Be Confident in Who You Are: A Middle School Confidential
by Electric Eggplant
Applicable2U is very excited to share a recent educational app added to your iTunes library, Be Confident in Who You Are: A Middle School Confidential book series. This very informative and useful app for children, parents and educators is apart of a book series written by teen expert Annie Fox and illustrated by Matt Kindt. For the past week or so, I have begun reviewing book apps as it relates to our slightly older population. Middle School Confidential is so much more than just a story that you read. It’s informational, yet fun, that children of all ages from late elementary to high school will be able to relate too. What better way to reach our young adults but through a comic book. With recent events occurring locally and around the world, this particular application came at just the right time. In years past, children struggled with peer relations but dealt with it in very different ways. In today’s society as educators and parents, we are seeing more and more situations of bullying and lack of self confidence in our younger generation. A number of educators and parents are feeling as though they can’t talk to their children/students because they won’t open up to them. What can we do?
Take the time to come and meet six very different friends who are connected in some way. As you “Meet the Cast”, you might feel as though you are reading a playbill that was handed out to you as you enter a theatrical show. As you read through the bios on each of these six individuals, it is important to note that the kids in the app are not real people. They are fictional characters. The “Email Me” option lets the user connect to the characters by sharing stories and asking for advice. With her 14 years of experience, teen expert, Annie Fox will respond to your student or child’s email. The book focuses on seven topics or stumbling blocks: self esteem, body image, stress, out of control emotions, friendship issues, peer approval and bullying. Each topic is spread over the course of eight chapters in a comic book fashion. This book series app is designed for the user to read independently from your typical narrator of a book. It’s appealing to all reading levels with its easy to read graphic format. Electric Eggplant has an added feature that allows the user to double tap parts of the comic to zoom in and out which offers a less overwhelming appearance for some. In addition, as a user scrolls through each page of the comic, they will notice quality sound effects and music.
While exploring with this application, I could envision so many ways to integrate it at home and at school. Sure, you could just hand your iPad over to your student/child(ren) and tell them to go read. But how is that effective for someone that is struggling with an emotional issue? Within my school, grades 3-5, we have a weekly rotation of technology, guidance and wellness. This book series would most certainly fit our current curriculum and needs of our students. Simply connect your iPad to a large screen and projector and the cast members of Middle School Confidential can begin to tell their stories and connections and discussions will then be sparked in a whole group classroom environment. With this open forum, students can begin to stop the hate and begin to love themselves and one another. If at home and you happen to notice that things are changing about your son/daughter, flip through the book and spark up a conversation with your child by reading together. Children need to know that they aren’t alone in this world.
Does it sound funny that counselors, parents and educators might use the Be Confident in Who You Are app as a teaching tool? For some, the use of an iPad might seem unusual. However, the objective of this mobile learning book series is to open the lines of communication between children and parent and also children and educators. If the use of a user friendly, entertaining, easy to read app can challenge our children to think about their emotions and behaviors in different ways….then Applicable2U says go for it!! Whether you have a son/daughter or you are their educator, Be Confident in Who You Are is applicable to you! To learn more about Electric Eggplant and their book series, be sure to visit their website here. Lets regain our children’s self confidence by downloading this application today from your iTunes library.
Applicable2U 