Apps

 Science Groups on Social Media are full of requests for apps or games for students to play in class.  Spoiler alert!  I do NOT use games, such as Jeopardy, for instruction.  I don’t mind a game Element Bingo if time permits.  I spend class time teaching or monitoring labs, activities, or simulations.  But, you should look at these resources and decide for yourself.  Here is a review of ‘game show’ apps: Kahoot, Quizziz, Quizlet Live, and Gimkit.  Here is a review comparing Gimkit and Blooket. Here are several apps which are similar to Nearpod.

 Here is Nearpod.  I signed in as an educator with my Google account to evaluate some of the lessons. I previewed Balancing Equations.  The lesson has video, polls, instructional slides, and a bit of practice.  It’s not a bad lesson.  But in my experience, kids need to practice balancing equations and do labs with different types of chemical reactions—not watch a video. 

Here’s the thing.  I spent ten years teaching in public schools and fifteen years teaching in private schools. Public Schools promote tech apps all the time.  I was a faithful participant in the summer class, Tech Week.  I wanted to preview new tech innovations.  I like tech, such as Google Tools, which support education.  My kids use Google Sheets for data and write reports in Docs.  I firmly believe tech supports education, rather than supplants education.  Here is my advice.  Look at some of the apps promoted on Social Media and see if any of the lessons are helpful.