View a detailed iPad App Evaluation ranked according to Learning Goals

Features
Price FREE
Age Range Lower Primary
App Type Learning App
Version Reviewed 2.1
Android Available?
Lite Version Available?
Help Provided?
Sharing

Bloom's Thinking Process
Creating
Evaluating
Analysing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

Adaptability
Includes recorded voice
Includes text
Includes images

Review Comments
Spin and Speak Social Skills works on social understanding. Children enjoy playing a board game with a fun spinner. This app shows brief scenarios and asks children questions to test their knowledge about what to do. Playing the game Up to five children can play. Before you begin, you can set up the children's names, choose the game content and choose a token to play. The child touches the spinner which shows numbers from 1 to 6. Then each child moves to the flashing dot. An image appears and the scenario and question are read to by the narrator. The images show young children and the app has the look and feel of early childhood. However, the level of language required to understand the scenarios and questions is at an early primary level. The game takes quite a while to get through to the end. Game content There are seven areas: Directing Activities, Informational Exchange, Requesting Scenes, Discovery, Imaginative, Informative, and Personal. You can choose any one or all of these areas. A one sentence scenario is written. Then the child is asked "What do you say/do? Or "How do you feel?" The child gives the answer to an adult and the adults score it as correct or incorrect. For example: "Your friends are in the middle of a game. What do you do?" There are a few technical problems with this app. You can move your token to the incorrect spot. Then nothing happens. At times the written words and the spoken words didn't match.

Review Comments

Spin and Speak Social Skills works on social understanding. Children enjoy playing a board game with a fun spinner. This app shows brief scenarios and asks children questions to test their knowledge about what to do.

Playing the game

Up to five children can play. Before you begin, you can set up the children's names, choose the game content and choose a token to play.
The child touches the spinner which shows numbers from 1 to 6. Then each child moves to the flashing dot. An image appears and the scenario and question are read to by the narrator.
The images show young children and the app has the look and feel of early childhood. However, the level of language required to understand the scenarios and questions is at an early primary level.
The game takes quite a while to get through to the end.

Game content

There are seven areas: Directing Activities, Informational Exchange, Requesting Scenes, Discovery, Imaginative, Informative, and Personal. You can choose any one or all of these areas.
A one sentence scenario is written. Then the child is asked "What do you say/do? Or "How do you feel?" The child gives the answer to an adult and the adults score it as correct or incorrect.

For example: "Your friends are in the middle of a game. What do you do?"

There are a few technical problems with this app. You can move your token to the incorrect spot. Then nothing happens. At times the written words and the spoken words didn't match.

Use	Rank (*)
Social Understanding		Ranked 8th 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	4	Spin and Speak is a useful app to support adults and children to work together to discuss social expectations.
Authenticity	3	The child needs to reflect on these situations and apply their knowledge of social skills to these new situations.
Feedback	1	Feedback is provided by the adult working with the child. The adult scores the child as correct or incorrect. Data is available and can be emailed.
Differentiation	3	Sounds such as the dice, card and game movement sounds can be turned off. The type of social skills can be selected.
User Friendliness	3	An adult needs to be available to score each question and to discuss the scenarios father.
Motivation	4	This is a fun way to keep young children interested in learning social skills.

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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.