As someone who takes public transit regularly to and from work and school, I find myself with a fair amount of time using my mobile device. This is often my phone, but it could also be my tablet, the Sony Xperia Z.  On the final leg of my journey to work, I am usually surrounded by dozens of students as we all descend upon the public high school.  I too see them on their mobile devices, many plugged in with earbuds, and most tapping away on Facebook, Instagram, or whichever game is top of the charts in the App Store or in Google Play.  Although I too enjoy a good game of Angry Birds every now and then, I tend to spend my time waiting for the bus or sitting on the train being a bit more productive, and I want to encourage students to do the same.  Below are some apps that we can all use to engage our minds on a daily basis. 

I’d actually like to start with two apps that are available on Android and ones that I would use daily as a student.  First, Quizlet gives users mobile access to study flashcard sets, as well as options to search for and review others’ sets as well.  For more information on Quizlet’s mobile app, please find my review for this site here.  Another recommendation that I also discussed on educationambassadors.com is Google’s very own, Drive app.  Although it seems so simple, there are many possibilities for having access to one’s Google Drive on a mobile device.  Users can study their notes, write outlines or even full essays as well as review slides for an upcoming presentation. 

Learn a New Language
Onto some new suggestions, shall we?  Named app of the year on iOS, Duolingo is equally useful on the Android platform. This simple, addictive, and engaging app helps you learn a new language through a series of short daily exercises.  This is perfect bus stop material, as lessons consist of listening, writing, and reading through various exercises. If you’re worried about volume in a public place, you can opt out of using the microphone for the speaking portions.  Nevertheless, you’ll still have plenty of opportunities to practice Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, Italian, and/or German on your mobile device. Students can use Duolingo to accompany their language of choice at school, or merely as an enrichment opportunity if they are curious about picking up a new language.  

Document Life, Create Memories
Inspired by a friend and then re-inspired by watching Cesar Kuriyama’s TED Talk, I became hooked on the 1-second a day video blogging project that’s made easy by the app 1SE.  Each day, I try to take a short video of something happening in my life.  At first, I was skeptical that one second would be enough and that I could keep up with the project. Two months in, I’ve only missed a handful of days (which can be replaced by still photos or text messages), and I find that one second jogs my memory enough and allows me to reflect longer if needed. For students, 1SE represents a great way for them to document their childhood adolescence.  Ask any of us adults if we remember what we were doing on specific days growing up, and we are likely to respond with only a select few days or experiences.  Capturing video on a daily basis requires discipline and this can help with students’ work ethic in addition to challenging them to choose just one second when their day may be full of possibilities.  Again, the app provides an opportunity to be creators and not just consumers, especially during times of the day when there is nothing but time and one’s surroundings. 

Instill a Love for Podcasts
Lastly, there is so much to be learned, so many stories to be heard, and so many opportunities to encounter some truly excellent speakers.  TED Talks, Moth storytelling hours, and Freakonomics episodes are just a handful of podcasts that can appeal to students and ones that can be downloaded and listened to on a regular basis and in short chunks of time.  Students may be inspired and challenged to tell their own stories, and the technology barrier to entry for podcasting has gotten lower and lower as a result of the improved technology.  There are many podcasts apps available for Android - AntennaPod and BeyondPod are just a few examples. When students are ready and/or interested to record their own, you can have them take the next step with an app such as Spreaker.

Whether it’s a second, a minute, or an hour, there’s always something to do on a mobile device.  The challenge is to move away from merely being consumers of content and encourage our students to be creators, curators, and/or engagers of the world around them.