Common Sense Media Review
By Amanda Bindel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Easy-to-use slide show maker wows; watch sharing options.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Shadow Puppet Edu
What's It About?
Create video slide shows, adding narration and text. Videos can be up to 30 minutes long and can include up to 100 images. Kids can choose images from the camera roll, the Library of Congress, maps, the MOMA, the British Library, NASA, and NOAA, as well as from Flickr and Web searches within the app. They then scroll through and zoom in on images as they narrate their slide shows, and they can add text or clip art. Videos are automatically saved to the device's camera roll and online, are accessible via a direct link, and can be shared through social media.
Is It Any Good?
SHADOW PUPPETS EDU is chock-full of resources, all in-app, so kids can quickly and easily create impressive slide shows. It's intended for educational use and includes resources galore for teachers. And, although kids are searching resources that could include objectionable content, the filters are locked down pretty well. (Trial searches for potentially racy content all pulled up pictures of bunnies, which is a cute gotcha.) The only weakness is the parent-lock passcode required before sharing, which involves holding a button for a few seconds -- any kid who can read will bypass that very easily.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about guidelines for sharing via email or social media. Discuss with whom, what, and when it's appropriate to share.
When students have to create a presentation for a project or class, encourage them to see if Shadow Puppets Edu might work.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects : Language & Reading : presenting to others
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : collecting data , thinking critically , Creativity : combining knowledge , producing new content , Tech Skills : digital creation , using and applying technology
- Pricing structure : Free
- Release date : September 8, 2015
- Genre : Education
- Publisher : Seesaw Learning Inc.
- Version : 2.8.4
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 7.0 or later
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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