What can eSkills Learning provide an educator and parent? Well, quite a bit! According to their About Page of their website they have “over 30 years of experience in traditional educational publishing, the staff at eSkills Learning™ have an experienced understanding of carefully developing materials that align with the new Common Core Standards, meet state testing standards, correlate with core curriculum and achieve successful learner outcomes.” As soon as I saw the mention of Common Core Standards, I knew I had to explore this form of mobile learning as the state of Massachusetts just recently adopted this model.
Currently, eSkills Learning has four apps that are very Applicable2U! Available in your iTunes library, eSkills is offering Inferences, Details, Decimals and Fractions. Depending on your students needs, math or reading, the approach of reinforcing is presented in multiple play modes: single or multi player and practice mode. Having the multiple options of playing modes, provides a teacher and parent a way to differentiate instruction for all learning styles or academic needs. In addition, each has students developing various academic skills through the use of a BINGO game. Worried that you play once and things will repeat? Don’t be!!! If you download the full version, you will be given a great deal of game boards, questions and stories to make each experience a new one.
From both a parent and teacher’s point of view, Inferences and Details reinforces what researchers are saying skilled readers need to use a set of learning strategies that help them make meaning from text. Inferences and Details are just two of the eight necessary skills to develop reading comprehension. Do you have students all over the spectrum when it comes to reading? If so, eSkills has taken that into consideration. According to their Levels of Play, reading levels have been carefully controlled by the Spache and Dale-Chall Readability Formulas. A user will find the lowest level to be the red level moving all the way up to the green level. Another added bonus with these two educational applications…..it is also cross curricular with the types of stories that are presented. In my opinion, implementation of these two applications is an excellent way to prepare our students for required State Exams, for Massachusetts it is the MCAS. While visiting their website, I stumbled upon a wonderful resource that would guide those teachers and/or parents that are new to this idea of mobile learning – Reading Details Guide. What a useful resource! For example, it provides objectives, ways to encourage those struggling and those that need an extra challenge.
If I haven’t grabbed you yet, then maybe you are in need of the Decimals and Fractions application that eSkills Learning has to offer an educator or parent. Knowing our mathematical program for grades 3-5, both of these applications would definitely come in handy for all our students. Within each there are different levels of play and skills that will be reinforced. If you need to supplement your fractions unit, and have either an iTouch or iPad, levels will be broken down into: Basic Fractions, Advanced Fractions, Fraction Math (+,-), and Ordering Fractions. The Decimals application has students learning broken down into: Fraction and Decimal Equivalency, Decimal Math (+,-), Ordering Decimals and Ordering Fractions and Decimals. Each application has a wealth of information and support for your student(s) or child(ren). Looking to do a little group work, connect your iPad to a VGA adapter and LCD projector and get your students involved and moving. Open up the lines of communication to discuss strategies with your class. Depending on the number of Apple devices you have in your classroom, have students work in pairs and end with individual usage. Still need guidance, check out the Fractions Guide that was posted to their site for alternative ideas.
If you have been following me through my other reviews, you know that I am on a mission to implement iPads in my school through grant funding. It is certain that all four of these applications will be downloaded to our iPads if awarded such a wonderful grant. In future updates of particularly the math applications, will it ever be an option to email results, breaking down right/wrong answers to help future instruction.
Mobile learning that implements content = worthwhile download! Time well spent for our technology crazed children. Would you like to learn more about eSkills Learning check out their website or visit them all in your iTunes library today.
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