I recently acquired a new toy -an iPhone. During my free time, I like to browse for apps to download. There are a lot of free apps out there. They include utilities, games and also educational software. I came across this application called “Free Grammar Up” (FGU). It’s your basic MCQ kind of quiz. The nice thing about this application is that there are various Grammar items that the user can quiz themselves with. However, does not help in learning. Why do I say this?

One feature that I look out for is the scaffolding that the program provides. A scaffold is a temporary structure on the outside of a building, made usually of wooden planks and metal poles. It is usually used by workers while building, repairing, or cleaning the building. Similarly, scaffolding is an approach where help is given to a student while he/she is learning. Answers are given but not directly. This approach allows the student to attempt a question and if a wrong answer is chosen, a prompt will help the student rethink his/her answer and try again. Scaffolding is very powerful as it ‘forces’ the student to rethink until the correct answer is achieved. Unfortunately, FGU falls short here.

On the other hand, “Math Drill” (MD) shows promise in this area. Compared to FGU, which has no scaffolding, MD has three levels of scaffold. What I like about the app is that it takes into consideration the different learning styles of the students and provides a combination of different types of scaffold.

I am looking to see if the iPod touch platform is a viable learning tool that can be implemented in teaching and learning. Go try the two apps.  Both apps offer free editions for test driving.