The document discusses criteria for evaluating educational apps for early learning. It provides statistics on the growth of education apps and discusses important factors like an app's ability to teach skills, create evidence of learning, and be more than just fun and engaging. The document examines sample apps and provides resources for reviewing apps by standards like Bloom's Taxonomy and recommendations from other educators.

1. Are Tablets a
Prescription for
Learning?
Evaluating Apps for Early Learning
Gail Lovely
Gail@GailLovely.com
LovelyLearning.com
Gail@GailLovely.com

2. The App Store…
Like a box of chocolate

3. The App Store…
A HUGE box of chocolate

4. SOME STATS…
http://148apps.biz/app-store-metrics/
 Apps available for download: 659,936
 Education Category: 65,530 (active)
 Average App price: $1.99

5. What are the numbers?
From 2009 to 2011 apps for toddlers -
elementary school have grown from
47% to 72%
of the education collection*.
Gail@GailLovely.com
*(iTunes)

6. Price…
 Free? Really?
Gail@GailLovely.com

7. “All television is educational television.
The question is: what is it teaching?”
Nicholas Johnson

8. Educational Criteria
 Teach or practice curriculum or skills
of value
 Create evidence of knowledge or
skills
 Produce materials to learn with or
from
 More than CUTE, ENGAGING, FUN.
Gail@GailLovely.com

9. Apps and Application of Apps
Educational researchers and
practitioners alike assert that the
potential of new technologies for
learning is likely to be found not in
the technologies themselves but in
the way in which these technologies
are used as tools for learning (Means &
Olson, 1995; Owston, 1997; Valdez et al., 1999).
Gail@GailLovely.com
From NCREL: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/reading/li300.htm

11. Gail@GailLovely.com
Book Creator

12. “Don’t bring in an elephant
to teach the color gray.”
- Madeleine Hunter

13. Educational Criteria
 Ability to play well with other files
and apps
 Appropriate learning curve
 Useability
Let’s Look at Some!
Gail@GailLovely.com

14. Gail@GailLovely.com
StoryKit

15. Additionally – format matters
 Does the app consider multiple
users?
Bluster and Futaba
are examples of this…
Gail@GailLovely.com

16. Additionally – strategy matters
Does the app target the users
appropriately?
Toontastic is a wonderful example
of this…
Gail@GailLovely.com

17. App Selection
 A few “technical” things to look
for…
Gail@GailLovely.com

18. Technical Criteria
 Ability to get files off device
 Screenchomp (free)
◦ Output to link on their site (with ads)
◦ On the iPad on which it was made
 Explain Everything ($2.99)
◦ Output to: Email, Dropbox, Evernote,
Box, YouTube…
Gail@GailLovely.com

19. You HAVE to be Careful…
 There is a reason 30% of apps are
opened only once.
Gail@GailLovely.com

20. Gail@GailLovely.com
Reading Level MisMatch
Screenshot from Casey’s Contraptions

21. Confusing…?
Gail@GailLovely.com
Screenshots from Live ABC

22. Photoshake… really?
 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/p
hotoshake!/id389104355?mt=8
Gail@GailLovely.com

23. Gail@GailLovely.com
Lets Look…

24. Examples
DropBox
My favorite file management and
sharing tool… all platforms (free)
Audioboo
Audio recording on ALL platforms
including web (free)
Explain Everything
Annotate on almost anything,
voice, draw, etc ($2.99)

25. And More!
Zapd
Almost instant image-rich websites
– photo blogs (free)
Zapper Scanner
The best QR code reader and
creator so far! (free for now)
Sling Note
Best tool for capturing parts of
websites, annotating, etc! ($2.99)

26. A couple more…
Little Solver Preschool Logic
problem solving using matrix
analogies (.99)
Futaba
A reading game – worth
upgrading to paid version ($2.99)
Book Creator
My current favorite book making
tool. ($4.99)

27. Just a few more?
ArtSet
A full collection of art tools yet easy
to use. (.99)
Fotopedia – Heritage
Amazing images from World Heritage
Sites (free)
I learn with… Boingo Ice Land
Adventures
An interesting concept… (2.99)

28. Apps by Blooms Taxonomy
 http://www.edutopia.org/ipad-
apps-elementary-blooms-
taxomony-diane-darrow
Gail@GailLovely.com

29. Apps by Bloom’s Taxonomy
 http://www.schrockguide.net/bloo
min-apps.html
Gail@GailLovely.com

30. Apps by Student Action
 http://edtechteacher.org/index.p
hp/teaching-technology/mobile-
technology-apps/ipad-as
Gail@GailLovely.com

31. App Selection
 Places to hear from others
 http://www.tcea.org/ipad
 http://www.tcea.org/documents/
PD/TCEA%20App%20Evaluation%2
0Rubric.pdf
Gail@GailLovely.com

32. App Selection
 Places to hear from others
 http://www.iear.org/
Gail@GailLovely.com

33. Reviewers of Apps
Children’s Technology Review -
http://childrenstech.com/
Common Sense Media -
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/
Also educators on Pinterest and Twitter
and
User Ratings (in the store or
Gail@GailLovely.com
marketplace)

34. App Selection
 Places to hear from others
 http://teachwithyouripad.wikispac
es.com/iPAD+Apps
 http://www.techchef4u.com/
Gail@GailLovely.com

35. App Selection
 http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/sur
prisinglyeduapps
Gail@GailLovely.com

36. Android…
 Not my area of expertise, but here
is the best resource I know:
 http://www.android4schools.com/
Gail@GailLovely.com

37. Thanks for your interest in
choosing the BEST for our
children!
 Gail Lovely
 Gail@GailLovely.com
 http://LovelyLearning.com
Gail@GailLovely.com

38. Download a PDF version …
Or follow this link:
Gail@GailLovely.com
http://Suddenlyitclicks.com/
and choose “Selecting Apps”