Efficient ways of using information and communication technology service LearningApps.org at geography lessons

In this article examined the features of the creation and application of didactic materials at the geography lessons which are created with an online service — LearningApps.org. and presents personal practical experience in using information technology tools in geography lessons with this site and analyzing the effectiveness of teaching. The aim of the research of interactive module LearningApps.org is the development of individual creative students' skills in the informational medium of modern world in the course of teaching process. The use of the interactive LearningApps.org module at lessons of geography gives the chance to students to unite educational space freely. The registered users in this resource have an opportunity to use different available exercises. They are: animations, quizzes, rebuses, chronological lists and cycles of drawings. It LearningApps.org service is used in teaching process, lessons become interesting, and cognitive activity of students increases. The computer serves here not only as technical tool, but also at the same time as an assistant. While preparing a project, it is necessary for students to find material, to define its structure, to connect them with each other and also it is necessary to analyze it. LearningApps.org service can be used at all stages of a lesson. In this article the effective aspects of this program is described at geography lessons.

Introduction

Teaching is not held mechanically, it works by finding informational — intellectual resources which are the source of ideas and energy, by knowing how to analyze and use it and on the basis of it by forming selfgoverned individual in the world that evolves rapidly. Therefore, this conception is the main goal in educational system. Also this goal is required to accomplish objectives by implementing modern and innovative technologies of teaching.

There are definitely advantages of modern technologies; firstly, a student has to be treated as an individual who is considered to be taught in a comprehensive way. Secondly, it should be directed to develop the cognitive abilities, creativity, to increase vocabulary of students and also to be able to think critically. Thirdly, this technology enables to work with gifted children systematically. Currently, many psychologists and teachers consider it as the main tool in teaching process which develops students' intellect and knowledge, as well as the way of determining perception of knowledge consciously [1]. In this case, students are involved in the process of educational activities in collaboration to achieve goals through analysis of situations, checking up each other and to show up the inner sense of getting education. Nowadays teaching the course of geography by using new technologies gives an opportunity for teachers to cover the whole class, enables to identify the gaps in knowledge in time, as for students, they can communicate with the teacher freely during class and have an opportunity to work with group mates together. Every day geography classes are becoming funny, interesting, self-dependent, and morover they can do whatever they are interested in spending time doing homework.

It's presumed to solve the following tasks to meet the needs of information society in the field of education: through effective usage of computer hardware, Internet, computer networks, telecommunications, electronic and interactive means, electronic textbooks in educational process to improve the quality of education [2, 3].

Today it's impossible to imagine human life without information technology. It becomes an integral part in everyday life and, indeed informational competence determines a certain level of knowledge of a person.

Basic requirement for modern teachers is being able to work with new technologies, such as multimedia, interactive boards and computer; that's to be competent in term of computing.

Using computers in a comprehensive way increases the efficiency of conducted lesson and to organize the cognitive process of students. Nowadays students' interests are growing to use computers. In the process of teaching through information technology the difficult and important task is to provide with software programs and pedagogic program tools. It increases the interest in studies and creative activity of students, they can use gained knowledge in other spheres in their future life. It's considered that the future is in the hands of young generation, so the work of teachers is doubled in engaging students in scientific world, they teach to adapt easily to the requirements and interests of modern society and to develop their logical thinking.

It's impossible to take into account specificity of working of every student in traditional way of teaching. And the problems mentioned above might be solved by using computer and its additional devices.

Teacher observes each student's way of working and has an opportunity to assist under-achieving students without interrupting others.

New problems are arising according to computerizing the educational system. It's necessary to teach students to work with information in rapidly changing society. In this case only using traditional teaching methods can not solve the problem completely. Therefore, new effective teaching methods and technologies should be deeply applied in educational process.

The skill of teacher is the result of searching. The great Russian teacher and scientist K.D. Ushinski said the following words: «Real teacher should increase his knowledge continuously, in case it stops he is not considered as a teacher any more [4].

I offer interesting and important interactive methods of teaching in educational process for teachers and participants at geography lessons. This technology gives me the opportunity to conduct lessons effectively and provide students to achieve good results. That's why ICT technology is one of the most effective technology. The main feature of using this method is productivity. In the learning process students should improve to make up tasks and questions using their theoretical knowledge through ICT. Thus, previous created didactic materials are useless for teachers. Various online servers appeared in order to solve this problem. Special applications can be created with the help of them. One of such servers is LearningApps.org [5].

Through LearningApps.org various exercises and applications can be created and also students' homework can be checked at lessons (Fig. 1).

The main purpose of my work, considering the ideas which were mentioned above:

– to reconsider the educational system, to create conditions for students according to their creativity to get oriented and step by step education. Nowadays it's not enough to measure the quality of students' knowledge by their knowledge, attitudes and skillis. The quality of education requires further personal development, it's measured how much gained knowledge is applied for prosperity of society.

At present the use of information technology is necessary, because they are interested in subjects, improve practical skills, help to organize independent and self-study works and also to modernize, to increase its quality. Thus, this issue is considered to be the most urgent subject according to its conclusion.

