Cost: Free for Place Value and Number Sense but $0.99 for each extra section or $9.99 for all 16 chapters.
Pros: This app is very bright, colorful, and easy to navigate and use, perfect for 3rd graders. It is all based around an underwater theme and has fun animation sequences. There is a practice section that allows you to take quizzes and scores you out of 20. You can change the difficulty settings from easy to medium to hard. You can also take official tests and the reports can be sent to an email address of your choosing. There is also an interesting point system that allows you to unlock bonus features inside an aquarium that lets you have fun with different fish as you earn more points. There is a very wide range of mathematics covered if you purchase the full version and can be very useful to review with.
Cons: To be able to use the full app you need to pay $9.99, which is pretty expensive. Also, there is no instruction section of the app so it really is only good for reviewing concepts already learned. The bonus "prizes" section is fun, but it could possibly be a distraction to students trying to stay on task.
I would use this app mainly to help students brush up on concepts before tests or quizzes. It is simple repetition of mathematical concepts and would be very helpful. Struggling students could use the app to improve their understanding of certain concepts and the progress tracker can be used to assess how well a student is improving. I can also use the app as a way of accommodating for students who learn better in different ways. Having the visualization of the concepts in front of them in a unique way could possibly help struggling students grasp the concepts better.
It is slightly similar to the other app I reviewed, Math Tutor Lite 2. Both of these apps provide sections for practice, formal tests, and assessment. Although Math Tutor Lite 2 is not as polished as Splash Math 3, it did provide an instruction section to help better clarify the concepts. Both apps also use playful animation in sync with the quizzing process. The full Splash Math 3 covers a wider range of concepts than Math Tutor 2, but both can be useful tools in reviewing and practicing.
I agree that this is a great app and I love the wide variety of questions that they ask. It would also be a great game to use at as a station when students are working in centers because it is so independently and no explanation is needed for students to use it. The only bummer is that it is really expensive for the whole game but if it was cheaper it would definitely be worth the cost!
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