Comparative Recommendations Regarding Digital Software
Our Romanian project partner has been working on a unique approach regarding popular applications. Responding to the current needs of educators we are not focusing on creating a long list of recommended applications but rather looking at the less known educational features of the most popular apps.
Output 4 is a collection of apps that cover most of the needs of educators. The focus is on the app but
also on the need that it covers. We shifted to this “Constants approach” because in the fast-paced
world of technological advancements it provides a more resilient and forward-thinking analysis, that
covers a broader range of apps in a more structured way. We reached the following conclusions: If
the research base for O4 is to stand the test of time, has to focus on patterns related to apps
alongside the apps themselves. Thus we found categories like storage, management, video
communication, graphics, assessment, and social media that are considered constant across many
apps. Every category has a hero app that is analyzed in depth.
The hero app is picked based on its popularity:
- Social media: Instagram (link)
- Storage: Drive (link)
- Process management: Trello (link)
- Video comm: Zoom (link)
- Quiz: Kahoot (link)
- Graphics: Canva/Mural (link)
Each category is described in a chapter that also contains original photos (videos) and screenshots of the apps in use during educational activities. Every analysis will show the apps from several points of view:
– Facts: general info about the app;
– Innovative approach: usage tips for educators, examples and important concepts;
– Challenges: problems most educators encounter in usage; Limitations: core features that
limit the app;
– Compatibilities: other apps you can use alongside the one analyzed;
– Alternatives: other apps you could use instead of the one analyzed.
The innovative tips and recommendations are not only based on theoretical research but rather on action research conducted by the output team of educators and they also involve groups of adult learners who use and test these popular (and originally non-educational) apps for their studies in their innovative-style curricula.
We believe this intellectual output has its own innovative factor because:
- It’s showcasing a way you can use the apps that is not that known
- It’s adapting the apps to the educators’ modus operandus
- It’s using psychological concepts to understand and create engagement
- It’s a unique collection of less-known educational features of very popular apps.
The approach can be considered a trendsetter because:
- Educators tend to get more and more technological
- Mobile phones are dominant in the digital world and many apps are optimised for mobile
- Is defining apps by their categories (that’s a constant) and not the actual app (that’s changing because of different factors)
- Uses psychological and social learning aspects in education
- Provide engaging and practical tools and ideas for hybrid and hyflex classrooms that are spreading in the present phase of the pandemic-stricken world
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