ANTON logo consists of a smiling face with the name ANTON in the middle

Anton

Skill-building platform provides reinforcement for basic skills

Learning rating

Community rating

Based on 4 reviews

Privacy rating

Not yet rated
Expert evaluation by Common Sense

Grades

Pre-K–5

Subjects & Skills

English Language Arts, English-Language Learning, Math, Science, Social Studies

Great for

Formative Assessment, Game-Based Learning

Price: Free, Paid
Platforms: Android, iPad, iPhone

Pros: Bite-sized activities with built-in audio are designed to help students learn new concepts and practice skills, and the games provide a nice brain-break to celebrate small successes.

Cons: The user interface is a bit lackluster and light on content, and students receive little guidance for incorrect answers.

Bottom Line: Solid activities with real-time feedback help kids learn and earn rewards at their own pace.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Teachers will easily see the usefulness of Anton in helping students grow in knowledge and understanding. Whether teachers are using the app for a warmup, a quick check for understanding, a supplement to a larger lesson, or an exit ticket, the short activities allow kids to practice skills and earn game time without the overwhelming feel of many skill-and-drill tools currently available. The interactive lessons are specific, offering practice in multiple subject areas, such as nouns, prime numbers, vocabulary, and scientific concepts. Use the study set feature to help kids acquire new domain-specific vocabulary. With careful planning, teachers can match their word sets to other lessons and activities on the site, thus giving students the preliminary knowledge they need to be successful. Once kids are familiar with the site, encourage them to bank their gaming coins for an extended gaming period on a day of their choosing. 

The games are more strategy-based than content-specific, so it does set up a bit of an "eat your broccoli to get dessert" dynamic. However, for kids who struggle with focus or who need SEL support, the ability to earn a gaming credit after only two or three short skill-building activities can be a motivator to engage in successful attempts. Although it's currently a bit light on content, the site promises more in the future, and the developers actively seek user feedback in order to improve their product.

Learning Rating

Overall Rating
Engagement

One of Anton's strengths in terms of engagement is the brevity of lessons. Kids can grasp a skill in six or eight questions and earn gaming coins if they need a break.

Pedagogy

Although the lesson library is still in development, lessons offer relevant content and skill reinforcement, making Anton an easy-to-integrate and potentially effective teaching tool.

Support

The site focuses on the positives, challenging learners without discouraging them. There are opportunities to redo answers or start over in order to attain mastery.

Common Sense reviewer
Marianne Rogowski
Marianne Rogowski Instructional Technology Facilitator

Community Rating

Very fun for kids and easy to use

Overall it is an amazing learning application. It is unusual to see a free app that also has no advertisements whatsoever in it and on top has such a great value. I, as a parent and teacher, love that I can assign topics and keep track of my kid’s progress.

From what I saw the developers of the application are continuously releasing new content so I am guessing they will at some point cover all grades.

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Privacy Rating

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