More Personal Learning (NAPSA)—As kids head back to school this fall, parents and teachers alike are embracing new technologies for the classroom that create more personalized learning experiences. The latest education trends feature interactive resources and tools that help families stay connected and learn together, anywhere and anytime. Young students learn to be responsible digital citizens. Learning on the Go Mobile education is on the rise as devices like tablets, smartphones, e-readers and netbooks are becoming more affordable and widespread than computers. Now, nearly 80 percent of U.S. teens own a cell phone, says the Pew Research Center, and three- fourths of them access the Internet using mobile devices, allowing them to study on the go. Educational apps for these devices help students practice multiplication on the bus, learn vocabulary words before soccer practice starts or even learn a new language while waiting for the carpool! Bring Your Own Device Schools are getting on board and devoting resources to digital education tools, especially since textbooks take years to update and reprint. Nearly 85 percent of educational institutions now allow teachers or students to use their own devices in school, based on research from Bradford Networks, and the usageis increasing. Now, school districts encourage teachers to bring education online through safe and secure social learning networks like Edmodo, which has 20 million users in every U.S. state and every country in the world. Teachers use this popular free platform to share lesson plan ideas with their fellow teachers online, give quizzes and homework assignments, teach with common-core aligned education apps, and provide a space for studentsto learn collaboratively. Apps, Not Apples In the modern classroom, kids are forgoing shiny red apples this fall and instead gifting their new teachers with iTunes cards and Edmodo Store credits for premium apps. Edmodo’s newest apps include Digital Passport, which teaches kids how to become responsible digital citizens, and LearnStreet, which teaches kids how to code with JavaScript and offers a variety of coding projects, such as developing your own calculator, algorithmic tools and games!
