Holiday Wiz Quiz by Applicable2U

Holiday Wiz Quiz

by Simul Consulting Corp.

As we near the holiday season there are characters and songs that many individuals will recall and traditions that are repeated each December.  Whether you are a child or an adult, we all know Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Christmas elves and the variety of decorations that are shared for all to see.  Who knew that these things could be interconnected with academic skills.  Simul Consulting Corp recently launched a special Christmas edition of Holiday Wiz Quiz.  This engaging, colorful resource will stimulate your child(ren) or student(s) ages 4-8 years.  By playing this educational app, your  child will be academically preparing themselves as they enter their school years and engage in learning with the help of seasonal connections.  With your trial download of Holiday Wiz Quiz, your wiz kid can explore 40 questions on the go via your iphone, itouch or ipad device running iOS3.2 or later.  Applicable2U highly recommends gaming for a reason and Holiday Wiz Quiz is guaranteed to do just that.  As your child(ren) or student(s) games for a reason they will be developing such things as their logical reasoning, spelling and math skills.

With their eye catching owl all decked out for the holidays, quiz takers will be supported in a number of ways.  As the developers have indicated, this is an educational app for children as young as four, however, there may be some learners that need parental guidance as well.  Applicable2u was impressed to see how they have incorporated verbal and pictorial directions, various types of reinforcements, and hints. Quizzes are made up of 20 multiple choice questions. Questions will be read aloud, however, if after hearing it your child needs it repeated, simply click the repeat button at the top of the page.  Like any MCAS, SAT or state exam, children are expected to review each answer.  There will be obvious incorrect answers, however, if one is chosen, the holiday owl will give a hint.  After reading the hint, a second chance will be provided.  It is important to note that the more frequently the owl supports your child, their final test results may be lowered.  A note to the developers - when hints are needed, is it possible to have those hints read aloud.  Or even for the developing reader, could they tap on each word as it is announced.  To visually guide your child along the road to success, the holiday owl will travel a 1-20 number line at the bottom of their screen. At the completion of each quiz, stars will have been earned and a report will be generated for the benefit of a parent or teacher.  These reports will provide both recent scores and an average of all your quiz experiences.  It will share their total score, how long it took to complete, the number of correct answers, how many times a second chance was given and those incorrect answers.  Quizzes can be repeated and new reports will be generated.

As you and your child experience the trial version, Applicable2U is certain that you will want to update your trial to the full version through an in-app purchase.  In the updated version, users will now have access to close to 300 multiple choice questions. An additional to note to the developers – might it be possible to offer multiple accounts within the full version?  This would be an added support for parents with multiple children, teachers and homeschoolers.  This time of the year is a very exciting one, why not maintain that excitement as they build their confidence as they play, learn or reinforce a great deal of academic and high order thinking skills.  To learn more about Simul Consulting Corp, please visit their website here.  To begin your trial today of Holiday Wiz Quiz click hereto add to your iTunes library.

Reviewers website: www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

Allied Star Police

At first glance, you might not think there would be educational value with Allied Star Police. And you might be right. But as we go back to school and are reminded of the importance of establishing positive relationships with our students, I couldn't help but share this great story.

I'll let you read the full version here, but the short version of the story is that PopCap granted Owain the wish he had through the Make-A-Wish Foundation - to create his own video game. The developers were amazed when this 10 year old came in with the game all but layed out for them. And then we he came back to review it, he was quick to point out that "this is space, those guys need helmets!" 

How cool is that? I think it's great that PopCap allowed this kid in, but awesome that Owain not only came in and told them what was wrong, but they quickly fixed it up to his specifications. When I downloaded it (yep, it's free!) I told my wife I was doing it to be nice. I mean, why not? I'll let it take up space in my iPad just so he can see people are downloading it. Now, I have resisted the temptation to download Angry Birds because I've heard how addicting it is. Guess what? This is just as addicting. In the game you accumulate money that you can then buy space vehicles with, the goal being to defeat the enemy aliens and destroy their base. It records how quickly you complete this task. And that's where addiction comes in. I'm always trying to figure out a new combination to get me there quicker. There are three different difficulty levels to choose from, and it's easy to jump from one to the other. In the PopCap article, they mentioned cheat codes, which I haven't found (anyone? Please leave them in the comments!).

Educational value? I'm sure you can make an argument for reasoning skills and critical thinking. But either way, it could be a great break for some kids who need a little breather or "reward time." Kudos to PopCap for making Owain's Wish come true. And big time Kudos to Owain for designing such an addictive game!

Cross posted on the Tech Fridge.