Bill Nye The Science Guy

Speaking of science apps (see previous post), Disney recently released Bill Nye The Science Guy app! Now admittedly, I was in an Asian bubble and didn't grow up watching the show, but I'm sure many of you may have. So how does the app compare to the show? Price: Free with in-app purchases

Device Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 6.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Developmental Appropriateness: I think what's made Bill Nye THE science guy is how he makes the science relatable and engaging - and it's the same with this app. There are videos (in-app purchases), games, demonstrations, and a book for experiments. Kids are free to explore at their own pace and interests. Rating: 5/5 (aim for around 8 yos, but I think kids younger and older will enjoy).

Balance: This is definitely a polished looking app from Disney. However, I am disappointed by the amount and type of interactivity. The experiments is just a book for you to carry out on your own, the videos are videos, and the games could be better. The games are informative, but the interactive features do not highlight the information - rather, discover things and read about them. I think the newer features of the ipad like the gravity feature could be great for science apps, specifically, but this app does not take advantage of them. Rating: 3/5

Sustainability: There's a variety of activities and although I wish the experiments books was a little more interactive - for example - encourage kids to go do the experiment and come back to the app to discuss, it at least does extend the life of the information to the real world. And also, more videos are available for purchase. Rating: 4/5

Parental Involvement: There's no explicit role for parents, but I can imagine parents getting into this app too. Also, the experiments are a good way for parents to get involved. Rating: 4/5

Total: 16 out of 20 = 4 stars

New report on STEM and digital game learning

Two new reports from SRI was released this past week that was a meta-analyses of all the research that's been published on 1) simulations on STEM learning and 2) digital games. The findings are in general that yes, simulations and games can help to improve learning. Woohoo. Now, before we all run away and start developing STEM apps, here are some of my notes from the reports to keep in mind for app development...

Simulations on STEM learning:
1) Focused on computer-based simulations that were neither simple visualizations nor involved games.
So, not too simple, yet, not too complex.

2) Simulations were developed by researchers.
I'm including this only to say that understanding learning theories is important. It's not just about obtaining good content, but about incorporating that content with other features that enhances learning.

3) Out of the 2,392 initial abstracts, only 40 studies made the cut. 37% were cut because they were not a research-based article.
Again, there's lots of buzz, but not too much evidence.

4) Though no differences were found across age groups, only 4 out of the 40 studies targeted K-5th grades, where as 12 out of 40 targeted 6-8 grades, and over half - 23 out of the 40 studies targeted 9-12 grades
Apps so far skew way younger. Older students may benefit more from technology than younger students.

5) The majority of the studies targeted Science (33 out of 40) as opposed to Math (4) Engineering (2) and Technology (1).
There are many more apps for literacy and math than science.

Here are some of my favorite science apps:
PreK - 5th: Sid's Science Fair, This is My Body, Bobo Explores Light, The Magic School Bus
6th- 8th: Apps by KIDS DISCOVER
9th-12th: Frog Dissection, The Elements, Nova Elements, Simple Physics


Digital Games:
The results for digital games was not as clear. Analyses were based on 77 studies targeting grades spanning PreK-16, averaging around 6-7th grades. Again, most (92%) were computer-based games. Because the studies ranged in the target domain (science, literacy, math, etc.), outcome measures (knowledge, cognitive processes/strategy, general knowledge, etc.) and more, it was hard to draw strong conclusions once whittled down to the sub-categories. The overall point I got though, was that design matters! No real surprises here, but just stresses that it's not just about having good content.

1) For studies that compared the game to other non-game instruction, simple game integration and interactivity may lead to positive outcomes.

2) For studies that compared the game to a control, no intervention group, no positive effect was found. But the researchers note that these games were generally of low production value, among other factors.

3) There was some evidence that games providing scaffolding had positive effects for cognitive/strategy learning.


The Survey Spot
Take this quick survey on parental gating on apps! If you've at all thought about children's privacy and safety while playing apps please take a minute to do the survey. Read the parental gating post for some context.

Click here to take the survey!!
The survey's for parents, teachers, developers, and whoever else. The more responses, the better the results - Help spread the word!

iTunes Kids Category, Parental Gating Revisited

Amid all the buzz about iOS 7 and the updated Macs, Apple also slipped in the announcement of a new Kids category in the iTunes app store at this week's WWDC conference. Children's privacy concerns will undoubtedly become a more explicit issue with apps... which brings me to The Survey Spot - Parental Gating. Thank you to those of you who filled it out. It's not too late to join in, but I thought I'd give a sneak peek at the results given Apple's announcement this week.

Sample: We got 20 responses of exactly equal female and male respondents. The majority of responders were parents and developers:

Finding #1: Almost all respondents (95%) believe gating should be applied to all features that are not part of the game, including in-app purchases, cross-promotions, social media links, ratings, and sharing.

Finding #2: More than half of the respondents feel gating should be applied to apps targeting kids 13 and younger.

Finding #3: However, 20% of respondents feel gating is not necessary IF the specified features are not present during game play, are not easily accessible, and or parents are prompted to turn off in-app purchases on the device.

