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What are the advantages of learning apps for students nowadays.

Some Benefits Of Educational Learning Apps

In the wake of the global pandemic, the education sector has seen a massive expansion of technology. With technology on its side, the entire industry is discovering new ways of doing things. It's not that technology has not been used in education before, but the use of educational applications has been limited.

Using technology used to be a choice, but now it's a requirement. This has led to the adoption of educational software development via mobile applications, allowing companies, particularly in the education sector, to reach new heights. During compulsory distance learning, it was evident that there was a huge demand for technical tools and systems that allowed professors to communicate with their students, track their learning progress, and distribute their courses.

What Is The Definition Of Mobile Learning?

In the past, students could only get an education in an actual classroom, but mobile learning allowed students to access classrooms via devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Students can access the learning process at any time and from anywhere by downloading assignments and uploading completed homework. Mobile learning is beginning to sweep the world, and education is growing at a rapid pace. While there are many advantages to mobile learning, there are also some disadvantages.

What Are The Advantages Of Learning With Mobile Apps?

There are so many advantages of learning from the best learning apps for kids:

1. New Educational Technologies

New learning curricula emerged as a result of the introduction of applications in the education sector. In mobile applications, there are fun activities that engage children in a healthy mental process and help them see things from a different perspective.

2. Miscellaneous Purposes

Mobile applications can be used for a variety of additional tasks related to students, such as online school fee payments and payments for other purposes. It eliminates the need to stand in line and pay school fees. In addition, attendance management apps keep track of pupils' attendance so teachers can keep a close eye on it. It makes tracking student attendance simple for both teachers and parents.

3. Learning Is Possible Anytime And Anywhere

Students who participate in learning can access the materials long after they leave the school grounds. Educators can interact with their students online, offer tests, and provide other resources for them to watch in their spare time, such as educational movies. Students are more involved in the learning process when they are asked to perform independently and on their terms.

Creating information for students to access later is also an excellent alternative to wasting time on the internet. Using additional resources within the learning boundaries helps students stay focused on their learning goals outside of the classroom and, in many cases, improves their performance when they return to the actual classroom.

4. The Easiest Way To Teach

The tutorial embraces a simple educational solution that produces the best results. Teachers no longer have to worry about their students' attention spans because educational apps provide an attractive and visual User Interface that allows students to interact with their devices. In addition, learners can download the entire unit onto their mobile phones, ensuring timely completion of the syllabus.

5. Monitor Your Children's Progress

You can keep track of your kids' progress with many apps, which is something every parent wants to know. You can see how each program helps your children improve their skills in reading, math, and more, over time.

6. There Are No Children Only Apps

A common misconception is that apps only help the young. The use of educational applications benefits both teachers and parents. Teachers can use the apps in the classroom. There are apps that help teachers create lesson plans. Teachers and parents have more time to discuss lesson plans using app-based learning, which leads to more participatory sessions. Parents and teachers can make a huge difference when it comes to choosing apps for kids.

7. Online Study Resources

Students' lives are made easier and less stressful thanks to online tutorials and eBooks. Learners can now access a wide range of books with a single click thanks to advances in technology. If kids have an educational app on their phone, that means they can access all the books available on it, and it fits conveniently in their pockets. On the other hand, learners do not need to buy books or study materials because they can simply get them all online.

8. Study With eBooks And Online

These days, students are growing more interested in online learning. This is where library and book search apps come in handy. These tools make it easy for students to find the right course materials in the mobile application. It brings them closer to the study materials and helps them organize their study materials online.

9. The Communication Gap Between Students And The Institution Is Narrowed

It could be argued that traditional procedures do not allow institutes to give all students the same attention. However, it is now possible to do so. School communication apps allow information to be disseminated to all students. They can inform the students of new schedules, forums, conferences, and school social events.

Additional Educational Benefits Of Mobile Applications

There are a few benefits listed below:

• They give the opportunity for discussion.
• The use of mobile devices sparks students' interest in learning, especially those who lacked passion during a traditional presentation.
• They allow for the sharing of information, and for learning without an internet connection.
• They can sort information to facilitate search based on certain criteria.
• They allow for practical work with different types of technologies—students have access to resources, not only about the topic being studied, but also additional knowledge, as well as the possibility to use different types of technologies, allowing them to obtain the appropriate level of education.
• They offer an overview of the different forms of resources (visual and audio educational materials).
• They offer the possibility of development in line with the times.

Many educational companies offer school management apps and other mobile applications for a variety of purposes, making it easy for an organization to keep students updated about school activities. Students have adopted innovative teaching methods via mobile applications. These mobile applications help students solve challenges and study more effectively. Mobile applications are the future of education and are paving the way for its growth.

• Learning Apps: Are They Good For Your Child's Education?
• Top 10 Benefits Of Online Learning Apps Development In 2023
• The Advantages Of Language Learning Apps
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• 7 Mobile Learning Apps You Need To Know About

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10 Best Online Learning Apps for 2024

March 15, 2024

Whether you're pursuing new skills or looking for new ways to train your team, finding an app you can rely on is always an essential option. That's why we've prepared a list of the best online learning apps available today – so you can discover key features that fit your needs or get your team the best possible learning experience. 

What is an online learning app?

An online learning app is a technology-based elearning tool that allows instructors to create, host, and distribute learning materials that their learners can access anytime through their mobile devices. Unlike traditional learning media, online learning apps allow learners to engage with the elearning content directly on their smartphones. Overall, they offer different advantages, including cost-effectiveness, convenience, and ease of use.

What are the must-have features of an online learning app?

Currently, you can find different online learning apps available on the market. Before you start narrowing down your list of options, here are some of the must-have features that you should look for in apps for online learning.

• User-friendly interface - One of the most important features that you should note is how easy to use a tool is. Take a look at whether or not the app runs smoothly and if the experience is intuitive. This can help both your instructors and learners use the tool more comfortably. 
• Interactive elements - A good online learning app allows learners to engage with lessons through interactive elements like games, quizzes, videos, and simulations. 
• Cloud-based hosting - This feature helps teams make sure that their learning content is saved on the cloud and can be accessed by any of their team members whenever and wherever they are. 
• Social learning options - Apps with social learning features like forums, chats, and online discussion tools allow learners to share knowledge with and seek help from one another.
• Tracking and reporting analytics - It's important for teams to keep track of any learning gaps and address them right away. Online learning apps should be able to gather all the necessary information from the learning materials accessed by learners and create detailed reports.

Now that you have a better idea of what to look for, here are some of the best educational apps on the market.

1. Training by SafetyCulture

SafetyCulture's Training is a comprehensive online learning app tailored to effectively give every learner a fun and flexible learning experience. You can gain plenty of mobile learning benefits from its mobile-first, microlearning approach that delivers highly targeted lessons in short time bursts. This feature lets learners easily digest important concepts and complete their courses in a few minutes at the time and place of their choice. 

One of its key features is its creator tool , which houses over 80 interactive templates you can use to efficiently create mini-lessons without the need for a coding or graphic design background. You can enhance your training methods by implementing videos, images, quizzes, games, and assessments.

You can also use the platform’s AI Create feature to make course creation much easier and quicker. Why sit through long hours of brainstorming and research when you can head straight into generating high-quality lessons? Simply type in the topic that you want your course to cover, and the tool will automatically generate the lessons for you. That way, you can save up to two hours of course creation time, streamline your workflow, and focus on other important tasks.

And if you're not feeling confident in your design abilities or lack time to do the course yourself, SafetyCulture's training also offers content creation assistance. This option allows you to work with expert instructional designers to help make your game-changing bite-sized lessons. 

All you need to do is share your content in any format so the design team can build the course for you. After it’s done, you can review it to make sure it's the perfect fit for all your needs. And when everything’s all set, you can deliver the expertly designed workplace materials that your team will love.

You can also stray away from your usual monotonous learning routines, as learning through the app feels less like a chore and more like a fun activity. Training by SafeyCulture also has built-in gamification features to help boost learner engagement and motivation, which contains game-based elements like quizzes, challenges, and leaderboards. It's an excellent way of improving retention of essential work-related information and raising completion rates to 90% or better.

Key Features: 

• Mobile-first microlearning approach
• 1000+ free and highly-customizable courses
• User-friendly creator tool with 80+ interactive templates
• Cloud-based translation tool (100+ languages)
• In-built quiz-making and spaced repetition tools
• In-built gamification with rewards and leaderboards
• Analytics dashboard
• Supports peer and social learning
• Virtual classroom platform (supports Zoom and Microsoft Teams)

Start using the best online learning app today! Sign up for SafetyCulture's Training for free.

If you're looking for an app that focuses on gamified lessons, Kahoot! might be one of the best options out there. It's a game-based online learning app helpful for making learning more engaging and exciting. You can make a learning game or trivia quiz about any topic in the language of your choice, host a live game with questions on a big screen, share a friendly contest for distance learning, or join a "Kahoot" with a PIN and answer questions on your device. 

If you want to use it for work, you can create "Kahoots" as an individual challenge for team members to complete at their own pace. Kahoot! also has reports and analytics to help identify areas where learners may need more help and give feedback. 

Cost: Free, paid plans

Key Features:

• Interactive game-based format
• Multiple game templates
• Live group participation or self-paced
• Reporting & analytics

Like other e-learning apps, Quizizz is another great platform if you're up for an interactive and engaging learning experience. This e-learning app has a customizable course library and offers dynamic classroom sessions with live presentations, quizzes, and polls. Quizizz also has assessment and e-learning tools that make room for better retention and supplies insights and reporting to help admins track learner progress.

You can also check out Quizizz For Work , where you can apply the app's innovative features and gamification elements that will appeal to your team. You can assign asynchronous e-learning so your team can choose the learning schedule that works for them.

• Customizable content
• Live engagement
• Assessment and e-learning
• Insights and reporting

4. Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a free online learning app that gives learners of all ages practice problems, video lessons, and a personalized learning dashboard so they can learn whenever and wherever they want. The platform offers a wide array of course materials in subjects like math, science, computer science, reading and language arts, art and humanities, economics, and life skills. 

Khan Academy uses video as the primary learning material, accommodating thousands of video lessons from professionals across different industries.

• 4,000+ courses
• Personalized learning dashboard
• Practice exercises
• Progress tracking
• Instructor-led video lessons

edX is an online learning app offering access to over 3,000 courses on in-demand topics from top universities and organizations worldwide. In their wide-ranging course selection, you'll see video lessons on subjects like Math, Science, History, Social Science, and many more. It also gives an opportunity to gain certificates and degrees from some of the world's top universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Berkley. All that while offering a social learning experience where learners can connect with each other.

If you want to use it for workplace training, you can change your plan to edX For Business , which offers corporate learning content and professional certificates for career advancement.

• 3,000+ courses
• Quizzes after lessons
• Professional certificates and degrees available
• Supports 11 languages

6. Coursera

Along with edX, Coursera is regarded as one of the best learning apps where users can enroll in courses and get degrees from leading universities and companies around the world. Its most popular courses include computer science, data science, business, and information technology, but you can also explore plenty of other subjects according to your background and interests. 

Coursera practices a flexible learning approach, so you can learn anytime and anywhere. You can download videos, listen to audio-only supported lessons, and learn on any device with mobile-friendly courses. Plus, you can always pick up where you left off with saved coursework, quizzes, and projects across your devices.

You can also try Coursera For Business if you're aiming to upskill your team. They have hands-on, expert-led training programs and a skills dashboard to boost training effectiveness.

• 5,000+ courses
• Flexible learning
• Supports audio-only courses
• Quizzes and projects
• Skills dashboard

If you're a job-seeker looking for an online learning app to guide your career development journey, you might want to consider using Alison . Alison is a career empowerment platform providing workplace skills training with over 4,000 free Certificate and Diploma courses and career growth tools. They add hundreds of new lessons monthly across categories such as Engineering, Business, IT, Health, and Marketing.

Alison also allows organizations to improve their workforce through Alison For Business . You can build personalized learning tracks for your team based on your organization's needs.

• Personal dashboard
• Certificates available

8. Skillshare

Skillshare is an online learning app with over 35,000 classes taught by industry leaders in design, technology, business, and more. With its vast library of courses, you can easily find classes that suit your needs and interests. Skillshare uses educational videos that usually last 30 to 40 minutes, so it's ideal for visual learners. It's also a good platform for learning something new and doesn't have to be for work-related purposes.

