# Smata — Observe & Record learning data

> Educational tool for teachers to observe, record, and visualize student learning data. (iPhone/iPad app by Point Zero Limited.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smata/id1500883838 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Point Zero Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/592017163)
- Category: Education, Productivity
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 68 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2021-08-11
- Data updated: 2026-06-04
- Monetization: ad-supported
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smata/id1500883838/reviews.md

## What is Smata?

Designed for teachers, Smata supports the cycle of observing, noticing and responding to learning that is central when embracing a learner centred pedagogy. 
By capturing and visualising small data, Smata builds a fuller picture of student learning.

How does Smata work?
Teachers take photos, video or audio of learning moments, and make teacher notes, which they then link to students and learning areas.
Teachers decide whether what they have captured is evidence of emerging or rich learning in that area or areas. 
This captured small data is graphed to show learning strengths, gaps and areas for increased richness. This informs teacher planning. 
Teachers are able to review past observations to deepen their understanding of student and class learning.

The Benefits of Using Smata:

Place observation at the centre of your practice.
Capture small data in the moment of observing and noticing, which can be reviewed later to inform responsive teacher actions.

Make the curriculum, not assessment, the focus of learning.
Because Smata enables the capture of small data related to specific learning areas, a picture of curriculum linked learning is built for the class and each student. 

Easily keep track of learning. 
Teachers decide the learning areas they want to keep track of. Smata graphs the captured small data to provide a visual representation of the learning teachers are noticing and its degree of richness. 

Plan for responsive teacher actions.
View either whole class or individual student graphs. Instantly see where learning is rich, where it is emerging, or where no learning has been noticed. Review previously captured moments, including teacher notes. Spotlight questions generated by Smata highlight interesting points of reflection unique to the class. 

Supports a growth focused, learner centred pedagogy.
A barrier to the adoption of a learner centred pedagogy is the difficulty teachers experience keeping track of who is doing what. Smata solves that problem. The emerging to rich scale orientates planning on the growth focused question, ‘What can I do to add richness to student learning?’

Simple, intuitive and fast.
Smata is designed for ease of use. Observation information is captured in the moment of learning, in a matter of seconds, minimising the need to enter learning data after the fact. The graph makes learning instantly visible and the planning focus clear.

## Key features

- Capture photos, video, and audio of learning moments
- Link observations to specific students and learning areas
- Visualize learning data with graphs
- Track student strengths, gaps, and areas for growth
- Inform teacher planning with visual data
- Review past observations for deeper understanding

## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smata/id1500883838/reviews.md

### 5/5 — This has legs

*2020-07-27*

This app is changing my teaching practice - highly recommend it.

## Frequently asked questions about Smata

### What is Smata?

Smata is an educational app designed for teachers to observe, record, and visualize student learning data. It helps build a fuller picture of student progress by capturing 'small data' like photos, videos, and notes.

### How does Smata help teachers plan?

Smata graphs captured learning data to show strengths, gaps, and areas for improvement. This visual representation instantly highlights where learning is rich, emerging, or not yet noticed, directly informing teacher planning for responsive actions.

### What learning areas can I track with Smata?

Teachers can decide which specific learning areas they want to track within Smata. The app then graphs the captured data to provide a visual representation of the learning teachers are noticing and its degree of richness.

### Can I review past observations in Smata?

Yes, Smata allows teachers to review past observations, including any teacher notes, to deepen their understanding of individual student and class learning over time.

### Does Smata support a learner-centered pedagogy?

Yes, Smata is designed to support a growth-focused, learner-centered pedagogy. It addresses the challenge of tracking student activities by providing a clear scale from emerging to rich learning, orientating planning around adding richness to student learning.

### Is Smata easy to use?

Smata is designed for ease of use, described as simple, intuitive, and fast. Observation information can be captured in seconds during the moment of learning, minimizing the need for post-facto data entry.

### Does Smata have ads?

Yes, Smata contains advertisements. As it is a free application, advertisements are included to support its availability.

### What devices is Smata available on?

Smata is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It is designed to be compatible with Apple's mobile operating systems.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.8 — 2023-08-16

- Added all the graph options into the plus button 
- Added Positive Disposition Learning Areas
- Added Privacy Policy to the side menu 
- Added T&C’s to the side menu

### 3.7 — 2023-03-14

- The ability to share a classroom with custom learning areas.

### 3.6 — 2023-03-09

- The ability to add multiple students and learning areas per observation.

### 3.5 — 2023-02-07

- Updated the learning story pdf

### 3.4 — 2022-08-29

- Made the learning areas clickable around the outside of the graph
- When clicking on the learning area it will now show the user the observations in that emerging to rich scale with the ability to sort by date range from newest to oldest
- Moved "School Level" from classrooms to students
- Fixed the drop-down boxes so that they don't appear on the time-out pin screen
- Fixed the text formatting as it was showing outline boxes around each character

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All apps by Point Zero Limited: https://appshunter.io/developer/592017163

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-04.*