Education applications offer food for thought

When I take a quick look at my 5.5-inch smartphone screen, filled with three pages of apps, I notice that education apps have the premier position on front page, along with my favorite news and lifestyle apps.

Some of the education apps are frequently used, such as Namihe, an e-version of primary school textbooks, and Starfall, a quality basic English learning app. Others just lie there, asleep all the time.

Days before the spring semester started in late February, parents actively discussed in a WeChat group about their kids' winter vacation homework to avoid any missing or forgotten job, and to try to create as smooth as possible return to school when their kids were due to hand in their holiday homework.