Thing 16: Content Area

I found the following apps using the app, Appolearning. I looked at the top 5 Spanish apps for preschool and elementary school.

I chose Little Blue Jackal app because it had high ratings and it was advertised that it would become more difficult as the student improved. I was disappointed with the app. It teaches very little Spanish.

When you enter the app, you choose a level then you listen to the story of the blue jackel. The story is in English unless you choose level 3. In level three, the story is read in Spanish with the English written to help students understand. After the story, there are questions and a matching game to practice comprehension. I don't feel like it teaches Spanish very we'll because it speaks upper level spanish and has a written translation without breaking it down for students to learn the vocabulary.

I chose Little Pim Spanishbecause it was rated very highly for preschoolers. Pim teaches vocabulary from three categories. I would consider using this app with young fives. Each time you choose a category it teaches you new vocabulary. The vocabulary gets more difficult as you play. The games are very repetitive, would be entertaining for young students. Most games require you to choose the picture that goes with what Pim the Panda says.

Otter Call Es is the app I evaluated. I didn't give it many check marks. I was excited to download it because it had voice recognition to practice pronunciation, but the game only asks you to repeat the word it gives. The words are not used in any context.

Now that I know about the app evaluation rubrics, I will try to find them for apps I consider buying to see other people's opinions. I may fill out a quick checklist for a lite version to see if it would be worth buying a full version.

I did not find any Spanish specific apps in the Apple Volume Purchase Program, however I did see some apps and programs that could be cross-curricular such as Office and photo editing programs. I also thought it was interesting to look through the devices and accessories to see the price differences. I think Apple is doing a great service to schools districts by trying to make technology more affordable.