Duolingo
The growing importance of speaking multiple languages in order to communicate with others, be it for business or personal reasons, makes language tools highly desirable. Duolingo allows users to learn a new language (or multiple languages) at their leisure directly from the app. Currently, Duolingo has educational games for learning English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese along with other languages for users to choose from. While it can be difficult to commit to other types of language learning programs such as Rosetta Stone due to the monotonous methods of teaching, Duolingo makes learning a new language a fun and fulfilling experience by making it a leisure activity as opposed to a dull educational practice. From standard vocabulary to understanding grammar, Duolingo offers comprehensive understanding of all language aspects and even assesses progress to ensure that users get the most out of the application.
https://youtu.be/8OebgtUjLg4
Luminosity
For many iPhone users who are looking to pass time, phones are often the first resource used to play mindless games or scroll through news feeds. Luminosity provides the ability to play games while learning at the same time, creating a pleasant learning experience. While the games seem merely fun and interactive, they are actually stimulating brain function as a means to enhance memory abilities. The Luminosity games are intuitively designed to help memory growth and stop the all-too -common “Why did I just walk into this room?” thoughts. Beyond helping memory functions, the app is designed to help with attention and problem-solving skills for the young and old alike. Based on extensive amounts of research, there are various challenging yet intriguing games to benefit users of all ages.
Khan Academy
For many students and adults, the learning experience needs to extend beyond the stationary classroom to solidify learning. A highly popular tool for those interested in learning about any topic, Khan Academy creates a highly personalized learning experience that allows users to go through curriculums at any pace from anywhere. With is no limitation on the subjects that Khan Academy offers ranging from basic math to art history to computer programming, courses are available for academic or leisure purposes. Courtesy of incredible partnerships with institutions such as NASA, the Khan Academy app instills new knowledge into all of its users. When it comes to children using the app, teachers and parents are able to monitor the progress of their student or child to see where there is struggle or strength. Whether it’s a matter of learning new information or remembering information learned in years past, Khan Academy provides the perfect educational tool for nearly every subject. Completely free, Khan Academy is operated by a non-profit organization to benefit millions of active learners.
Shifting away from academic learning, Flipboard provides a place for personalized news to keep up with about current events. The app is set up in a similar fashion to mobile magazines with information pulled from a variety of trusted sources. Users can subscribe to news from desired topics such as science and art to form a tailored experience. With its flipping animations in which the user can use a swipe to simulate page flipping, the app is one of the most highly intuitive apps to navigate and read. Flipboard also allows access to publications such as the New York Times and Vanity Fair in conjunction with smaller, niche articles. The importance of regular reading and maintaining awareness of the world becomes easy with Flipboard’s simple design and well thought out functionality, making it one of the best sources to gain information.
TED
TED, which has been growing in popularity in recent years, is an organization which has embodied the humble mission of spreading ideas. By having access to TED talks on the iOS app, it becomes easy to listen to enlightening, brief talks on an array of educational topics. TED talks are beneficial for all ages, and for all different personalities, from social science speakers to world-renowned scientists. The app allows users to obtain knowledge in short bursts, making it more effective in information retention than longer periods of lectures. TED talks are often highly thought-provoking in asking questions that leave listeners pondering and inspired, a feat not many app are known to do. With the ability to curate playlists for both online and offline viewing, TED is a must-have for on-the-go learning.
In an era where digital products are quickly replacing traditional learning tools, education is on the migration towards portable apps. While mobile, users of educational apps are liberated from stationary chairs, classrooms, heavy books, or a strict schedule. Instead, learning is made easy as users are able to absorb information in short periods during convenient times. For those interested in learning more about various topics ranging from languages to science, our list of apps provide powerful tools to gain knowledge without the traditional experience of school education.
