Today’s youth share a unique bond with technology. They have grown up around Apple products, mastered finding wifi and HotSpots, and most never think twice about using words like “Google” or “Facebook” as verbs. For adult generations, however, this fluency with technology is not as second-nature. In fact, parents may feel conflicted about the seemingly omniscient presence of technology in their children’s lives. Each week, alarming headlines appear on the front page of every major news outlet touting the risks and drawbacks of allowing kids to use technology. Concerns range from questioning whether your child has a technology addiction, to debating if technology causes social difficulties in the future. While the jury is still out on determining fact-based answers to these puzzling questions, one fact remains: kids and technology seem intertwined. Bearing in mind this relationship, we have a few recommendations for how parents can introduce their young ones to maximize the more productive apps that technology has to offer. Check out this amazing list of educational mobile applications for younger children. Some, like “Cookie Monster’s Challenge,” utilize popular characters from highly innovative and successful educational children’s television programs like Sesame Street or Disney to teach fundamental concepts like reading and mathematics. Parents can search for the name of the app on their phones, and download many for free or under $3! Digital Trends ranked the top twenty best educational tech toys for kids this year. The list includes build-your-own robot kits and electric circuit puzzle challenges that strengthen motor skills and encourage creativity. Not to mention, that many of the items on the list are fun for adults and older children as well. While the use of technology can tend to pose many worrisome questions about long term effects on young people, it can also be used to reinforce key educational concepts or to promote family bonding. With gadgets and gizmos here to stay, parents might very well decide to invoke the old saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”
Being able to speak the local language or at least knowing some of the basic phrases can make your trip to a different country more enjoyable. Or maybe you just have an interest in a language and would like to learn it. Here are the top 5 ways to learn a new language completely free on any device. Duolingo Duolingo is one of the most popular language apps there is and is also one of the highest rated apps. An independent study conducted by the City University of New York and the University of South Carolina, about 34 hours of Duolingo is equivalent to a full university semester of language education. The great thing about it is that Duolingo is easy to use. You work on lessons to learn basic words, phrases, and grammar. You then practice what you have learned by translating real world content from blogs and websites. There are a few less languages on the apple and android apps than there are on the website. Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Polish, Esperanto, Turkish, Norwegian, Ukrainian Available: Apple, Android, and Windows 2. Busuu Basuu uses crowd-sourcing as part of its language learning system. When you first start out with busuu you will use a lot of flashcards for learning new words and phrases. As you advance, you will have the opportunity to practice writing and answering questions, which will be marked by other users who speak the language that you are learning. They offer 12 languages and you are encouraged to listen and speak the language by interacting with native speakers. Languages: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese. Available: Apple and, Android 3. Memrise Memrise is great for visual learners. They have over 200 languages to choose from. They use a scientific learning system that is supposed to boost your brain to learn 44 words an hour. They also use multiple game modes to drill different parts of your memory. The content is user-generated, so the quality may vary. Languages: 200+ Available: Apple and, Android 4. Lingualy Lingualy uses flashcards and games to help you learn. You practice what you learn by reading articles of things that interest you. When you come across a word that you don’t know, you can click on the word and it will give you the meaning and the translation. Languages: English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish. Available: Apple and, Android 5. HelloTalk HelloTalk helps you learn are over 100 languages to choose from. You can select your entry level and you will start learning and practicing immediately. You connect with others on the internet that also want to learn. You can type in your native language and they can type in theirs. You just tap and hold to translate or pronounce any sentence. Languages: 100+ Available: Apple and, Android Learning a new language doesn’t have to be hard or boring. Thanks to these great apps, you can learn almost any language you choose. Best of all, most of these apps are free, allowing you to learn as much as you want without investing a dime.
With the holiday break over, it’s time to start getting back to classes. When it comes to classes, it is always great to have a couple of apps to help keep things organized and running smoothly. Both Apple and Android have a wonderful selection of apps to help you get started. Here are the “Top 7 Apps” to get you started for college in the New Year: Dictionary.com Dictionary.com is a great vocabulary building app. It is great for helping you get ready for exams. With over 2,000,000 definitions, you are sure to find any word you are looking for. The main app is free. It does have ad banners that allow it to be free. It has search history, word origin and history, word of the day, synonyms, antonyms, a thesaurus, and much more. The IOS version and Android version are both very popular and growing apps. Quizlet Quizlet is a great study tool. Filled with millions of flashcard study sets for several topics that have already been created by both high school and college students. If you can’t find the subject that you are looking for, it’s very easy to make your own. You can also use images and audio in your flashcard sets. It is great for adding variety to your learning process. The IOS version and Android version both average a 4.2 star rating.This is a handy app that every college student should keep around. Google Drive Google Drive is a wonderful resource for taking and keeping notes, drawing diagrams, creating spreadsheets, and building presentations. The great thing about Drive is the cloud storage, which allows access any computer or mobile device that is connected to the internet. Google Drive is a collection of cloud based “Office” programs that include spreadsheets, documents, presentations, diagrams, and more. You get 15GB of free storage and you have the option to purchase more if needed. You can sign up with an email address. If you have a Google account, you automatically have an account. The IOS version has 37,190 reviews with a 4 star rating. The Android version has 1,046,549 reviews with a 4.3 star rating. Make sure to take advantage of this wonderful tool! Wi-FI Finder Between checking your grades online to checking out what is on the menu in the cafeteria, you won’t get far in college without WiFi. This app is great for finder of all the free internet hotspots in your area. Learn more about the IOS version and Android version,as this app is a great one to keep around to minimize mobile data and keep connected. Amazon Kindle The Amazon Kindle is a great app, if you like to read e-books. You can turn your smartphone into a book library. You can use this app to organize all your eBooks and read them offline. A great thing about the Amazon Kindle is that it has a built in dictionary so you easily find the meaning of a word while you are reading. Check out the IOS version and Android version with an average rating of 4.1.. Whether it is a book for a class or for pleasure, this is an app you want to keep around! Evernote Evernote is one of the top apps for taking notes. It has cool features like bookmarking, composing, clipping, and much more. It even has a to-do list to keep you on track! You can sync it to an online account. So you are taking notes on your phone you can access them later on your computer. There is both a free version and a paid version. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the many features available be sure check out this comprehensive beginner’s guide. Check out the IOS version and the Android version with an average rating of 4.6. Mathway If Math is a weak spot for you, then Mathway is a great app for you! It does all the work for you when it comes to solving the problem. The app does everything from Arithmetic to Geometry. It also does Theorems to Calculus. It helps make your math classes a little easier, with less headaches. Check out the IOS version and Android version. Now you have a few more tools to help you better succeed in 2016. Make sure to share with other students apps that you love, as this is the best way to help one another get through the tougher parts of school. Don’t forget that these apps aren’t just for college students!
