peepsmama Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Has anyone used this? The description isn't clear and there are no real photos, so I am trying to figure out if this $13 app is in leiu of buying the books. Any idea? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Ha didn't know it existed. I put my SS on my ipad all ready, so now I'm curious.. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinmami01 Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I didn't feel comfortable after reading the reviews so I just bought the DVD and put on my iPad. I figured I can always resell my DVD when we're done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepsmama Posted August 30, 2012 Author Share Posted August 30, 2012 The only review I saw was someone complaining that you could only use it for one child. I did notice it said something about sending emailed reports, or something to that effect. Wish someone had it so I'd know the deal, LOL. I'm actually tempted to order it just to see...but $13 isn't a cheap app, if it turns out to be a waste. Do you guys prefer doing the DVD? I think it would be nice to have that time done independently, but I'm not sure if ds would like watching the DVD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SorrelZG Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Not even any screenshots. $12.99 is a lot for any app, let alone when buying blind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideHomeschool Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Um, how do you put a DVD on an IPAD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepsmama Posted August 30, 2012 Author Share Posted August 30, 2012 Not even any screenshots. $12.99 is a lot for any app, let alone when buying blind. That's exactly my concern...but it would be nice if it was a good app. Whoever designed the app info page has no idea what makes for a good description, that's for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinmami01 Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Um, how do you put a DVD on an IPAD? You would have to transfer the DVD to iTunes and sync it to your iPad. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillsideHomeschool Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Cool, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Good day, all. We are the publishers of this app. Since the last post in this thread was posted, a great many positive changes have been made. Here is a quick run down of the app as it stands today. Version 2.6 is just coming out; the last post here was referring to V1.5. It now allows 1 student to be registered at a price of $14.95, 5 students at a price of $29.95 and, for co-ops, 50 students for $99.95. These licenses can be mixed and matched to level and saved as long as needed, so, for example, by buying five, a family with 2 children would have licenses good for 2.5 years of instruction for each child. There is a five day free trial so you can make sure the app works well for you. The app uses the exact same word lists, lesson number and order, and pedagogy of the books. Each night, it sends the teacher an email detailing the lesson(s) undertaken that day by each student and the words they misspelled. You will be prompted on your I-pad when the report is ready. If you see a consistent pattern of error, you need to intervene. If there is no consistent pattern or no error at all, you need do nothing. Just let your students carry on! Inside the app, the Merriam Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus are available for the student to access if they see or hear a word they do not know but would like to. We encourage you to encourage them to use it! One challenge people have reported with the app is the voice. The voice is female, plain vanilla Midwestern. I have had no one at the shows where I demonstrated the app struggle with the voice, but it can become tinny or robot-like if too many other apps are running at the same time. SS is a large app and uses a lot of processor power. Similarly, if you leave too many other apps running, especially game apps which are very processor heavy, you can get crashes. Once again, when I demonstrate the app, it does not crash, but that is because it is one of only three or four apps running on the demo I-pads. Keep down the number of apps running at the same time and perform regular maintenance on your I-pad (i.e. primarily rebooting regularly) and SS will run like a champion! If you have questions, feel free to contact me. I always answer right away! Thomas@wave3learning.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airforcefamily Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 A few questions: When I look up the app in the App Store it gives the price as 'free' but your post says $15 for one student or $30 for 2-5 students. Which is correct? Is there a price for less time or fewer students? I'd like it for two students but would rather not commit to buying 2.5 years of access for each of them. Are screenshots available anywhere? The descriptions says 'offers in app purchases'. Does that mean my kids will be allowed by the app to make purchases? Does the five day trial require payment information? In my experience 'free trials' of that nature are often difficult or impossible to cancel. What is involved in canceling a five day trial? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airforcefamily Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 One more question.... Many of the prices listed in the app store description read as 'level 1 for one student' or similar. Does that mean each individual level costs $15 per student or $30 for 2-5 students? For example, if two kids used it for levels 1-4 would we have to pay $120? