Apps Are Free for a
Reason
Introducing an educational app to the
classroom can be dangerous, and the danger can be revealed at surprising times
with startling images.
"Watch out for someone in a bathing suit
washing a car," Kristy Sailors, director of educational technology at Blue Valley School District
in Kansas, told audience members during a workshop at FETC 2016
in Orlando this month.
A free app might provide an unexpected
message that a teacher would prefer students miss. Parents will disapprove of
their children being exposed to unwanted advertising, racy images or violent
themes, so teachers should avoid introducing apps until they have been
carefully checked out.
"It will bring in lots of things that
I'm going to have to explain when I get the mad parent phone call,"
Sailors said. "It's about making sure that nothing in the app can be
misused."
How to check out an education app:
- Play the app at all levels possible.
- Check the age recommendation.
- Review the general user policy.
- Conduct keyword searches for terms that could be troublesome. Think like a teenager.
- Remember that ad appearances vary, depending on time of day.
- Go though the app as far as possible to see what can happen.
Apps are expensive to create, so someone is
paying for them. Remember the old saying, "If the app is free, you are the
product being sold."
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Librarian
Khaitan
& Co
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