The main aim of using LearningApps.org is to form information and communication competence.

Main objectives are:

• To improve the efficiency and quality of the educational process;
• To increase cognitive activity;
• To form information culture;
• To improve information-processing skills,
• To develop of aesthetic education through computer graphics and multimedia.

The methods of my research are to examine basic types of teaching materials and to use different applications in the discipline «Social and economic geography of the World» through the service LearningApps.org.

Main results

During the research I've noticed the increase of quality of knowledge for 13–15 % at different stages of lessons.

LearningApps.org is multimedia tool which supports audio, video, graphics, interactive system of control, and also provides an opportunity of organizing interaction. Multimedia tools enable for teachers to display statistical materials on the screen. With the help of multimedia it's convenient to enlarge one object into fragment, to put several subjects on one screen in order to compare. It helps a lot for teachers of geography, because there's no need to carry various visual aids. Therefore, one can notice achievements of multimedia devices. It's easy to use multimedia, in other words, ability of thinking of students increases related to other subjects. Furthermore, it gives facilities to create an image of whole territory, especially in regional studies. Students get information in various spheres about organization of geographical process. The sequence of this process is the main requirement of teacher of geography. It calculates several projects and settle them. Creation of projections by handwriting take a lot of time, it can be done faster by using computer.

The main applications of LearningApps.org:

1. «Quiz «Who will win million»
2. «Find a couple»
3. «Find on map»
4. «Sort the images»
5. «Constructions»
6. «Animation»
7. «Crosswords»
8. «The chronological chain»

In my research while checking up homework I used geographical dictation at the 10^th form on the theme «The political system of the World» by using LearningApps.org (Fig. 2). I used this method to control students' knowledge. It's very convenient to control location of geographical features, new terms, dates. This type of dictation helps to develop students' memory. In addition, geographical dictation is held through LearningApps.org saves much time.

Furthermore, during conclusion of lesson tests can be organized through this application (Fig. 3). Test can be form of controlling quality of knowledge; on the contrary, it helps to determine attitude and skills of students resembling other methods. Moreover, tests can be performed by students to revise previous materials and enables to determine quality of knowledge.

While revising the theme «The stages of formation of the political map of the world» at the 10^th form the game «Who wants to be a millionaire» was used with the help of LearningApps.org., which could be seen in Figure 4 below. Nowadays one of the objectives is not just provide students with knowledge, but to give profound knowledge. It's being shown in recent literatures. In this case, a teacher's main purposes are: the ways in which students won't be tired and being given the opportunity to idleness and provide profound knowledge. From this point of view, implementation of games in teaching process is one of the solutions of this issue. There are lots of games in application LearningApps.org which are shown above.

According to the 11^th grade program the crossword «Travelling to Africa» was used as revising the theme «African countries», this method helps teachers to conduct lessons easier, because students memorize main concepts and geographic features by answering questions. I surveyed the students in order to know the efficiency of server learningapps.org. The students of the 1^st course have been experimented. Their number is 120 out of 5 groups.

The questions of questionnaire:

1. Do you like geography?
2. Do you like to work with the server learningapps.org?
3. Do you think that this method can help students to learn geography?
4. Is it difficult to work with the server learningapps.org?
5. How do you think, did your level of knowledge increase while assimilating information through this application?
6. Would you like to be conducted lessons by using this method in future?

The result of survey showed that the lessons were interesting and easy to learn materials, also it gave definite evidence that the students have become more interested in this subject (Fig. 5).

To sum up, quality of knowledge was 58 % in 2016-2017, but it increased up to 68 % in 2017-2018. According to the data which was given above, the chosen method depends on skills of a teacher and to hone it further.

Students acquire these skills by using learningapps.org.

• They master work experience.
• They learn how to solve difficult problems not just by observing, also by participating in it.
• They can have an opportunity to apply their acquired skills while working.
• A student can manage quantities based on educational actions.
• It teaches to save time.

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Вестник Карагандинского университета

• There will be positive physiological atmosphere
• They are required to be responsible to make decision at lessons
• Learning materials is more difficult compared to materials of traditional way of teaching.

The results of using learningapps.org are: students can share ideas, achievements, emotions, knowledge and skills with parents, group mates, and teachers, can use internet and learn to select necessary information themselves.

References

1. Zaharova, I.G. (2005). Informatsionnye tekhnolohii v obrazovanii [Information technologies in education]. Moscow: Akademiia [in Russian].
2. Moreva, N.A. (2007). Sovremennaia technolohiia uchebnoho zaniatiia [Modern technology of modern lesson]. Moscow: Prosveshchenie [in Russian].
3. Frolova, L.A. (2008). Ispolzovanie sovremennykh tekhnolohii v obrazovatelnom protsesse [Application of modern technologies in teaching process], Moscow: Nachalnaya shkola, 7, 96.
4. Ushinsky, K.D. (1974). Sobranie sochinenii (Collection of articles). (Vols. 1-11). Мoscow. OCR Biografia.ru
5. Retrieved from: https://learningapps.org.