The Wired Homeschool

In our house, independent reading is on the list of daily “chores” each one of our children is expected to complete. Sometimes keeping track of all their reading times can be difficult. Time Me: Reading is a great tool for tracking how much and how often your children read.

Description

Time Me: Reading is a reading log for your child. After creating a user profile, you may start entering reading times. Books are selected by either searching for the title or author, scanning the book ISBN bar code using your device’s camera (iPhone 4 and above have best scanning results) or entering a book’s information yourself. Once a book is selected, reading time can either be entered directly or you can use the built in timer to track how long a user reads in one sitting. All reading time entries are displayed in a timeline view so you can visually track your reader’s progress.

Review

I first received this app in November last year so I’ve been remiss in reviewing it. However, I have a good reason: I were unable to add books that weren’t in the Accelerated Reader Program. This led me to delay my review until that feature was added. Now that the feature is available I feel like this app is ready for prime-time!

This app is wonderfully designed and very easy to use. It doesn’t get in the way with a ton of bells and whistles. Once you start the app you need to create a profile which consists of a name and weekly reading goal.

To start the timer you or your child can scan the barcode of the book or type in the title. If the title is in the catalog, a picture of the cover will appear and you can start the timer. If the book is not in the catalog the title and author can be added manually.

The timer runs in the background so if your child is reading an e-book on their device there’s not worry about losing track of time.

Time Me: Reading maintains a useful timeline and graph for tracking the progress of your child’s reading. You can use this to review their progress and gauge their reading level.

What I Liked

This app is simple to use. Young readers don’t have to worry about reading a bunch of text or figuring out how to use the app. The timeline and graph make it easy to monitor your child’s progress.

What Could Be Improved

Time Me: Reading catalog is limited to the books contained in the Accelerated Reader Program. Although that’s 140,000 there are many other books (especially non-fiction) that your older children may want to read that aren’t in the catalog. It would also be nice to add a photo of the book that you manually added so that early readers can find their books by looking for the cover.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve ever tried to remember all the books your child has read for a reading program, Time Me: Reading is a great app for keep track of all those books without going insane!

Time Me: Reading is rated 4+ and costs $1.99. Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

The Legend of Momotaro is a vibrant, rich, and interactive storybook app that will captivate your children and draw them into an adventure while teaching them about Japanese culture.

Description

The famous legend of Momotaro is brought to life with beautiful handcrafted illustrations, animations and narration. Ten panoramic scenes tell the classic Japanese story of an old man and an old woman who’s only wish is to have a child. The gods grant their wish in a most surprising way!

As the story of Momotaro unfolds find the hidden interactive elements in each scene to learn about the Japanese culture and language. Watch and listen as subtle animations, authentic narration and sound tell a story of bravery and friendship.

Your children will spend hours being entertained while learning about the mysteries of ancient Japan!

Personal Impressions

The Legend of Momotara makes full use of the iPad’s tactile features. Children are invited to tap, pinch, and drag objects on the screen. It’s an immersive experience that draws the user in through detailed illustrations and interesting facts about the Japanese culture.

Your child can either read the story or follow along as it’s narrated. The narration can be stopped at any point and resumed. Origami pop-ups make the app feel more like a physical book than an application. Cultural nuances are explained through the story to provide a richer contextual experience.

Hidden objects on each page can sometimes be hard to find but tapping the kanji writing at the bottom of the page will display a hint. Shake the iPad and the page sparkles revealing the location of the interactive elements.

I was truly fascinated by how much time I could spend with this app. Each page entices you to delve deeper into the story and the Japanese culture.

Homeschoolers who are studying world history or Asian cultures would be well-served by purchasing this app. Just the information alone is worth the price of the app. It would make a great supplemental study tool for children interested in Japan or Japanese culture.

The Legend of Momotaro is rated 4+ and sells for $2.99
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Reviewed on an iPad Mini.