Thursday, August 23, 2012

Back to School Week: App Review


As part of Back to School Week, today I will be reviewing "What Would You Do at SCHOOL If...," a Fun Deck app by Super Duper Publications.  This is essentially the app version of the Fun Deck card series.  You can input the students on your caseload, then select which ones will be playing during your session.

I haven't added kids yet, so my list is lacking!
 You can also select the questions that will be asked during your session.  You can choose to use all of the questions, or just a few.  I opted to use five questions for my trial.


When you're ready, you will be shown a colorful picture with a common school problem.  If you tap on the picture, the question will be read aloud.  The app allows for data collection as well.  Tap the red dot at the bottom for an incorrect response, the green button for a correct response.


It took me a little while to figure out how to change players, but if you swipe the top bar (where the player name is listed), the player name will change.  The app will keep data for multiple players.


Once your session is finished, you can "View Results" and instantly see data for each of the players.


There is also the option of creating a data report in email form.

What I like about this app:
  • The questions are great for problem solving, pragmatic language, and expressive language.
  • The questions and situations presented are perfect for students on the autism spectrum.  They will allow students to come up with strategies to deal with the situations depicted.
  • The pictures are colorful and clear.
  • The questions are based on common issues that may occur in a school setting.
  • Data collection!  I love apps that allow for data collection!
  • Multiple player option.  Many apps are single player, and I typically work with groups of students      rather than one on one.
Areas for improvement:
  • I love the data collection idea, but, let's face it, many of our kids will respond with answers that are not quite right, but not quite wrong.  I'd love to see a middle ground (maybe an "Oh so close!" button).  
  • The data from your previous session will disappear as soon as you start a new session.  I'd love to be able to "View Students" rather than just "Edit Students" and see a graph or table of their performance.

I had a hard time coming up with many negatives for this app.  Overall, it's a great app that brings more motivation and functionality (with the data collection piece) to the traditional Fun Decks.  Super Duper definitely has a hit with the Fun Deck app line.  You can purchase "What Would You Do at SCHOOL If..." in the App Store for $1.99 (price accurate as of this posting).

Tomorrow is the last day of Back to School Week.  Stop by for activities and printables for "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books"


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...