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People have asked me why I don’t rate the apps that I blog about. Truth is, most of the apps aren’t for me…they are for my kids. To truly rate the apps my children use, I feel I need to give the apps the test of longevity. My children may love a new app once, but then not seek it out ever again. To be honest, I have not been able to successfully predict which apps my children will like best. For example, when I purchased and tried out “Les Histoires Farfelues” I did not think the kids were going to like it. In fact, I thought I had just wasted another $3 on an app that would go untouched, along with dozens of others.
I was wrong.
This is one of the first and only French apps that the kids seek out even when they are allowed a few minutes of free-choice on the iPad. They think it’s hilarious. You get to choose the characters and backgrounds. The characters can have either matching heads and legs or unmatched. It has fun sound effects and the stories are short. During story time, I usually tell them they both can have two stories but they always ask for more and I usually want to create my own mix-up after their turns are over as well. It has become kind of addicting for all of us…in the best sense of the term!
One thing I’d love to see added to the app is subtitles. I always like seeing the written word in my children’s apps. It gets them used to seeing the text and it helps them start to associate the sounds with the words.
We are all learning more French with this app. It includes vocabulary that is even above my head! Sometimes this may be a hindrance, and I fear the kids aren’t truly understanding everything that is being said, but I am not going to worry too much about that because they are having fun with French!
Why, though, do they love this app so much? Especially when initially I thought it was another wasted purchase!?!
Now that I think about it, this app gives them something the others don’t. It gives them control over what the story becomes. They are the creators, so to speak, of their own story. As an educator, I understand the power of providing choices for learners. The smart people who created this app have very cleverly incorporated the users choices into every story. It is addicting and fun and I am sorry that I doubted its ingenuity!
If I had blogged and rated this app before giving it the test of time, I would have scored it low. Now that we have had it for several months, I see that the children are seeking it out ON THEIR OWN! (That is huge!) The rating has gone through the roof and I now recommend this app very highly to families learning French! The Sunny Earth kids love it! (Ages 4 and almost 6) Hope yours do, too!!!!!
Enjoy! C’est vraiment amusant!
I have used sock puppets with my own children as well as at school with Kindergarteners. It is a winner!
As a primary school teacher, I am always looking for ways to enhance the learning experiences for my students. As we have recently set up a partial class set of iPad minis, we are encouraging all of our teachers to use content-creation apps as opposed to content-specific consumption apps to share our knowledge. Sock Puppets (free, with optional in-app purchases) is a great storytelling app that both educators and students alike will enjoy.
If you have yet to hear about Sock Puppets, it is an app that will let you create funny and original lip-synched videos that you can share with your class. We have already had a few classes try this app, and our students (ages 7-11) have had no trouble with it all. Learning how to use the app is actually fun, and the many options of backgrounds, props (most of them moveable!)…
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As a teacher in the U.S., this is of interest to me! Thank you, Steve, for yet another great blog post! 🙂
“The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them.” —http://www.corestandards.org
The Common Core Standards
If you are a teacher from the US, you will no doubt be familiar with the Common Core State Standards. I have been introduced to this great lesson planning app which focuses heavily to these standards. Here in British Columbia, Canada where I teach, learning standards will be found in the BC Prescribed Learning Outcomes.
Check out this video which will show the main features of the app:
Here is a snippet from the developer, Thomas Story, a teacher of over eleven years himself:
The Common Core Lesson Planner is must-have app for teachers who want to fully utilize their iPad into their daily teaching routine. The Common Core Lesson Planner was created…
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The Appy Family 