As a parent or teacher, the App or Google Play store can be an intimidating place. Often the brief app descriptions on the app stores don’t paint a whole picture of what the product will truly cover or what information it will hold. We have compiled a list of educational apps we recommend for primary schools.
Seesaw
Seesaw is an educational app that facilitates communication and collaboration between teachers, students, and families. It's primarily used in young classrooms, such as play school or infant classes, but can also be utilised in other educational settings. The app allows teachers to create digital portfolios for their students, where they can share assignments, announcements, and resources.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organisation that provides a free online platform offering educational materials covering a wide range of subjects. The organisation was founded by educator Salman Khan in 2008 to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy has become a popular resource for learners seeking to supplement their education, prepare for standardised tests, or simply explore new subjects. Its mission of providing free, high-quality educational resources has made it a valuable tool for students, teachers, and lifelong learners alike.
Class Dojo
ClassDojo is available as a web-based platform and as a mobile app for iOS and Android devices. It has been widely adopted by teachers and schools around the world as a tool for promoting positive behaviour, enhancing communication, and building a supportive classroom environment. It is an educational technology platform that facilitates communication, collaboration, and classroom management between teachers, students, and parents. It was founded in 2011 by Sam Chaudhary and Liam Don, to create a positive classroom culture and improve student behaviour through real-time feedback and communication.
Scratch
Scratch is a programming language and online community developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is designed to teach programming concepts to children and beginners in a fun and interactive way. Scratch allows users to create and share interactive stories, games, and animations by dragging and dropping code blocks, eliminating the need for traditional text-based coding syntax.
Scratch Jr
Scratch Jr is an introductory programming language and platform designed specifically for young children aged 5 to 7 years old. It is an adaptation of the popular Scratch programming language developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. Scratch Jr allows young children to create interactive stories, games, and animations by snapping together graphical programming blocks.
Kahoot
Kahoot! is an educational technology platform designed for creating, playing, and sharing interactive quizzes, surveys, and discussions. It was launched in 2013 by Johan Brand, Jamie Brooker, and Morten Versvik, to make learning fun and engaging through gamification.
Duolingo
Duolingo is available as a free app for iOS, Android, and web platforms, with optional in-app purchases for Duolingo Plus. It supports a wide range of languages, including Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and many more. Duolingo has been widely praised for its effectiveness, accessibility, and engaging approach to language learning, making it a popular choice for millions of learners around the world.
IXL
IXL is an online learning platform that offers educational content for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. It covers a wide range of subjects, including math, language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish. IXL is designed to provide personalized learning experiences tailored to each student's needs and learning pace.