Reviews

Essential Nursing Vocabulary

Awarded ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Educational App Store, Jan 2023

Summary

ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY is an app aimed at users who either want to become nurses or who want to know the most important vocabulary used in the medical field and to be able to understand it. The app has been created by a developer who already has a number of apps in the vocabulary field and so is aware of the ways in which users best learn vocab. Using the same method of delivery as their other apps there is definitely a sense of familiarity between the apps and although this app is slightly different, in terms of whom it is aimed at, the same methods still apply in the best ways to learn and remember key vocabulary.

The app utilizes a piano in its design with white and black keys working together to deliver the learning and to check on understanding through a series of tests. The information itself is delivered in a way that utilizes a number of different methods from flash card style learning with diagrams to animations and engaging videos. This means that it can cater to all different types of learning. The app, as with the other apps from the same developer, utilises its own patented associative method which is a multisensory method that can be highly intensive to aid the users learning.

Although it is specific in its content, i.e. towards medical professionals, this doesn’t mean that the app can’t be used by anyone else who has an interest in knowing and understanding the medical terms. I am not in the medical profession myself however I found the app to be illuminating and have learned a large amount about the body from using it.

What is ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY app?

ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY is an app that aims to support those users who are wishing to learn the most important words and their meanings in the medical world. Although the name of the app suggests that it is solely for nurses this is definitely not the fact. All the words that are included are the most important words in the medical world so anyone in medicine, or who has an interest in this area would certainly benefit from using them. The app uses a series of multi-sensory ways to engage the learner and to teach them the words and their meanings and then includes a test feature where they are able to check on their understanding and progress to allow the user to adapt to any future learning

What we love about Essential Nursing Vocabulary

There are a number of really good things about the app, in fact, it’s difficult to not like everything about it. However, I think the way the app delivers learning is probably the best thing for me. It utilises a number of different methods and ways that aims to mix up the learning and make it so it’s not monotonous and doesn’t detract from users wanting to access the app.

What skills does it improve?

Essential Nursing Vocabulary aims to improve the user’s knowledge and use of the most important terms in the medical profession. Whether this is for someone who is actually practising in this field or wants to or for someone who just has an interest they will learn all the key vocabulary and importantly know how to use it correctly.

What age is it appropriate for?

ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY app I would suggest is aimed at users at the upper end of the age spectrum. As it is quite a niche and specific app it would mainly be useful for 17 or above and the developers themselves have also pitched it around these ages.

Is ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY easy to use?

For the user, the app is incredibly easy to use and access.

How will students benefit?

Students will benefit from being able to access an app that will build their range of language skills around the most important terms in the medical industry. It will allow them to learn specific elements of the language and vocabulary through targeted learning and testing.

How will teachers benefit?

This will only be beneficial to teachers of students in medical courses. If this is the case then the app will allow them to target students to learn specific vocab that is going to be vital for them to know and learn. It might also be useful to encourage students to utilise this app before starting their courses to give them prior knowledge of the key vocab that will be used.

How will parents benefit?

This will only be beneficial to parents who have children enrolled in medical courses and if this is the case it will allow them to know that there is an app that supports their child’s knowledge and understanding of the key vocab that they will be using in their course.

What ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY can improve on?

The one thing that I think could be improved upon slightly is the overall look of some aspects of the app. This is definitely being ‘picky’ but in terms of elevating the app, I think there could be some aspects that could be improved. Little things such as shortening the overly long URL links in the ‘app info’ section and maybe displaying the words in the Lexicon section so it looks more interactive could certainly give a different dimension to the app.

How much does ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY cost?

ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY costs $1.99

What is included with the free version vs. paid?

There is no free version of the app.

Is ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY safe to use?

ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY app content is completely child-friendly and contains no content that could be considered in website appropriate or unsafe for children.

Overall rating of the website and app

ESSENTIAL NURSING VOCABULARY app has received a 5-star EAS rating and this is due to the premise of the app and the learning within it.

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade

Awarded ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Educational App Store, Sep 2022

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade helps English language learners prepare for the Test of English as a Foreign Language. This iOS-only app combines visual, spoken and written cues to help users absorb and remember new words to add to their lexicon.

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade is available for a single purchase price with no in-app purchases or subscriptions necessary. Although there is no trial version, you can learn about the app in this review and via video demonstrations on the app’s website.

What is TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade app?

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade is part of a family of apps designed to expand and improve its users’ vocabulary. Each addresses the different reasons a person might want to enhance the breadth of their vocabulary. In the case of this app, it is to assist learners of English as an additional language.

