SpellBoard
By Dana Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Great study tool offers options for various learning styles.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
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SpellBoard
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What’s It About?
First a student selects whether to enter a spelling list or practice a list already included. In addition to entering their own spelling list words, kids can also speak the word or a phrase containing the word, add a photo, and look up the definition. Kids choose to study or take a quiz and the app records scores. The tests can also be shared via email or iTunes, and kids can connect with other SpellBoard users via Bluetooth. For more fun ways to practice than lists, there are also three activities: Word Scramble, Word Search, and Missing Letters.
Is It Any Good?
SPELLBOARD is easy to use and helpful in assessing a student's progress. Depending on how your kid learns, there are myriad ways that he or she can choose to study on this app: Voice recording, definitions, finger tracing, typing, even uploading pictures. Kids new to spelling tests may need their parents to enter the words as a safeguard -- if the spelling and proper meaning of the word in the clue phrase aren't entered correctly, the student could be studying an error. For older kids, this app is essentially do-it-yourself studying. It would be nice if the correct spelling of a word would pop up immediately after a kid misspells it during the actual quiz; currently, all of the correct spellings are given at the end of each quiz. This app could be a great supplemental spelling tool for struggling spellers, since it already has numerous Dolch lists of common words to learn and more to download. Kids can share lists if they all have this app, so only one student, parent, or teacher would have to enter the list.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
If your kids are younger or have difficulty typing accurately, help them type in the spelling words before they use the app.
Encourage your kid to use all the different spelling practice aids here, including photos and dictionary definitions.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading: spelling
- Skills: Self-Direction: academic development, effort, identifying strengths and weaknesses, Creativity: combining knowledge, Tech Skills: using and applying technology
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: January 29, 2013
- Category: Education
- Publisher: PalaSoftware, Inc.
- Version: 3.4
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 8.0 or later.
- Last updated: October 18, 2018
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