Geometry Stash

Last night while finishing up my last review, I happened to come across the website I Education Apps Review.  iEar is one of many  communities that focuses on taking a closer look at the value of educational apps.  Hoping to build my own professional learning network, I decided to become a member.  As I begun to explore their site, I happened upon a discussion question from a developer, Apparent Etch, looking for someone to review their math application….and so begins my review of Geometry Stash.

I have to be totally honest, unlike other apps that I have downloaded, I was not sure what I was going to get when I opened Geometry Stash.  Usually before I download an app I read the commentaries, possibly the YouTube videos that the developer posts and even a quick visit to their direct site.  For this I just downloaded and opened basically blindly.  My hope was to find an application that would reinforce or challenge students as it related to geometry.

Geometry Stash is a mathematical dictionary of geometric theories.  When you open the application you immediately enter an A-Z list.  Just by trial an error I clicked on a theory – Rectangle Properties.  However, nothing happened when I clicked on it, so I was slightly confused as to what to do next.  Oddly enough I happened to click on the black strip at the bottom of the page which made a brown box with information in it pop up. If I had viewed the developers description in iTunes, I would have found out that with a shake of the iPad or iTouch, the definition box would also pop up. Yes, even a teacher needs to follow directions and read prior to exploring! 🙂  The informational box provides the following information: term and its description, a sketch, term conclusion and its converse.  Sadly, right away my elementary teacher brain went into hibernation mode as this is not the type of math that I encounter on a daily basis with elementary students.

Geometry Stash is very clearly a higher education application.  Regardless of whether or not this applies to my teaching experience, here are some of the positives that I noticed in using this application:  Users can search for a topic rather than scrolling through the whole A-Z list.  In addition, if using Geometry Stash with an iPad, you can connect it to your projector to further extend a classroom discussion.  Overall, Geometry Stash is a rather self explanatory educational app.  It’s a great quick resource guide at the tip of your hands when you might not have access to a hardcover book.  When thinking of a challenged student, I wonder if it might be possible to also connect the informational box to a video further explaining that theory??

If Geometry Stash meets your educational needs, please visit Apparent Etch or you can visit them in iTunes by clicking here.