Peer Review

Complete Chord App for iPad

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Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: An interactive iPad application that helps students to demonstrate their ability to build chords (root, 3rd, 5th and 7th) on a staff.
Type of Material:: Interactive Music Theory Drill and Practice for iPads.
Recommended Uses:: Independent student drill and practice on an iPad. The availability of this application on a remote device might encourage students to practice chord building at any time of the day or night.
Technical Requirements:: iOS 4.0 or greater, iPad. Requires iTunes to be downloaded to the device.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: Demonstrate an understanding of chord building on a staff using the root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th.
Target Student Population:: High School music theory students through Professional.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: General understanding of musical notation, music theory, and chord structure.

Rating:
Strengths:: The content is accurate. The screen shots of the iPad screens of the staves and the notes were very nice. I like the fact that students can work on their chord building skills remotely. This applet isolates a specific skill and provides an easy to understand exercise that allows the student to test their proficiency. The applet also provides an answer for immediate feedback to the student. The student can try each exercise as many times as they need in order to correctly respond. Also, if a student answers incorrectly, the student can re-write the exercise to reinforce the correct response.
Concerns:: The site does not provide any information on how to correctly answer each exercise. Any tools, context or rules the student may need to know must be provided by an instructor.

Rating:
Strengths:: Strengths: The interactivity of the application should help to engage students. The use of the “Show Answer” button provides immediate feedback to the students. The fact that this application is available on the iPad should encourage students to work on their drill and practice activities while on the go. The application is available in multiple languages and this is a good thing.
Concerns:: No concerns.

Rating:
Strengths:: The site is fairly intuitive. Users should be able to figure it out quickly without instructions. Notes that were incorrectly entered on the staff were easy to change without having to "erase" the previous entry.
Concerns:: No concerns.

Other Issues and Comments:: The use of the iPad for the Complete Chord application is terrific. It will give students the opportunity to work on their drill and practice while they are "on the go." The inclusion of the "Show Answer" button that provides immediate feedback to the students is a good motivational tool, and it allows the students to work through their exercises without worrying about needing to have every answer correct on their first time through the exercises. I recommend that the students who have used this application be asked for their direct feedback on this application.
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