Abstract:

In this research presentation we provide an overview of a suite of educational apps designed, developed and evaluated by a team of educational experts and industry and community partners. With more funding being allocated to educational technology, coupled with the proliferation of tablets and other mobile devices on the market, thousands of educational apps are being created (apps are specialized applications downloaded onto mobile devices or accessed on websites). Billions of dollars have been invested in digital innovations and expensive hardware is collecting dust in classrooms across North America. There has been little attention paid to how hardware and software acquisitions are changing the system for learners. Remarkably few of the apps – even those specifically designated as educational – are in fact created by teams that have expertise in applying evidence-based research, pedagogy and interaction design.

We were specifically interested in designing, developing, implementing and researching educational apps that promote competencies in three domains:
(1) the cognitive domain (Mind Zone);
(2) the social-emotional domain (Community Zone); and
(3) the physical domain (Body Zone).

Toward this end, we developed a suite of apps for each of these three domains, which was housed in a learning portal (https://eduapps.ca/) for easy access by students, teachers, parents and the general public. The collaboration effectively supported improved learning outcomes for students, fostered initiatives that promoted inclusion, developed healthier schools, strengthened research partnerships, provided technology-and teacher-support, and, impacted teacher praxis. The creation of this robust learning portal (EDUZONE) focused on STEM-oriented computational as well as linguistic knowledge, skills and understanding, in addition to promoting safe and healthy schools. Technical and professional development support was developed collaboratively and the research team provided site-based facilitation. In the presentation, we will provide an overview of the 14 apps developed as part of this project, including a bullying awareness app, a nutrition app, and two apps focused on the social implications of AI for society. We will also share how we evaluated the apps with community partnerships and teacher practitioners.

Keywords:

Educational apps, AI, bullying, STEM, nutrition, mathematics.