Community reviews for iCircuit

Pretty easy to use when you get the hang of it, but for newbies, there is a steep learning curve. Even so, the clean user interface gives this app a polished feel that doesn’t clutter you with unnecessary info or overwhelm you with options. Students learn the most through trial and error, and this is both a pro and a con for this app. I’ve also realized that iCircuit will work especially well as a planning tool for classrooms that have the resources necessary to construct physical circuits. There is very little pre-built curricula though, and the index given is extremely difficult for high-school students to comprehend. On top of that, students that struggle with literacy have had a more difficult time with iCircuit. Therefore, without a lot of set-up and planning, this app serves mainly as a great visual display tool. It does that very well though! . iCircuit graphically displays AC and DC currents to provide mathematical and visual support, along with real-time current directional flow. Students can rewind through the graph and record different sections to highlight cause and effect relationships. Voltage color and current dots make identifying properties of circuits very easy. For example, above ground voltages are green and below ground voltages are red. Current dots show the direction and magnitude of the flow, opening up avenues for student discovery independent of teacher direction. For students extremely proficient in high-level math, functions and dependent sources are available for further application or enrichment. iCircuit has a lot of promise, but it isn’t a great stand-alone tool for teaching students without substantial prior knowledge. Teachers can figure it out quickly, but guiding students through the process requires relatively labor-intensive frontloading. As it only covers basic circuit physics, I recommend this for teachers who are lacking in tangible resources, but operate in a blended learning setting.