Review of Simon Says and Memory Block by Kathy Burdick

Name of the Apps: Simon Says and MemoryBlock

Free or Fee: free to $0.99

Rating: Simon Says- 3/5, paid version of Memory Block- 5/5

Sellers: Simon Says- Kids Place, MemoryBlock- Category 5 Games

Why I like them: Most can remember the game Simon. An electronic game with four colors that would light up in a random sequence, each color with a specific sound associated with it. Once the sequence was complete the player would repeat the same sequence by touching the color blocks in the correct order. Simon was great for developing listening skills, memory retention, and concentration. There are two apps that I have found to offer the same learning benefits as that electronic game of the 80’s. Both apps are free, but both also have pros and cons. Simon Says begins with four-color blocks, but as the level of difficulty increases so do the number of color blocks. I like Simon Says because it is ad free, however, there are no options (speed, difficulty, sound, color, more or less buttons). MemoryBlock gives the user more choices. It has options for speed, sound, and choice of 4 or 5 buttons. The down side to this app is that it has ads but, for $0.99 you can purchase the ad-free version. Beware: the ads in the free version are not suitable for all ages. If you want a free, kid-friendly version go with Simon Says, but if you want a kid-friendly option with more to offer purchase the $0.99 version of MemoryBlock.

Reviewer's Website

Tales2Go App

App Title:  Tales2Go

Grade Level: K-8

Cost: Free app, $24.99 for a one-year subscription

Purpose: A+

Purpose Rationale: Tales2Go is an awesome subscription-based audiobook app that is bringing back good old fashioned storytelling in a whole new way. Instead of downloading individual audiobooks or borrowing CD audiobooks from the library, teachers and parents can choose to stream from a multitude of story choices instantly to their iPod Touches, iPhones, and iPads. And the Tales2Go library continues to grow with its popularity. This app’s motto is “Storytime, anytime” and it certainly lives up to it!

Program Functionality: A-

Program Functionality Rationale: Tales2Go is easy to install and it quickly guides the user through an account set-up process. In no time at all, the app offers you a wide variety of stories (and even some songs!) for your listening pleasure. Users are given a variety of ways to search through the stories, whether it be by Age, Series, Books, or Storyteller to name a few. If you are looking for something specific, that is easy to do too with the ‘Search’ function. Tales2Go puts itself at the head of the class with features like ‘Bookmarks’ and ‘Favorites’. The Tales2Go app is a free download in the App store and initially comes with a free 30 day trial. After the trial ends, users will need to purchase a year-long subscription in order to continue utilizing the app. It is important to note that it is $24.99 per device per year, not per iTunes account. This is currently the biggest downfall to the app. Many iPod and iPhone users expect to share apps with their family members and users should know that that is not an option with Tales2Go.

Overall Educational Value: A+

Overall Educational Value Rationale: This app has a wealth of educational value for teachers due to the ease, accessibility, and choices of audiobooks available. Tales2Go is an excellent way to differentiate instruction, accommodate students, and engage children when teaching literature. Some students are auditory learners who need to hear information in order to properly comprehend it and other students struggle with decoding to the point that it impedes their comprehension skills; Tales2Go is a great way to accommodate these students and many other students. The app is a very engaging way for children to interact with literature, mainly because of the use of professional storytellers. Another great benefit is being able to use the stories in conjunction with the actual book since the storyteller can model excellent proper inflection, emotion, and tone of voice for students. 

Recommendation: If you are a parent, teacher, or school district looking for a audiobook app that will allow you to access thousands of stories with the tap of your finger, I highly recommend Tales2Go for your home, classroom, and school use. The subscription is a bit pricey when you look at it for school-wide use, but when compared with purchasing and storing the individual stories on their own, Tales2Go can be considered an excellent deal per device. I would highly suggest that a school begin with one or two devices in the library that could be signed out for classroom use. Also, special education teachers and administrators should certainly consider Tales2Go as an adaptive technology option for certain students with disabilities.

Classroom Use Examples/Ideas: There are a variety of ways for teachers to utilize Tales2Go in the classroom. The app can be used to support a book by reading along as you listen to the story. This is a great technique for modeling reading, focusing on comprehension, and engaging more students. Tales2Go is also a great option for accessing literature in a quick and easy manner; it can easily be used for storytimes or as a classroom ‘free-time’ activity. Tales2Go could also be a part of a cool visualizing activity where students draw or write about  the scene they just heard the storyteller describe. You can even let Tales2Go be a teacher’s ‘substitute’ and read to the class while the teacher monitors and assists students with the activity.

Developer: Tales2Go

Developer Website: www.tales2go.com

iTunes Link: Tales2Go on iTunes 

Reviewer Name: Meg Wilson

Reviewer Blog: www.iPodsibilities.com 

Reviewer Twitter: http://twitter.com/iPodsibilities  

Other: Don’t forget to check out our Ning (Online Community) devoted to helping teachers utilize these devices to the their fullest.  Please leave a comment if you agree, disagree, or have other creative uses for this app in the classroom, etc.