining high levels of engagement from the young generation. We have seen that even the students who need to be goaded to sit with their books, need not be asked twice to revise the chapters on their favorite learning apps. Such is the appeal and charisma of these high-end learning apps.
One of the significant advantages worth mentioning also pertains to endless learning material that is brought forth by these apps. Children get to revise all their subjects and that too, anytime that they deem fit. With most of the apps coming free of cost, and most of them having avoidable in-app purchases, the storehouse of information is really accessible for everyone.
The Other Side – The Cons
While we applaud the value provided by learning apps to modern education, we cannot ignore the negative side to it as well. It has been found that the increasing dependence on gamification based learning apps is slowly taking away the focus of the young kids from the actual coursework. Besides, not all the material available on these apps is of high pedagogical quality and cannot be relied upon as the sole source of information. This is the reason why we always advise the parents to be extremely careful when selecting the applications for their kids in a bid to further the academic development and knowledge enhancement of their children.
One of the biggest issues raised by educators about the use of learning apps is that it does not go with traditional education or even the types or patterns of education that is specific to each country or region. We believe that once the conventional form of learning and the varied patterns of the curriculum are seamlessly integrated with the learning apps, the utility and the usage of these apps will be more extensive.
We, at the K.R. Mangalam World School, have always strived to bring in advanced technology to offer modern and useful modes of learning to our students, and to that end, we have never discouraged our kids from using learning apps. The only concern that we have is that the apps that are chosen for them are such that they match their stage of learning and acumen. We believe that overdependence and overindulgence in anything, be it learning apps or anything else, cannot be right and can’t bear fruitful results. If learning apps are used in moderation and merely for the purpose of knowledge enhancement, their use seems acceptable. But if you see your kids relying on learning apps for every little problem and feel that it is taking up a form of an addiction taking their focus away from the core form of education, it’s time for you to act.
