Puppet Pals HD
| Features | |
|---|---|
Price FREE | |
Age Range All Ages | |
App Type Learning App | |
Version Reviewed 1.9.1 | |
Android Available? |  |
Lite Version Available? | |
Help Provided? |  |
| Sharing | |
  | |
| Bloom's Thinking Process | |
|---|---|
| Creating | |
| Evaluating | |
| Analysing | |
| Applying | |
| Understanding | |
| Remembering | |
| Adaptability | |
|---|---|
| Add own pictures | |
| Includes animation | |
| Add own voice | |
| Includes images | |
| Review Comments | |
|---|---|
Puppet Pals offers a creative way to craft an animated story with fun characters and voice. You set the stage by choosing characters and a background, then record your story. You can also add your own characters and backgrounds (but can only use them with the Director's Pass Purchase). When you add in your own photos, you can use the cutting tool to cut out the bits you wish to use. This is very handy for including photos of people.
The theme of Puppet Pals is the theatre. An audience watches as you set the stage, then the performance begins. Give your story a title and save to your camera roll so you can share it via email or you tube. The only thing I would like to change is the ability to reorder you list of stories.
The Free version includes seven fairy-tale characters and three backdrops. You can buy more characters and back drops via in-app purchases. The Director's Pass has all the characters. |
| Use | Rank (*) | |
|---|---|---|
| Narrative & Story Telling | Ranked 5th of 13 | |
| Story Makers with Characters | Ranked 4th of 14 | |
| Top Apps Prep Teachers | Ranked 5th of 11 |
(*) 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 |
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| The student justifies a decision or course of action. Activities include counting to check, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting and judging. |
| Bloom's Analysing |
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| The student breaks the information into parts to explore understandings and relationships. Activities include explaining, ordering, inferring, comparing and organising. |
| Bloom's Applying |
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| The student uses the information in a new situation. Activities include implementing, carrying out, using, illustrating, classifying and categorising. |
| Bloom's Understanding |
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| 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 |
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| 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. |
| Narrative & Story Telling |
|---|
| Story Makers with Characters |
|---|
| These apps come with characters and scenes to bring stories to life. Many allow you to make an animated story or cartoon with voice. These are great for story telling, oral narrative and interviews. I also enjoy using the to practise social and conversational skills. Try recording your social script or social stories too. Also see Story and Book Maker apps. |
| Top Apps Prep Teachers |
|---|
| This is a list of the Top Apps for teachers of children in their first year of school |
| Domain | Score | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning Connection | 4 | I have used this app for story telling, narrative and interviews. I am also trying it to teach social skills. As you can add photos of people, you can narrate social stories. This is such a fun way to show a social script or teach conversational skills. | |
| Authenticity | 4 | Puppet Pals allows the student to be as creative as they wish. They can use their own photos to make real life adventures and to discuss real situations. | |
| Feedback | 1 | Feedback is not included in this app. | |
| Differentiation | 4 | You can add your own voice, characters and backgrounds. The characters can be resized, rotated and moved around when you make the story. The background size can be changed. | |
| User Friendliness | 4 | The app takes you through a series of simple steps to create your story. The steps have written instructions so a non reader may need help. Perhaps future versions could speak the instructions as well. | |
| Motivation | 4 | This app is lots of fun and students will choose this app for entertainment purposes as well. | |
| From the App Store | |
|---|---|
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Developer Polished Play LLC | |
App Store Rating (from 37 reviews) | |
Current Version Rating (from 37 reviews) | |
Current Version 1.9.9 | |
| Developer's Description | |
|---|---|
| Create your own unique shows with animation and audio in real time! Simply pick out your actors and backdrops, drag them on to the stage, and tap record. Your movements and audio will be recorded in real time for playback later. This app is as fun as your own creativity. Act out a story of Pirates on the high seas, fight as scary monsters, or play the part of a Wild West bandit on the loose. You can even combine any characters however you want! Your creations are only limited by your imagination (and voice acting skills in my case). FEATURES - Create an actor from a photo - Use a photo as a backdrop for your storytelling - zoom and rotate your characters using two fingers - flip them around with a double tap - a wide variety of creative characters to download (including famous talk show hosts and politicians) - limitless possibilities of story creations - buy the director's pass and receive ALL current and FUTURE content! |
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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.