Final Countdown

Final Countdown

By Thangbom

Free

Available for Android

An app recommended by my students that assists them to manage their assessment deadlines, (Nortcliffe and Middleton, 2013) for the following reasons;

“Makes countdown [to assessment easier], I always turn to Student D for hand in time I rely on him to tell me down to the last second” student D

“Shows you in the app and home screen [of the phone], shows you how long you have got left” student E

As the app sids the students no to lose track when assessments are due in, provides the user with information of important deadlines on the phone homepage.  Also users can configure the app to supply a regular notification to user as reminder when assessment submission deadlines are approaching.   This functionality is not provided by most calendar app, useful where you do need regular reminders in advance of encroaching deadlines, particularly those set months in advance, typically occurring with semester and year-long assessments, though students are continually working on the assessment the actual date and time of submission gets lost in the mist of time.   Countdowns can be shared on Facebook and Twitter.

App that I would encourage students to use and program in my first lectures, as this is when I release my assessments and  all the deadline dates for my assessment submission.   Students need to be aware three submission dates as few that occur throughout the year.

Reference

Nortcliffe, A.  and Middlleton, A. (2013) The innovative use of personal smart devices by students to support their learning, In Increasing Student Engagement and Retention using Mobile Applications: Smartphones, Skype and Texting Technologies, (Eds) Wankel, L. and Blessinger, P. (eds), (Cutting Edge Technologies in Higher Education). 175-210, 2013, Emerald, Bingley, UK

Evernote

Evernote

Free

Available for Blackberry, Android, Kindle Fire HD, Windows 8 mobile OS and iOS mobile platforms

My students report using the tool for capturing notes whether typed, image or recording, as shown below:

“[Evernote] create notes, take snapshots so like of lecture materials, like the slides and anything that is written down on the blackboard [Whiteboard], also you can tag in your notes and tag them together and share your notes”

Application enables learners to igather information, collate and organise their learning notes to the benefit of their learning and experience.    Our previous research of providing students with audio devices and encouraging them to use the devices to support their learning, the students were found to readily ubiquitously captured their ephemeral learning experiences to the benefit of their learning experience, (Middleton et al, 2009).   Therefore in principle any app that supports students to igather their learning will aid learners to deepen their learning.  

Personally I use Evernote to back up my Penultimate notebooks as Evernote owns Penultimate.  However the app is very popular with my students.   The mobile app enables the user to type, capture audio recordings, location of note and images from camera or upload image from photo library.  Also add tags enabling the users to collate notes with the same tag together.   Notes can be made on of course on other mobile apps and uploaded to Evernote, for example Explain Everything and Penultimate both have the functionality to upload to Evernote cloud, enabling the notes to be backuped, stored and managed.   Like Google Docs the files can be shared with other Evernote account holders.  

Reference

Middleton, A., Nortcliffe, A., & Owens, R. (2009). iGather: Learners as responsible audio collectors of tutor, peer and self reflection, A Word in Your Ear - Audio Feedback Conference, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK, available on-line: http://research.shu.ac.uk/lti/awordinyourear2009/docs/Middleton-Nortcliffe-Owens-iGather_final.pdf, last viewed 24^th March 2013

Google Drive

Google Drive

Free

Available for Blackberry, Android, Kindle Fire HD, Windows 8 mobile OS and iOS mobile platforms

I have been a Google doc user since the beta release in 2006.  I have used it avidly to write collaboratively with co-authors and students, a great initiation tool for many penned chapters.   The tool has become one of my much used IT applications, so the Google Drive on my iPad and iPhone has become a much welcomed addition, particularly when I am collaboratively working as you can share the files with other Google account holders.    The app provides access to my Google account and cloud storage of my documents from PDFs, Google Docs, Presentations and Google spreadsheets.   Recently Notability provided the functionality that enabled users to export to Notability documents and audio recordings to Google Drive.  This has enabled me to collate assessment grid and audio feedback prepared on Notability onto Google Drive, in readiness to be shared with the external examiner.  

