StudyBlue
Parents say
Based on 11 reviews
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
StudyBlue
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that StudyBlue is a flash card-sharing app targeted at high school and college students. Email addresses and phone numbers are collected at registration, and public access to personal information can be set to include these as well as a physical address. The free version has relatively benign banner ads; an ad-free subscription to SB Pro is a pricey $9 per month or $30 per year but also includes some extra functionality. Although the interface looks clean, it isn't always functional and can be frustrating to use. If your kids use the app, take a close look at the privacy settings with them.
Community Reviews
doesn't work on kindle
Report this review
Most Frustrating Experience
Report this review
What’s It About?
STUDYBLUE is a flash card-creation and -sharing app targeted at high school and college students. Content syncs between the Web and mobile devices, which means you can create two-sided flash cards and study at home, at school, or on the go. The information you'd like to study can be viewed as a review sheet, a quiz, or a set of flip-through flash cards, and cards can include images as well as text. Students (or their teachers) can organize materials for multiple classes, set up study reminders, and share cards with classmates. When using StudyBlue, kids will see immediate feedback on how well they recalled the information.
Is It Any Good?
The idea is a gem. Students are in control of how they study material and can collaborate easily with classmates within the app. Unfortunately, the quality of the content varies dramatically depending on the author. On the technical and design side, navigation can be confusing at first, with a lot of information layered upon more information. Once you get the hang of navigating, though, creating and reviewing cards is quite easy.
However, the potential for publicizing personal contact information is a concern, especially for high school students. Email addresses, school names, classes, and photos can be shared. Users can search by school name and easily pull up lists of classes with student names and email addresses. Privacy preferences seem to share information with everyone by default, making StudyBlue a questionable choice for younger users.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Have kids use a school-only email address, if possible, that restricts emails received to those within the school's domain.
Talk with your kids about the difference between memorization and critical thinking.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Language & Reading: vocabulary
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: collecting data, memorization, Creativity: producing new content, Self-Direction: academic development, effort, identifying strengths and weaknesses, initiative, self-assessment, work to achieve goals, Communication: presenting
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: September 3, 2014
- Category: Education
- Publisher: StudyBlue, Inc.
- Version: 8.64
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 9.0 or later
- Last updated: April 16, 2019
Our Editors Recommend
-
FlipCards - Flashcard app for memory training
Useful study tool's online database has some iffy content.
-
Memory Train
Fast app aimed at young kids, but older ones will enjoy too.
For kids who love to learn
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate