https //learningapps.org :
By Anna Dyer, Lecturer, University of Iowa
LearningApps.org is a free online platform that allows educators to create a wide variety of online learning activities: matching, fill-in-the-blanks, word grids (word search) and crosswords, maps, voting, ordering, to name just a few (for more information, see the chart with all available apps at the end of this article). The platform has templates for most standard exercises and some creative templates with elements of gamification which makes it perfect for all types of learners.
The platform was created in the context of a research project at the Bern University of Education (Switzerland) in cooperation with the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz. The project aimed at creating an educational platform that would enable educators to create various apps for their purposes and share them with other educators who can use them as is or by modifying them to fit their own teaching goals. One of the great things about LearningApps.org is that it is completely free. But like many free applications, it lacks some of the ‘fancy’ factor that some paid platforms offer.
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| Name of the tool | LearningApps.org |
| URL | Learningapps.org |
| Primary purpose/use of the tool | Create and share learning tasks in the form of multimedia modules (apps) |
| cost | Free (no hidden costs or membership fees) |
| Ease of use | Very easy |
Find – Like – Use!
Once you go to learningapps.org, you will see a welcome page with a tutorial and examples of apps created by other educators. You do not need to create an account to browse the apps collection or even to share them with students. Under Browse Apps, you will find all the freely accessible apps. When you open an app, scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the sharing options.
The web link opens the app on the website, while the full screen link displays the app in the users’ browser window without any other information (like menu bar, links, or sharing information). The embed code allows you to add the apps directly to your website, webpage or your Learning Management System. Finally, you can add the QR code to your website or display it on the screen during your online classes to give your students easy access.
To create your own great app with LearningApps.org, you need to have an account. The platform allows you to create and modify apps without registration; however, it prompts you to register before you save the app.
Don’t Create – Re-create!
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Imagine that while browsing for ideas, you found an elaborate app that is almost perfect for your purposes. You just wish some elements were different, but you dread creating a similar app from scratch just to make it completely perfect. LearningApp creators think of all apps as building blocks that educators can reshape and reuse to create their own great activities. At the bottom of any public app, you will see various options to get your own version of the app.
Make it Perfect – Create Your Own App!
If you’re brave enough to create your own app, wait no further. Select “Create the App” in the main upper menu to start. Look through the app options and select what best fits your goals. The platform immediately displays examples of similar apps to give you even more ideas.
Once you get to the creation canvas, the platform will display all the steps on one page, and offer you a preview and options in the app layout on the screen. The prompts can appear as text, an image, a YouTube video or audio (if you want to use your own video or audio, you need to store the file externally, such as on Google Drive and then use this link instead of the YouTube link). You can add instructions, prompts, hints, and feedback in any language. Note that text-to-speech conversion only supports a limited number of languages (English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Polish, Dutch, Hungarian, Czech).
Once you save the app, it will be private by default. It means that only people with the link are able to access and use it – it will not appear in the app search. You can make it public and the system will prompt you to add more information and tags to make it easily searchable.
More Sharing Options
Registered users have even more options to share your apps. In addition to the options mentioned before (links, embedding and QR-codes), you can now share a link to your profile with your students and they will be able to access apps that you have created (they will only be able to access the public apps; private apps can only be accessed through a link). And if you want to track your student progress, you can create a class, assign apps to this class, and invite students. They will need to register with LearningApps.org for you to be able to track their progress.
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