«Districts and states are spending millions
of dollars buying
educational apps [technology applications, tools and platforms], many
of which have minimal evidence supporting their
effectiveness,» Katrina Stevens, deputy director
of the U.S. Department
of Education's Office
of Educational Technology, wrote last week.
The American Academy
of Pediatrics recently released a broad report on children's use
of digital media, calling for more - rigorous evaluation
of apps that claim to be
educational: «Unfortunately, very few
of the commercially available
apps found in the
educational section
of app stores have evidence - based design input with demonstrated learning
effectiveness.