But if you want to use it for work or invest in your team's professional growth, you can opt to use Skillshare For Teams . It features a team management portal for a personalized experience, detailed reporting, and analytics.

Cost: Paid plans

• 35,000+ classes
• High-quality videos
• Suitable for creative and professional courses
• Easy-to-use team management portal

Another online learning app you can think about is TED . It hosts over 3,000 carefully curated educational videos from remarkable speakers on business, science, technology, design, education, and global issues, with subtitles available in more than 100 languages. You can also watch a lesson via TED-Ed, customize it, and roam around the app's growing library of learning resources. Or you can listen to a collection of podcasts anywhere under the TED Audio Collective.

With thousands of talks available online for free, TED has become a go-to source for anyone seeking knowledge, inspiration, and a new perspective on the world.

Cost: Free, paid membership

• 3,000+ inspiring talks from experts
• Vast video and podcast library
• Subtitles with 100+ languages
• Personalized playlist options

10. Nearpod

Nearpod is a mobile learning app with more than 22,000 resources and tools for creating learning content that suits your team's training needs. They give real-time insights into learner knowledge using interactive lessons, videos, and gamified learning. Nearpod also features formative assessments and data-driven feedback, keeping instructors posted on any change in progress so they can determine learners who need more attention.

• 22,000+ learning resources
• Customizable lessons
• Interactive lessons and videos
• Gamification and activities

Ella is a content writer for EdApp, an award-winning e-learning management system designed to help companies deliver high-quality workplace training. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, or playing with her cat.

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Learning Apps Have Boomed in the Pandemic. Now Comes the Real Test.

Start-ups hope there’s no turning back for online learning, even as more students return to the classroom.

Credit... Andrea Chronopoulos

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By Natasha Singer

• March 17, 2021

After a tough year of toggling between remote and in-person schooling, many students, teachers and their families feel burned out from pandemic learning. But companies that market digital learning tools to schools are enjoying a coronavirus windfall.

Venture and equity financing for education technology start-ups has more than doubled, surging to $12.58 billion worldwide last year from $4.81 billion in 2019, according to a report from CB Insights, a firm that tracks start-ups and venture capital.

During the same period, the number of laptops and tablets shipped to primary and secondary schools in the United States nearly doubled to 26.7 million, from 14 million, according to data from Futuresource Consulting, a market research company in Britain.

“We’ve seen a real explosion in demand,” said Michael Boreham, a senior market analyst at Futuresource. “It’s been a massive, massive sea change out of necessity.”

But as more districts reopen for in-person instruction, the billions of dollars that schools and venture capitalists have sunk into education technology are about to get tested. Some remote learning services, like videoconferencing, may see their student audiences plummet.

“There’s definitely going to be a shakeout over the next year,” said Matthew Gross, the chief executive of Newsela, a popular reading lesson app for schools. “I’ve been calling it ‘The Great Ed Tech Crunch.’”

Yet even if the ed-tech market contracts, industry executives say there is no turning back. The pandemic has accelerated the spread of laptops and learning apps in schools, they say, normalizing digital education tools for millions of teachers, students and their families.

“This has sped the adoption of technology in education by easily five to 10 years,” said Michael Chasen, a veteran ed-tech entrepreneur who in 1997 co-founded Blackboard, now one of the largest learning management systems for schools and colleges. “You can’t train hundreds of thousands of teachers and millions of students in online education and not expect there to be profound effects.”

Tech evangelists have long predicted that computers would transform education. The future of learning, many promised, involved apps powered by artificial intelligence that would adjust lessons to children’s abilities faster and more precisely than their human teachers ever could.

That robotic teaching revolution has been slow in coming, in part because very few learning apps have shown they significantly improve students’ outcomes .

Instead, during the pandemic, many schools simply turned to digital tools like videoconferencing to transfer traditional practices and schedules online. Critics say that push to replicate the school day for remote students has only exacerbated disparities for many children facing pandemic challenges at home.

“We will never again in our lifetime see a more powerful demonstration of the conservatism of educational systems,” said Justin Reich , an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies online learning and recently wrote the book “ Failure to Disrupt : Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education.”

Apps that enable online interactions between teachers and students are reporting extraordinary growth, and investors have followed.

Among the biggest deals, CB Insights said: Zuoyebang, a Chinese ed-tech giant that offers live online lessons and homework help for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, raised a total of $2.35 billion last year from investors including Alibaba and Sequoia Capital China.

Yuanfudao, another Chinese tutoring start-up, raised a total of $3.5 billion from investors like Tencent. And Kahoot, a quiz app from Norway used by millions of teachers, recently raised about $215 million from SoftBank.

In the United States, some of the largest recent ed-tech deals involved start-ups that help educators give and grade assignments, lead lessons or hold class discussions online. Among them are Newsela and Nearpod, an app that many teachers use to create live interactive video lessons or take students on virtual field trips.

“Especially in K-12, so much of learning is sparked through dialogue between teachers and students,” said Jennifer Carolan, a partner at Reach Capital, a venture capital firm focused on education that has invested in Nearpod and Newsela. “We are excited about these products that are really extending the capabilities of the classroom teachers.”

A number of ed-tech start-ups reporting record growth had sizable school audiences before the pandemic. Then last spring, as school districts switched to remote learning, many education apps hit on a common pandemic growth strategy: They temporarily made their premium services free to teachers for the rest of the school year.

“What unfolded from there was massive adoption,” said Tory Patterson, a managing director at Owl Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in education start-ups like Newsela. Once the school year ended, he said, ed-tech start-ups began trying to convert school districts into paying customers, and “we saw pretty broad-based uptake of those offers .”

By the end of December, schools were paying for 11 million student accounts on Newsela, an increase of about 87 percent from 2019. Last month, the start-up announced that it had raised $100 million . Now Newsela is valued at $1 billion, a milestone that may be common among consumer apps like Instacart and Deliveroo but is still relatively rare for education apps aimed at American public schools.

Nearpod also reported exponential growth. After making the video lesson app free, the start-up saw its user base surge to 1.2 million teachers at the end of last year — a fivefold jump over 2019. Last month, Nearpod announced that it had agreed to be acquired by Renaissance , a company that sells academic assessment software to schools, for $650 million.

Some consumer tech giants that provided free services to schools also reaped benefits, gaining audience share and getting millions of students accustomed to using their product.

For instance, the worldwide audience for Google Classroom, Google’s free class assignment and grading app, has skyrocketed to more than 150 million students and educators, up from 40 million early last year. And Zoom Video Communications says it has provided free services during the pandemic to more than 125,000 schools in 25 countries.

But whether tools that teachers have come to rely on for remote learning can maintain their popularity will hinge on how useful the apps are in the classroom.

Newsela, for one, has gained a devoted following among educators for its flexibility. The app lets them choose topical news articles or short stories for class discussion, with different versions of the text depending on a student’s reading level. Mr. Gross, Newsela’s chief executive, said the app also provided quick feedback to teachers on each child’s progress, alerting them to students who might need attention whether they are online or in the classroom.

“Teachers are starting to realize which tools are really built for both a physical and a remote classroom,” Mr. Gross said, “that work equally well in both settings.”

Nearpod, the video lesson app, also expects to maintain traction in schools, said Pep Carrera, the start-up’s chief executive. During the pandemic, educators like Nesi Harold , an eighth-grade science teacher in the Houston area, have used features on the app to poll students, create quizzes or ask students to use a drawing tool to sketch the solar system — digital tools that work for both live classroom and remote instruction.

“It allows me to broadcast the lesson to all of my learners, no matter where they are,” said Ms. Harold, who simultaneously teaches in-person and remote students.

Her one complaint : She can’t store more than a few lessons at a time on Nearpod because her school hasn’t bought a license. “It’s still pricey,” she said.

The future in education is less clear for enterprise services, like Zoom, that were designed for business use and adopted by schools out of pandemic necessity.

In an email, Kelly Steckelberg, Zoom’s chief financial officer, said she expected educational institutions would invest in “new ways to virtually communicate” beyond remote teaching — such as using Zoom for Parent Teacher Association meetings, school board meetings and parent-teacher conferences.

Mr. Chasen, the ed-tech entrepreneur, is counting on it. He recently founded Class Technologies, a start-up that offers online course management tools — like attendance-taking and grading features — for educators and corporate trainers holding live classes on Zoom. The company has raised $46 million from investors including Bill Tai, one of the earliest backers of Zoom.

“I’m not coming up with some new advanced A.I. methodology,” Mr. Chasen said of his new app for video classrooms. “You know what teachers needed? They needed the ability to hand out work in class, give a quiz and grade it.”

Natasha Singer is a business reporter covering health technology, education technology and consumer privacy. More about Natasha Singer

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Best online learning apps in 2021

Ace your courses at home with these best online learning apps

Once upon a time, education was confined to the four walls of a classroom. But with the rapid rise of internet-connected technology and mobile applications over the past few years, everyone can now learn anywhere and anytime.

In this day and age, thousands of online learning apps exist for students of all ages and walks of life. These cover kids K-12 and college students, along with adults returning to education and professionals looking to supercharge their career by upskilling. 

Besides suiting the needs of students of all ages, the best educational apps also cover a wealth of subjects and skills. Whether it’s academic subjects, such as math, science, foreign languages, literature, history, philosophy, art, and music, or professional skills, like data science, problem-solving, management, and communications, you’ll find educational and learning apps for any area. And there are new educational and learning apps constantly emerging. 

However, given the wealth of educational and learning apps available for smartphones, tablets, computers, and other devices today, it can be hard to choose the best ones. To help transform your experience as a learner, we’ve rounded up the top online learning apps of 2021. Read on to find out which you need to download on your device.

If you want to save money spent on expensive college textbooks and make room on your bookshelf, it’s worth checking out Perlego . It’s an online academic library that provides access to more than 500,000 textbooks published by the likes of Pearson, Cambridge University Press, Harvard University Press, Wiley, and 2000 other academic publishers.

Available on Android , iOS , and desktop, Perlego’s online library contains digital textbooks covering subjects such as architecture, art, science, business, computer science, economics, history, law, mathematics, foreign languages, literature, and more. Overall, there are 900 different textbook topics and subtopics available on Perlego. 

In addition to a large variety of academic textbooks and categories, Perlego also provides tools that make studying easier. For example, you can access a one-click referencing feature, highlight your textbooks, save notes, search for specific keywords in textbooks, and customize your e-reader. What’s more, you can read textbooks via Perlego both online and offline.

But arguably Perlego’s most significant appeal is that it’s a lot cheaper than purchasing college textbooks individually. By signing up for a $18/£12 monthly subscription or a $144/£96 annual subscription, you’ll get unlimited access to a vast number of textbooks. There’s also a 14-day free trial, allowing you to try before you buy.

Kindle 

Although Perlego is an excellent textbook app, Amazon Kindle has long been one of the best and most popular e-book services. It offers a vast digital library of non-fiction books, novels, magazines, newspapers, and so much more.

With the official Android and iOS Kindle apps, you can access millions of e-books on your smartphone or tablet. If you don’t want to spend lots of money on books, you’ll be happy to learn that the Kindle app offers access to one million free ebooks. These include iconic titles such as Prejudice & Predicide and Treasure Island.

Depending on your device’s operating system, the Kindle app also offers lots of handy features. For example, the Android version sports an integrated dictionary, Google search , and Wikipedia. So, when you’re reading a book and find a word you haven’t come across before, you can find out what it means via the built-in dictionary or the Google and Wikipedia links.

Other handy features for learners include the ability to scribble down notes and highlight text in the Kindle app. What’s more, Amazon will sync the last page you read, as well as your notes, highlights, and bookmarks across all your devices. The Kindle app also boasts lots of customization options, such as making fonts smaller or bigger, increasing or decreasing the display brightness, and so on. 

Duolingo 

Duolingo is an excellent free app for anyone who wants to learn a new language. It provides a range of short and fun lessons for learning more than 30 foreign languages on Android, iOS, Windows , and desktop.

Currently, you can learn languages such as English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Esperanto, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Hebrew, Welsh, Arabic, Latin, Hawaiian, Scottish Gaelic, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, and more via Duolingo.

Each lesson typically lasts for around 5 minutes, meaning you can fit language learning around your busy schedule. They’ll enable you to develop speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills in your chosen language. 

