Container Apps

Analysis
According to the College Board (2014), 20.1 percent of public high school graduates in the
class of 2013 earned a 3 or higher on an AP Exam (para. 1). It is imperative that students are
provided with resources to meet the goals of the course. The rigorous material in the AP courses will
help students adjust to the workloads they will face in college. It is with this knowledge and
determination, that educators utilize additional resources when preparing students for the course
and the AP College Board exams. Florida Virtual School provide students with just such a resource:
meStudying a Mobile Learning App with 7 topics ranging from Algebra I to AP Art History.
Score Correlations
A recent study conducted by Learning and Technology found that using apps in schools for
high stakes testing (ACT, SAT, PSAT, and AP) was extremely effective (para 2). It was noted that
students who used apps were engaged with the material and the instructors had many resources to
choose from within the app. Research has determined that students who score well on tests such as
the ACT and SAT will also score well on the AP and course exams. Appendix 1 Table shows the
number of students that participated in the study, the section(s) of the PSAT/NMSQT that were used
to predict performance, and the correlation between PSAT/NMSQT performance and AP
performance for each AP Exam. A correlation measures the strength and direction of the relationship
between two variables, in this case, PSAT/NMSQT scores and AP exam scores. Correlation values
range from -1 to +1 with absolute values of approximately 0.1 considered to represent a small
relationship, absolute values of approximately 0.3 considered to represent a moderate relationship,
and absolute values of 0.5 or higher considered to represent a strong relationship. A positive
correlation, like those seen between PSAT/NMSQT scores and AP exam scores, indicates
PSAT/NMSQT scores are useful for identifying students who are likely to do well in AP courses and
exams (College Board).
Technology continues to grow and develop and the ways in which it is used changes as well.
School districts must embrace the technological change. Yu-Chang and Yu-Hui stated (2012),
Mobile technologies have the potential for innovative educational use because they allow learning
to occur in authentic and meaningful context (p. 212). Students have learned to multi task and
interact with the material. Giles noted, A recent study found that 67 % of students felt mobile
devices impacted their learning in positive ways (p. 16).
A new trend is emerging in schools that allows students to use their own device when
completing work it is called BYOD-Bring Your Own Device. The student might be using a tablet,
laptop, or mobile phone. With the appropriate supervision, students could benefit greatly from the
use of their own technology and as an added benefit, it could help with the classroom management
as it pertains to the use of mobile devices. Education Digest indicated, Leverage the devices that
students already have access to or bring to school (the BYOD approach. Rather than trying to be the
sole provider of devices for all students, schools should consider taking a need-based approach and
provide devices only for students who do not have themand ensure that students' access is as
equal as possible (p. 53). Schools could apply this method to their AP courses as well. Schools who
had access to the container app could provide codes to the teachers and allow them to work on
devices where they feel the most comfortable.
Teachers across the country have been interviewed about the use of internet aids and apps.
Some of their responses are below:
Dalea D. Tatum stated, The Internet-based program gives her
feedback on the state academic objectives that individual students
may be struggling with, so that she can better tailor instruction to
meet students' needs before they're tested. If they are weak in a
particular area, she said, they work on it until they are up to par.
Liliana A. Reichert stated, It's a very good tool to use right before a
test to pull everything together"

As part of the schools improvement plan, the purchase of apps to improve student scores on
AP exams would be advantageous use of school money. 3.2 million students across the nation take
an AP course with only 57 percent scoring a three or above. As scores come out for the 2014, the
results are expected to be about the same as last year with an increase of approximately 3.1 percent
pass rate. We feel with the use of the container app meStudying, you can rise above the average.

























Appendix 1
AP Exam Sample
Size
PSAT/NMSQT Section
Used
PSAT/NMSQT
Correlation
Art History 27,679 CR + W .563
Biology 205,036 CR + M .647
Calculus AB 341,698 Math .539
Calculus BC 116,291 Math .497
Chemistry 139,600 CR + M .611
Computer Science A 21,607 CR + M .594
English Language 445,235 CR + W .762
English Literature 500,972 CR + W .754
Environmental Science 109,290 CR + M .668
European History 61,658 CR + M + W .604
Government & Politics:
Comparative
22,037 CR + M + W .598
Government & Politics:
United States
271,889 CR + M + W .648
Human Geography 25,017 CR + M + W .644
Macroeconomics 112,839 CR + M .595
Microeconomics 68,095 CR + M .633
Music Theory 19,842 Math .465
Physics B 90,807 CR + M .583
Physics C: Mechanics 48,928 CR + M .566
Physics C: Elec. & Mag. 21,847 Math .465
Psychology 212,402 CR + M + W .618
Spanish Literature and Culture
*
19,643 CR + W .409
Statistics 171,871 CR + M .651
U.S. History 419,099 CR + M + W .661
World History 28,774 CR + M .643




























References:
Gikas, J., & Grant, M. (2013). Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives
on learning with cellphones, smartphones & social media. Internet & Higher Education, 1918-26.

Living and learning with mobile devices. (2014). Education Digest, 79(6), 51-54.
Put to the test. (2011). Technology & Learning, 31(10), 22-28.

Walker, H. (2011). Evaluating the Effectiveness of Apps for Mobile Devices. Journal of Special
Education Technology, 26(4), 59-63.

Yu-Chang, H., & Yu-Hui, C. (2012). Mobile microblogging: Using twitter and mobile devices in an
online course to promote learning in authentic contexts. International Review of Research in Open &
Distance Learning, 13(4), 211-227.