At our institution we provide each student with Gmail and Google account thus providing them full access to all Google apps on-line, therefore Google Drive on mobiles in theory would be a much welcome technological addition on student mobiles, our research supports this hypothesis (Nortcliffe and Middleton, 2013) and shown by the student’s comments below:

“Crack it open on a tablet, mobile, where ever… Can't edit PowerPoint’s, but can edit Word documents, saves all changes, set it up on desktop it sync with desktop, Google cloud, University Google account” Student A

Google Drive mobile app enables students to access their documents whilst on the move, share documents for group-work activities and continually participate in group documentation with the group or independently.   As Google Drive provides version control students are able to see who is and who is not contributing to the group documentation at any time and place, as highlighted by the following student’s reflection:

"[Google Drive] you can see what they have been editing (can see if group members are working)…last night [used Google Drive] whilst I was cooking.. Project management stuff...its handy, portable, you pick up your phone and you see you have got work to do" Student B

The only limitations are the fact you cannot edit Google presentation slides, or edit Google survey, though you can access the Google spreadsheet of the survey results.   Additional functionality of the mobile version is the ability to upload videos to Google drive, useful resource for transferring videos off the iPad and iPhone, into a private cloud space.   There is a facility for off-line documents on the  iPad, but if you select a mail document attachment to be opened in Google Drive the file is uploaded to the Google cloud, so currently I am not sure how the off-line feature operates.  

Reference

Nortcliffe, A.  and Middlleton, A. (2013) The innovative use of personal smart devices by students to support their learning, In Increasing Student Engagement and Retention using Mobile Applications: Smartphones, Skype and Texting Technologies, (Eds) Wankel, L. and Blessinger, P. (eds), (Cutting Edge Technologies in Higher Education). 175-210, 2013, Emerald, Bingley, UK

OverSkreen

OverSkreen

$2.49

Available for Android

This is app was demonstrated to me by a student on their android tablet as part of our research, Nortcliffe and Middleton (2012), students comments and reflections as computing students, that developers need to reflect more on how users use technology more:

“Makes your web browser float over things [home screens and other apps], over anything [enabling multi-tasking]” student E

“It is really interesting, the way people expect people to use technology is to be focusing on one or two things at once, the way people really use technology it is more chaotic than that” student D

To be frank this is an app I would like on the iOS.  The app enables the web-browser application to float over other applications or the home page.  Therefore provide the user with the functionality to breakout from a single app full-screen display.  It opens up the opportunity to enable the user to multi-task, for example make notes in Google Drive whilst reading article in a web based journal in OverSkreen web browser.  

I can see the practical advantage of this app, particularly when you could be viewing data of a survey in Survey Monkey in the browser, and you could be writing up the reflections of the results in Google Drive.   In my case I often or not have students work in email attachment, I want to be writing feedback in an email.   I could open up student attachment in the email web browser viewing mode; write the student feedback email in the mail app.   This would just make the process so much more practical and time efficient instead switching between apps, which I seem to be doing all the time.   My students inevitably find  me in my office using my phone, my iPad and my PC, as this is my current work around solution.   This app would make life easier, the functionality is possible on iOS, as it is a functionality provided in the Blackboard Mobile app, no wonder I like Bb mobile so much.

Reference

Nortcliffe, A.  and Middlleton, A. (2013) The innovative use of personal smart devices by students to support their learning, In Increasing Student Engagement and Retention using Mobile Applications: Smartphones, Skype and Texting Technologies, (Eds) Wankel, L. and Blessinger, P. (eds), (Cutting Edge Technologies in Higher Education). 175-210, 2013, Emerald, Bingley, UK

Genius Scan

Genius Scan

By The Grizzly Labs

Free on iOS and 89p on Android

Available for Android and iOS mobile platforms

As we no longer have scanners readily accessible to academic staff,  I am employed at an institution with a large campus, scanners not in location near our office.   The scanners have been supposedly replaced with advance photocopies which we have easy, however these photocopies regularly defeat all of us in the office in just doing the basic functionality of photocopying notes.   Therefore Genius Scan has been welcomed app by all us in the office when we want to scan received hard copies of documents requesting to be completed by hand, signed, and stamped and to sent back as fast as possible, i.e. email.   Typically these documents are copyright permission request documents from publishers and reference requests from employers for our students.  

However, occasionally I come across a hard copy article in journal or book which I wish to share with colleagues or students.   Adhering to the University CLA license, Genius Scan enables me to quickly scan a document and pass it on electronically to colleagues and students.  Replaces the photocopying an article and passing it on with post-it-note saying saw this and thought of you. 

