Bottom line: Provides a much-needed, streamlined and easy to use option for older students, to work on multiplication drills.
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If Time Tables Pro by frogameleon, were a fridge, it would be a smooth and simple stainless steel unit. Nothing fancy or frilly, just understated and good quality. It's the app embodiment of Mies van der Rohe's "less is more" philosophy.
Bot, who you won't be surprised to hear is a robot, guides the parent or teacher through the myriad of options available to design multiplication tests for a child. There are Practice and Test modes and the tests can be tailored to suit the child in the following ways:
• choose the tables to work on, from 0 to 12.
• whether the test will be multiple choice or if the answer needs to be entered on a keypad
• timed using three levels of difficulty or not timed at all
• how many problems the child has to solve. Options are 10, 25, 50, 100 and All.
After the child has taken the test, there's a screen that summarizes their results which the parent or teacher can access later via the history menu. A feature I really like is that the app tracks incorrect responses which can then be reviewed and re-tested. The app allows for a guest user and tracks data on three players. Their profiles can be customized via iOS Settings.
I really like the look and feel of this app. So many apps are designed with preschoolers in mind that it's refreshing to see an app that could be comfortably used by older students. There's no music, just the robotic sound effects that accompany Bot, who looks like an airborne descendent of both Wall-E and Number 5. These sounds, and even Bot himself, can be turned off via iOS Settings which contains more options to customize the app further.
I'm not a huge fan of direct links to other apps in iTunes and there is one on the home page that is easy to access. The link button is colored orange so it really stands out against the app's black background. I'd love to see that locked away in a section for parents.
Also, we often think that only young children need reinforcers but I think older children (especially if they have special needs) respond well to them too. I would love to see something added to the app to keep kids engaged and wanting to continue to play. Maybe Bot could talk?
The history and review sections are a great feature that I was pleased to see included. Even better would be the option to auto-email this data in report form so that an adult can easily track a child's progress over time.
Notwithstanding my wish list items I do want to stress that this is a great app, especially for the price of only 99 cents. If you're looking for something that doesn't contain a lot of distractions or if you need something perfectly suited to older students, I would definitely recommend this app.
This review was written by Deanne Shoyer who was sadly not a pro at times tables when she was a child. smartappsforkids was paid a priority review fee to complete this review in an expedited manner.
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