Once learners have an established foundation in their new language, improvements come from improving the variety, nuance, and interest of their communications using new words. It isn’t just about being understood but moving closer to the linguistic abilities of a native speaker.

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade uses a patented associative method of helping students add new words to their lexicon. It helps ensure they know how to use and say them. Students may be motivated purely by the desire for self-improvement, but, as the app’s title suggests, its content directly addresses preparing for the Test of English as a Foreign Language standardised test.

What we love about TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade app.

The app uses international fables as one of the ways of introducing new words to a user. These work well as some will be familiar to many readers, but all are unambiguous in their purpose and use of language. Music and simple animations enhance the text.

Within the fables’ text, the keywords that the app wants users to focus on are in bold. This brings together all the facets of learning: the narration helps pronunciation, the story highlights context and usage, and the text promotes reading and spelling. The app has additional useful features that are especially helpful for reference and revision. A reverse dictionary, word finder, and quizzes all have a role to play in helping students learn and practice.

There are more than eighty words with an additional forty idiomatic phrases. These word lists show that the app comprehensively covers the words TOEFL students need. Any student who has learned all TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade’s content will be well set to excel in the TOEFL test.

What skills does it teach?

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade helps learners grow their vocabulary in preparation for the standardised Test of English as a Foreign Language.

What age is it appropriate for?

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade users will be those who are preparing for the TOEFL test, which does not confine it to any age group. Young and old learners have chosen to prepare for this test, and the app will support everyone.

Is TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade app easy to use?

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade has a narrated user guide that explains the app’s purpose, methods, and how to use its somewhat quirky interface. Users will have to remember some button taps that don’t have the usual visual cues for their purposes, but there are not so many that this will be a barrier to effective learning. Students who want to use the app to learn and revise won’t have to struggle to get to the app’s learning content and reference materials.

How will students benefit?

Students have the motivation to learn but not always the financial means to get the support they need. This app’s low, one-off cost makes it an appealing option for students.

The associated learning activities forge strong links between words, meanings, and pronunciations. The ease with which students can revisit the words should help them embed the knowledge over time until it is secure.

Those who would rather avoid the gamified and distracting aspects of more expensive apps for straightforward practice will find TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade a great choice. When they do want a structured challenge, the app includes simple quizzes.

How will teachers benefit?

The app is most at home on a student’s device, where they can revise and learn whenever they have the opportunity. However, the app will still be helpful for teachers to enhance their lessons or provide additional support in class.

While the app does not support multi-user profiles, it does make it easy to reset the app’s data for a new user. Considering the app’s functions and typical usage, this is likely enough for teachers to get the best from it among multiple students.

What can TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade app improve on?

All of the apps in this family of vocabulary improvers use a piano-style keyboard for accessing the sections of the app and options. This is by no means hard to use, and the app explains it to new users, but it is a non-standard means of navigating an app that doesn’t necessarily improve the learning experience. If an app deviates from user expectations and typical UI practices, it should have a good reason to do so, and it isn’t easy to see what this app gains from this unusual interface.

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade could polish its presentation a little. Some of the app’s graphics accompanying the words are indistinct and do not follow a coherent style. The audio recordings, while perfectly understandable, have background hiss and would benefit from a refined recording process.

The app would look and sound better if it improved these aspects, but its current presentation does not harm its educational usefulness.

How much does TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade app cost?

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade does not have a free or trial version, but it is a low priced app bought with a one-off purchase—something rare enough in apps now to be considered a positive feature.

If you visit the app’s supporting website, you can view excerpts from the app in video format, effectively highlighting what you will get.

Is TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade app safe to use?

There is no inappropriate content in TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade, and it does not contain advertisements.

Overall rating of the app

TOEFL Vocabulary Upgrade is a cost-effective and comprehensive study and learning aid for TOEFL students and any English-language learner, whether they intend to take a test or not. Balancing this app’s price, features, and content results in it being awarded five stars in this review.

GRE Upgrade Vocabulary

Awarded ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Educational App Store, June 2022

Summary

From visiting the developer’s website it explains that this app is aimed at helping students in their preparation for taking the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE.

This is a computer-based program that a large number of graduates take in the US and its aim to help gain a better understanding of their potential in the workplace. Within the test there is quite a large emphasis on the ability to understand and use English language correctly an so this app helps students in this by aiding them in areas such as reading comprehension and the ability to write successful, detailed essays.

EAS Review

The app is described as focusing on the 440 most frequently encountered words on the GRE and its aim is to help those graduates wishing to undertake the test a multisensory approach to this. The app is clearly aimed at this purpose and these reasons however that does not mean that the content and the approach cannot be used to help other users from improving their own abilities in regards to the English Language regardless of whether they are taking the test or not.