Genius Scan operates similar to the desktop scanning software provides the user with post scan functionality of detecting a page, correcting an image perspective and image processing.   You can append scans to one another to build up a document.   The document can be saved as PDF or JPEG emailed, printed or transferred to variety cloud operations, for example Dropbox, Evernote to Google Drive etc.   Another app I would not wish to lose.

CV Coach

CV Coach by Aspect Resourcing Partners Free Available for iOS mobile platform

CV coach is an appropriate starting point app to provide hand holding advice whilst preparing your CV on a PC/Mac.  Demonstrates why you need certain sections on your CV.   An app I recommend to my first year students to help them to get started preparing their CV for placement applications.

However note that the advice on Reference on Request is only appropriately when you are further up the career chain, at the start of career you are competing with 100s if not 1000s just creates another hurdle that recruitment staff have to jump will not adhere you to them, you are adding work to their day.

Also, note that the Interests and Hobbies section at the start of your career this need to be more descriptive than a list, the type of interests to show are those that you can describe your involvement in to show off, imply and demonstrate in practice your employability skills in action, for example football referee, Youth Worker, Active Member of University Sport or Society or Charity Fund Raising show leadership to entrepreneurship.

Facebook

Facebook

Facebook

Free

Available for Blackberry, Android, Kindle Fire HD, Windows 8 mobile OS and iOS mobile platforms

The reality is social networking is very much part of our students’ lives it provides them with the mechanism to be part of a collective community of self esteem, Gangadharbatla (2008), typically students have Facebook accounts.   In our previous research students highlighted that Facebook app on their mobile devices is an important to supporting organisation and communication in group-work learning, Nortcliffe and Middleton (2013).  Facebook supports their learning immediacy, "the right here right now", as shown by the following student conversation as to why they use Facebook for learning;

"I use [Facebook] chat over email, for someone's opinion, to ask someone something,  you know you will get a response instantly",  student A, "Plus you know  that people will be looking at their Facebook whereas you don't know if people are looking at their emails", Student B, "[quicker response as] most people have got a smartphone now a days, you get the pop up on your phone" student A

I have had a Facebook account for few years it was very much dormant, that is until Sept’12.   After the ice-breaker session with my first year cohort of students, one member announced we should have a first year course Facebook site, he volunteered to set it up.  I asked the class if  wanted me to be part of the group, as I highlighted  in the past the students implied it was their space, consequently I had respected their wishes and stayed away.  However, this year the group unanimous said yes I was to join the party.

Six months down the line, I have to admit it has been a positive experience; the tool has been an appropriate, timely, effective and targeted communication tool.   With the added benefit of being able to keep a respective unobtrusive eye on the cohort and course, for example if the Facebook chatter increases if students are struggling in a modules, therefore I am able to discretely alert the module leader to the areas where students may need more explanation, but also I can inject myself signposting where the students can access more support.   

In terms of course leadership the reality is I only teach the students one hour every fortnight, a very desperate experience, Facebook has enabled the students and myself to create, maintain a collegiate relationship.   I agree with Ahne el (2007) it is easier to maintain a social network relationship than real-life relationship, particularly when the latter involves logistics, space and time, in the case of students working around students’ work, study and extra curriculum commitments.   

Equally students have used the app to communicate with myself; to ask course related questions, as a feedback mechanism on events, to organise course socials, to notify them their absence due to ill-health or family issues.   The cohort also use the mobile Facebook app to manage themselves, organise themselves to classes, share learning resources, to work together in study groups, to support one another’s personal learning, to group assessments, to socialise.    As shown by the following student’s comments:

“Not only can Facebook be used as a tool for sharing learning resources but it can also be used as a place for course mates to wind down and share information relating to their interests”

References

Ahn, Y. Y., Han, S., Kwak, H., Moon, S., and Jeong, H. (2007, May). Analysis of topological characteristics of huge online social networking services. In Proceedings of the 16th international conference on World Wide Web, 835-844

Gangadharbatla, H. (2008). Facebook me: Collective self-esteem, need to belong, and internet self-efficacy as predictors of the iGeneration's attitudes toward social networking sites. Journal of interactive advertising, 8(2), 5-15.

Nortcliffe, A.  and Middlleton, A. (2013) The innovative use of personal smart devices by students to support their learning, In Increasing Student Engagement and Retention using Mobile Applications: Smartphones, Skype and Texting Technologies, (Eds) Wankel, L. and Blessinger, P. (eds), (Cutting Edge Technologies in Higher Education). 175-210, 2013, Emerald, Bingley, UK