I currently am a teacher candidate, enrolled in a K-6 Mathematics Methods course. For this class, we were required to critically analyze a few apps that are available to implement into your classroom. One such app was Fraction Circles.
Personally, I would not spend the money for this app. I don't think it is any more helpful than actually using Fraction Circle manipulatives. In fact, I feel that most students would gain a better understanding of fractions by actually using the physical manipulatives rather than this technological tool. There are no game instructions provided to the students, nor are there any explanations about why an answer is correct or incorrect. Although it is a pretty self-explanatory app, I believe that students need this guidance in order to gain a better understanding of the content.
Teachers sometimes use apps as an assessment tool to track indivdual student's progress over time. However, this app does not keep record of the user's work, so it would be difficult for the teacher to utilize Fraction Circles as an assessment. This app also doesn't have options or controls such as level difficulty or sound on/off, so it would be hard for teachers to cater this app for individual student learning needs.
Overall, I didn't find this app to be very helpful in regards to content knowledge and I would not buy it to use in my classroom.
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Soon-to-be Teacher
bigbluesj
hulio49