Key Questions That Should be Considered When Selecting Educational Applications

As teachers we should understand the implications of various features in educational applications as our first step. Therefore, we then can select features that are best suited to the students' needs. There are many factors to take into consideration when choosing an educational application. However, the two main concerns should be that the learning activities fit into the instructional goals or objectives while meeting the interest of the student. Educational applications should not be forced to fit a student.

There are many key questions that are asked before an application is picked. "What is the intended outcome of the use of the educational application? For example, is it meant to strengthen math skills in problem solving or is it meant to build speed and accuracy with basic math facts(Newton, 2012)?" The second question, " Is the educational applications likely to fulfill its stated purpose? For example, if the stated purpose of the activity is to build problem-solving skills, does it provide the explanatory feedback needed to do so or simply assess whether or not problems are solved correctly(Newton, 2012)" The third question, " Can the educational applications be used as an alternative to traditional classroom activities to enhance students' participation? For example, will students learn as effectively using online math manipulatives as they would using traditional manipulatives."(Newton, 2012)

These are questions to be brought to the IEP team when choosing specific math AT devices and educational applications for a student.

Source:Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive Technology in the Classroom. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.