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

Little Dialers by Applicable2U

Little Dialers
  By Christopher Hall

Your child is unfortunately put into an emergency situation, what is the most important piece of information that they should know? If you answered, their phone number, then you are correct. Recently, Chris Hall and his wife, developed Little Dialers for the iPhone. This parent application could not have come at a more appropriate time. We think that it is fair to say that toddlers love playing with “real” phones rather than pretend ones. Through exploration of a realistic iPhone keypad, important life skills will be further reinforced via Little Dialers. Whether you have a toddler, preschooler or an elementary student, knowing how to get in touch with a parent or guardian is critical and applies to you.

Upon entering Little Dialers for the first time, you will be instructed to enter a phone number. To guide your little one, there are two levels of reinforcement: learning and mastery mode. It is important to note that users will be provided a great deal of support as they learn their telephone number(s). With a very simple design, it’s an application that meets the needs of visual, auditory and tactile learners. To make a phone call, users will slowly become familiar with certain vocabulary words like: area code and digits. In addition, they will begin to see a pattern in the actual telephone number (3,3,4). As your child fiddles through the learning mode, they will notice that the telephone display will show the preset number at the top. As correct numbers are tapped and matched, they will be shaded in. If incorrect, a buzzer will sound allowing continuous opportunities to make a match. To properly reinforce basic numbers with the incorporation of ones phone number, make sure that your little one doesn’t get too “tap happy.” If multiple numbers are pressed at one time, the audio might appear jumbled and could confuse the user. It is important to note that the learning mode should be repeated over several times to ensure comprehension.

As a user feels more comfortable, they can then set the challenge a little higher. Through memorization, they can move to the mastery mode. To change from one mode to the next, simply tap the display screen and the preset number will disappear. Visual and audio cues will be provided for correct and incorrect answers. A note to the developer, since this is the mastery mode, it might be interesting to remove the buzzing option and see how they will do without guidance. At the completion of entering what they think is their ten digit phone number, a user could press the “call button.” As with the learning mode, a trophy is awarded for a successful entry. However, if incorrect, might it be possible to highlight in a different color those numbers incorrectly typed, thus providing them another opportunity to get the phone number correct.

Have you begun to ask what if I have multiple numbers that my son or daughter should know? Excellent question and certainly something that our developers have taken into consideration. Simply open the settings within your iPhone device that stores the data for Little Dialers. Once mastery of a phone number occurs, new ones can be inputted. Overall, Applicable2U was impressed with the simplicity, yet very realistic application that Little Dialers has to offer any family. It’s a critical skill that all children should be aware of for any situation at home, at school or public setting. If you would like to learn more about Christopher Hall, please visit his website here.  Or you can prepare your little one for that emergency situation now by downloading Little Dialers from you iTunes library here.

Reviewers website:  www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

Brain Quest - Show #49 and Review #1 by CLykowski

I can remember when my kids were younger one of the best car games we would take on a road trip was Brain Quest. It was a fan deck of cards that came in various grade levels and subject areas. The questions were on one side and the answers were on the flip side.

Enter the 21st century version of Brain Quest ala iTunes, made for Apple’s iPod Touch and iPhone. (Grade levels available at the time of review: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7)

Players begin by entering their name on the Player’s screen and then choose from 6 curriculum-based categories; English, Math, History & Civics, Science, Geography and Grab Bag, with each category hosting nearly 2,000 questions written by grade-level specialists.

Once students have chosen their subject area, they have three challenge levels to complete. They ‘train their brain’ in the “Train Your Brain” area of game play in preparation to play in the “Rocket Round”.

In the “Train Your Brain” area you can choose from five types of play, Take your pick (multiple choice), Mind the gaps (fill in missing letters), Fun cards (flashcard style), Word Swirl ( word scramble), and The Real Deal (true/false).

As players complete the tasks at their pace, they earn trophies that are displayed on their Trophy Showcase.

Not only did I play Brain Quest, but I had several of my fifth grade students’ play as well. They all felt that the game became increasingly challenging and it kept their interest in wanting to achieve the next level. They also felt that it was user-friendly and easy to navigate the various screens and levels.

Grade Level: Brain Quest is available for grades 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

Program Functionality: A / Very user-friendly and easy to navigate between the various levels and screens.

Purpose: B / Works well for review of grade level curricular material, although it is based on national standards and not on particular state standards.

Overall Educational Value: A / This has great value in a classroom setting and would work well for those students who need an extra challenge or who consistently complete their work ahead of the other students.

Cost: $ 4.99

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch. Requires iPhone OS 2.2 or later.

Recommendation: We recommend this app for personal use but we are not recommending this for schools as we think it is a little cost prohibitive as the amount of learning from the app doesn't warrant this cost.

Creators Web site: http://modality.com/

iTunes Link: Click Here

-- CLykowski

Meghan’s Memory Games - Show #45

Grade Level: App describes 1st Grade but we say "Early Elementary".

Program Functionality: B / The App works as advertised but there are lots of similar apps like this that we think have more functionality.

Purpose: C / It is a memory game and nothing more.

Overall Educational Value: C / We like the app but we suggest checking out some other similar apps in this category as well. Once again, this is an intersting app that can't hurt and only help if kids like it. If the app had some functionality for teachers and or parents to manipulate it or extract data, it would make it much better.

App Developer's Description: Classic style memory games aimed at teaching the reading and spelling of the most common words a child will come across in their daily reading. The idea behind the game is for the player to remember the position of the cards that have been revealed on previous turns. It is a great game to develop attention, learn new words or just to keep your mind sharp.

Cost: $1.99

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch. Requires iPhone 2.2 software update

Recommendation: We are recommending this app for personal use but not within a school setting at this time.

Creators Website: http://www.ratcatsoftware.com/?page_id=93

ITunes Link: Click Here

Hey, check out our Ning (Online Community) devoted to helping teachers utilize these devices to the their fullest.