Mack the Dog Early Language Development 2
| Category | Price | Seller | Device |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | $0.99 | Alana Noakes | iPad |
This application was written and developed by Australian Speech Pathologist, Alana Noakes, to fill a gap within the iPad application market for comprehensive and research-based early language development applications.
This application supports vocabulary and comprehension development, by utilising a research-based approach to language learning, in a series of fun, interactive and engaging activities.
Included with the animated story book, your child has 7 different learning levels to complete including;
Level 1. Matching 65+ nouns
Level 2. Identifying 65+ nouns
(i.e. touching the target picture when asked 'Find the clock'.)
Level 3. Labelling 65+ nouns
(i.e. Answering the questions, 'What's that?' or 'Who's that?')
Level 4. Identifying functions
(i.e. 'Find something that drives' or 'Find something that takes photos')
Level 5. Identifying categories
(i.e. 'Find a farm animal' or 'Find a item of clothing')
Level 6. Identifying parts of an object or animal
(i.e. 'Find something that has wings' or 'Find something that has wheels.')
Level 7. Following two-step instructions
(i.e. 'Touch the butterfly and then the bucket').
Reviews
Utterly Unimpressed
nannyspy
I am a private elementary tutor. In an effort to find additional apps that would help one of my second graders, I came across Mack the Dog and purchased it. What’s 99 cents. I wished I had never purchased it because my 99 cents was wasted, and here’s why: The story is 2nd grade level, as far as the words are concerned, but the layout makes it difficult to read. And, the activities NEVER use the text, which is what needs to happen to conduct and/or measure any level of comprehension. What makes this more of a problem, is that the activities are kindergarten level — not first or second grade level. To make this app exponentially worse, its based on Australian/English (Great Britain) nomenclatures: the sink becomes the tap, the stove becomes a hot plate, the baby carriage becomes a pram, the trash can becomes a bin, etc. This served to totally confuse my student. Two additional issues: When one particular activity asked my student to identify certain items in a picture, it gave him no way to identify the items. His voice didn’t do it, and he could not type in the words. So, I have no idea how in the world he was supposed to identify anything. There were NO instructions at all. Lastly, when asked to touch particular items in pictures, there were more options than the one that ultimately ended up being correct. Example: When asked to identify something with a handle, the correct answer was a cabinet door. But in that same picture, there was a stove with a handle and a sink with handles. So how was my student to know that the stove would be incorrect. If you are going to ask students to identify specific things, then you need to make sure there are no other items in the picture that can or will confuse the student. The long and short of this whole review is to say this: Until such time as the developer makes this a professional, workable, teachable app, I can’t recommend its use for any reason.
