Sunday, September 29, 2013

Review: iTooch 3rd Grade Science app

itooch

We were asked to review an iTooch app from edupad.  They have apps available for iOS, Android, and Windows platforms.  They have Elementary (grades 3-5) apps for Math, Science, and Language Arts (Plus Health for 5th Grade), Grade 6 has apps for Math, Language Arts, and Health.  Grades 7 & 8 have Math, Music, and Language Arts.  They have SAT prep apps for Math, Critical Reading, Biology and U.S. History. There is also a "French as a Foreign Language" app. Not all of these apps are available for all the different platforms, however.

We downloaded the "iTooch 3rd Grade Science" app from the Google Play Store to use on our Android tablet for free.  They also have Math and Language apps available here.

We thought the phrases it displayed while loading were funny.  Some of them were:
iTooch is combing his hair
iTooch is cleaning his room
iTooch is taking his dog for a walk
Engine is warming up
Activating rocket launchers
Fixing zorblocks

It said "This may take up to 1 minute".  It took at least 5 minutes, which wasn't too bad (this wasn't installing the game, just while it was opening it)

I don't have a 3rd grader (I have a 2nd and a 4th) but I decided to go with the 3rd grade app because Emily is above grade level in most subjects.  The 3rd Grade Science subject included "Physical Science", "Life Science", and "Earth Systems Science".


It starts out with a practice time and after finishing that, it went right into a timed test about the subject.  We didn't realize that there was a text that went along with the practice/tests.  That helped to explain the subject much better!


It seemed sort of hard for it to register our touches for the answers and we had to do it a few times before it would take it.  Also, there were questions where it wouldn't let us open the keyboard.  It'd pop up and then disappear right away before we could type anything.  You couldn't enlarge the practice or test to make it easier to select, either.

In the Earth Systems section, it said that the earth atmosphere wasn't hospitable (ie didn't have oxygen) "long ago" and one of the questions was "Oxygen was always present - True or False"  I didn't like the false information that the earth didn't always have oxygen.  It had to have oxygen at least by Day 3 when God created the plants and I would assume it was there on Day 2 when He made the atmosphere!


Overall, I found the app useful to strengthen knowledge.  I'd just have to make sure to point out the errors that it has.

I downloaded this app for free in order to do my review for Mosaic Reviews Team.  Your experiences may differ than mine.


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