Vocabulary Builder

If you are a fan of eSkills Learning apps then you will want to add to your collection their recent app to the Apple Store, Vocabulary Builder. It was designed to develop, reinforce and then master a users experience with words as they play Bingo. Developed for any Apple device with an operating system 3.1.3 or later, you will not be disappointed. It is an educational app which is certain to meet Applicable2u’s requirements of “gaming for a reason” as it institutes the Common Core Standards.

eSkills Learning meets the needs of all types of mobile learning environments while challenging students at the same time. With three ways to play: single player, multiplayer and practice mode, no Bingo game will be the same. Levels of difficulty are determined by Spache and Dale-Chall Readability Formulas. Play will begin based on a users reading level, the red being the lowest reading level and purple being the highest. Game play although very basic, it is truly effective. Simply define a randomly chosen word as it is used in context.  Vocabulary development is continuous, which makes this application a never ending learning experience. To further reinforce vocabulary, eSkills Learning also includes a matching image for each word. This image allows users to make a visual connection between the word and its coordinating sentence. The academic opportunities that Vocabulary Builder has to offer are overwhelming.  As they play, users will be reinforcing their visual discrimination, cognitive and memory skills while having fun as they develop their reading and vocabulary as it relates to their specific needs.  Regardless of which stage of vocabulary development you happen to be at, learning can happen individually or with another mobile learner and their device. eSkills Learning has set themselves apart from the competition by adding in the ability to connect to other devices via a safe bluetooth connection.

As an educator you might be asking, “How can I incorporate this application into my already busy day?”  Unlike any other development group, eSkills Learning supplies those looking to integrate their apps with a Teacher Guide. These guides not only explain the how to’s, but it also suggests effective ways of integration.  Alongside direct instruction, Vocabulary Builder assists in developing the necessary vocabulary that each student should acquire each year.  Technology should not be seen as mindless, but rather an alternative way to share and learn curriculum.  So how might Applicable2U incorporate this application within her own school?  Various scenarios could occur depending on the number of devices that are available in your educational setting.   A perfect opportunity would be as small reading groups are formed or pulled out of the regular classroom as they work with the reading specialist.  With a device in each students hands, have them make a competition of learning as they read their generated word, sentence and choices.  For struggling readers, encourage them to recall word clusters, prefixes, suffixes and/or root words to define unknown words. As a whole class, this application would be an excellent addition to a classroom teachers word study unit/lesson from beginning to end.  It might be interesting to see a mobile learning device center implemented within the classroom where students can extend their learning as they touch and learn.

If you are an educator, home schooler or parent, eSkills Learning apps are a wonderful addition to your Apple device.  If curriculum standards are being met, learning is differentiated and the user is having fun, then that’s worth the investment.  If you would like to learn more about eSkills Learning, please be sure to visit their website here.  To begin downloading Vocabulary Builder, click here to access it from your iTunes library here.