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Good afternoon, Air Force. I am an Army Vet myself (Grenada through Gulf I) so I would like to say thanks to your family for its service and sacrifice. I will answer your questions in order: When I look up the app in the App Store it gives the price as 'free' but your post says $15 for one student or $30 for 2-5 students. Which is correct? Is there a price for less time or fewer students? I'd like it for two students but would rather not commit to buying 2.5 years of access for each of them. Answer: The app itself is free, the levels are purchased as in app purchases. The two prices are both correct; you have the option of purchasing just one for $15 or 5 for $30. You can always buy two single licenses. This protects you from commitment and doesn’t cost any more. Are screenshots available anywhere? Answer: There are several on the app store. Fact is, visually, the app is quite simple. There only four different views. Does the five day trial require payment information? In my experience 'free trials' of that nature are often difficult or impossible to cancel. What is involved in canceling a five day trial? Answer: no, the trial does not require payment info, you can even just make up false contact info if you don’t mind not getting the emails. Cancelling is simplicity itself. Just delete it. One more question.... Many of the prices listed in the app store description read as 'level 1 for one student' or similar. Does that mean each individual level costs $15 per student or $30 for 2-5 students? For example, if two kids used it for levels 1-4 would we have to pay $120? The best approach for 2 students doing four levels (8 student-levels total) would be to buy two 5 license packs. It would cost $60 total. Compare this to SS in paper....about $160....compare this to SS in DVD (assuming the kids share the DVDs) $144...compare this to All About Spelling (again assuming they share) $220. Let me know if you have any more questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3girls Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Question... the app only shows levels 1-3. Are all levels there or is it limited to these 3. Once you have purchased a level does it stay with the app indefinitely or when the user associated moves up to the next level do you loose it? For instance.. first child completes level one so I purchase level two for her. Can second child now use level 1 or do I have to purchase level one for her, too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Good afternoon, My3. Currently, only levels 1-3 are on the app store. Level 4 is almost done and level 5 will be on the store before year end. The app remains resident on your ipad (it is categorized as non-consumable by Apple) forever if you want. However, once a given license is used, the pedagogical controls (requiring student to spell correctly before they can move on, nightly email) no longer function for that license. Another child could use it but it would be less valuable. At $6 per child for a five user license, even if you do not reuse it, it is still less expensive than buying another student book so that you can reuse a teacher guide in paper....and, of course, you are free to do something else when the kids use the app! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airforcefamily Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Good afternoon, Air Force. I am an Army Vet myself (Grenada through Gulf I) so I would like to say thanks to your family for its service and sacrifice. I will answer your questions in order: When I look up the app in the App Store it gives the price as 'free' but your post says $15 for one student or $30 for 2-5 students. Which is correct? Is there a price for less time or fewer students? I'd like it for two students but would rather not commit to buying 2.5 years of access for each of them. Answer: The app itself is free, the levels are purchased as in app purchases. The two prices are both correct; you have the option of purchasing just one for $15 or 5 for $30. You can always buy two single licenses. This protects you from commitment and doesn’t cost any more. Are screenshots available anywhere? Answer: There are several on the app store. Fact is, visually, the app is quite simple. There only four different views. Does the five day trial require payment information? In my experience 'free trials' of that nature are often difficult or impossible to cancel. What is involved in canceling a five day trial? Answer: no, the trial does not require payment info, you can even just make up false contact info if you don’t mind not getting the emails. Cancelling is simplicity itself. Just delete it. One more question.... Many of the prices listed in the app store description read as 'level 1 for one student' or similar. Does that mean each individual level costs $15 per student or $30 for 2-5 students? For example, if two kids used it for levels 1-4 would we have to pay $120? The best approach for 2 students doing four levels (8 student-levels total) would be to buy two 5 license packs. It would cost $60 total. Compare this to SS in paper....about $160....compare this to SS in DVD (assuming the kids share the DVDs) $144...compare this to All About Spelling (again assuming they share) $220. Let me know if you have any more questions. I'm finding the pricing a bit confusing. Why would two five student packs need to be purchased for two kids? Is that assuming they will be using it for many years? Is there an option that would be more economical for a family that does not need the app for five students or for multiple years but would like more than one child to use it for one year? (I know paper programs are more expensive but they can be either tried out for any length of time for the price of a workbook or are non consumable and able to be reused or resold without time limits) When you say the program can be used for more than one child but may not be as useful does that mean two children can use the same 'one child' license but it just won't be quite as useful for the child who takes longer to complete the work? Is there any way to skip ahead if a child really isn't understanding a section and would like to move on then go back or are the sections locked until the app deems the work was done to a certain level? If so, is that level 100% understanding or something else? Thanks for answering all these questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 The five user is actually intended for larger families. HOWEVER, even a family with only two children will save money by buying it if they are certain they will want to stay with SS. Even if you are not certain, you will spend no less money by buying 2 single licenses, so you might as well get five! Worst case, you spend no more than you would have otherwise. Best case, you love it and save a lot of money. Two children could use the one user license, but there would be no controls on the second child (no restriction against moving forward without spelling correctly, no emails) and they would be using the same screen name, etc. Siblings that don't get along might not work well with that. Since the controls are important to the pedagogical value of the app, it would seem to me less valuable, but I guess that is up to you. You can jump around as much as you want, just remember, once your child does a given day's lesson, that day is marked "done" and the controls for that day are gone. No problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airforcefamily Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 We've decided against purchasing the app but will be keeping an eye on it. Our reason is that the price for one or two students feels too high. It would be a good deal if many of our kids were using it but we don't need it for everyone. We will definitely reconsider if the individual licenses are offered via a coop at a reduced rate or if the pricing structure is changed to offer license packages for more than one but less than five students. For now print books that we can use without time limits, hand down to the younger kids, or resell make more sense for our family. