We’re an on-the-go society. 64% of American adults own a smartphone. Fifteen percent of people with smartphones report it’s their primary source of internet access. And 30% of smartphone users have used their phone to take a class or engage with educational content in the last year.
So you’re using mobile for your eLearning… right?
I’m not talking about your LMS (although if you go mobile with that, more power to you). Instead, I’m suggesting just a few of the slew of free mobile learning apps you can incorporate into your eLearning program. You may have heard of a few on our list, since I nabbed some of the big names. But most of the list was chosen based on out of the box thinking, to help you round out your eLearning software collection. I know you’ve got an LMS, but have you considered a blogging platform for your students, or a scrapbook-style to-do list app?
Exactly.
The below five options are listed alphabetically.
1. BoostHQ
Formerly known as Slyng, BoostHQ is a content-sharing app that allows you to select who can see and collaborate on your content. This means you can design a course with a small, collaborative group of people, and then share it with your course audience of students, all from the same app. You can integrate BoostHQ with multiple different tools so you can work with whatever software you prefer. Once your course goes live, track your user engagement with in-app analytics.
BoostHQ is available on iOS for free.
2. Evernote
I’m scatterbrained, almost ridiculously so. I have a hard time keeping track of anything and if I didn’t have lists, I would never get anything done. That makes it clear why I love Evernote, which is like a to do list app, but better. In addition to to dos, Evernote allows you to take notes, save links and images, and sort your work into multiple projects, and also syncs automatically between devices, so you can take notes from anywhere and work on projects back at your desk. This is great not only for you, but for your learners, who can use the app to manage their coursework along with their workloads. As a mobile learning app in particular, it’s ideal for time management courses.
Evernote is free, with an optional premium plan for extended functionality and memory starting at $34.99/month. Download it on iOS or Android.
3. SkillPill
Small-scale learning videos in a mobile-first format? How deliciously 21st century! Available for iOS and Android, SkillPill is a mobile microlearning platform for short educational videos focused on corporate learning. Choose from a wide library of pre-made animated shorts on a variety of workplace education topics, or commission them to build custom videos for you.
This mobile learning app is free with the option to pay for an increased video library.
4. WordPress
Good old WordPress. I’ve mentioned before how great WordPress is for eLearning, and that holds true for mobile, too. The app features all the functionality of the desktop version, including blog stats and reporting, the ability to post and edit, and integration if you’re self-hosed, just visually optimized. It also comes with push notifications, so you can keep up with your students social learning in real time.
The WordPress mobile app is available for iOS and Android, all free.
Other Mobile Learning Apps?
Is there an eLearning app you can’t live without? Or a seemingly unrelated app you’ve used to great effect? Tell me about it in the comments.