Duolingo also provides instant grades in these challenges, so you’ll know straight away if you got a question right or wrong. When you don’t manage to complete a task successfully, Duolingo will help you improve and get it right next time. It also offers other language resources such as Duolingo Stories and Duolingo Podcasts. 

As you continue to take part in different language lessons on Duolingo and reach your learning objectives, you’ll receive virtual currencies, access more advanced levels, and get higher scores on competitive leaderboards. These will serve as visual reminders that you’re progressing and help you stay motivated on your language learning journey. If you want to remove adverts and access additional features, you’ll need to upgrade to a Duolingo Plus account.

Coursera 

Looking to further your career by developing new skills or want to upskill in an entirely different profession? If the answer to either question is yes, then you’ll love Coursera . It’s an online course provider that offers a wide variety of short courses, professional certificates, and college degrees.

What sets Coursera apart from competitors, in particular, is the fact that it’s partnered with more than 200 universities and businesses worldwide. These include Yale, Stanford, the University of Michigan, Imperial College London, Google, IBM, and many other high-profile names.

The Coursera app contains more than 5,100 online courses, 40 certifications, and 25 degrees. They cover various topics and specialisms such as business, computer science, data science, language learning, art and design, personal development, sciences, and many others.

One of the best things about Coursera is that it’s flexible and suits different learners. For starters, there are hundreds of free courses available on Coursera. Meanwhile, premium courses, certificates, and degrees can cost anywhere from $39 to $45,000. Along with plenty of pricing options, you can study anywhere in the world and at any time of the day.

TED may not be your standard online learning platform, but it’s an excellent source of educational and inspirational talks. Usually lasting for under 18 minutes, TED talks cover many different topics and aim to spread inspirational ideas.

With the TED app, you can watch thousands of TED talks, stay up-to-date with the latest and trending discussions, browse a wide variety of topics, and choose from a list of curated videos. What’s more, you can watch TED talks from all corners of the globe thanks to the subtitles available in more than 100 languages.

If you want to watch a TED talk on-the-go and may not have any internet connection on your travels, then download videos and stream them offline. Should you find a great video and don’t have time to watch it presently, you can add it to your watchlist and stream it at a more convenient time. 

Another great thing about the TED mobile app is that you can use it to stream videos on your smart TV or streaming box. The iOS app allows you to stream content on your Apple TV via AirPlay , while the Android app will enable you to transfer a video to your Chromecast or Android TV. 

For any student looking to brush up on their math skills, one app to consider is Photomath . Using it, you can scan paper-based equations via your smartphone’s camera and get instant explanations on the sum in question.

Photomath sports a range of handy features aimed at students, including step-to-step explanations per equation, how-to animations, the ability to browse several methods for solving a math problem, interactive graphs, a multi-purpose scientific calculator, and many others.

The other major advantage of using Photomath is that the app doesn’t require any internet or cellular data. So, if you’re traveling, live in a rural area, run out of data, or don’t have a stable internet connection, you’ll always be able to use Photomath.

As well as offering an extensive list of features and offline usage, Photomath is also suitable for different areas of math. These include basic math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. The Photomath app is available on both Android and iOS, and also happens to be free. 

Over the last year, millions of children across the world have been learning from home. If you’re currently homeschooling a young child or want to boost their learning outside the classroom, a great app to try is ABC Mouse .

Available on smartphones, tablets, and computers, ABC Mouse is an online learning platform that offers more than 10,000 educational activities and 850 lessons created by educators. Aimed at children aged between two and eight, these activities and lessons cover topics such as literacy, numeracy, art and design, science, social studies, music, and many other areas of the curriculum.

The app also provides thousands of books, videos, puzzles, songs, games, animations, and print-out activities. Other features include progress tracking, tickets and rewards, a custom avatar, an interactive zoo, an interactive farm, an interactive aquarium, and more. You can pick up a subscription for $9.95 per month, although new numbers will have one-month free access when they sign up. 

Khan Academy

Khan Academy provides thousands of free educational activities, videos, articles, and other materials covering topics such as mathematics, science, grammar, government, history, economics, and more. 

What’s great about the Khan Academy app is that it offers educational content relevant to all learners, whether you’re a current student, an adult returning to education after a long time, or a teacher looking for new educational tools and resources to try in your class.

When you take part in exercises, quizzes, tests, and other activities in the Khan Academy app, it’ll provide feedback to help you improve and get better each time. What’s more, you can bookmark content to access later and download videos to watch without an internet connection.

As you continue to use the Khan Academy app, it’ll suggest content tailored to your educational level and offer activities to perform next. After signing up for an account on the Khan Academy website, you’ll be able to access its learning content on any device. 

Evernote 

Regardless of what you’re studying, you will no doubt take lots of notes as a student. So, it’s definitely a great idea to download a note-taking app on your smartphone or tablet. If you agree, we’d definitely recommend Evernote .

Available to download for free on Android, iOS, and Windows devices, the Evernote app is excellent for creating searchable notes, notebooks, checklists, to-do lists, journals, creating web clippings, and more.

Evernote will also enable you to add a wide variety of media to your notes, including text, sketches, photos, audio, web clippings, and more. If you’ve already written a note by hand and want to upload it to Evernote, you can create a digital copy by scanning it with your smartphone’s camera. Because Evernote runs on the cloud, it’ll sync notes, notebooks, lists, and other items across all your devices.

Google Search app

If you’ve got a burning question and want to find an answer, one of the easiest things to do is perform a quick Google search. And you can speed up this process by downloading the official Google app on your iOS or Android device. 

Using the search function in the official Google app, you can quickly find out relevant pieces of information and browse all corners of the web. It lets you conduct Google searches by typing text into the search bar, scanning a photo via your device’s camera, and using your voice. 

The Google app also provides relevant content in a feed underneath the search bar, which is a great way to stay informed with everything happening in the world daily. Plus, it’s completely free to download and use on all your devices.

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The 8 Best Learning Apps of 2024

These cross-platform apps turn your device into an academy

• Northwestern University
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It’s never too late to broaden your knowledge; in the digital age, information has never been more accessible. Here are 8 of the best mobile and web learning apps to help you pursue your quest for understanding, wherever that may take you.

Best Personal Tutor-Style Learning App: Khan Academy

The personal tutor style and reliance on drawn visual aids is a unique twist on online lectures.

A strong personal philosophy from the founder means it will always be free.

The topics are limited and geared toward math and science fields.

The courses are taught by the same guy, so if you don't like his style, there's not much you can do.

Khan Academy is another app offering courses on a range of subjects. It does so in a personal one-on-one style rather than a recorded lecture.

The app places a strong emphasis on diagrams and visual aids, relying on a digital drawing board to accommodate other learning styles. While it favors math and science topics, it also features humanities courses such as history and art.

Whether on its mobile iOS or Android apps, online through YouTube, or its dedicated web app, Khan Academy is completely free, a core tenet of founder Salman Khan's philosophy.

Download For :

Best Tool for Learning Another Language on the Go: Duolingo

Exercises include multiple choice, writing, and listening questions.

A fun social media element gets you and your friends to challenge each other to learn.

Lessons focus more on instilling rote phrases than teaching concepts like grammar.

It's not enough to develop true fluency by itself.

Duolingo stands out among language learning apps and among education apps overall. Duolingo includes dozens of languages, including a couple of fictional ones just for fun. Each language offers a mostly linear path divided into topics of conversation. Each topic presents you with short exercises to familiarize you with the material through spoken and written formats.

The app encourages you to make a habit of practicing with a reward system and a social component. You'll receive between one and five lingots of app currency for each day in which you meet your set threshold. You can spend lingots in the store on power-ups and fun accessories. Concurrently, the in-app social network encourages you to invite your friends to the app and compare scores to see who studies the hardest.

Best for an In-Depth Programming Language Learning Experience: Codeacademy

Paths bundle courses together instead of leaving you to figure it out. 

Every lesson has an interactive console for trying out code.

They really push the paid tier, with no mobile app access and a limited course set for the free tier.

If you're interested in any aspect of computers, Codeacademy is the place to satisfy your curiosity.

On Codeacademy, targeted lessons let you pick up skills one concept at a time. Code editors and interactive consoles are built into the app, so you never need to leave it or download any software. Courses are curated based on the kind of projects you want to tackle, and you don't need to know anything about programming languages going in. Choose the direction you find most interesting, and Codeacademy presents groups of courses for you to take.

Whether in a series of courses or a standalone course, each lesson features a handful of steps. Each step has a short explanation of the concept to learn and a coding exercise. At the end of the lesson is a short quiz on all the steps from the lesson, then it's on to the next.

You can take Codeacademy courses on its web app. However, its iOS and Android apps are only available to premium subscribers.

Best App For Taking Top U.S. University Courses Online: edX

Take real courses from top U.S. universities online for free.

Technical courses like programming include online interactive tools such as code consoles for labs.

Course credit often isn't free and costs a lot.

If you don't start a course live, you don't get the same experience, such as access to lecturers or forum boards.

When it comes to the old adage that you get what you pay for, edX is the exception to the rule. edX provides free access to university courses, taught by professors, at some of the most prestigious schools in the U.S. via video. Courses are free, and the app extends the option to pay for certification, which can count as college credit.

Available subjects run the gamut, with extensive offerings in science and technology subject areas. Classes feature video lectures followed by short quizzes and, for some subjects such as programming, interactive online labs.

Best Astronomy Learning and Stargazing Guide Hybrid App: NASA

The app lets you learn about space directly from the people exploring it.

Multiple formats let you read articles, watch videos, or go outside and stargaze.

The interface isn't the cleanest, so it might be hard to navigate.

It focuses on new astronomy discoveries, so you might have to spend time brushing up on the basics. 

Space is so vast that leading-edge astronomers are continually learning more about it. So, why should you settle for yesterday's astronomy lessons? The NASA app is one of the few educational apps that teaches you what's going on in one of the most fascinating fields of scientific study.

The NASA app serves up articles and videos that teach the basics of astronomy. Where it really shines like a white dwarf is its focus on giving you a look at the latest developments from NASA's work. You'll learn about NASA's latest missions, and the app directs you where to look to catch upcoming celestial events like eclipses and planetary sightings.

Best for Watching Short Talks About Innovative New Ideas: TED

Talks are short and span a variety of topics.

Offers a versatile viewing experience by allowing downloads or listening from a locked screen.

Topics aren't treated in-depth.

It doesn't feature a full-fledged subscription system for specific topic categories.

Unlike most educational apps that strive to teach the fundamentals of existing knowledge, TED exposes its audience to a spectrum of innovative ideas that seek to reassess the world we live in. Each TED talk is a spoken presentation from leaders in hundreds of fields. You'll find everything from hard science to art and philosophy. Each talk, no matter the subject matter, is given at an accessible comprehension level.

While you can find talks on their website or YouTube channel, TED rewards you for making its app your go-to with some convenient features, including downloading videos for offline viewing and locking your device without interrupting playback.

Best App for Learning Languages Through Memory Devices: Memrise

The encouragement to use mnemonic devices gives you a handle on tricky languages.

The ability to share and incorporate other users' memory devices provides a social media feel.

Like Duolingo, there isn't a huge emphasis on teaching grammar. Instead, it favors words and phrases.

You probably won't become fluent from using Memrise alone. 

If you thought memes couldn't teach you anything, think again. With Memrise, you can harness the collective power of the app's users by making use of meme-like mnemonic devices designed to stick with you.

When learning new words or phrases, you're encouraged to write a short association to use as a memory device. If you can't think of one, you can choose from those submitted by other users. By thinking about mnemonics, you'll build confidence and vocabulary in new languages with associations that are natural to you. Aside from this, the app's regimen yields a gradual increase in vocabulary and concepts.

Best Logic Puzzle Solving App: Brilliant

The focus on learning through puzzle-solving is a novel way to learn and offers options to those who learn differently.

The learning style options at setup let you set your pace and style.

There isn't always a lot of instruction before each question, so learners may feel under-prepared.

As with many of these apps, this one is heavy on math and science, and light on everything else.

If you're the kind of student that learns best through firsthand practice, Brilliant is exactly what you're looking for. Brilliant teaches an array of science and math subjects through hands-on problem-solving.

The app favors short descriptions of concepts to learn paired with a problem to solve, which incorporates those concepts. Unlike other learning apps, Brilliant doesn't wait until the end of dense reading to test you and instead proceeds incrementally to build your toolset. Another helpful feature is the option to see the answer if you're stumped. This feature spares you from blindly guessing and clues you into the factors that may have caused you to hesitate.

