HOTS Category/Explanation:
Puppet Pals allows students to design, tell and produce a puppet show using a variety of characters and sets. They can also create their own characters and sets. Students move the characters and change the set while recording their own voices telling the story. The story can be saved to the camera roll and shared via YouTube, Vimeo or by uploading the mp4 to a personal webspace.
Puppet Pals HD fits into the “creating” category of higher order thinking skills. Apps that fit this category encourage students to generate ideas, create design and follow through with production. When considering whether or not the app fits the “creating” category, Dianne Darrow suggests asking the following questions.
Does the app support students to
1. Construct designs?
2. Generate possibilities?
3. Compose ideas?
4. Propose hypotheses?
5. Produce solutions?
6. Brainstorm solutions?
7. Design products?
8. Assemble plans?
9. Re-arrange operations?
10. Imagine possibilities?
Age Group: This app can be adapted to suit the learning needs of any age group. As a teacher I even used it to create a lesson which had the characters talking to each other about the concept I wanted my students to explore.
Price: Puppet Pals HD can be purchased through iTunes here. The trial version is free and very limited with only 8 characters and 5 sets from which to choose. The Director’s Pass is $2.99 and adds at least 100 characters and 20 sets. It also allows users to take photos to create their own characters and backgrounds. The value of the Director’s Pass exceeds its price.
Total Score/Rating: We chose not to use a points system for our app evaluation rubric. We felt that numbers would reduce all the possibilities for use. There is a time and place for all HOTS categories and would like for users to determine the usefulness of an app based on specific purpose, design, thinking skills and privacy concerns.
See rubric below for more details.
References:
Cantwell, Kay. Resource Link at Brisbane Catholic Education. Google Doc Presentation: Evaluation of Apps. Retrived March 15, 2014 from
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1arPb0STMDosbKNX-gncwKJkBFqFfhoghcqZeJryPzfs/edit#slide=id.p62
Darrow, Dianne. Compiled by Edutopia Staff (2011). Retrieved March 15, 2014 from http://www.edutopia.org/ipad-apps-elementary-blooms-taxonomy-diane-darrow
Kharbach, Med, ed. (2011-2014). New Version of Bloom's Taxonomy for iPad. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. Retrieved March 15, 2014 from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/new-version-of-blooms-taxonomy-for-ipad.html
Puppet Pals allows students to design, tell and produce a puppet show using a variety of characters and sets. They can also create their own characters and sets. Students move the characters and change the set while recording their own voices telling the story. The story can be saved to the camera roll and shared via YouTube, Vimeo or by uploading the mp4 to a personal webspace.
Puppet Pals HD fits into the “creating” category of higher order thinking skills. Apps that fit this category encourage students to generate ideas, create design and follow through with production. When considering whether or not the app fits the “creating” category, Dianne Darrow suggests asking the following questions.
Does the app support students to
1. Construct designs?
2. Generate possibilities?
3. Compose ideas?
4. Propose hypotheses?
5. Produce solutions?
6. Brainstorm solutions?
7. Design products?
8. Assemble plans?
9. Re-arrange operations?
10. Imagine possibilities?
Age Group: This app can be adapted to suit the learning needs of any age group. As a teacher I even used it to create a lesson which had the characters talking to each other about the concept I wanted my students to explore.
Price: Puppet Pals HD can be purchased through iTunes here. The trial version is free and very limited with only 8 characters and 5 sets from which to choose. The Director’s Pass is $2.99 and adds at least 100 characters and 20 sets. It also allows users to take photos to create their own characters and backgrounds. The value of the Director’s Pass exceeds its price.
Total Score/Rating: We chose not to use a points system for our app evaluation rubric. We felt that numbers would reduce all the possibilities for use. There is a time and place for all HOTS categories and would like for users to determine the usefulness of an app based on specific purpose, design, thinking skills and privacy concerns.
See rubric below for more details.
References:
Cantwell, Kay. Resource Link at Brisbane Catholic Education. Google Doc Presentation: Evaluation of Apps. Retrived March 15, 2014 from
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1arPb0STMDosbKNX-gncwKJkBFqFfhoghcqZeJryPzfs/edit#slide=id.p62
Darrow, Dianne. Compiled by Edutopia Staff (2011). Retrieved March 15, 2014 from http://www.edutopia.org/ipad-apps-elementary-blooms-taxonomy-diane-darrow
Kharbach, Med, ed. (2011-2014). New Version of Bloom's Taxonomy for iPad. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. Retrieved March 15, 2014 from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/new-version-of-blooms-taxonomy-for-ipad.html
Understanding: Endless ABC (Laura)
HOTS Category/Explanation: Endless ABC support students’ understanding of letter/sound relationships. It also supports some vocabulary development. When considering whether or not the app fits the “understanding” category, Dianne Darrow suggests asking the following questions. Does the app support students to:
Price: Free for trial version or $6.99 for full version. I recommend the full version.
Overall Rating: This app is great for practicing and assessing letter/sound relationships. It helps to develop vocabulary but only for one work for each letter. The little monsters are engaging. It is a time-limited app in that it is only relevant to learners at the early primary level.
References:
Cantwell, Kay. Resource Link at Brisbane Catholic Education. Google Doc Presentation: Evaluation of Apps. Retrived March 15, 2014 from
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1arPb0STMDosbKNX-gncwKJkBFqFfhoghcqZeJryPzfs/edit#slide=id.p62
Darrow, Dianne. Compiled by Edutopia Staff (2011). Retrieved March 15, 2014 from http://www.edutopia.org/ipad-apps-elementary-blooms-taxonomy-diane-darrow
Kharbach, Med, ed. (2011-2014). New Version of Bloom's Taxonomy for iPad. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. Retrieved March 15, 2014 from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/new-version-of-blooms-taxonomy-for-ipad.html
HOTS Category/Explanation: Endless ABC support students’ understanding of letter/sound relationships. It also supports some vocabulary development. When considering whether or not the app fits the “understanding” category, Dianne Darrow suggests asking the following questions. Does the app support students to:
- Summarize facts and ideas?
- Restate methods or procedures?
- Interpret relationships?
- Paraphrase information?
- Predict consequences?
- Give examples?
- Retell information in own words?
- Retell events?
- State problem in own words?
- Explain ideas or concepts?
- Determine importance?
Price: Free for trial version or $6.99 for full version. I recommend the full version.
Overall Rating: This app is great for practicing and assessing letter/sound relationships. It helps to develop vocabulary but only for one work for each letter. The little monsters are engaging. It is a time-limited app in that it is only relevant to learners at the early primary level.
References:
Cantwell, Kay. Resource Link at Brisbane Catholic Education. Google Doc Presentation: Evaluation of Apps. Retrived March 15, 2014 from
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1arPb0STMDosbKNX-gncwKJkBFqFfhoghcqZeJryPzfs/edit#slide=id.p62
Darrow, Dianne. Compiled by Edutopia Staff (2011). Retrieved March 15, 2014 from http://www.edutopia.org/ipad-apps-elementary-blooms-taxonomy-diane-darrow
Kharbach, Med, ed. (2011-2014). New Version of Bloom's Taxonomy for iPad. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. Retrieved March 15, 2014 from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/new-version-of-blooms-taxonomy-for-ipad.html