Behind the production of this app there is clearly a large amount of knowledge and research that has gone into creating it. The production team that has created the app and forms the developing team are award winning educators who between them have a vast understanding of education and the areas in which they specialise. This is all means that the app has been created on this knowledge expertise and this can be seen through the content within the app.

The main aim of the app is to help graduates learn and successfully understand the 440 most common words in the GRE. The GRE is the Graduate Record Examination which many graduates in the United States undertake. As there are so many graduates that undertake such a test it is clear the developers have been able to tap into this market by creating an app that is simple to use and clear in its aims in helping graduates to achieve in the GRE.

However, it is also worth mentioning that even though the apps aim is for graduates undertaking the GRE this does not make it the apps only use. The GRE has a big focus on English Language and the 440 most common words are words that will most definitely need to be used in any English speaking country. Therefore there would be plenty of students who would be able to access this app, who are not taking the GRE, or live in the US that would benefit from the practice and guidance that it will be able to give them. Older users, who are learning English as a second language could also benefit from such an app too meaning that even though it does have a distinct aim these aims the broad aim of helping people to improve on their understanding and ability in the English language is one that features in a number of education systems around the world.

The app claims to use a multi sensory approach and this is achieved via a musical theme that runs throughout. Users are encouraged to work their way through lots of different stages of learning, compounding their understanding and abilities as they do. Using a set of piano keys the user presses a key which produces the correct sound and then sees a word and the definition for that word. If the user clicks on the underlined word a pronunciation is given, again further compounding their ability to use this word. Throughout the app the developers have looked at ways in which they can use their understanding of learning to produce an app that will help the users learn to the best of their ability. By using different approaches and by continuing to repeat information in different ways they certainly achieve this.

The user works their way through the 24 different keys where they access sections that include practice, rehearsing, performances and finally a masterclass the help them develop their understanding and learning. From an educators perspective this is a highly successful way of achieving optimum learning. There are a number and range of activities that the user accesses and all of this this goes towards creating the best learning environment in the app for the user.

Once they have worked their way through this section they then go on to using the major and minor keys in the scale with each key containing 8 different vocabulary words. The uses works through synonyms and antonyms through different activities which include context work and comprehension.

I am very impressed with the content within the app and this is clearly where a lot of its strengths lie. The knowledge that the developers have poured into the app on learning styles and how students can learn best is clear and by using such an approach it means that the app can be used beyond its main aims of helping graduates take the GRE. Overall this is a strong app through the content and the approaches that it uses.

Vocabulary Upgrade I

Awarded ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Educational App Store, Mar 2021

What is Vocabulary Upgrade app?

Vocabulary Upgrade is for people who want to grow their vocabulary. The words the app introduces will add variety and complexity to an English speaker’s lexicon. For example, basic speakers might use the word ‘hairy’ as an adjective, but Vocabulary Upgrade introduces them to the synonym ‘hirsute’. Variety in spoken and written English is a mark of a good level of English.

What we love about Vocabulary Upgrade?

Vocabulary Upgrade has everything a student needs to learn the words featured in the app. Usefully, the app also covers idioms to ensure that users understand some of the more difficult phrases in the English language. Each word has associated visual imagery to help reinforce its meaning and aid in memorizing it. The app has useful supporting features like a dictionary where users can hear the word spoken aloud. There is an additional app in the family called Vocabulary Upgrade II for users who want to further their learning.

What skills does it improve?

Vocabulary Upgrade builds its users’ vocabulary. Each word that the app introduces has visual support, pronunciation, meaning and spelling to help learners fully grasp it. The app would be ideal for students preparing for Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), or English language learners who want to expand their vocabulary.

What age is it appropriate for?

Students of any age could use the app, but the sophistication of the words taught makes it most suitable for older students. A twelve-year-old with a well-developed vocabulary could make use of it, as could a more senior student who feels they could improve their grasp of words and their meanings.

Is Vocabulary Upgrade easy to use?

The activities and exercises in Vocabulary Upgrade are easy to understand and use. How will students benefit? Vocabulary Upgrade is an easy app to dip into. Soon after opening the app, students will be learning new words or completing one of the exercises. It makes any spare time, however brief, potentially valuable revision time. How will teachers benefit? An extremely welcome feature for teachers, which apps often lack, is the facility to reset the app. With a simple reset, teachers have the app ready for use with another student after the previous one has finished with it. The app is also flexible in its use Teachers can use it to help native English speakers and those learning English as an additional language.