Brilliant also allows you to tailor your learning experience based on what you want to get out of it. The app prompts you to choose a study style or purpose during the setup, whether it's for boosting your career or pure curiosity. This way, it can push you the right amount for your goals.

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• Our Mission

5 Apps to Enhance Distance Learning

These (mostly free) applications allow teachers to create virtual classrooms, record lessons, and collect student work.

Distance learning has become the new norm in education since the advent of school closures as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and teachers have adapted—with the help of some truly amazing online applications.

Throughout my three months of distance learning, the following five online education applications were my lifelines; they genuinely helped bring my courses to life when I couldn’t be present in person with my students.

If we find ourselves in distance learning mode again this fall, they will be on the front lines of my course delivery.

My Essential Distance Learning Apps

1. Flipgrid:   Flipgrid is a free online application that allows students and teachers to record short, online videos. Teachers can easily create accounts and then within accounts create “classrooms.”

Similar to Google Classroom, students join classrooms via a code. From there, teachers can create posts for students to respond to via short videos. The settings can be manipulated to allow only teachers to see responses or for students to be able to see and respond to each other’s videos.

Flipgrid is a fantastic oral communication application that is easy to use. It can be adapted to almost any age group or subject area effectively. I know my own kids (grades 3 and 5) were also using it in their distance-learning classes, and they loved it as much as my high school students.

2. WeVideo: An online video editor with free and paid accounts, WeVideo has offered free upgrades to accounts for teachers and students during the pandemic, which I took immediate advantage of. I’m hoping that if distance learning continues they will extend this program.

WeVideo is another application teachers and students can join via a Google account, and it also can link and upload directly to Google Drive , which was an added convenience when students were submitting work. Teachers can also make a “class” within the application and have students join their class via a special code.

The actual video editor program is absolutely the easiest and most user-friendly I’ve found. I also like that WeVideo has stock images, videos, templates, music, and sound effects, which make video creation a snap.

My students said the program made it simple to share their work. Through this application, I was able to transform many of my assignments to a video communication format, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

3. Google Forms: This application is often used to gather information in a variety of contexts (surveys, quizzes, etc.). Its quiz feature can be enabled to block users from opening other windows. It also offers auto grading for multiple-choice tests.

I’ve used Google Forms in my classroom regularly; however, it became a daily application in my classes during distance learning. I used it for pre-assessments, quizzes, and surveys.

Google Forms is user-friendly and free if you have a G Suite account . It’s a great way to ensure students are on track and to allow them an anonymous way to share feedback with you as a teacher.

4. Google Meet:  Our district used the online meeting platform Google Meet to deliver our course material live or, depending on grade level, to record lessons and then post them to Google Classroom.

A feature I really like about this application is the option for students to show their faces, allow only their voices, or stay silent. There is also a chat feature on the sidebar if they’d like to communicate through writing.

Teachers (or students) can share their screens for all participants to see as well as record the meeting. I recorded all of my daily lessons—showing my screen only and talking through the lesson—and then posted the recordings to Google Classroom at the request of my students. This is a practice I’d like to continue even after distance learning as students really liked the option to return to a recording of the day’s lesson to review it at their own pace.

5. Google Classroom: This popular application allows teachers to create online forums to share course curriculum, news, or lessons as well as a platform to assign, collect, and give feedback on student work.

I’ve used Google Classroom for years, but it became the cornerstone of my classroom throughout distance learning. This is where I posted the daily agenda as well as attached any necessary assignments, videos, or links. As previously mentioned, I also linked my Google Meet live lesson recordings for students to review if required. Essentially, Google Classroom became my online course management tool where students could easily access course work in an organized and engaging manner.

Although the 2019–20 school year didn’t end the way any of us in education predicted or wanted, at the very least, distance learning allowed teachers to explore new online applications that can and will be relevant to our future course delivery in any format.

Best online learning platform of 2024

Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)

Best open source

Best for projects, best for pricing, best for integrations, best for google, best for entrepreneurs, best for streamlining, best for tools, best for social media, best for enterprises, best for training.

• How we test

The best online learning platforms make it simple and easy for educators and trainers to manage online courses.

1. Best open source 2. Best for projects 3. Best for pricing 4. Best for integrations 5. Best for Google 6. Best for entrepreneurs 7. Best for streamlining 8. Best for tools 9. Best for social media 10. Best for enterprises 11. Best for training 12. FAQs 13. How we test

Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) have become increasingly common, especially due to sweeping changes that became necessary due to the pandemic. 

While face-to-face learning has a place, increasingly learning and courses are being conducted through digital channels. This can be both cheaper and easier to manage for businesses, and for educators it means the ability to reach people from a distance. 

In a remote situation is where online learning platforms really come to the fore, as platforms for education make the most of modern technology. That’s not to say traditional means of education are about to be extinct, but academic institutions and businesses have identified that we can achieve plenty more through tech, such as smartphones and other internet-connected devices which can facilitate learning from any location.

Online learning also has its advantages for people who might not easily be able to access face-to-face learning. This can be especially relevant in remote areas, but also for people with disabilities whose mobility issues might prevent attending college or similar.

When comparing the different online learning platforms, we looked at what operating systems they were available on (Android and iOS), the app interface, integration with third-party software, and the overall quality. We also assessed the pricing plans and what kind of users each learning platform would be best suited for, among other things.  

Below we list what we think are the best online learning platforms currently available.

We've also featured the best online class sites .

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Adobe Captivate is a premier platform for crafting educational content, integrating various media sources such as images, screen captures, and PowerPoint presentations. 

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The best online learning platforms of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. Moodle LMS

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

While commercial software has its place, sometimes it is truly impressive what an open source project can achieve, such as in the case of Moodle LMS. This open source learning platform can be downloaded and used for free. While direct support is lacking (although an organization can engage one of 80 Certified Service Providers to remedy that deficit), there is still plenty here, including documentation such as guides on how to use this platform. 

Learners and teachers are sure to like the expansive feature set, such as interaction with multiple choice questions in the content, an integrated text editor , and support for 3rd party cloud storage providers, such as DropBox to submit assignments. It is also multi-language capable, and supports open standards such as SCORM. 

We also like that teachers can make comments on assignments, and the integrated all-in-one calendar . With so many features, it may be open source, but it hardly will feel like it, which explains why it has over 200 million users.

Read our full Moodle LMS review.

• ^ Back to the top

2. Adobe Captivate

Adobe Captivate is a professional platform for creating learning content. This can be incorporated from a variety of sources, including images that this software can edit, screen captures that can be done automatically, and by importing PowerPoint presentations. 

We are impressed with the support for VR projects, and users are sure to like the choice of acquisition options along with its use of templates to streamline project production, and provide consistency. Users do have issues with the stability of the app, the limited options for direct support and the cancellation fee for the monthly plan will undoubtedly irk some out there. 

Quibbles aside, Adobe Captivate is a mature piece of software that has endured with good reason, and is well worth a closer look via the 30-day trial that is longer than most of its competitors.

If you want to go ahead and buy the software, the price of subscription is around $34 / £30 / AU$50 per month.

Read our full Adobe Captivate review.

3. Acorn LMS

For those that are looking for some upfront pricing, Acorn LMS- unlike some of its competition- answers that need. Rather than keeping potential users in the dark, Acorn LMS is upfront offering both a tier without content and another with content The company also offers a flat fee for the first 100 users and an additional student fee for each user thereafter. 

Beyond that, this platform has a number of strengths that impress us, such as the ability to make individualized student pathways via LinkedIn Learning content, the white label approach to foster customization of the site for consistent branding at an organization, and support for multiple tendencies allowing an administrator to easily manage multiple acorn LMS accounts via a single set of sign on credentials. 

While nothing is perfect, and we should point out the lack of an Android app in the Google Play Store, the dearth of user reviews, and that there are no advanced support options such as a forum or a FAQ, overall it is an attractive package worth the 60-day free trial.

If you want an LMS that does the fundamentals of an LMS really well, you can opt for the Core LMS option with a flat rate of $400 / £250 / AU$400.

Read our full Acorn LMS review .

4. Canvas LMS

The Canvas LMS is used by top institutions worldwide, and it can boast it has over 6 million users with an over 90% satisfaction rate. Users are sure to be impressed that it integrates well with popular apps that students use, such as those from Adobe, Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams . 

We also like the robust community forum, with thorough answers for common user issues, and the multiple communication options covering the spectrum from messaging (individually and as a group), to audio, and video. Some areas we would like to see improved would be support for gamification, and some transparency in the pricing. Teachers will also be pleased to see the support for automated grading via integration with SpeedGrader.  While the opaque pricing is frustrating, we appreciate both the free 30 day trial, and also the lowest ‘Teacher Tier’ plan that is free long term for both teachers and students to allow for education of all.

Read our full Canvas LMS review .

5. Google Classroom

Google Classroom offers a cloud based learning environment to enable remote education for learners from pre-K through the university level. We appreciate that it pulls together a number of Google tools, such as Google Meet , Google Drive and Google Docs all in one place to enable learning. 

Teachers can put in assignments as all types of documents, including .doc and .pdfs, students get the notification, complete the assignment and submit it. Teachers then grade the assignment, keep a virtual gradebook and can give classroom style lectures via the Google Meet function. 

Google offers this via several tiers of features, but we can appreciate that the free tier is plenty powerful for budget conscious school districts. The platform is also cross platform to allow learners to function with it with whatever their device of choice is, including laptops, Chromebooks , and both smartphone platforms- although the Android one garners complaints from the users.

Read our full Google Classroom review .

6. Thinkific LMS

Thinkific is an online platform that has enjoyed meteoritic success as a relative newcomer to this space. It has useful functions, such as the ability for educators to build a website , and templates are provided to facilitate this for newcomers. 

We also like that this platform can be used to issue certificates of completion. It is used worldwide, and can accept payments from learners signing up for courses from over 100 countries. 

Some omissions, such as the lack of a direct phone number or email for support, and no smartphone apps for either Android or iOS show the immaturity of the platform. We also wanted to see more user reviews than what we found online. However, with a choice of tiers starting with a free one, and a track record that has already earned its experts over $650 million dollars, it is seriously hard to dispute.

Read our full Thinkific LMS review .

7. 360Learning

360Learning meets the challenge head on of streamlining the task of project creation. Users are sure to benefit from the integrated tools such as the video editing software , the included templates that are branded as ‘Cheat Sheets,’ and the option to include ten different types of questions to test learners. 

We also appreciate the free 30-day trial without credit card info, and the choice of tiered plans. However, we were less impressed that there are few options for direct contact, with some features reserved for the top plan (like support for course attachments), and that the Android app has a significantly lower rating than the iOS version. We also like the ‘Collaborative Authoring’ approach that lets even inexperienced users create a course in minutes, rather than months.

Read our full 360Learning review . 

8. Blackboard Learn

Blackboard Learn is a learning platform that is used for learners of all levels from pre-K to university and beyond such as in government and industry. It has some shortcomings such as the opaque pricing, the limited direct support options and the multiple bugs that users report in the apps, especially the Android version. 

Balance that against the integrated tools that some competing solutions charge for, such as a plagiarism checker to check student assignments against. Also factor in the accessibility tool to be ADA compliant, and the other items to foster communication between students and professors, and the tracker to keep students on track with submitting their assignments. Additionally, the 30-day trial is longer than most others, and the iOS app is highly rated, so organizations that need a full fledged solution will see quickly why this learning platform enjoys its popularity.

Read our full Blackboard Learn review.

9. Absorb LMS

The Absorb LMS is a learning platform that focuses on business. It is also especially adept at social aspects, as it can easily integrate with corporate social media accounts. 

We also like the social focus that continues on to allow learners to create social accounts on the platform. This then allows them to virtually interact with the other learners, and also display the awards and certificates that they accumulate for completed content. We also appreciate that certificates can be custom created, to be either downloaded or printed. However, some aspects frustrated us, such as the learning community that is not running yet, the opaque and ultimately high pricing, and the buggy smartphone apps on both the iOS and Android platforms that have users commenting they would be better off accessing content on a computer.

Read our full Absorb LMS review .

