So you’re a teacher and you’ve got your Android phone? If you are not using the apps listed below, you’re not using that wonderful piece of technology in your hands to its full potential.
This is a list of the different Android apps that I found useful when I taught Chemistry and Physics here in the Philippines. I hope you’ll use them too and that these apps will make your work as a teacher easier.
1. Kingsoft Office (Free) or Documents To Go (Paid)
Let’s face it, teachers should be very familiar with Excel and its many functions. But do we have to bring our heavy laptops to class all the time? Why not use our Android phone and a spreadsheet program that also opens and edits Excel files?
This is what I did and used my phone to record the attendance, quiz scores, recitation ratings and practical exam ratings for my students.
After a grading period, I just copy the excel file from my Android phone to my netbook and copy the data to my main spreadsheet for grades.
If you want to try Kingsoft or Documents to Go, you can download them in the Google Play Store.
2. RealCalc Scientific Calculator (Free)
This is for Mathematics teachers out there who would like to try using new technology versus the old scientific calculators. RealCalc is a free scientific calculator just for you.
Adroid has a built in calculator that can compute several trigonometric functions but it is still limited with what it can do. You can use these functions by swiping from the right to reveal the additional buttons.
If you want to try RealCalc, you can of course download it from the Google Playstore.
3. Merriam Webster Dictionary (Free)
English Language teachers, this is for you. Merriam Webster offers a free dictionary which also works offline. It is complete with almost all the words that I know and those that I don’t.
It has a search bar that shows a drop down list of the matched words with what you type. It even has a search by voice function but needs internet connection to do so.
This is the perfect dictionary for Android phones.
4. Evernote (Free)
Even teachers needs to take down notes in meetings, seminars and even when listening to student’s reports. This is when Evernote comes in handy.
With this app, you can create notes, lists and sync them with the Evernote software on your laptop or desktop computer.
I personally found this useful when I was taking down notes for each group of the Investigatory Project in my Chemistry and Physics classes.
5. Class Dojo (free)
Now this one is especially made for teachers. Class dojo gives each student personalized feedback which you can easily make.
If a student is helping others frequently, you can indicate it in class dojo and that student will see that positive feedback.
Likewise, if a student is not behaving properly in class, you can also indicate it in the Class dojo and he or she will immediately correct that mistake.
Do you have an Android app that you think is worthy in this list?
Share it in the comments and I will try them so that I can include them in this list of Essential Apps for Teachers.
