Monday, May 11, 2015

Vocab Building Apps

Vocabulary Builder by Magoosh (Free. iOS and Android) A vocab building game with 1200 important words, it has three levels: basic, intermediate, and advanced. Created by a GRE tutor with over 10 years experience it uses words in sentences and it designed to stick. Track your progress and practice online http://gre.magoosh.com/builder/vocabulary . Includes  free access to all of Magoosh’s general, GRE, SAT, and TOEFL vocab quizzes.

PowerVocab Word Game (Free [with in-app purchases] Android only) With 350 words and a flashcard teaching style this app helps users gain vocabulary skills for SAT, GRE, GMAT, and ASVAB tests.  Key features include learn words, challenge quiz, search words which is like a handy dictionary, and an audible pronunciation. Extremely bright colors and playful graphics keep the app fun and fresh.

Vocab Builder (Free. Android) Match the definition to the word to help build your vocabulary. Designed for users studying for SAT or GRE tests, it has a dictionary and tracks progress but seems to lack the colorful user interface or features of some other apps.

Vocab Genius by Brainscape (Free. iOS only) Created as a sort of gateway app to their other products that teach foreign languages and GRE vocabulary this app created by former executives of Kaplan and Princeton Review in conjunction with cognition scientists from Columbia and Yale uses a unique algorithm that creates a pattern of flashcards to help each individual learn new vocabulary quickly. Feedback, statistics, and visualization help users view their progress. The app will ask if you'd like study reminders which may be helpful. It uses Facebook profile information to send e-mails which may get annoying. I did not like it as much because you don't really answer questions, you say how well you know the word.

IntelliVocab (Free. iOS, Android, Windows) With 287 words the app uses a quiz style to teach users vocabulary. The user interface is simple and easy to use. Questions ask users the correct definition or which word correctly completes the sentence. Focusing on words that a user gets wrong it provides an order of questions that best help the user learn new or difficult vocabulary words. The app has an audio pronunciation available. There are over 4500 additional words that can be unlocked for a fee. 

SAT Vocab by MindSnacks (Free. iOS only) An app with a very cute graphics, it looks like it is designed for elementary school or middle school children. I found the colors and artwork engaging. The app has an easy to use interface that walks you through how to use it the first time you open it up. Users are required to set-up an account or connect via their Facebook account. The app uses a flash card style games to teach SAT vocabulary words. I found it a lot of fun and could see it helping all ages learn new vocabulary. Unfortunately, three games are free the other SAT games (they call them lessons) within the app cost $4.99. All lessons which include a variety of languages, math, and science 400 lessons cost $19.99.

There are also several apps that provide a "word of the day" or "word of the week" these include: Push Vocabulary Builder, Dictionary.com, and Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

This week I saw two interesting articles that were app related that I thought some of you might be interested in reading. The first has to do with apps designed to record police interactions and automatically or quickly send them to a third-party like YouTube or the ACLU: http://www.wired.com/2015/05/right-film-police-apps-can-help/. The other article is about apps that sell your items for you and they pay you a percentage "8 Apps for Cleaning Out Your Closet and Making Money" : http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2483574,00.asp

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