Targeting the enterprise market, Docebo takes an AI approach to a learning platform with an impressive list of Fortune 500 companies that use its service. Incorporated under the Docebo Suite are multiple products to create content, deliver it, and also to measure the metrics of its impact. This style of product is well suited to onboarding, and retaining new employees. 

There are some issues with the lack of support options as we would have liked to have seen some more direct choices, such as a direct phone number or a chat option. Also of concern is the completely opaque pricing as we could not even figure out the available tiers or options without direct company contact. However, users are sure to make good use of the robust interactions fostered by this service via the ‘Docebo Community,’ although this gets negated by the clunky, and low rated smartphone apps on both the Android and iOS platforms.

Read our full Docebo review .

11. iSpring Learn

iSpring Learn is one of the most popular learning management systems (LMS) and is mostly used by corporations to train their employees. It makes it easy to prepare and deliver educational content for corporate trainees. You can start with the content you already have, e.g., upload your PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, audio tracks, and video tutorials to the platform. This platform doesn’t impose limits on the size or number of files you can host.

One of the best things about this platform is its interactivity. You can use it to put together engaging educational content complete with illustrations, quotes, videos, etc. For example, you can divide your long articles into chapters so that users can explore the material step-by-step. If you wish, you can restrict navigation such that the user can not proceed to the next material without completing the initial one. You can also add self-test questions throughout the content to help users understand and retain information as they proceed through the course. 

This platform has a customizable design, so you can design your courses with the colors and fonts that are part of your corporate brand. There’s also direct integration with iSpring Suite , a tool that works within PowerPoint and lets you quickly develop quizzes, interactions, and simulations.

iSpring Learn doesn’t just let you build courses. It also gives you analytics to track how trainees are interacting with your courses and their progress. This platform is ideal for companies looking for a solution to deliver corporate training to their employees.

Read our full iSpring Learn review .

If you're interested in studying more online, we've also featured the best courses in:

• HTML , 
• Word , 
• Javascript .

Online learning platform FAQs

What is an online learning platform.

It is simply a platform that is designed to offer students or trainees everything they need for their education in one place. It allows them to access course materials and interact with other students. It also makes it easy for tutors to monitor student progress.

Online learning platforms are mostly used by schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. However, it is also used by other types of customers, such as corporations that want to deliver training materials to their staff. You can use such platforms to create lectures, assignments, quizzes, etc., and issue certificates to people that complete the course.

Which online learning platforms are best for you?

The first thing to consider when you want to choose an online learning platform is your technical competency. If you have not used an LMS system before, it's better to start with a basic platform before migrating to a complex one such as Moodle. This gives you more chances to understand the platform you are using and maximize its features. Advanced LMS systems offer more features but are of no use if you can find it difficult to use them. A more basic tool will get you acquainted with the intricacies of a learning management system before switching to a complex one.

The size of your trainees or students also matters. If you’re tutoring just a few dozen people, it’s better to choose a basic platform that is easier to manage. On the other hand, if you have hundreds to thousands of students, a more advanced platform such as Moodle is better. 

Online learning platforms vs Learning Management Systems

There are three main categories of online learning platforms; open-source, free, and paid. Open-source refers to platforms where the source code is freely available for modification. Thus, anyone with sufficient programming skills can tweak the software to get just exactly what they want out of it. Moodle is currently the most popular open-source learning platform and is used by many colleges, schools, and companies. 

An open-source learning system is free to use and can be customized extensively. For example, you can use your organization's logo and its unique colors to make the platform feel familiar to users. Open-source systems are also very scalable, so you can start small and expand the platform as you add more students.    

There is a large community of developers behind popular open-source learning platforms like Moodle, and they are constantly building features that you can take advantage of. The drawback of using open-source software is that they are more complex to handle compared to regular free or paid software. You may need a dedicated technical staff to help you. 

The second main category is the free online learning platform. They come at no cost, but the source code behind them is not freely available and customizable like with open-source software. You can use these free platforms to host your educational content and deliver them to the intended users without paying. However, there may be some costs associated with hosting your content on an internal server or for additional features. The drawback of free platforms is that they don’t offer as much features as paid and open-source ones.

The third category is the paid online learning platform, which refers to most on this list. Here, you will need to pay upfront to host your educational content and distribute them to your students or trainees. Expect to pay a fixed fee for each user either monthly or annually, and it can add up to a considerable amount if you have a lot of students. The paid platforms are usually easy to use and navigate because customers expect user-friendliness for a platform they’re paying for. You can also access on-demand support if you run into any issues, unlike with free and open-source software. 

With a paid platform, you don’t need to spend money running your own server and setting up and managing the software. The provider does that for you, while you just pay and access it whenever you want. It is an ideal type to choose, but the disadvantage is that it can be expensive. 

Online learning platform vs online course websites

There are plenty of ways to receive education online these days. This can include anything from casual content, such as an educational YouTube Video, to more structured online education such as a series of videos, and in some cases supplemental content in the form of text or a downloadable PDF . While there are many websites to educate and impart content, they are not all online learning platforms.

An online learning platform goes beyond what an online course website offers, with additional content to support the education. While it will incorporate the elements of an online course website, it will include additional tools, which will all be combined into a single platform. These tools can be communication methods such as live video or messaging, the opportunity to have assignments, and a record of certificates of completed courses. Overall, an online learning platform provides content that will be more in depth, and organized in a more formal environment to promote greater learning.

Open source vs free vs paid online learning platforms

Learning platforms can be divided into three different categories based on the pricing model.

The first is free, which has the benefit of no cost. There are both services that offer this at no cost, or ones that have a free tier, with reduced features, that then hope to upsell the service to a paid tier, and use the free offering as a gateway to getting a paying customer. A downside of these free offerings is that the support tends to be minimal to nonexistent, such as only via an online community board.

Open source is another nice option for a learning management system. In this model the software is distributed for no cost. This can allow an organization to then run this off of its own server. However, there are still costs to doing this, and then this must be supported internally. Another downside is that then the software may not be as updated as frequently, exposing it to security vulnerabilities.

The final option is a paid offering. While this does have an upfront cost, and in most cases for each additional learner, it does have plenty of advantages. This includes that the provider can host the software as a cloud service, requiring no in house personnel to provide support. Also, there may be options for phone support, and also more features.

Is Zoom an online learning platform?

Made popular by the pandemic with remote meetings becoming commonplace, Zoom is a video communications platform. Other popular choices in this category are GoToMeeting , and Google Meet . Zoom and other video communication apps are used for online audio and video meetings for business, casual and educational use. Each also supports additional content to support the virtual meeting, such as sharing screens, or chat within the app.

However, Zoom is not specifically an online learning platform. While it can certainly be used to support education, it has no way to give assignments, grade them, or do quizzes for example. As an online learning platform it falls pretty short, with plenty of better options out there. Also, many of the better online learning platforms offer video chatting within the platform so Zoom as a standalone is not needed as the functionality is already incorporated in.

What are the pros and cons of an online learning platform?

There are plenty of pros for an online platform. This includes the instant availability of the education, and that learners are not limited by geography and can attend class anywhere- even from the comfort of home. The learning is also self-paced, as it can accommodate a variety of learning styles and learner needs as it is more flexible. There is also the benefit that learners don’t need to commute to the school reducing the cost and burden of education, which can also be a time saving benefit as well.

While there are certainly benefits, there are some downsides as well. Some students may prefer face to face learning with a teacher directly in front of them, that an online learning platform lacks. Also with no physical school to attend, there is less of a structured learning environment, which some learners may do better with. Furthermore, there is less or even no camaraderie between learners than at a physical school, which can all be part of the total educational experience, and is a missing component with an online learning platform.

What are the essential features of an online learning platform?

When choosing an online learning platform for your organization, be sure the choice is a good one. Here are some essential features to look for:

• Scalability: Nobody wants to outgrow their platform too soon, and have to transition to another one. Therefore, look for scalability that can grow as you need it to.
• Mobile presence: Today’s learners want to be able to learn when on the move. Therefore, look for an online learning platform that has well rated apps for both the iOS and Android platforms, that are highly rated.
• Tools for authoring: A flexible platform allows for content creation that is easy to use. This can include tools for text editing, and also video capture and editing from within the platform to streamline production.
• Easy to use interface: Nobody likes to use a clunky interface, so look for an easy one to use, that is well presented, and won’t distract or overwhelm users.
• Robust support: When the inevitable issues of a platform come up, users are going to need some help. Look for a platform that offers a variety of support choices, including options for direct support such as a direct email and phone number.

Read how to host your own learning management software with Moodle LMS .

How we tested the best online learning platforms

There are plenty of choices in the online learning management software area, so there is sure to be one well suited for each organization.

A major differentiator is price. Some LMS’ are available for free, or have a low cost entry tier. Others offer more features, but at a higher price point. Pricing models are also different with some providers charging only by each student, while others having the price based on the plan, and then a lower additional cost for each additional learner. 

Another feature to look for are the mobile apps. Especially younger learners value these apps so that a learner can engage in education from anywhere, at any time. Be sure that the apps are available for both of the mobile platforms- Android and iOS . Also, check the ratings of the apps in their respective stores, as just because an app is available it may not be a great one with some low rated, glitchy ones out there.

Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .  

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Brian has over 30 years publishing experience as a writer and editor across a range of computing, technology, and marketing titles. He has been interviewed multiple times for the BBC and been a speaker at international conferences. His specialty on techradar is Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, covering everything from office suites to IT service tools. He is also a science fiction and fantasy author, published as Brian G Turner.

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20 Great Mobile Apps for Online Students

Even the most resourceful student could use a hand from time to time, and since no student is long without their phone or tablet, it would seem only natural to look to mobile applications for assistance. The mobile apps featured here can help an online student stay organized, learn languages, write papers, prepare presentations, network, and more.

Students looking for an app that helps with exam preparation and assignment management need the BenchPrep Companion. For online students looking to prepare for graduate school entry tests (GRE, GMAT, LSAT), and other courses, BenchPrep includes innovative games, flashcards, and progress assessment. BenchPrep even analyzes strengths and weaknesses, which helps students focus on enhancing their scores....

Canva is the go-to app for all graphic design needs—from novice to professionals—one can create beautiful designs for presentations, business cards and more. Canva has thousands of free and customizable templates, provides photo-editing, and is perfect to use alongside Pixlr and Google Slides. Students love the simple drag-and-drop functions, and the wide variety of fonts helps create the perfect design to share with anyone.

When writing academic papers, another helpful tool is Copyleaks Plagiarism Checker—a cloud based device that analyzes papers in seconds. This app allows one to upload files (DOC, PDF, RTF) or a scanned photo of the paper. Copyleaks can even check the copy of a website just by inserting the URL, and the results can be easily shared with others.

This is the perfect app for any students who think on the fly and need an efficient way to take notes, set reminders, send messages, emails, and more. Dragon is faster than typing and can save transcriptions for later editing, or Dragon can be used to update social media applications. Dragon supports various languages, and can effectively save students from long hours of typing—students can now just dictate instead..

Students will never need to worry that their citations/reference page is incorrect again. EasyBib: Citation Generator can scan a book’s barcode, or the search function allows one to enter different source titles from websites, newspapers, etc. EasyBib can help students become efficient researchers by creating up-to-date bibliographies, including MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, and thousands of other citation style bibliographies.

More and more online students are using Evernote to help stay organized and collaborate with others. Evernote is a virtual notebook and storage app that allows you to take notes, clip and collect notes (virtual/handwritten), create checklists and reminder notifications, and highlight articles or lecture notes.

While most of the Google Apps are essential for any student or professional, Google Slides takes presentations to a new level. Google Slides is perfect for a team presentation, allowing others to work on the presentation simultaneously. Students can choose from a wide variety of templates and work on and offline. Google Slides also works with PowerPoint—creating a seamless way to present inspiring and informative presentations.

Grip is ushering in a convenient way to network and connect with other professionals. Especially for those who might attend networking events and conferences, Grip is a match-making app for attendees. Grip takes anonymous swiping to the next level and notifies the user of a “handshake” or a mutually interested person, and builds a bridge for engagement.

LinkedIn is an essential app for any student who is planning to enter the job-market. LinkedIn makes it easy to create an online resume and virtual profile, search for jobs and internships, and network with colleagues. Millions of professionals on LinkedIn can follow organizations to stay current with the latest trends in various industries, and create new successful and economic advancements.

