Ashley Morris
I chose an app called Khan Academy Geometry. It is created by Ximarc Studios Inc., and more information can be found at This app is free and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Ximarc Studios Inc. has created a lot of apps similar to this that cover a lot of subjects such as math, biology, chemistry, physics, etc. This app covers different topics in Geometry as you can tell by the name. It includes well detailed videos for a lot of lessons in Geometry. The lessons are verbally explained, but the examples are also drawn out on the screen as they are being explained. Some of the videos are just lectures on different topics, and others include problems that the viewer can work on by pausing the video and then coming back to check their work. The intended audience for this app could be people who are trying to refresh their knowledge of Geometry, students who struggled with a lesson and want to watch something different to try and understand, or people who are interested in the basics of Geometry.
One of the major strengths of this app is the explanations in the videos. The man that does the videos explains things very thoroughly, and he is easy to follow and understand. Also, since they are all videos, it is easy to go back and watch something again if you missed part of it or just didn’t understand. It would be great for a student that missed a day of class and wants to get an overview of what they missed so they can keep up in the class. Another strength of this app is the fact the he goes through every example and gives a step by step explanation. They don’t just give you an answer and move on. So if you don’t understand how to do a problem, they walk you through slowly to make it easier to follow. A big weakness is the app only contains videos. It doesn’t have photographic examples or practice problems or worksheets. So it doesn’t really work on all different kinds of learners like a teacher would like. There are some examples throughout the video that the viewer is expected to work on, but if you don’t pause the video and actually try them, the man explaining will go through and do it for you. Since you don’t have to physically try the problems yourself before getting an answer, you might not benefit from it as much. It is a lot easier to understand a problem if you do it yourself, even if you don’t get the right answer, instead of watching someone else doing the problem and following their steps as they go.