HudsonAlpha iCell
Cells come alive with interactive graphics but learning is limited
Exploring the graphics is a great way to start teaching kids about cells. Provide students with a graphic organizer that they can use to take notes while learning about the cell structures. You might also want to give them unlabeled cell diagrams and have them fill in the labels as they explore each cell. Students could also use the app to study for an exam. Have them work in small groups and take turns trying to name and describe each structure in a cell before tapping on the structure. Others in the group can keep score by tracking correct and incorrect answers.
Continue readingHudsonAlpha iCell is a reference app with cool, interactive graphics that teach kids about cells. Kids tap to choose animal, bacteria, or plant cell on the main page. Each cell is colorfully designed, but none of the structures in the cells are labeled, so beginners may have a difficult time navigating their way through the cells and remembering what they learned. Once kids tap on a structure, the structure name pops up and explanatory text appears at the bottom of the screen. Sometimes the screen automatically zooms in on a structure, but kids can zoom in or out and can rotate cells for a 360-degree view using their fingers. At any point after selecting the cell type to explore, kids can choose from a menu of text options: basic, intermediate, or advanced.
Continue readingStudents can learn about cells at their own pace. After tapping on a cell structure, they can learn the name and function of the structure. There are three text levels to choose from: basic, intermediate, or advanced. Basic text typically gives one or two short sentence descriptions of structures, intermediate gives longer descriptions with additional vocabulary, and advanced gives very detailed descriptions with challenging vocabulary. There's plenty to learn about each type of cell, but the app doesn't provide challenges or activities for kids to test their knowledge or apply their learning.
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The graphics are good and students can rotate the cell to see it from various angles in 3-D. Students at all grade levels find this engaging. I like the fact that when students click on a structure, it becomes magnified and they can choose to read text about it at the basic, intermediate or advanced level. This allows it to be used at different grade levels and language proficiencies. Other than manipulating the cell and reading the text, there is nothing else for students to do. It would be great if there was more interactivity such as a quiz or comparisons among the cells
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