Another well-known and essential app for online students is Lucidchart for mind-mapping to workflow/process diagramming needs. Lucidchart’s easy-to-use, drag-and-drop functionality can integrate with other apps or can be combined with other programs to get group projects done. This helpful diagram builder also features a share/collaborate function that works in real time, and diagrams can be exported as a PDF, PNG or Visio (Pro version).

Millions of users are using Magisto for all their video making and editing needs. Magisto, voted Best Video Editing App, can transform photos and videos into a creative story. Add music or effects and use this app with Google Slides to impress others with your presentation skills.

Millions of people are using Memrise to boost their foreign language learning skills. Memrise was voted Best App of the Year for its course variety, native speaker videos and innovative design by linguists that helps one learn, practice and have fun. In addition to languages, Memrise also includes other categories, such as Arts & Literature, Math & Science, History & Geography, and more.

Mendeley is designed for academics to manage their references, share documents with colleagues and annotate together. Millions of researchers are using Mendeley to connect with the worldwide academic community and stay informed with current research. Mendeley allows one to share and store datasets, and even includes a career search function geared towards academia/research positions in various fields.

Online students can mind-map using MindNode—a brainstorming app that includes organizational and project management features. This mind-map app can be used along with a word processor to flesh out ideas. MindNode allows students to make connections from their ideas, turn thoughts into step-by-step tasks, and share these maps with others.

MyStudyLife provides a helpful way to organize homework, create a to-do list, and manage class/course schedules. This super organizer app combines a daily planner with reminders so nothing falls through the cracks. More than just a to-do list, MyStudyLife helps one stay up-to-date on their courses and coursework, and stores data in the cloud, including exam scores and more.

For students who need a photo editor with style, Pixlr is perfect for novice or professional photographers. Pixlr offers students the ability to create collages, add effects, overlays, filters, text, and can even “photo-shop” images. For a more practical approach, Pixlr also allows one to crop, resize and balance a photo with the “auto-fix” feature, making this a helpful app for students who need to add images to reports or presentations.

Online students will love using the Pocket app, which allows users to save links, videos and articles for later. Pocket is also available offline, and features a clean, easy-to-read layout that is customizable. Pocket takes care of all the save-it-for- later links with tagging and Text-to-Speech features, and even allows one to share or recommend links to others.

Slack is helpful for online students who need a project management app that also functions as a helpful forum for group projects, helping everyone on the team to stay organized and on task. The archive feature includes a user-friendly search through conversations function, and even allows for scheduling reminder-notifications. Slack is easy to use and trusted by millions of users to help them get their jobs done.

StudyBlue is more than just a study tool or flashcard app—students benefit from the crowdsourced information to succeed in their studies. This collaborative library provides customizable study-guides, notes, flashcards, quizzes, and allows students to track their progress and create study notifications/reminders. Students can also add images and audio to flashcards and compare their study-guides to others’—anytime and anywhere.

Zoho’s Writer is a free word processing app that allows you to write on or offline, simultaneously work on the same document as your teammate, and features helpful templates. Online students can open, save and export Writer documents as a Microsoft Word document, PDF, ODT, HTML, or TXT file. This word processor also features a clean and distraction-free space to write, receive comments, and includes the option to share the document and collaborate with others.

Essays About Online Class: Top 5 Examples and 7 Prompts

Essays about online class tell many stories. If you need to write about e-learning, discover the top examples and prompts for the subject in our guide.

With over 5.8 million American students attending in 2021, online classes are now one of the education sector’s most popular and modern learning methods. Although it became prevalent because of the pandemic, it’s believed that the concept of distance learning began in the late 1800s .

Online classes pose many benefits that many still take advantage of even after the pandemic. However, not everyone adjusts well to this technology-centered learning due to no face-to-face contact and difficulty learning without the back-and-forth of lesson question time. 

1. My Experience as an Online Student by Debra Sicard

2. how to succeed in online classes essay by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 3. essay on advantages and disadvantages of online classes by anonymous on selfstudymantra.com, 4. online school vs. traditional school essay by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 5. short essay on online classes by anonymous on byjus.com, 7 helpful prompts on essays about online class, 1. online classes: defined, 2. my experience with online classes during lockdown, 3. how does online class work, 4. the best sites for online class, 5. the pros and cons of enrolling in online class, 6. review of a book about online class, 7. should online classes be the norm.

“I am not a traditional student, so I have non-traditional needs… online classes fit my lifestyle.”

Sicard shares her positive experience with online classes, primarily centering her essay on convenience. She says that with online courses, she can fit more lessons into her schedule, save her money on gas, and have more time with her family. In addition, she mentions she can work and do other things besides taking her credits.

To have a proper perspective of the topic, Sicard also includes the disadvantages of virtual learning, such as devices catching viruses and missing in-real-life interactions with her professors and classmates. But, she believes that an online student can learn as much or even more than what students learn in traditional classes.

“In an online class, a student can only achieve success if he is committed to time management, balancing personal obligations, finding an ideal study environment, asking questions, and applying more effort to completing the course requirements.”

This essay contains steps a non-traditional student can take to avoid failing online classes. The author says that students, especially multitaskers, must know how to manage and balance their time to avoid losing focus. In addition, having a dedicated study spot is necessary to avoid distractions.

“Online classes or online method of learning presents an easy and comfortable method to achieve knowledge. Online classes have now become a great alternative to traditional classes.”

The writer delves into the benefits and drawbacks of online versus traditional learning. Virtual classes offer students freedom regarding their schedules and whereabouts. Some schools also allow students to learn for free. E-learning effectively trains individuals to be responsible and disciplined. 

However, individuals who are not computer literate will find online classes frustrating. Plus, electronic devices can be bad for health, and a lack of personal interaction can hinder personality development.

“[Online course] will also help you become more self-motivated, a trait that will make you stand out in the workplace and beyond.”

By listing the similarities and differences between online and traditional schools, the author demonstrates what classes a student should pick. The writer concludes that while traditional schools prepare students for the real world by interacting with diverse people, online schools help students become more self-motivated to stand out.

“The advantages of online classes take over their disadvantages. If students want to learn, then they have immense opportunities to learn from online classes.”

The author defines online classes as a type of education system where students use electronic devices with an internet connection to learn. However, while online learning improves the quality of education, it can also make the student lazy and cultivates a sense of isolation. Ultimately, they believe that to have the best education system, school teachers and officials must learn how to combine the two methods.

If the topic you’re thinking of is still confusing and you don’t know where to start, here are seven easy writing prompts to inspire you:

Explain the topic to your reader and give a brief history of the origins of online classes. Then briefly compare it to the traditional class to make the differences clear. Finally, point out the distinct features of online classes that conventional learning doesn’t offer, such as face-to-face interaction and question-and-answer debates. You can also discuss various online classes schools offer, such as hybrid learning, interactive online courses, etc.

Tell your story if you’re a student with experience with online classes. Narrate how your school switched to virtual classrooms. Relay the challenges you encountered, including how you adapted. Finish your essay by stating your current preference and why. 

For example, you favor e-learning because it cuts your transportation expenses, helps you be more responsible for managing your time, and lets you sleep in the mornings.

Relate your experience when your school moved online. Discuss any equipment or devices you need to buy before enrolling in your online class. Explain how your school handles online courses and what it does when there are technical difficulties. Add how these challenges (such as unstable internet connection and sudden power outage), such as attendance and participation, impact a class.

To make your essay more intriguing, add the average price of your online classes and if you think it’s fair. For instance, you can argue that since schools don’t provide computers and save expenses on cleaning and utilities when physical classrooms are unused, they should cut their laboratory or miscellaneous fees. You may also be interested in these articles about back to school .

Zoom, Google Classroom, and Microsoft Team are just three of the most popular online teaching software for online classes. In this prompt, look for the most useful and efficient software sites teachers or schools should incorporate into e-learning. Find examples or reliable data that show the number of students or schools that use them. Finally, ensure the details you add are accurate to make your essay credible.

Do you want to write about technology instead? Check out our  essays about technology .

Discussing online classes’ positive and negative effects is a usual essay topic. To make your essay stand out, pick the most impactful points on everyone involved. Don’t just explore the students’ perspectives. Include how virtual learning influences teachers, parents, and businesses.

To give you an idea, you can look into businesses near the campus that closed down when the school shifted to virtual classrooms.

This prompt requires you to search for publications about online classes and share your opinion on them.

For example, John F. Lyons’s book, How to Succeed in an Online Class , published in 2011, introduced technology students encounter in online classes. Suppose you read this book. First, enumerate Lyons’ advice, tips, and learning techniques to prevent a student from failing their online course. Then, briefly explain them individually and include examples or proof that his advice helped.

Online schooling has been around for a long time but has only become widespread because of the pandemic. Use this prompt to write your opinion on whether schools should make virtual learning a permanent option for students. Whatever your answer is, explain your reason to your readers.If you’re interested in learning more about essays, check out our essay writing tips !

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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10 Apps For Student’s Online Learning During COVID-19

This  coronavirus outbreak has confined more than a billion students, all over the world, to their houses. Schools and universities moved the teaching apparatus onto online platforms, to public learning software, video conferencing tools , and edtech apps. Faculty and administration, along with the younger generation, immerse themselves in this process. 

It is the path of least resistance in this dangerous period. 

What is Necessary to Know?

Students, as a collective, need to know the various online learning methods at their disposal. The smorgasbord of web-based learning platforms is vast, their functions varying. 

• Perhaps the student prefers a solitary methodology of learning, as opposed to a vigilant, classroom-based style, where he imbibes subject matter quietly.
• Perhaps the student prefers a competitive methodology of learning, where he gets assessed in relation to other students from his class.
• Perhaps students don’t know what they want, and need a baseline to refer to. 

For now, it is better that they know that there are two kinds of online learning apps and web-based software programs: 

Apps & Programs That Enable Education Indirectly.

These are the types of platforms that enable school students and other types of learners to connect and converse with school teachers, university faculty, and other educators. They are capable of allowing all the ancillary functions that deal with developing students, such as communication, planning, collaboration, assessment, supervision, and counselling.

Apps & Platforms That Enable Education Directly. These are the types of platforms that directly impart students and other learners with subject matter through media: documents, whitepapers, e-books, presentations, webinars, and pre-recorded videos.  The function of these apps have to do with providing paid or free educational services, and can even involve frameworks for course-work.  

We will describe 5 popular apps in each category. Understand that many of these apps will be useful even after the pandemic subsides. They are 

Apps & Platforms That Enable Education Indirectly

This is one of the hottest cloud platforms for web and audio conferencing, chats, and webinars. 

Already applied to distance education before the pandemic, it has the infrastructure to hold classes for 40 minutes, allowing screen-sharing between participants, preventing unwanted lurkers, and has password-protection. While free Basic accounts have a 40-minute meeting limit otherwise, in light of the pandemic, the Zoom company has permitted certain educational institutes to run longer meetings , in several nations. Even free accounts have the advantage of storing meetings on the cloud, so that they get accessed by absent students later. 

2. Google Meet (formerly Hangouts Meet).

This Google app allows you to hold video meetings for upto 250 people, which makes it one of the most remarkable assets of remote learning. 

If teachers own a paid G Suite Enterprise account, meetings will get stored automatically onto Google Drive, which allows absent students the option of accessing it later.  Captioning and screen-sharing are present functions, in case of deaf and blind students. Since this is a part of the G Suite, it is easily compatible with Google Calendar (for scheduling) and has access to all the useful Google web-based softwares. Using the ‘Present’ function, students can present their assignments from Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. 

3. Google Classroom.

Probably the best web-based application resource for classroom management, use Google Classroom in tandem with your Google Meet videos. 

Through its nifty interface, teachers can manage a virtual classroom thoroughly — planning and assessing classwork, making quizzes, grading assignments, and creating stream pages to add videos, documents, and other links for education. Teachers can post comments and advice whenever necessary, making the whole educational experience quite seamless. 

4. Google Forms, Docs, & Sheets.

The G Suite is an invaluable source for all types of educational collaboration. 

You’re not sure how to improve your essay assignment? The suggestions tool in Docs allows the teacher to enter in suggestions and edits, if need be. Later, after re-editing, you can view the history of the document, to see how it evolved. Users can add comments to spreadsheet lesson plans, quiz documents are automatically graded, and forms are pertinent to registration purposes. 