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemota Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Wow - the new update looks great! I can't wait to have my dd try it tomorrow. The first version was basically useless on my ipad. However I refrained from writing a bad review because Thomas (wave3 from above) really did respond immediately to my questions - and passing along the issues I was having to the code folks. I never felt like I was being blown off or worse, ignored. While I feel they could have done a better job beta- testing, I do think they want to make the app as useful as possible. I'll be back to give the hive my thoughts once we've tried it out for a bit. I can understand about the cost being too high for some. For us, if it helps to get spelling done, then it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Just fyi, everyone. Apple just approved V2.6 which addresses crashing problems that can occur when games or other graphically dense apps are left on while SS is operated. It should be downloadable in about 3 hrs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3girls Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I'm going to stick with the books as I have 3 kids at three different levels. I can reuse the books which makes it a cheaper option for us. If the app allowed each level to have multiple users then that would be more useful and cost effective. Thanks for the information. I'll be keeping my eye on it for any future changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Hey, Girls. It actually is cheaper to use the app unless you are not using a student book for each student; the student book is cheaper than buying paper separately and has several other nice features. There are, however, people who use only a teacher guide and that works, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Hey, Girls. It actually is cheaper to use the app unless you are not using a student book for each student; the student book is cheaper than buying paper separately and has several other nice features. There are, however, people who use only a teacher guide and that works, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3Munchkins Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Just fyi, everyone. Apple just approved V2.6 which addresses crashing problems that can occur when games or other graphically dense apps are left on while SS is operated. It should be downloadable in about 3 hrs. I tried out the demo at convention and my son tried it at home over the summer with no problems. Last night, I downloaded the new version and planned to buy level 1 in preparation for the upcoming school year. Unfortunately, the new version crashes every time my son tries to use it. We have cleaned off the iPad, have no other programs running, etc. with no luck. I'm extremely frustrated! Any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Hey, Munchkins. I will pass this on to our developers. I spent the weekend reading and it seems the whole I-pad world is experiencing hardware issues. Thanks and sorry! We will do our best to get this rectified immediately! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3Munchkins Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Hey, Munchkins. I will pass this on to our developers. I spent the weekend reading and it seems the whole I-pad world is experiencing hardware issues. Thanks and sorry! We will do our best to get this rectified immediately! Thanks! Please let us know when things are fixed. We have held off purchasing even though we started back to school today and wanted to start SS right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 You betcha! Oooo...spelling issue.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemota Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 My3munchkins - try turning off iCloud services for the app. I tried this and it SEEMS to help - we haven't had time to play around with it as much as we're on vacation right now, so I don't know if this is a full time fix or not yet. go to settings-->iCloud-->storage and backup-->manage storage-->this ipad. Choose show all apps, then change the sequential spelling app to "off". Delete and re-install the app. There is apparently some confusion with the app backing up to their server and backing up to iCloud. This perhaps stops that confusion. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3Munchkins Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 My3munchkins - try turning off iCloud services for the app. I tried this and it SEEMS to help - we haven't had time to play around with it as much as we're on vacation right now, so I don't know if this is a full time fix or not yet. go to settings-->iCloud-->storage and backup-->manage storage-->this ipad. Choose show all apps, then change the sequential spelling app to "off". Delete and re-install the app. There is apparently some confusion with the app backing up to their server and backing up to iCloud. This perhaps stops that confusion. HTH! Thanks so much! I'll try this and see how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Good morning, all. We have also concluded that the iCloud / iOS interaction is problematic. We have a new version in to Apple for review (V2.7) which includes a work-around that enables us to end the crashes on our machines, but I will be very curious to see how you all do. Unfortunately, this is something beyond our control. I am very sorry to all the users who are struggling with crashes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmomma1203 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Good morning, all. We have also concluded that the iCloud / iOS interaction is problematic. We have a new version in to Apple for review (V2.7) which includes a work-around that enables us to end the crashes on our machines, but I will be very curious to see how you all do. Unfortunately, this is something beyond our control. I am very sorry to all the users who are struggling with crashes. Hi, I was going to purchase a single user license for the app today, but I cannot even get it to load. I shut off iCloud, turned my iPad off and on, and eve deleted and reinstalled the app. Any suggestions? I