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We’re coming up to that time of the year again, back to school. The time loved by few and dreaded by many. With the rising convenience and availability of mobile devices, such as smart phones and tables, back to school isn’t quite what it once was. For myself, having only had an old Motorola flip phone by grade 10, school meant studying from dusty old textbooks that showed way too many signs of wear and tear. Today, school doesn’t necessarily mean burying your face in a book that still has last years drool in it, not with the availability educational apps. Now, that’s not saying the use of textbooks is completely outdated (quite like the textbooks themselves) these education apps are more so intended to help the students with studying and to give them guidance with course work. A report published by business intelligence company Adjust goes into full detail of the number of apps that are targeted toward children, as well as apps target towards children for educational purposes. With school just around the corner, this report could not have come at a better time.

It’s no secret to anyone, smartphones and tablets have become commonplace and with that a whole new market for apps has come to light. This market is of course, app designed for primary school children and younger. There’s no doubt that children are spending more time  using technology, and with the lines between smartphones and computers being further blurred, the team at Adjust are expecting to see a rise in education and child appropriate apps. With the availability of technology, learning apps targeted at boosting reading skills, math and eye-hand coordination are becoming increasingly used among children. Believe it or not, there was a time when app stores had no market for “child safe” apps and it was only last year that Apple to the first step and launched the “Kids App Store.” Since then, the Kids App Store, which is curated to adhere to children under the age of 12, has an approximate 80,000 apps that are designed for children which is approximately six percent of the 1.3 million apps in the store. The report goes on to give some stats regarding the Kids App Store;

• 60% of the apps are also in the category ‘Education’; almost half of these (46.5%) are also in
the ‘Games’ category.
• High percentage of iPad specific apps (over 22%), which is more than twice that of the other
apps (10.2%)
• Almost all of the apps (more than 98%) are primarily in English or have an English translation
• There are 16,855 apps for non-university level math and they are targeted by the developers
at boys three times more than at girls
• Apple offers 2,067 apps to help children with their homework compared to Google Play’s 924
homework apps
• The average price for paid apps is $2.56 USD or 2.30 €

Google Play Apps or Apple App Store

If you’re sitting there reading this, finding yourself in possession of only an Android device or Apple device, don’t panic, both do offer apps that serve an educational purpose. Now, that’s not saying they both offer the same apps or even the same amount of apps, I’m just saying that you’re not excluded from the party. However, it is abundantly clear that the Apple app store is more child and parent friendly than Google Play. Apple does offer over Google Play age recommendations, which makes it easier for parents to decide whether or not a certain app is right for the child. Any app that is destined to be sold in Apples Kids app store is curated by Apple editors to ensure they fit the criteria which includes compliance with children’s privacy statutes, no behavioral advertising and the requirement of parental permission before engaging in commerce.

Unfortunately, Google Play is not as accommodating and does not offer a category for young children. On top of that, developers are not able to fill out a recommended age field which makes it difficult for parents to determine is the app is age appropriate or not. Google Play apps that are deemed appropriate for children are generally found in the “Education” category. To put it more into perspective, Google Play apps that are deemed child appropriate make up about 25.8 percent of the app store, whereas in the Apple app store, they make up about 28.5 percent.

The report goes on to say;

In the Apple App Store, apps can be listed in more than one category by an app developer. Of the 80,203 apps categorized as suitable for young children, 48,152 apps (60%) are listed in the category Education, showing that 22% of the 218,778 apps currently listed in Education are suitable for children under 12. There are also 4,970 apps in the Kids category that are tagged as ‘Educational games.’

 

Highest Rated Children’s education apps for the iOS

• Bugs and Buttons by Little Bit Studio – 87% approval
• Kids Puzzles Puzzingo by 77Sparx Studio – 85% approval
• Preschool EduKitt-Amazing – 84% approval
• Heidi on the Alp by JustKidsApps – 83% approval
• Shape-O ABC’s by Bellamon – 83% approval
• TeachMe: Kindergaten by 24x7digital – 82% approval
• Monkey Math School Sunshine by THUP Games – 82% approval
• Green Eggs and Ham – Dr. Seuss by Oceanhouse Media – 82% approval
• Endless Alphabet by Originator Inc. – 82% approval
• Dr. Seuss’s ABC by Oceanhouse Media – 81% approval

With this push towards a higher usage rate among children, parents begin to worry whether their kids are using technology too much or if it’s endangering them. There are safety features in place that ensure a parent knows as much as possible about their child at all times; “Parental controls range from apps that forward SMS messages to another phone to children trackers so parents know where their children are located and notify the parents when the child travels outside predesignated areas. Apps are also available that send the child’s phone voice messages when they stray from specified locations.” And for the over consumption issue, there are time lock apps that set a limit to prevent children from spending too much time on their phone. Even some schools have begun to embrace technology, offering apps to parents to help keep them up to date with what’s going on at the school. This includes newsletters, parent blogs, event calendars, updates on their child’s assignments and alerts.

With this increase in usage, and the lines between phones and computers blurring at a rapid rate, it appears as though the presence of technology within the educational system is inevitable. But with the proper features in place, it seems more likely that this could be a good thing for students. Are you a fan of the more traditional textbook route, or do you agree that smartphones are a strong tool to help kids succeed in the classroom? Feel free to leave your thoughts below.