View a detailed iPad App Evaluation ranked according to Learning Goals

Features
Price FREE
Age Range Upper Primary
App Type Learning App
Version Reviewed 2.0
Android Available?
Lite Version Available?
Help Provided?

Bloom's Thinking Process
Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

Adaptability
Includes recorded voice
Includes text
Includes images

Review Comments
Tell a Story with Tommy: Consequences encourages children to think about the choices they make in social situations. The child listens to a story about Tommy. Each story has a large picture and focuses on a challenging social dilemma. What will Tommy do? Each story consists of a setting statement ("Tommy sees his friend Ben. Tommy is thinking that it would be fun to go to the park to play"). Then Tommy feels an urge to show a negative behaviour ("But then Tommy feels like hitting Ben but he doesn't know why he feels that way"). Then Tommy needs to make a choice ("Help Tommy make a choice"). The child discusses the choice Tommy should make with an adult. The adult then decides if it is a correct choice (green smiley) or an incorrect choice (red smiley). If the child makes a positive choice, the story continues showing a positive picture and a positive consequence. If the child makes an incorrect choice, the child sees an animation or a picture of what may happen. Tommy is seen showing negative behaviours such as throwing an apple or hitting his friend. Then for a second time, Tommy needs to make a choice. The correct choice is always to say you're sorry. If this doesn’t happen, everyone is sad and Tommy misses out on the fun. We need to carefully select which children suit this app. In my professional experience, many children with autism don't choose to throw, hit or snatch. This can be due to sensory overload, poor impulse control or many other reasons not under their conscious control. Some of my students enjoyed watching the animation provided for the negative behaviour and began to choose this option as it was more entertaining. The "Found It" shows a list of the behaviours they have seen. This also includes the negative behaviours. The child is encouraged to tick the behaviours they have seen. I am concerned that this is another incentive to watch the negative behaviour animations. There are seven stories which include: playing, dinner, playing outside, trip to the store, seeing my friend, in class and lunchroom.

Review Comments

Tell a Story with Tommy: Consequences encourages children to think about the choices they make in social situations. The child listens to a story about Tommy. Each story has a large picture and focuses on a challenging social dilemma. What will Tommy do?

Each story consists of a setting statement ("Tommy sees his friend Ben. Tommy is thinking that it would be fun to go to the park to play"). Then Tommy feels an urge to show a negative behaviour ("But then Tommy feels like hitting Ben but he doesn't know why he feels that way"). Then Tommy needs to make a choice ("Help Tommy make a choice").

The child discusses the choice Tommy should make with an adult. The adult then decides if it is a correct choice (green smiley) or an incorrect choice (red smiley). If the child makes a positive choice, the story continues showing a positive picture and a positive consequence.

If the child makes an incorrect choice, the child sees an animation or a picture of what may happen. Tommy is seen showing negative behaviours such as throwing an apple or hitting his friend.

Then for a second time, Tommy needs to make a choice. The correct choice is always to say you're sorry. If this doesn’t happen, everyone is sad and Tommy misses out on the fun.

We need to carefully select which children suit this app. In my professional experience, many children with autism don't choose to throw, hit or snatch. This can be due to sensory overload, poor impulse control or many other reasons not under their conscious control. Some of my students enjoyed watching the animation provided for the negative behaviour and began to choose this option as it was more entertaining.

The "Found It" shows a list of the behaviours they have seen. This also includes the negative behaviours. The child is encouraged to tick the behaviours they have seen. I am concerned that this is another incentive to watch the negative behaviour animations.

There are seven stories which include: playing, dinner, playing outside, trip to the store, seeing my friend, in class and lunchroom.

Use	Rank (*)
Social Understanding		Ranked 16th of 38

(*) This app has been ranked according to its' effectiveness to achieve the learning goals and strategies listed. Some apps may rank highly for achieving a specific use and lower for other uses. Some students will learn and engage with one app more than others, because of the individual nature of us all.

Learning App
Learning apps are designed for a specific purpose. The authors claim to teach a goal, skill or concept.

Bloom's Thinking Process
Bloom's Taxonomy is classification system used to explain the behaviours important in learning. Apps range from simple memory tasks such as flashcards apps through to creative apps which ask students to create an original story or video.

Bloom's Creating
The student creates new ideas, products or ways of viewing things. Activities include making, animating, designing, constructing, planning, producing and inventing.

Bloom's Evaluating
The student justifies a decision or course of action. Activities include counting to check, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting and judging.

Bloom's Analysing
The student breaks the information into parts to explore understandings and relationships. Activities include explaining, ordering, inferring, comparing and organising.

Bloom's Applying
The student uses the information in a new situation. Activities include implementing, carrying out, using, illustrating, classifying and categorising.

Bloom's Understanding
The student comprehends the new information. Activities include describing, predicting showing understanding use a multiple choice.

Bloom's Remembering
The student recalls information they know. Activities include matching, 'fill in the blank', making a choice, answering using a multiple choice, naming a group.

Learning Connection
How well does the app teach the targeted skill or concept? This is the area where we refer to current research and pedagogy to evaluate the efficacy of the app.

Authenticity
Authenticity looks at the manner in which skills are learnt. Authentic apps use real life or genuine activities. Students learn in context rather than in a contrived or rote fashion (such as flashcards).

Feedback
Feedback needs to be specific and result in improved performance. Feedback should be supportive and encouraging rather than negative. Data should be available to support decision making.

Differentiation
Differentiation is the ability to customise the app to suit the student. The ability to record you voice, customise text, add pictures and alter settings enables individualisation of the app.

User Friendliness
User friendliness is a measure of how well a student can use the app independently. Some apps are simply intuitive to use. Others include audio or visual prompts which support the student.

Motivation
All apps are engaging the first time they are played. However, students with diverse learning needs may need to return to the app many times. Motivating apps offer rewards,games or incentives.

Social Understanding
Social understanding apps provide opportunities for children to gain an understanding of the social world. These may explain the hidden curriculum of social rules and etiquette. They help increase the awareness of the thoughts, behaviour and feelings of others. They may provide suggestions of ways to interact with peers.

Domain	Score	Details
Learning Connection	2	We must carefully consider the suitability of this app for an individual child. I would suggest only showing the positive behaviour and the positive outcomes. My concern is that the negative consequences are too rewarding (the student watches an animation). The stories are quite complex and use high order cognitive verbs such as "Tommy is thinking that…". These would suit older children with good language skills.
Authenticity	2	The child needs to make some choices. These choices are made based on information in a new situation. These situations are real to life situations and the students need to solve a real problem. They make a choice by talking to an adult.
Feedback	2	This app is all about the feedback the adult offers to the child. The adult decides if the answers are correct or incorrect. There is a report card showing the number of times the child chose the smiley option.
Differentiation	1	The settings on this app are fixed.
User Friendliness	4	This app requires no instructions. Both children and adults can quickly work out how to use this app.
Motivation	4	The cartoon stories are very interesting for my students. This app would work well for children who want to earn a green smiley.

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Disclaimer: The evaluations and rankings information provided here are based solely on the opinion of the author and are for informational purposes only. Families should seek professional advice before making decisions regarding interventions for their child.