Mobile Learning: A Handbook for Developers, Educators, and Learners (Wiley and SAS Business Series)

by Scott McQuiggan

So, how do teachers hear about apps? How do teachers judge apps? With the limited time and resources teachers have, the most common way for new apps to be discovered is through word of mouth. In our interviews, it seems common for schools to establish a de facto app guru, a peer who is good at finding good apps. This person will recommend apps to other teachers. When one good app is found, it is quickly adopted across the school, as searching and testing apps is seen as a burden. Social media is also very useful for increasing the profile an app. Hashtags (for Twitter chats or industry conferences, for example), infographics, and blogs are good tools to be discovered and shared on social media outlets. Using social media to promote an app and engage with users is a best practice. Be aware of these channels, and create materials to market and use them. There are also entire conferences devoted to educational apps and the use of mobile devices in the classroom, and schools often send their app guru to these events. Teachers share their experience with apps at these conferences, which can