5. Microsoft Teams.

This platform, much like Zoom, allows users to create group meetings and video conferences for upto 49 people, which is more than sufficient for online classrooms (more than 49 people require paid plans).  

Microsoft Teams is now primed to extract use of its ‘Microsoft For Education’ products, and has a ‘Teams For Education’ feature, just for students and teachers. It allows them to share, edit, and send Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and Powerpoint slides. There are also special classroom-based features, such as attendance reports, a pre-class lobby, and “raise your hand.”

Apps & Platforms That Enable Education Directly

6. khan’s academy..

An free online resource for any student in kindergarten to early college. It is available in 40 languages, and is suitable for students who cannot afford expensive local education, or those who prefer solitary learning. It can serve teachers and parents as well, in their quest to help students. It provides information on a wide range of subjects, from math to biology. Students can access the information in the form of instructional videos, and can test themselves with readymade exercises and quizzes.  

7. StudyBlue.

This 10 year-old crowdsourced platform provides study material, notes, and flashcards, the latter which get created by students and teachers all over the world. It enables collaboration between students, connecting them based on common goals, subjects, and classes. It is neatly divided into three sections of early education, to correspond to real life:  high school, college, and country. It assesses progress of each student, and allows note storage. 

8. Coursera.

It is the world’s largest massive open online course (MOOC) platform. Subjects ranging from cloud computing to healthcare are accessible for suitable prices; however, there are also free courses, and Coursera did offer even more concessions for students of badly-affected colleges and universities. It provides subject matter through lecture videos, and assesses students through quizzes, weekly tests, and final exams. Once completed, Coursera awards students verified certificates.  

This is one of the fastest growing MOOC platforms, and is for a more professional set-up, suitable for higher college, rather than school. It has around 50 million registered students, and thousands of instructors. Subject matter is also relayed through successive videos, broken down and simplified. Collegians who are already interested in specialized professions can get a head start here.  

10. Skillshare.

Skillshare is an online learning community, with an emphasis on creative fields, such as art, photography, fashion, lifestyle, film, design, etc. Some of the best practitioners in their fields hold community workshops, which are in the form of videos. Designs and portfolios undergo constructive criticism, and users freely share advice. 

While the pandemic may eventually subside, online learning is only picking up. With students idle and listless, and numerous workers laid off or furloughed, everyone is looking online to create opportunities for themselves. Part of this process requires the cultivation of good knowledge. These apps and programs serve that purpose, and hold them in good stead, even in the years to come. The e-learning marketplace is also ripe for harvesting.

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7 Online Platforms to Improve Your Essay Writing Skills and Become an A Student

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Academic writing is among the most often assigned homework tasks in all its varieties of papers  and different requirements. Students are required to write essays, lab reports, research papers,  reviews, applications, and other pieces of writing all the time and always look for additional help to  succeed with these assignments and be more productive. 

When it goes to an absolute time-saving way of being on time with homework papers, a cheap essay  writing service usually comes to mind first. They help students to overcome writing difficulties and  master the writing from the examples. The second, more time-consuming way is using a set of  various helpful platforms and applications, which can help to learn formatting rules, or avoid  popular cliches in writing, or generate some simple titles for academic papers and develop them  further in writing. So, let’s first define when students need to use some additional tools to become  better at writing and then move on to our list of the most helpful resources. We tried to gather the  most versatile of them to cover all the needs. 

Why Students Need Online Platforms to Improve Their Essay Writing Skills 

They want to cope with the assignments independently and find additional tools to ease the writing. With online platforms, students can work at their own tempo, focusing on the areas where they want  the maximum improvement. This independence fosters self-directed mastering, permitting college  students to develop their writing abilities in a way that fits their personal wishes and gain  knowledge of style. For example, by using the Thesaurus, students tend to be only smarter but also  learn new words and meanings of phrases they don’t understand. 

This was the main reason, and the second one – they wanted to become more confident and  proficient in writing. Writing may be intimidating for lots of students, particularly whilst they’re  unsure about their talents. Online tools can improve college students’ self-belief by using imparting  them with the gear, expertise, and practice possibilities they want to turn out to be more gifted  writers. As they see their writing abilities enhance through the years, their self-belief grows, and  they become greater inclined to tackle writing obligations.

7 Online Platforms to Improve Your Essay Writing Skills 

Essay title generator .

Each great piece of writing starts with an outstanding topic, and sometimes it takes ages to think it  over and to follow the instructor’s requirements concerning the topic aspects. The essay title  generator can help you with this easily. How does it work? You type the general words of your  topic, for example, cyber security, climate change, presentation, bullying, revolutions, and so on,  use filters, and receive suggestions on various topics.

Help In Homework stands as our top pick among online essay writing platforms. It presents a comprehensive spectrum of services, encompassing elementary essays and assignments, advanced college-level compositions such as case studies and research proposals, and even encompasses the intricate realms of thesis and dissertation composition. The pricing structure is exceedingly reasonable, commencing at a mere $12 per page for high school-level tasks. The process of placing an order is remarkably straightforward and user-friendly, ensuring swift paper completion for all. Furthermore, Help In Homework boasts an adept team of seasoned writers who are poised to provide expert guidance on crafting effective essays and papers.

Citation Machine 

And other similar tools of such type help to cite your sources correctly in formats like MLA, APA,  Harvard, and others you may need. You can improve your existing bibliography or add the sources  you worked on for your paper and get its formatted version. This source also allows us to check  students’ papers for plagiarism and find useful guides about various formatting styles. 

The Purdue Owl 

It is a commonly known website with tons of advice, writing guides, and tips, where each student  will find anything needed. One can find a lot of academic paper writing guides there, a lot of  samples with detailed explanations. You can hang on the site for hours.

Grammar Checkers 

The most known of them are Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, Ginger, WhiteSmoke, and others.  Some of them offer free services; some require a minimal price. You can use them right in the  process of writing or checking the whole paper. And follow their recommendations on grammar and  stylistic mistakes, sentence structure, and others. You can also find explanations of the errors in  some of them and be acknowledged about them next time. 

750 words is a great tool for training, practicing, and improving your writing skills every day,  where you can track your progress, speed of writing, and other issues. The website helps to create a  habit of writing on a daily basis. You can also find a lot of writing exercises online – from easy, like  describing your dog, to telling about yourself in 100 different words not connected with each other. 

This is a huge video library that offers a series of video lessons on writing and communication  skills. Their lessons cover topics like storytelling, essay structure, persuasive writing, and more. The  engaging videos can provide inspiration and tips for enhancing your essay writing abilities. You can  develop your critical thinking , for example, by using their advice or finding a lot of videos about  creativity, information literacy, fact-checking, and millions of other topics. 

Cliche Finders

Cliché finder tools can be useful for students in essay writing to identify and avoid overused or trite  phrases that can weaken their writing. Firstly, they are needed to identify the cliches, such as “to  think outside the box,” and get to know the ways of replacing them. Secondly, they are used to  improve the originality and clarity of a student paper to make it fresh and stand out. Thirdly, the  student’s personal voice is developed in such a manner, and the paper uniqueness as well. 

It’s also important to consider the context and purpose of the essay when using cliché finder tools.  While clichés should generally be avoided, there may be instances where their use can be  appropriate, such as in a dialogue or when deliberately employing a cliché for a specific effect.  Cliché finder tools can help students identify instances where clichés are being used unintentionally  or inappropriately. 

Remember, consistent practice, seeking feedback, and revising your work are essential for  improving your essay writing skills. These online platforms can serve as valuable resources to  support your learning journey. Do not also hesitate to ask others to help you with writing or simply  reading your paper and giving you some advice on how it can be improved and what points should  be omitted. 

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Best Essay Writing Apps: Exploring the Top Choices

Did you know that the average person spends about 23 days per year on their phones? With the prevalence of mobile devices, integrating essay-writing apps into your routine allows you to make the most of your time and boost productivity. So, if you're a student seeking to enhance your composition skills, search no more! This article serves as your ultimate resource for exploring exceptional apps for essay writing that will simplify your academic life.

Our essay service experts will present a curated assortment of user-friendly apps that can assist you with grammar, spelling, plagiarism detection, and even citation generation. You will encounter well-known examples such as Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, and EssayPro and discover how mobile apps enable you to work on your essays from anywhere.

Criteria for Assessing Essay Apps

Here are the criteria we used to evaluate the best essay writing apps:

• User-Friendly: Is the app easy to navigate and use with different tools?
• Writing Metrics: Does the app have essential features like spell-check, proofreading tools, and word count?
• Features: Can you write and edit in Cloud systems like Dropbox? Is there an offline mode? Or can you place ‘ write my essay ’ orders quickly?
• User Interface: Does the app offer customizable UI, language settings, themes, styles, and formatting?
• Compatibility: Can you easily export your work and share it on platforms like WordPress?
• Ratings: What are the app's ratings on Google Play and the App Store? What's our own rating?
• Price Structure: Is the app download worth the fee it charges for writing?

Top Essay Writing Apps

With a plethora of essay apps to choose from, catering to various needs like note-taking, planning, and grammar checking, selecting the perfect app can be overwhelming. To simplify your decision-making process, we have curated a comprehensive list of the best essay apps for you.

EssayPro App

Available on Android and iOS , Essaypro an app that writes essays for you, stands out as one of the best apps for essay writing. It simplifies essay creation, organization, and formatting. With access to a vast collection of essay samples, students can easily tackle any assignment, from argumentative to persuasive essays.

Users can save time with this pocket-sized software. Orders can be placed quickly, generating pricing offers in no time. On average, customers spend 22 minutes using the app.

To cater to user requests, Essaypro introduced a dark theme as a new feature. Additionally, users can respond to writer inquiries via the chat tool, ensuring they don't have to pause their activities, even while taking care of their children. For a comprehensive mobile solution to excel in academic tasks, you can confidently choose the EssayPro App.

• The app offers advice on improving current writing and using better editing techniques. It even features a plagiarism detection tool, guiding you on how to avoid plagiarism .
• Users get access to an author's biography, his areas of expertise, and - most crucially - reviews of the writer.
• ‍Users can top up their own accounts, making it easy to subsequently order fresh works.
• ‍100% plagiarism-free papers - Each task is unique.
• ‍Timely delivery - Get your paper as soon as you need it.
• ‍Unlimited revisions - In case you need to add any info or you want us to rewrite some paragraphs - you are free to ask us!‍
• Top quality - We have a team of top-notch writers who will definitely deliver exceptional tasks for you.‍
• 100% money-back guarantee - You can get your money back if you don't like the paper.

Grammarly is an ideal app for catching grammar mistakes in essays. It even detects errors in complex sentences. It works on all systems and devices - PC, Mac, iOS, and Android. While the interface can be crowded, and it may not be as effective for long-form writing, Grammarly remains one of the top options.

• Enables you to work in your preferred writing style, including academic papers.
• Helps you avoid automatic writing mistakes, including misspellings, improper punctuation, and other issues.
• Enhances your writing skills
• Congested user interface and a lack of effectiveness for long-form composing

Streamlining the writing process, this essay helper app simplifies the crucial task of editing. Utilizing a range of colors and accents assists in eliminating unnecessary words and achieving sentence conciseness. Available for download on both Mac and Windows desktop platforms, it offers convenient accessibility for users.

• Automatically catches errors like misused words or awkward sentences so you can spend more time perfecting your essay
• Develops pieces that are compelling and simple to read
• Serves as a digital editor and suggests suitable types of tone in writing .
• Pricey desktop and distracting colors for visitors

ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid may assist you in identifying formatting errors, fixing bugs, and correcting punctuation in writing. With the premium edition of this paper writing app, you can improve sentence length and choice of words and eliminate clichés.

Meanwhile, if you're searching for an excellent essay topic for students , make sure to explore our comprehensive list!

• Simple to use UI
• There are several integrations offered
• There are almost twenty writing analysis reports available
• Just a few hundred words may be read at once in the free plan
• Adjusting to the number of functions might take a while

Focus Writer

Focus Writer is among the few free word processors that are compatible with all the leading operating systems. With the help of this paper writing app, you may obtain a wide range of data, such as the number of words and characters. Moreover, the application uses RTF to save its information. Most other word processors can accept this, so you may edit your writing on different platforms as needed.

In the meantime, you might be intrigued to explore an excellent AI detection tool that assists in creating content free from Artificial Intelligence.

