StudyBlue
Common Sense says
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Chromebook, Kindle Fire
- Free; optional paid version
- Education
Parents say
Kids say
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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.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
A big let down
Very good for study purposes
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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, Chromebook, Kindle Fire
- 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 - Price: Free; optional paid version
- Pricing structure: Paid, Free
- Subscription price: $19/month; $84/year for Pro version
- Release date: September 3, 2014
- Category: Education
- Size: 13.70 MB
- Publisher: StudyBlue, Inc.
- Version: 8.1
- Minimum software requirements: Requires Android 2.2 and up; iOS 6.0 or later
For kids who love to learn
Our editors recommend
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