Mobile Apps, the textbook of tomorrow?

Would you use mobile apps in your class, why or why not?


I honestly don't know how big mobile applications could be in my future teaching. Right now a lot of apps are just for fun. Apps for games, music, and TV stations. I know they have apps that help you study, they come in the form of flashcards by subject. Just like Brother Randall said, "In the next 10 to 15 years students will probably all have a smartphone or ipad, so they might as well be using it to study." Which is a good idea. Forms of media and ways of presenting information are always changing, and in order to be at the forefront we have to be changing and taking advantage of these new technologies. I think it could be very affective if at some point textbooks were all in apps. That way I always have my textbook with me, I could study at any time. Also it saves resources, and costs significantly less. This situation would only work if the class had this technology or someday when all students have it.
 One thing that I really did find interesting was the QR codes. I had heard about smartphones that could scan a bar code and find the price, or other shops that had the same product and its price, but I had never actually learned about them. One thing I thought about was that you could use QR codes to link to a class website. For example, a student walking down the hall sees the bulletin board and it has information about an upcoming event. They scan the code, which takes them to find more info and the page to register for the event. A second example could be, If I posted pictures of athletes or specific lifts, the students scan the QR code next to the picture of that athlete or exercise to see it in action. It could significantly cut down on the size of flyers and bulletin boards because you just need to have the main title or small picture to attract attention and then the code, not everything about that specific subject. So I see a lot of potential in QR codes today.