Abstract:

How can science, technology, education, art, and math (STEAM) come together in e-learning? At one of the largest e-schools in the United States teachers and students have been using apps to integrate these areas. Virtual education continues to increase in popularity worldwide. Modern day learners have access to more resources than just a laptop and the internet. Students have access to a variety of mobile devices which allow them to learn in more places and ways than ever before. Currently there are well over a million apps available for mobile devices and there have been more than fifty billion app downloads. With increased access to mobile devices and an increased use of these devices in many aspects of life, in what ways are these devices able to enhance virtual learning? This exploratory study sought more specifically to understand how online educators can integrate free apps into virtual classrooms to enhance learning in STEAM with particular focus on integrating art and science. Through discussion and surveys, we collected qualitative and quantitative data from students and teachers from one of the largest online k-12 schools in the United States. The results of this study detail how free apps in these categories have been successfully used in distance education by teachers and students to enhance learning and participation and integrate science and art.

Keywords:

e-learning, apps, mobile learning, STEM, art, science, distance learning, STEAM.