Starfall Apps: A Rhetorical Analysis

Technology plays a significant role in education now a day, and day by day many devices are created to make teaching and learning easier. One of the device is the Apple’s iPad, and more than a million copies were sold within the first week of its release date. By now some schools have invested in it, and some are thinking about buying it. Its portable size and easy to use apps have also triggered preschools throughout the country to invest in it. Ten years from now, tablets will be used by the early childhood teachers as an instructional material; they will be utilizing the newly created iSlide Application for teaching, also teachers will be using online games to teach broad concepts to the young students, and knowledgeable app like Starfall

In the article, “Putting Education in ‘Educational’ Apps: Lesson from the Science of Learning” the authors Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and team, argues that the apps that meets the criteria to be educational apps will enhance the students’ early literacy knowledge. They write that “Apps designed to promote active, engaged, meaningful, and socially interactive learning—four ‘pillars’ of learning—within the context of a supported learning goal are considered educational” (1). The authors’ observations ring true to me because there are over thousand apps, and many of them are considered educational, but in reality, are just created to make more money. In the coming years, the educational institute will recognize the differences and only select the apps which will meet the requirement of the four pillars. Some apps that are not already educational will be given more characteristic for it to be considered educational. The Starfall app, for example, will have more features added to it and will serve as a number one learning source for the students. For example, it will require the users to be a member of the app and the login code will be provided by schools, and the app will also have a homework section where kids will submit their homework, they will also get to check their grades for their assignments and the overall class average. Furthermore, the app will have different level of learning for different students. It will also have a point system—if a student finishes all the required assignment and complete additional assignment, then they will receive extra points toward their grade. The app will feature engaging videos for those who need extra help to complete their assignments. Further, the app will also have a reading section, and the level of difficulty depends on the level. It will get harder as the students move up the level. Also, the reading assignment will be