Category Archives: App Reviews & Recs

What I’ve Learned about the Common Core State Standards and Educational Apps


Today I wrote a blog piece for Balefire Labs about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and educational apps. Over the past few months I’ve been doing a ton of aligning apps to the CCSS and I wanted to share … Continue reading

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Does Price Predict Quality of Educational Apps?


Skeptical about the instructional value of paid educational apps? Our research at Balefire Labs shows that you should be. We pretty regularly get questions and comments about paid versus free apps. There seem to be two general (and competing) schools … Continue reading

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A Great Math App for Kids


Just in case you didn’t catch it someplace else, I thought I’d share the free math app review that we published this week over on Balefire Labs. I’ve talked to you guys about the Native Numbers app before, but here … Continue reading

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What I Learned at my CHIFOO Talk


This past Wednesday I had the opportunity to give a talk at the Computer-Human Interaction Forum of Oregon (CHIFOO). CHIFOO is a really interesting group. They are a local chapter of SIGCHI, the premier international society for professionals, academics and students … Continue reading

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Only Two of the Top 10 EdApps in iTunes are Worth Buying


This blog post originally appeared on the Balefire Labs blog. A lot of teachers and parents we talk to have told us that when they are trying to find apps for their kids they look at the Top Charts in … Continue reading

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HUGE News! Find the Best Educational Apps NOW!


Today’s the day we’ve all been waiting for, so I hope you’ll forgive my overflowing giddiness! Yes, today, my new business, Balefire Labs, launches!! Parents and teachers, we can help you find the educational apps that provide the best instruction … Continue reading

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Ed App Reviews: Will My Kid Like It?


I’ve noticed something pretty interesting in ed tech. I’m wondering if you’ve noticed it too. There are people out there in ed tech who think it’s meaningful to recommend a product according to whether it is liked by their own … Continue reading

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EdTech Reviews: What is an “Objective” Criterion?


For most people this will probably be an incredibly boring post. You’ve been warned. For others, like me, who are very concerned with language in science, and precision of language, this is the post for you. I’ve always described our … Continue reading

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What is Student Engagement? And What Should it Be?


Maybe those seems like weird questions. But they’ve been bouncing around in my head for a while now. I hear a lot of people talk about student engagement as a goal, but I get the impression that not everyone means … Continue reading

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My 100th Post: Balefire Labs and #EdApps


I’ve been a bit off the grid this past week, so my apologies for not writing. That said, this is my 100th blog post! Wow! Thinking back to my first blog post, it’s been a really fun ride. For my … Continue reading

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