App review by Common Sense Editor, Common Sense Education | Updated February 2013

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ASL Sign Language

Name: ASL Sign Language
Item: ASL Sign Language
Rating: 2
Author: Common Sense Editor

Little help to learn even the ASL alphabet basics

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Grades

1–12

Subjects & Skills

English Language Arts, World Languages, English-Language Learning, Communication & Collaboration

Great for

Special Needs

Take a look inside

4 images

Instructions for using the ASL American Sign Language explain the minimal settings and refer to numbers that don’t appear in the app.

ASL flashcard shows the sign for the letter o.

ASL flashcard shows the sign for the letter r.

ASL flashcard shows the sign for the letter g.

Pros: If you want to learn the ASL alphabet, you'll probably be able to.

Cons: You can't quiz yourself, and you can't learn any other sign language.

Bottom Line: Digital sign language flashcards teach ABCs, but no words or phrases.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Students could pair up and quiz each other, with the quizzer (or the device) saying the letter, the other student forming the sign, and the quizzer checking the screen to see if it looks right. For students using the app individually, though, there’s not much more to do than scroll through the flashcards, view the signs, and practice forming them.

What Is It?

Once you get past the opening screen in ASL American Sign Language, flashcards get loaded automatically. Each card features a black-and-white drawing of the ASL sign for a letter, with the letter printed beneath it. As each flashcard comes up, a voice speaks the letter.

A small icon in the lower-right corner of each flashcard brings you to the settings, where you'll find a quiz mode and sound options. You can share the app with a friend, read some pretty basic and sometimes inaccurate instructions, and rate the app in Google Play.

Is It Good for Learning?

ASL American Sign Language is too limited in both size and scope. It doesn't teach you any words or phrases. It only tries to teach you the alphabet, and even that's confusing. And except for the arrows with J and Z, there's no information about how to form the signs, whether students should mirror the illustrations, which hand to use, or if it matters. In quiz mode, the audio recording of the letter gets delayed until you tap the screen. However, the written letter remains on the screen, so you can't really quiz yourself. Beginners who just need a basic, straightforward way to learn the ASL alphabet will get that with this free, ad-supported app, but it's really just a set of flashcards, and that's not very engaging.

Learning Rating

Overall Rating

Engagement

Each flashcard has a black-and-white drawing of the ASL hand position, the written letter, and audio. You get no videos, animations, or games. You can't really quiz yourself.

Pedagogy

Digital flashcards teach the ASL alphabet, although simple words would be more practical for communication.

Support

The instructions refer to numbers, but there aren't any in the app. Quiz mode has no tracking or scoring, and it simply waits to say the letter, although it leaves the written letter on-screen, so you can't quiz yourself.

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Featured review by
Vanessa S. , Classroom teacher

Classroom teacher

Whitehall Elementary School
Pittsburgh, United States

Basic ASL Letter Practice

This app is very simple with just the basic letters shown for students to practice. Because it was free, I did not expect much and I was pretty spot on. It was neat to pair it up in conjunction with a lesson and some of the students used what they had learned with each other, and myself! However, if the students wanted to learn more ASL, they would need to use another app.

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