Geographic information presented through cute Geo-Me characters
Community Review for Geo-Me!
My Take
The app displays a Geo-Me on the map of the world. The cartoon character provides a passport with information about the town, country, urban/rural, population, climate, and elevation. There is an extension story with an animated video with subtitles. The videos provide additional facts about the region and relative locations of surrounding countries.
There are a few Geo-Mes displayed on the map, but there are many others that are hidden. When you go through the home menu, you have the option to search or tap anywhere on the map to reveal a Geo-Me.
Students can add their own Geo-Me based on their geotagged location from the iPad. My concern would be about the quality of student generated information. Are the student responses published locally or for the world to see?
How I Use It
For this year, the app was an enrichment option during Study Hall. Some students like clicking randomly to see the summary of info and the video. However, many students were frustrated because they could not figure out the purpose of the app on their own. There were not clear directions. How the app was described in the App store was misleading.
For next year, I want to take advantage of the info for climate zone and urban vs rural. Students will use their prior knowledge from discussions in class to find examples around the world. As a class, we will be able to discuss the geographic characteristics of where we live and create our own Geo-Me.
Overall, the app is probably not worth the current price ($1.99) for the limited activities and the lack of student engagement.