How will parents benefit?

Vocabulary Upgrade is a cheap app for parents to get for their kids. A single purchase makes it fully available forever. Improving vocabulary can help kids in many ways, from better public-speaking skills to essay writing, so parents will get good value.

What can Vocabulary Upgrade improve on?

Part of Vocabulary Upgrade’s user interface is attractive but not intuitive. Moving among the activities involves using a modified piano-style keyboard where the white and black keys are further paired using dots. The rightmost keys open up other options. Explanation screens are included in the app that tells the user how this works, and it isn’t difficult to remember, but a user interface should be self-explanatory. If the app had used a more conventional UI, the explanation would not be necessary, and users could concentrate more on the content than the controls.

Vocabulary Upgrade II

Awarded ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Educational App Store, October 2021

What is Vocabulary Upgrade II app?

Vocabulary Upgrade II app is an app aimed towards older ages hoping to help users in their understanding and use of the English language, especially in terms of spelling, comprehension and expanding their vocabulary with higher level, frequently tested words. Due to the learning in the app it does mean it is probably best used by someone who has a good knowledge of the English language and is already a confident and competent reader.

What we love about Vocabulary Upgrade II?

Vocabulary Upgrade II app has a number of really good features that make it a fun learning tool with its gameplay and premise. The fact that there are multiple ways to access the word lists means that each set of words is introduced in a different way, so it isn’t at all repetitive.

What skills does it improve?

Vocabulary Upgrade II app allows users to improve their reading comprehension, their spelling, and their understanding of the English language. There are opportunities within the app to learn the words through quizzes and lots of support is giving to help with this.

What age is it appropriate for?

Vocabulary Upgrade II app is rated for children over 12 years. As previously mentioned, I think that children need to have a good understanding of the English language and be looking to extend and improve their use and comprehension of high-level words. Therefore, children under 12 may be able to access the app if they are at this level and looking for help them do this.

Is Vocabulary Upgrade II easy to use?

The app has a good design, and this also is the case when it comes to its accessibility.

How will students benefit?

Students will benefit by coming across new words of a higher level and learning how to use these words as well as how to spell them and what other words they are similar to. This in turn will help students to extend both their written and spoken work in the classroom and increase they comprehension of harder texts that they may come across.

How will teachers benefit?

Teachers can make use of students using the app to help them extend their vocabulary as well as their comprehension and their reading ages, meaning that they be able to access more learning in school.

How will parents benefit?

Parents, especially if they encourage their child to use the app will be able to see them expanding their vocabulary. They may also decide to use this in collaboration with their child’s school.

What Vocabulary Upgrade II can improve on?

I really like a lot about the app however, I would suggest a couple of things to really make the most out of the learning. The age range for the app is above 12 however, some of the gameplay within the app does seem to be pitched at a slightly younger age. One part of the app has a story that introduces the word list but the graphics and story itself does seem younger than the students that will potentially be using the app. Another thing that would be good to see would be some type of monitoring system where it was clear to see the words that the user had interacted with and how successful they had been in the quizzes. This would certainly help to extend and personalize the learning within the app.

Upgrade Vocabulary

Awarded ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Educational App Store, Mar 2019

From visiting the developer’s website, it explains that this app is aimed at helping students in their preparation for taking the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE. This is a computer-based program that a large number of graduates take in the US and its aim to help gain a better understanding of their potential in the workplace.

Within the test there is quite a large emphasis on the ability to understand and use English language correctly and so this app helps students in this by aiding them in areas such as reading comprehension and the ability to write successful, detailed essays.

The app is described as focusing on the 440 most frequently encountered words on the GRE and its aim is to help those graduates wishing to undertake the test a multisensory approach to this. The app is clearly aimed at this purpose and these reasons however that does not mean that the content and the approach cannot be used to help other users from improving their own abilities in regards to the English Language regardless of whether they are taking the test or not.

Behind the production of this app there is clearly a large amount of knowledge and research that has gone into creating it. The production team that has created the app and forms the development team are award winning educators who among them have a vast understanding of education and the areas in which they specialize. This is all means that the app has been created on this knowledge expertise and this can be seen through the content within the app.

The main aim of the app is to help graduates learn and successfully understand the 440 most common words in the GRE. The GRE is the Graduate Record Examination which many graduates in the United States undertake. As there are so many graduates that undertake such a test, it is clear the developers have been able to tap into this market by creating an app that is simple to use and clear in its aims in helping graduates to achieve in the GRE.

