App Review- Leah Spears

App Reviews

App name: LingoKids

Standard: Health Georgia Standards of Excellence- HE.2.1 Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health.

Learning outcome: HE2.1.a Describe healthy behaviors that promote personal health, wellness, and disease prevention.

Third party review: https://learningreadinghub.com/blog/apps/comprehensive-lingokids-review-is-it-the-right-app-for-your-child/

Narrative: Lingokids is an engaging and educational app. It was made by educators and parents. This app was created for preschool through third grade students. Lingokids has interactive activities, modern life skills, and play learning methods. It covers many subjects and themes that help students grow. Lingokids track progress and achievement. Lingokids has a health component that helps promote nutrition and body hygiene. This app is compatible with iOS and android devices; in addition, it cost $74.99 per year. However, it does offer a free weekly trial. I believe the review from learning reading hub is credible because it has positive reviews and testimonials from parents and educators. Also, it has expert endorsements and detailed explanations and resources.

App name: MentalUP

Standard: Fitness- PE6.3 The physically educated student demonstrates knowledge and skills to help achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness.

Learning outcome: PE6.3.b Participates in a variety of cardiovascular activities in school and home settings which are considered Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA).

Third party review: https://www.educationalappstore.com/app/mentalup-educational-games

Narrative: MentalUP has educational learning games, personal skill-based games, fitness exercises at home without equipment, and daily workouts. This app was designed for children ages 4-13. MentalUP is compatible with iOS and android devices, but it can be used on PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. It has three types of subscriptions: 3 months is $19.99, 6 months is $29.99, and 1 year is $35.99. The reason I chose a review from The Educational App Store because it aims to a be credible platform for discovering and recommending educational apps and websites. They emphasize transparency and trust, and they claim that all apps and websites certified and reviewed by experience teachers.

App name: BrainPOP

Standards: HEHS.5 Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health. HEHS.6 Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health.HEHS.7 Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.

Third party review: https://www.commonsense.org/education/reviews/brainpop

Narrative: BainPOP is fantastic educational app made by teachers. It has a huge range of topics that covers multiple subjects. BainPOP has movies, activities, and quizzes to promote higher learning. This app was designed for students ages 9-11. BrainPOP is compatible with a wide range of devices, including PCs, Macs, projectors, and interactive whiteboards. It also offers mobile apps for tablets and smartphones, supporting iOS, Android, Chrome, and Windows 8 operating systems. BainPOP has a two weeks free trial. After two weeks you can pay $15.99 a month or $129.99 a year. Common Sense Education is generally considered a credible resource for app reviews, especially concerning educational value and appropriateness for children, given their non-profit status, research-backed methodology, and expert reviewers. 

Overall, it is extremely hard to find apps geared towards health and PE. Therefore, I like BrainPOP the most because it provides a variety of health topics. It promotes physical health, supports social-emotional learning, encourages and healthy habits. In addition, BainPOP builds on prior knowledge and enhances critical thinking skills. I can definitely see myself using this app with my third through fifth grade students.