would much rather utilize the app than buy the book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Good morning, Jamie. I think you are absolutely right that the app is a better approach than the book! Progress marches on. However, there are little glitches from time to time....Apple has informed us that they are in the process of loading V2.7, so I wonder if maybe you got a crossover hiccup. Give it a day and then try again. In the interim, a quick reboot and check on how many apps you have running we be good too, just for safety sake! T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Further to my prior post.....Apple's load attempt hiccupped. I will have to read their report to know why. But we will likely have to wait another day or two now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3Munchkins Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Hi, I was going to purchase a single user license for the app today, but I cannot even get it to load. I shut off iCloud, turned my iPad off and on, and eve deleted and reinstalled the app. Any suggestions? I would much rather utilize the app than buy the book. I have done the same and continue to have problems. DS hasn't been able to get past the 1st word of lesson 5. I will continue to have him try each day and will check back for further updates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Make sure you are not in the Demo. Demo ends day 5. Log all the way out (double click home key and shut down or logout on head and shoulders icon) and come back in through your purchased app. Let me know if you are still having trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3Munchkins Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Make sure you are not in the Demo. Demo ends day 5. Log all the way out (double click home key and shut down or logout on head and shoulders icon) and come back in through your purchased app. Let me know if you are still having trouble. DS is still using the demo. We have not purchased the app because of the problems with it crashing. I don't want to spend the money on something we won't be able to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Ah, I see, yes that explains it and good thinking on the wait. I have now seen why the app got delayed.....for the eighth time we have a new Apple staffer who is shocked and dismayed that we ask for personal information. Apparently, they don't read the file where we have seven approvals recorded for us to do this based on the protections we have in place and the necessity of the information to serve the user. The new version with crash control (and another small nice feature!) should be out later today, if past is any indication. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemota Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Please let us know when it's up - we're looking forward to using it as we start school today - we have the book as a backup but my DD complains much less when she gets to do work on the iPad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Will do! Thanks for the patience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 V2.7 is now up (might even be 2.8 since that is either out now or in a couple days...)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemota Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Well, we were able to do lessons 106 and 107 on Wednesday and yesterday. But today the app crashed again, with iCloud off, and it being the only app running. *sigh* Back to the paper version for now. Hope this is workable soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Hey, Clemota. Were you in V2.7? It came out yesterday.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemota Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Yup - we updated as soon as it was available. Then we did lessons 106 & 107 with no problems. But today it crashes as soon as you hit the "done" button after spelling the first word - same as it did before we updated to 2.7. No other apps on, iCloud still off. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmomma1203 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I have installed the last 2 updates, have iCloud off, have restarted,deleted and reinstalled...my app won't even load now. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmomma1203 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I wish I at least had the spelling lists so I could continue spelling instruction on my own while the kinks get worked out on the app. I really don't want to spend another $15+ on buying the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 We have been trying to load the demo, and it just keeps crashing. I enter in all of our data to register and it crashes each time. :( Have deleted the app, reloaded. Have powered off the ipad and restarted. We'd love to use this when it's ready. Can you guys who've paid for it keep us updated? For now we're just using the book, I want the app as more of a supplement for DS, and to see if he prefers doing it that way. But for now, we're okay using the book, the app would just be a nice extra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Good morning, All! Well, we have finally conquered the beast! The iOS fault that was causing crashing should be defeated in V2.9 coming out very shortly. Please download that free update; I feel like Bullwinkle Moose in regard to this issue, but here goes: "This time for sure!" Thank you again a million times for your patience! A great many members of the app publishing world have been struggling through this. I keep telling myself, 'remember Windows when it first came out....' Best regards, Thomas A. Morrow President Wave 3 Learning, Inc. 126 E. Wing St. Ste 240 Arlington Heights, IL 60004 888-WAV-3LRN (928-3576) x505 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3Munchkins Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Any idea when 2.9 will be out? I just updated to 2.8 and am unable to even get past the "Instructions for Use" page without it crashing. I'm still using the demo because I don't want to purchase the program if it's not going to work. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 V2.9 is already in review and should be approved imminently. Apple is usually very good about getting interim versions through rather quickly. That said, it has been five days already, which is a little long, but I am sure they will get it done soon. Best regards, Thomas Morrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wave3Learning Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Good evening, all. V2.9 is now on the app store! Best regards, Thomas Morrow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.