Reliability of educational apps flooding internet after lockdown still questionable

Islamabad: Since the closure of educational institutions due to the lockdown amid coronavirus crisis prevailing in the country, internet is flooded with the educational applications (apps) offering learning opportunities for the students to save their time from wastage.

However, the reliability and quality of these apps are still questionable for most of the parents who bare their children from adapting to the digital world of learning.

Talking to APP, Expert on Information Technology, Nighat Dad said, “Apps have always been an appealing source of providing entertainment and information in an engaging way. The educational apps undoubtedly disseminate knowledge in innovative and creative ways; however their value as compared to the actual learning might not be high.

“The potential of educational or learning apps for the young kids are higher as compared to the elder ones. As soon the children get older and start to learn more complex things, the learning value of apps decreases,” she observed. She said app-based learning can still be used as a good accessory to formal learning, rather than a total substitute for it. Nighat Dad said technology has changed our entire education system with influx of online classrooms, online lectures by professors and teachers through short videos to explain particular concepts.

Apps are a part of this technological revolution of education and can work alongside all the other digital educational resources; however, these cannot stand alone in the field of learning. The influx of apps during the lock down days raises concerns regarding quality, privacy as well as digital safety and the question that if these apps are safe to use, and how they’re using our private data is an important one.

Parents and educators need to be on the lookout for these apps and make sure that children are not being targeted through these applications, especially younger kids, Nighat Dad advised.

Education expert, Murtaza Noor was of the view that since 47 million students have been affected due to the lock down amid outbreak of COVID-19 in Pakistan, it is very important to engage these students through various means while staying at home.

Learning apps can be useful for the students if these are according to their age group and curriculum however these cannot be the substitute of regular class room coaching and guidance. Murtaza Noor suggested that these apps can be helpful for the time being to engage the students in learning activities. Professor Tariq Bhatti, lecturer at a college said, “Sometimes when our kids play some online games, all of the sudden advertisements with objectionable content appear so it is necessary to check the reliable educational apps before installation and keep check on the kids while learning through apps also.