The app I’ve chosen to review is Tell a Story by Hedgehog Academy. It is an Apple app and is geared towards kids aged four to seven. The goal of the app is to teach students how to use picture clues to tell a story in order. There are three levels to the game and the hardest level was more difficult than I expected. Although the game is geared to young students, I believe my grade four students would enjoy the intermediate and difficult stages. Story writing is an important part of the elementary language arts curriculum and this app is a good example of viewing and retelling a story. The app would be even more useful in an educational setting if teachers could track the progress of students and because this isn’t possible, it would be best used in a small group setting where the teacher could monitor progress. In terms of motivation, there is a small animation to show that you have successfully completed a story, it is simple but effective. The app has a single purpose and is easy to navigate, with little help four and five year olds could easily play the game.

My goal in looking for apps was to find one that was extremely simple to use, free, and motivating. I believe that Tell a Story fit the criteria well. I also needed to find an app that could work on computers and did not need a tablet or smartphone. I don’t have either and neither does my school. This app also fit a lot of the criteria on the Week 6 – mGBL website. It integrated well in the curriculum, it was motivating, it was simple, easy to learn, soft skills were present for young students, and finally it was the perfect price!

Elementary school teachers, try this app, you’ll like it.