The new Slader application that many high school students are taking advantage/making use of is potentially impacting their learning.  This app can come in great use for both teachers and students if it is utilized the way it was designed.  Slader is an app which provides anyone access to the answers in a textbook by simply typing the ISBN into the app.  The app is still growing and surprisingly a small amount of students actually know about the app.

The app was originally created with the mentality that students or teachers could use it as a guide when stumped on a problem in a textbook.  Senior Oliver Parker says, “I didn’t know what the app was until it was explained to me.  When it comes to how students use the app I really do think it depends on the student who is accessing the app.  Me personally, I would use the app to check my answers rather than take the answers straight from the app unless it was history and helped me study for a test.”

Teachers could easily have a love-hate relationship with this app.  The app either allows for students to take the easy way out of assignments and not  learn anything or allow them to use the app as a guide to help them through problems.  Even though this is not the only app teachers should be concerned about it is still a growing app in the app store and could very easily sweep schools across the nation.

Math teacher Dave Johnson says, “More students use Mathway opposed to Slader for math purposes.  Both apps allow students to take the easy way out of doing work.  However a benefit of the Slader app is that it explains how an answer is given and shows the steps to each problem so students can potentially learn if they chose to use the app for informational purposes.  The only downfall to the app is that some students take advantage of it and don’t do their assignment using their knowledge rather another persons.”

The only real issue with the app is that teachers have no way of monitoring how students utilize the app.  The decision of how to use the app ultimately rests in the students hands.

Another benefit the app has going for it is that not all of the answers are given, the app is a platform for students and teachers, with this being said students and teachers could put answers into the app to help other students/teachers. It is an app that allows students to collaborate.

Some students prefer a different route and would rather just take the answers from the app with as little work possible.  Sophomore Will Leba said, “I know a few kids who use the app, I have never tried it though.  A majority of the kids who do use the app don’t use it for educational purposes, more so to get the assignment completed.”

A majority of Stillwater Area High School students did not know what the Slader app was when asked, which indicates that students aren’t trying to scrape by in school and would rather learn the material opposed to using an app in order to just complete the assignment. Junior Paige Johnson said, “I’ve never heard of the Slader app, nor would I have any reason to use the app.”