Finding #4: Developers should consider offering the option of turning gating on or off. 45% of respondents feel it should be the parent's decision whether or not to apply gating and 20% of respondents feel it should be the developers decision.

Want your opinion to count?

The Survey Spot
Take this quick survey on parental gating on apps! If you've at all thought about children's privacy and safety while playing apps please take a minute to do the survey. Read the parental gating post for some context.

Click here to take the survey!!
The survey's for parents, teachers, developers, and whoever else. The more responses, the better the results - Help spread the word!

Whose lives are kid apps improving?

photo by Dick Jensen

I was recently in a meeting with an exec of a tech company and he was talking about how improving lives is a main goal of the company. When it came to apps for kids, he used a now classic anecdote of a family at a restaurant with a crying kid, whipping out the iPad immediately calmed the kid, adults were able to enjoy their meal and have a conversation while kid's eyes were glued to the screen. Goal accomplished - parents (aka, the customer) had a better experience. Really?

1) Probably not surprisingly, my first thought was, "Ahem, you forgot about the kid." There've been many news articles questioning just this. Often using the same anecdote and asking whether using tablets as a babysitter or in general is beneficial for kids socially and cognitively. If you are reading this blog, I'm sure I don't have to go further. I'm not the first to ask, but where's the research?! We have evidence that kids like tablets and find them highly engaging. We have evidence that tablets may not have the same negative social behavior associated with video games. We have evidence that kids can learn from well-designed content on the tablet as much as traditional methods. But what we do not have evidence of (at least not to my knowledge) is that kids can learn better from tablets than traditional methods (not counting case studies and studies lacking control groups). So basically, we know that we are probably not harming kids' lives, but not sure if tablets have lived up to it's potential of improving kids' lives. What are tech companies doing to make sure we're actually improving the lives of kids?

2) The parents. I do not doubt the anecdote. I've seen it happen. You've seen it happen. But a new report (Parenting in a Digital Age: A National Survey) shows that we might think this is happening way more often than it really is. Most parents (70%) do not believe that mobile devices makes parenting easier. Only 37% report using mobile devices to calm their children rather than toys or activities (88%), books, (79%), and TV (78%). So maybe not improving the lives of parents as much as we thought.

Part of the problem for why parents may not be relying on mobile technology as much as other resources may be because parents believe books, toys, and activities are more educational than media and technology. This finding is in line with older surveys. I am however, surprised that this has not changed. I wonder if the same books and activities were available on the tablet, would parents still choose the physical version over the tablet version. Are tablets viewed as less educational because parents haven't found the right content, or is it something about the device? 

If parents believe mobile tech is educational, they may then provide the support and reinforcement that could maximize children's learning. To improve both parents' and children's lives with mobile technology, parents should first start believing that mobile technology can be beneficial for their kids.

The Survey Spot
Take this quick survey on parental gating on apps! If you've at all thought about children's privacy and safety while playing apps please take a minute to do the survey. Read the parental gating post for some context.

Click here to take the survey!!
The survey's for parents, teachers, developers, and whoever else. The more responses, the better the results - Help spread the word!

DragonBox Algebra 12+

DragonBox Algebra 12+ by WeWantToKnow AS is one of the few great apps targeting middle school ages. There's tons of great apps for the young ones in preschool and early elementary and for adults, but not so much for the ages in between, especially those in middle school. So I wanted to highlight a great app for this age. Price: $9.99 (yes, a little pricey!).

Device Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Developmental Appropriateness: A couple of the reasons we don't see as many apps targeting this age groups are probably that the concepts are harder to convey within just an app and material for this age group can't be too young and cutesy nor too old and strictly adult. This is really where DragonBox Algebra 12+ shines - it takes a harder concept - algebra - and does a decent job of incorporating a puzzle element to the learning so it feels more like fun than work. Rating: 5/5 (aim for around 13 years)

Balance: So there is another app DragonBox Algebra+ that aims a little younger. I would not say these are two separate apps, but really that this newer app is the 2.0 version of the first one, with more advanced levels. In that sense, I think the developers have done a great job updating their original app. This one looks much more polished, the levels advance a bit faster (I found the old one a bit slow, but then again, I'm not just learning algebra), and I think added some subtle game elements (looks like they may have updated the old app with some of these features as well, but I haven't checked out the latest version). I think the update helped make it seem for fun and game-like without taking away from the goal of solving the puzzles. They could probably even go further with a plot/mission of the game. Rating: 5/5

Sustainability: Just to be clear, although this is a unique way to learn algebra - it's still an algebra app and has an audience of people who like puzzles and math and could even be used to inspire students who may like puzzles and math, but just don't know it yet - but it's not for everyone. I think DragonBox is steps ahead and better than your basic drill or flashcard math app, and I'd love to see it go farther and blend the line between game and learning even more. Rating: 4.5/5

Parental Involvement: The focus here is really on the puzzles and the player. Not much is offered for how parents can help extend the learning. Rating: 3/5

Total: 17.5 out of 20 = 5 stars