CLOSED – Poio reading app and phonics book!
The new phonics-based app, designed to teach children to read through play With September now upon us, both parents and teachers alike are on the lookout for new and innovative learning tools. Once which has recently caught our eye, and is designed to help children learn to read in a fun and engaging way, is Norwegian app, Poio. As such, QA Education is giving away an access code (worth £18.99) and the accompanying physical storybook to one lucky winner! Poio is an app that provides a compelling, gamified alternative to traditional learning methods, helping children learn to read through play. Created by teacher and father, Daniel Senn, and his four-year-old son, Leon, the Poio app (and accompanying physical storybook), provides an immersive learning experience for children aged between 3 and 8. You can read about our own experiences with Poio here: Phonics app review Whether your child is just learning to read, or struggled with reading in their first year at school, the Poio app will help them immerse themselves in the activity, and transform them into life-long readers. The app allows children to learn at their own pace, without the need for adult supervision, which makes the learning experience much more relaxing and enjoyable. Reading is made even more fun with the reward of a physical storybook, given to the child upon completion of the game, and is included in QA Education’s competition! To be in with a chance of winning the Poio reading app and accompanying phonics book, worth a total of £27.99, click on the Rafflecpter link below: a Rafflecopter giveaway ***The administrator of this competition is QA Education Magazine (“administrator”). By participating in the competition, each Entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Administrator, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Administrator is responsible for the collection, submission or processing of Entries and the overall administration of the competition. Entrants should look solely to Administrator with any questions, comments or problems related to the Competition. Administrator may be reached by email at socialmedia@euromediaal.com during the Promotion Period. * This giveaway will close at 12.00am, 12th November 2019. * The prize is the Poio reading app and phonics book!. The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable. There is no cash alternative. * Open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding employees of the Administrator, the sponsor, their families and anyone else professionally connected with this promotion. * There is one compulsory entry which requests that to enter the competition you answer a question based on Poio reading app and phonics book. Additional entries are available. * The prize winner will be asked to provide their email address so that contact can be made to arrange prize delivery, and their name and county be published in the next issue of the magazine * By entering the competition, you grant the Administrator permission to add your details to the mailing list, share your email address and any other personally identifiable information with the other competition Entities for the purpose of administration and prize fulfillment, including use in a publicly available Winners list. * Entries will only be accepted as instructed and any entrant that does not complete the qualifying requirements will be disqualified * The winners will be chosen using the random entry selector built into the widget. * The winners will be informed by email within 5 days of the closing date, and must respond within 5 days to claim their prize. If there is no response within the 5 days and new winner will be drawn at random. *This prize draw is governed by English law and the courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising in connection with it. For further T&C and our privacy policy please see here Euromedia Associates Ltd: Privacy Policy https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/66331438/legal**
How teachers can use mobile apps to engage students
By Paul Swaddle, Co-founder and Chairman of Pocket App As youngster’s up and down the country prepare for school this September, education technology continues to be an extremely hot topic and mobile apps are proving to be a perfect solution for teachers hoping to enhance their classroom experience. Mobile apps can not only help teachers, but also students and their parents. Here are five ways teachers can use apps to engage their students. 1. Improve in-classroom communication Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are changing the way students communicate with each other. Many students also use social media to collaborate on group projects and organise activities. Apps can be great tools for announcing updates and information to students in a timely manner. Apps can also be used to foster communication between students through chat, forums and other features that build on in-person conversation. They’re a great option to provide students with the most up-to-date information on their performance and help them understand how to improve without having to rely on office hours. 2. Go paperless Apps are the perfect way to achieve a paperless classroom. Once the transition is made, the efficiencies that come along with it are endless. Tools like Microsoft OneNote and Google Apps for education help keep teachers organised and have several built-in tools such as lesson plan templates, note-taking options and more. Apps such as Google Drive and Dropbox allow for an organised storage system that eliminates physical filing cabinets. 3. Implement hands-on learning There are several apps that are made for in-classroom experiences. Digital whiteboards are replacing traditional whiteboards and are enabling students to have a more interactive learning experience. Industry standard for school whiteboards is Notebook. The app offers to distribute pages or new sections to students in a class quickly and easily, also sequentially review student work (for example, assignments or quizzes) as well as allowing easy navigation and browsing student notebooks through a student list. Other apps such as Doceri allow teachers to flip back and forth through PowerPoints, whiteboards and screen casts, providing students with an integrated lesson flow. Real-time collaboration features of integrated solutions such as Google Apps for Education allow students to directly contribute to a project and see the impact of their work. Chat apps such as Skype and Google Hangout also allow students to personally connect with each other and also connect with those they might not have had access to in the past. 4. Connect and share resources Teachers learn the most from other educators. It’s extremely valuable to hear about other teachers’ experiences first-hand. Teachers Pay Teachers has an app where teachers from all around the world share resources. This includes everything from lesson plans to classroom activities and decorations. 5. Keep connected with parents More educational technology apps are now being developed to keep parents in the loop. Simple tasks such as push notifications, requests for signatures and record-keeping can be accomplished with mobile apps. Apps such as BuzzMob are a good place to start. BuzzMob is a cross-platform communication tool that connects and engages classroom and school communities. It offers teachers the simplest, most effective way to send vital updates and semi-personal messages to parents and students. BuzzMob also allows teachers and school administrators to create updates and messages in one simple place (via web or mobile app), and parents and students can choose to receive communication via web, mobile app, email, or SMS. These apps not only keep parents informed but also enable them to directly contact teachers. At Pocket App, we believe mobile apps are the next wave of educational tools and have many use cases for any classroom. With all kids growing up in a digital age, the time is right to implement a fully integrated way of learning and apps offer educational establishments and parents a major opportunity to move with the times. Whether you build your own or use ones that are already available, apps are sure to improve the teacher and student experience.