• Provides you with key text analytics while you type
• Powerful word processor for those on a budget
• No advanced features are offered

Cold Turkey Writer

Cold Turkey Writer is one of the ideal essay apps since it prevents interruptions. It also provides several layouts, structuring, and flow choices. This essay-writing tool effectively transforms your desktop into a typewriter, leaving you with no option other than to write your essay topics .

• You can track time and word count by using the progression indicator at the top
• Provides an environment without interruptions
• Encourages the usage of other programs once more
• Not available in offline mode

Ulysses is an excellent distraction-free writing app available for iOS users only. It's a perfect choice for both short articles and long research papers. In addition, it allows sharing your work instantly on WordPress and Medium and quickly converts words into PDFs.

• It has a text editor with markup support and a library for arranging notes, writing goals, and publishing choices
• It's among the best user-friendly essay writing applications
• Ulysses can transform your texts into beautiful PDFs, Word documents, ebooks, and even blog posts
• Not as good for outlining as other programs

Being one of the best essay writing apps, Scribus is a free, accessible digital production tool that aids in creating aesthetically pleasing structures. It includes a lot of capabilities, like the ability to modify an item at several levels of a document, excellent painting options, node editing techniques, and more.

• Best suited for papers with innovative visuals
• Strong sketching tools 
• Doesn't come as a mobile app

Trello is a versatile and intuitive project management application that allows individuals and teams to effectively organize and collaborate on tasks and projects. It offers a visual and customizable interface that utilizes boards, lists, and cards to streamline project workflows and track progress.

Even if you're on the hunt for summer jobs for college student , Trello can streamline project workflows, making it easier for you to track your progress and manage your summer job applications efficiently.

• The User-friendly interface makes it simple for individuals of all technical abilities to start using the app immediately.
• Trello excels in fostering collaboration within teams. Real-time updates ensure everyone stays informed and aligned on project progress.
• It may not fulfill the needs of more complex projects
• The steep learning curve for larger projects

LivingWriter

LivingWriter is a versatile writing application designed to streamline the writing process for authors and content creators. With a user-friendly interface and a host of features, it aims to enhance the overall writing experience.

• Collaborative writing capabilities.
• Innovative story planning tools.
• Cloud-based accessibility for flexibility.
• Subscription-based model.
• The learning curve for advanced features.

Novlr is a dedicated writing application designed to meet the needs of novelists and long-form writers. It provides a distraction-free environment with features tailored to enhance the novel-writing process.

• Offers a distraction-free writing space.
• Enables seamless work synchronization across devices.
• Provides diverse export formats for easy file transfer.
• Operates on a subscription model.
• Some users may find features limited compared to other platforms.

Readable is among the top essay writing apps designed to enhance the readability and clarity of written content. It incorporates features aimed at improving the overall quality and comprehension of text.

• Enhances content clarity.
• Provides guidance on writing style.
• Easy navigation and use.
• Requires subscription for full access.
• Functionality affected without a stable connection.

Is Writing Not Your Best Quality?

Then Essaypro’s professional writers are the best choice who are available for assistance 24/7

Writer Plus

Writer Plus is a mobile writing app designed for simplicity and convenience, providing essential features for on-the-go writing and note-taking.

• Offers a straightforward and easy-to-use interface.
• Ideal for quick writing and note-taking on mobile devices.
• Allows writing even without an internet connection.
• May lack advanced features compared to more comprehensive writing applications.
• Primarily designed for mobile use, with limited desktop functionality.

ByWord is an AI-powered article-generation tool. It focuses on efficiently generating large volumes of high-quality, SEO-ready content. Users can input a few words, click a button, and within minutes, have a fully formed article with an accompanying image ready for publication on their site. This tool adapts to the changing world of SEO with the help of artificial intelligence and offers a feature to stay unnoticed by any AI detection tool .

• ByWord swiftly creates SEO-ready content.
• A comprehensive tool for efficient long-form content creation.
• Enables rapid publication of fully-formed articles and images.
• May have fewer customization options for a streamlined process.

Coggle is a web-based mind-mapping tool that allows users to create visually engaging diagrams to organize and represent their ideas.

• Facilitates the creation of visually appealing mind maps and diagrams.
• Supports real-time collaboration for team brainstorming and planning.
• Features an intuitive design for easy navigation and diagram creation.
• Some advanced features may be restricted in the free version.
• Requires a stable internet connection for seamless collaboration and saving.

Wrapping Up

Whether you're just starting with academic writing service or already have advanced skills, these college student applications are here to make the process easier and better. From Essaypro's free writing software, where you can even buy an essay , to Grammarly's essay editing apps, there's a tool for everyone. By adding these platforms to your toolkit, you can create high-quality papers more efficiently and with confidence. So, try them out and see which ones work best for you!

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What Are Some Good Essay Writing Apps for Students?

How can i choose the right essay writing app for my needs and academic level, what are the benefits of using an essay-writing app, is there an app that can create essays for students, related articles.

Back to school: The best apps for students

Summer is coming to an end, which means students will (hopefully) be in air-conditioned classrooms and away from this unrelenting heat wave. It also means that they’re probably on the hunt for mobile apps that can help prepare them for the long school year.

From math problem solvers and note-taking tools to book trackers and summary apps, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite educational and organizational apps for students to try this year.

If you’re the type of student to wait until the last minute to read a book (we’ve all been there), then we recommend StoryShots, a free learning app that provides book summaries in text, audio and video formats.

StoryShots breaks down a book into bite-size moments, giving the reader a few paragraphs that sum up the most important points. The app may be useful for students who want to learn about a certain topic in a timely manner, particularly for upcoming exams or a looming deadline. Plus, it’s handy for visual learners as the app provides infographics, mind maps, presentations and short videos.

StoryShots offers over 400 books, in various genres like psychology, productivity, health & fitness, history, politics, marketing, spirituality & religion and more. Examples of best-selling books on the app include “A Promised Land” by Barack Obama, “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking and “Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela, among others. StoryShots adds two to four books to its library every month.

(Note that this isn’t a summarizing tool for textbooks — although it would be nice if it were.)

Image Credits: StoryShots

The app is free with ads; however, there’s also a paid version for $3.99 per month that gives users a number of premium features, including offline reading, full e-books and audiobooks and the ability to highlight and take notes, along with books in multiple languages.

It’s available to download on iOS and Android devices.

Image Credits: Essayist

As the name suggests, Essayist helps students compose essays. The iOS app can automatically apply citation styles, including APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian and Harvard. Essayist also assists with formatting in-text citations, references, page headers/footers and title pages, as well as page setup like font, font size, line spacing, alignment, page numbering and more.

Essayist has a reference manager feature that allows students to include chapters from books, journals, magazines, websites and even movies. There are more than 25 reference types in total. Also, users can use Google Scholar to add references or copy and paste a URL.

Essayist requires a subscription, which costs $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year. New users get a free trial.

Image Credits: Photomath

Photomath is a math-solving app that scans problems and displays a step-by-step solution to teach students how to solve difficult equations. Users point their camera at a math problem (either handwritten on paper or typed out) and the app sends the image to cloud servers to analyze and determine the answer. There’s also an in-app calculator if users want to enter the question manually.

We found that Photomath was simple to use and produced results quickly. One drawback is that the free version only shows the first two or three steps. Users can unlock the rest of the answer with a subscription, Photomath Plus, which costs $9.99 per month or $69.99 annually. There’s a seven-day free trial.

Additionally, Photomath Plus includes solutions from hundreds of textbooks so users can search for a question instead of scanning. There’s also a feature that helps students visualize each step with animated tutorials and provides voice-overs.

We can see this being a helpful resource for students to check their homework and practice problems before submitting the material. However, it should be said that some students may use the app to “cheat” or use it as a shortcut instead of trying to solve the problem themselves.

Users can download the app on the App Store and Google Play Store .

Bookly is a tracking and management app that helps users stay on top of their reading goals. Users can set up how many books they want to read in a month/year and how much time they want to read per day. They can also establish an end date goal for each book, so students can more effectively keep up with deadlines and assignments.

Readers add books to their library by either scanning the ISBN, searching online or adding the book manually (number of pages, title, author). There’s an in-app timer for users to tap when they’ve started reading for the day and a countdown based on their goals. For instance, if a user wants to read 20 minutes per day, Bookly will notify the user when the time is up. Users can also manually log a reading session if they forget to use the timer.

Additionally, Bookly generates reading stats, such as total read time, number of pages read, reading speed, how many days a user reads in a row, reading streak and more. Bookly provides a PDF summary of all the data added for each book, so students can download reading reports and infographics to submit to their teachers.

We can see this being a helpful app for educators to keep students accountable for weekly reading requirements. It can also be a great way to spark healthy competition among classmates. For example, whoever reads the most per class or school year gets a prize (or maybe just bragging rights).

Image Credits: Bookly

Other notable features include the ability to play ambient sounds while reading and a notes section to write down thoughts or record important quotes. Bookly also acts as a personal assistant by sending daily reminders to motivate the user to get their reading done for the day.

While the app is free to download on iOS and Android devices, it also offers a paid version — Bookly Pro. The plan allows readers to add an unlimited number of books and provides access to more ambient sound options, among other features. The free version only lets users have up to 10 titles in their collection, but there’s also an option to delete books if they run out of space. Bookly Pro costs $4.99 for one month, $19.99 for six months and $39.99 for 12 months.

Image Credits: Peech

Peech is a text-to-speech reader that turns any text file, PDF, book or web article into audio . The concept of a text-to-speech generator alone is enough to make a multitasker happy. We can also see this being used by students who want to get some assigned reading done while commuting to school or walking to class. Peech could also be useful for people with dyslexia, low-vision or other conditions that make it difficult to read.

There are multiple ways to listen to content, whether it be copying and pasting text directly into the app, uploading files, inserting a URL or even scanning a textbook with a phone camera. Notably, it’s available in 50 languages, so students can read material from their foreign language classes.

In addition to the free version, Peech users can pay $4.99 a week to upload as many documents, PDFs or links to articles as they want. The app is only available on iOS devices .

Image Credits: Evernote

Evernote is a note-taking and task-management app that could be useful for students looking to stay organized all year long.

Our favorite part about Evernote is that it provides various templates for different needs, such as class notes, essay outlines, to-do lists, reading lists, weekly planners and more. Users can organize their notes in virtual “notebooks,” which lets students easily categorize their documents based on the specific class or semester. Evernote also has a feature that allows users to embed photos, tables, audio, web content and more.

Other features include being able to store emails on the dashboard, scanning documents, sketching on a scratch pad and setting up a calendar. Also, the app has integrations such as Google Drive, Slack, Outlook, MS Teams and Gmail, which is helpful for collaborating on group projects.

Evernote is currently testing an AI feature, “ AI Note Cleanup ,” that can quickly sift through “scattered notes” and organize them into a more refined version that is easy to read.

Evernote offers a free plan with basic features, as well as two premium tiers — Personal and Professional. The Personal plan is $7.99 a month and gives users more storage, a more customized home dashboard and more. The Professional plan costs $9.99 per month and offers up to 20GB monthly uploads.

It’s available on the App Store and Google Play Store .

Image Credits: Saturn

Saturn is a calendar-based, social networking app for high schoolers. At this time, it’s only available on iOS devices.

The free app is for students 13 years or older (9th through 12th grade) to share class schedules with classmates, organize club meetings/sports practice/parties, discover local events, chat with others and manage their calendars.

Saturn says it’s working on launching experiences for non-high school users, as well.

If a user enables notifications, they’ll get a reminder of what their schedule looks like for the next day. They also receive alerts throughout the day, reminding them of lunchtime, breaks and upcoming classes. Students can also get a personal countdown for each class period.

To sign up for Saturn, students must input their high school to join the rest of their peers. Only students who go to that one school can view the profiles of others who also attend. However, the exclusivity may be frustrating to some if a specific school isn’t available on the app. There are currently 16,000 schools on Saturn.

Overall, Saturn seems like it’s helpful for many students who want to manage their time better as well as stay connected with their friends and community.

More educational apps for students to try:

• Libby : library reading app where students can borrow free e-books and digital audiobooks
• Grammarly : grammar check tool
• Kahoot! : game-based learning platform
• Quizlet : learning app that allows users to create flashcards and access expert-written solutions
• ClassDojo : communication app for students, teachers and parents
• Newsela : source for articles about current events at an age-appropriate reading level
• Brainly : peer-to-peer homework app