However, it is also worth mentioning that even though the app’s aim is for graduates undertaking the GRE this does not make it the apps only use. The GRE has a big focus on English Language and the 440 most common words are words that will most definitely need to be used in any English-speaking country. Therefore, there would be plenty of students who would be able to access this app, who are not taking the GRE, or live in the US that would benefit from the practice and guidance that it will be able to give them. Other users, who are learning English as a second language could also benefit from such an app too meaning that even though it does have a distinct aim these aims the broad aim of helping people to improve on their understanding and ability in the English language is one that features in a number of education systems around the world.

The app claims to use a multi-sensory approach and this is achieved via a musical theme that runs throughout. Users are encouraged to work their way through lots of different stages of learning, compounding their understanding and abilities as they do. Using a set of piano keys, the user presses a key which produces the correct sound and then sees a word and the definition for that word. If the user clicks on the underlined word, a pronunciation is given, again further compounding their ability to use this word. Throughout the app the developers have looked at ways in which they can use their understanding of learning to produce an app that will help the users learn to the best of their ability. By using different approaches and by continuing to repeat information in different ways, they certainly achieve this.

The user works their way through the 24 different keys where they access sections that include practice, rehearsing, performances and finally a masterclass the help them develop their understanding and learning. From an educator’s perspective this is a highly successful way of achieving optimum learning. There are a number and range of activities that the user accesses and all of this this goes towards creating the best learning environment in the app for the user.

Once they have worked their way through this section, they then go on to using the major and minor keys in the scale with each key containing 8 different vocabulary words. The user works through synonyms and antonyms through different activities which include context work and comprehension.

I am very impressed with the content within the app and this is clearly where a lot of its strengths lie. The knowledge that the developers have poured into the app on learning styles and how students can learn best is clear and by using such an approach it means that the app can be used beyond its main aims of helping graduates take the GRE. Overall this is a strong app through the content and the approaches that it uses.

Smart Vocabulary

Awarded ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Educational App Store, 2018

Smart Vocabulary is designed around preparing students for the language component of the SAT. To this end, it covers 440 words selected by their likelihood of appearing on this test. It is a good selection not only for the purposes of the tests but because they are also useful words to know how to use correctly. They aren’t unused relics of an evolving language but the sort of words that writers can use to add nuance and variety to their text. In short, they are words that people should know.

The app has taken an unusual approach to its presentation as it structures the learning around music. Words are learned in octaves with each key of a piano keyboard bringing up a new word. Phases in the learning also have musical-based names such as rehearsal and performance. The musical metaphor is purely an organisational approach that works well but should not be interpreted as one that requires any musical knowledge.

Each word, when it is selected by tapping upon a piano key, brings up a word and a picture. At the same time, there is an audible cue. These can be musical excerpts taken from modern and old pop music, nursery rhymes, folk songs and novelty songs. The pronunciation of each word can be prompted by tapping upon it. Together, these all work well to convey the meaning of the word and to embed it firmly in the mind of the viewer.

Once each octave is completed, a task that is easy to track as the keys have coloured dots that show whether it has been selected or not, a set of consolidation tasks are begun. These involve answering questions about the words’ meanings and appropriate usage with regard to context. Missing word exercises, selecting a word by its similarity or difference to the group within which it is written, and choosing another word which is most similar within a given context are the sort of tasks there to be completed.

These quizzes work well and follow on perfectly from the earlier word introductions. They reinforce the words’ usage and meaning. Most are answered via the device’s on-screen keyboard and, pleasingly, the app responds to this popping up by repositioning the current question so that it remains visible. This is the sort of quality-of-life feature that can quickly make an app’s usage a chore if it is omitted.

These quizzes aren’t a test as such. They allow retries until the correct answer is reached which unlocks the chance to move on to the next. In this regard, the app expects a motivated student who is actively trying to learn rather than just trying to speed through the exercise. A student relying on guesses won’t learn much but they’re unlikely to progress particularly quickly either so it would be a pointless tactic.

At certain points in the app, a pop quiz does appear to assess and test students. These follow a similar format and provide a useful reality check to students as to their current progress.

Any app with as much text in it as this one does is bound to have the occasional typo, and this one does but they are few and rarely encountered. None found in this review made the answering of questions difficult. These tend to be cleared up as an app is updated over time too.

Smart Vocabulary is well designed to meet its objective of expanding students’ vocabulary. Its knowledge-building exercises are effective and useful. Its subsidiary sections, such as the reverse lexicon, and lexicon guides are useful for quick reference too. It works just as well on large-screen tablets as it does on phone-sized screens so its usage can be fitted around any routine at home or on the move. Smart Vocabulary is a smart app to choose.