Eye to Eye - Empower Different Learners

The Eyetoeye.app is an amazing tool.

Product: Eye to Eye – Empower Different Learners (app) Age Range: 8 years and older Skills: Introduces and teaches child self-expression, self-reflection, and information about their particular learning needs The “Eye to Eye – Empower Different Leaners” learning tool created by the Eye to Eye National Organization (http://eyetoeyenational.org/index.html) has great intentions; however, I believe there are several flaws that need to be sorted out in order for the app to best aid the members of its audience. This free application, which is available for download to the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad devices on the App Store, claims to create an individualized learning advocacy plan for the user at the end of eight distinct “quests”. As the name of the app would suggest, this is specifically designed for different learners, meaning children who have a learning disability or difference, such as ADHD or dyslexia. When setting up the app, the same as completing the first task, you are asked about how you learn differently, which you can answer through choosing a learning difference or multiple from a list of 15. There is also a 16th option to select “other” if the learning difference you have is not included in the list. By choosing “other” you are able to write in your learning difference or continue without specification. While going through the phases of the initial step, the child is able to personalize a character that will represent their self as they move through the different activities or “quests” within the app. This personalization is done through uploading a picture of yourself and specifying your favorite food, activity, quality about yourself, and environmental setting. If the child ever feels like there isn’t an option that best describes them, there is an option to write in one that does, which is displayed in a general way (i.e., a word in place of an image). At the end of each “quest” there is a video of a team member from Eye to Eye that gives an encouraging message about individualism. Every “quest” gives further information about how the individual best learns, which contributes to the learning advocacy plan that is presented at the end of all eight “quests”. Once the child completes each “quest” they are required to wait 24 hours before starting the next. In addition to creating a personalized advocacy plan, there is a tools page that suggests several other applications and websites that will aid learning, including Quizlet, Evernote, and Understood. Finally, there is an “About” page that has a link to the Eye to Eye website and outlines the mission of the organization, which is summarized as “unlocking greatness in the 1 in 5 who learn differently”. There is no research to be found on the Eye to Eye – Empower Different Learners app outside of the Eye to Eye website, which is obviously biased. However, there is a vast amount of research done on individualized learning advocacy plans and the impact they have children who have learning disabilities and learn differently. Overall, this research is extremely positive and details how beneficial it is for different learners to have a learning plan that is best suited to their personal way of gaining new information and knowledge. This site nicely outlines some beneficial methods for teaching students with learning differences: http://www.asha.org/policy/PS1991-00101/. Overall, this application seems to be a very positive tool that could potentially help empower many children who do have learning differences and help assist educators, care givers, and parents who want to provide a learning environment that is best suited for children who do fall into this category. While there are many pros to this application, there are some cons involving flexibility and universality. The largest issue of this application is that it takes at least eight days to complete the “quests” and receive your learning advocacy plan. This app also seems limited to a defined group of learning disabilities, but in general it will still be beneficial for the user. Aside from the flaws regarding universality and flexibility, the app is extremely user friendly, which is important when catering to this specific group. This a beneficial feature for the people who are helping the children to learn because the “quests” and learning plan are laid out in a way that is easy to understand and apply to situations where an advocacy can plan would be helpful. From an outside perspective, this is an app that requires an adult, an educator or parent, to assist in the use of the application. This learning tool could be implemented by a formal or informal educator prior to a child entering a school or a different learning environment. This way both the child and the educator will have a plan for how to best teach the student. Also, the privacy policy is extremely easy for a ley person to read. The policy is not overwhelming and does not require a great amount of time to read through. The privacy policy for both the app and the website can be accessed at the following website: http://eyetoeyenational.org/privacy-statement.html.