Breaking the Barrier Spanish ibook... Wow!

[Patches]

I just downloaded the newest version of this. You have to have an ipad (and likely a recent one.)

 

It costs $14.99 for the text book with all the audio embedded. You can fill in the answers on the worksheets right in the book. The answers are there so you can check yourself by pushing a button. There are great clear explanations. This is a great text book in regular form. The ibook part makes it even better.

 

It is beautiful. The vocabulary pages alone are worth 15 dollars. You can click on a word to get a picture showing the meaning, the translation in small gray text, and the audio from what sounds like a native speaker. These are really beautiful. It would be fun to study!

 

Check out the screenshots and read more:

 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/breaking-spanish-barrier-level/id546684157?mt=11

 

Here is a quote from an e-mail the author sent: "We will always have our regular textbook, but this approach is a wonderful one combining audio and self-checking and other multi-media beauty. I am teaching with it this year in class. My students are blown away."

 

If you have a 7th grader or older child and want a great Spanish text book this is a winner! The 2nd and 3rd year books are also available and also only 14.99.

[crazyforlatin]

Thank you!

 

People can try a sample by opening it up at iTunes and sending a sample to the iPad. It doesn't have to be the new iPad, but iBooks has to be the most updated version.

 

I wonder if the textbook is still necessary, whether having the app is complete.

Edited September 11, 2012 by crazyforlatin

[Halcyon]

I just downloaded the newest version of this. You have to have an ipad (and likely a recent one.)

 

It costs $14.99 for the text book with all the audio embedded. You can fill in the answers on the worksheets right in the book. The answers are there so you can check yourself by pushing a button. There are great clear explanations. This is a great text book in regular form. The ibook part makes it even better.

 

It is beautiful. The vocabulary pages alone are worth 15 dollars. You can click on a word to get a picture showing the meaning, the translation in small gray text, and the audio from what sounds like a native speaker. These are really beautiful. It would be fun to study!

 

Check out the screenshots and read more:

 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/breaking-spanish-barrier-level/id546684157?mt=11

 

Here is a quote from an e-mail the author sent: "We will always have our regular textbook, but this approach is a wonderful one combining audio and self-checking and other multi-media beauty. I am teaching with it this year in class. My students are blown away."

 

If you have a 7th grader or older child and want a great Spanish text book this is a winner! The 2nd and 3rd year books are also available and also only 14.99.

 

 

Omg! I wanted to use this curriculum but balked at the price! We have been using Easy Spanish Step by Step for two weeks now, quite happily...now i am going to have to consider switching :001_huh:

 

Eta: okay, this is AWESOME.

Edited September 12, 2012 by Halcyon

[Luckymama]

Wow, books like that would be great for other languages too!

[simplyme99]

I've been looking for something exactly like this!!! Thank you :D

[Satori]

Oooh, this does look fantastic, thanks for letting us know!

[Halcyon]

I've been looking for something exactly like this!!! Thank you :D

 

:iagree:

[Patches]

I wonder if the textbook is still necessary, whether having the app is complete.

 

 

I e-mailed the author with this question. It is not necessary. He is using the ipad book only in his classes this year.

 

The same school puts out "breaking the french barrier" but I have not seen that in ibooks. It might be coming!

[abbeyej]

Oooh! Any word if they'll be coming out with the French ones soon?

[Patches]

I have not heard. The french ones are from a different author, but the same general idea.

[JadeOrchidSong]

Omg! I wanted to use this curriculum but balked at the price! We have been using Easy Spanish Step by Step for two weeks now, quite happily...now i am going to have to consider switching :001_huh:

 

Eta: okay, this is AWESOME.

I thought of you right away when I saw this thread. Hope you can try this out for the fraction of the hard copy book price. I am really excited to try this when we finish GSWS.

and can you compare this and Easy Spanish after/if you try this?

[crazyforlatin]

I wonder if the textbook is still necessary, whether having the app is complete.

 

 

I e-mailed the author with this question. It is not necessary. He is using the ipad book only in his classes this year.

 

The same school puts out "breaking the french barrier" but I have not seen that in ibooks. It might be coming!

 

Yippee! I'm in CA, so when I called the company it was closed.

[crazyforlatin]

Actually I found Book 2 at a library book sale for $1.

[Patches]

The author of the Spanish series emailed me again.

They are working on an ibook version of the French books which they plan to launch in 2013 late spring or early summer.

 

Also, the speakers are native!

HTH

[Amy Jo]

Y'all are making me want to buy an iPad...

[warneral]

What do you think the minimum age would be? 7th grade is quite a long time from now for me. I"m thinking this looks awesome! I may continue with our current plan and use this for the next thing we do :)

[crazyforlatin]

Y'all are making me want to buy an iPad...

 

What I did last year was gather all these apps in my wishlist so that there would irrefutable evidence that I needed an iPad. :D

[crazyforlatin]

What do you think the minimum age would be? 7th grade is quite a long time from now for me. I"m thinking this looks awesome! I may continue with our current plan and use this for the next thing we do :)

 

I used French Book 1 with a first grader, but I think it's usually used by middle or high school kids, according to the other board.

[Halcyon]

I thought of you right away when I saw this thread. Hope you can try this out for the fraction of the hard copy book price. I am really excited to try this when we finish GSWS.

and can you compare this and Easy Spanish after/if you try this?

 

Will do. We did one lesson today and ds liked it a lot. We are contiuing wi Easy Spanish too, so i can see how the compare.

[Halcyon]

What do you think the minimum age would be? 7th grade is quite a long time from now for me. I"m thinking this looks awesome! I may continue with our current plan and use this for the next thing we do :)

 

I think it is fine for my 5th grader. My 2nd grader listens in, too, but i dont require as much from him.

[Renaissance Mom]

Does anyone know if you could really use this BTB Spanish app on an ipad mini? Or would it be too small to get the most out of the interactive part?

[crazyforlatin]

Does anyone know if you could really use this BTB Spanish app on an ipad mini? Or would it be too small to get the most out of the interactive part?

 

If you have an iPad mini, you can download a sample from iTunes.

 

I had problems last year with using just the sample. Apparently it takes up a lot of storage, which should not have been a problem for my iPad, but it crashed or kept trying to load. So I deleted the sample.

 

Yesterday, I downloaded the sample again. Seems to be working but I'm reluctant to buy it due to a couple of reviews on iTunes.

 

As for font size, it seems fine for an older child, but my DD would get eye strain, and I'm using iPad 2. You can't enlarge it as it would stop the audio.

[StephanieZ]

All 3 levels are there, too. Each for 14.99. I am rather excited. THanks for the heads up!

[StephanieZ]

I just pulled the plug and bought level one to test it out with my 10yo for a change of pace. I think we'll enjoy it! The price is awesome, and the interactivity looks like loads of fun. I love the audio component built right in!!

 

How do you TEST using this resource? I see there are end of chapter reviews/tests in the iBook, but is there an answer key somewhere, or do you just compare with the suggested answer? Do you just tell the child NOT to use the suggested answer? I've found my kids tend to slack on memorizing stuff if I don't make them do vocab, etc, quizzes regularly. What's your plan for that aspect?

[kiwik]

I want an iPad. There are lots of reasons against - I don't have 750 odd dollars, it would be incompatible with everything else I own etc. But all the cool stuff seems to be for ipads

[StephanieZ]

I want an iPad. There are lots of reasons against - I don't have 750 odd dollars, it would be incompatible with everything else I own etc. But all the cool stuff seems to be for ipads

 

$399 for a refurb iPad 2 Wifi from the apple store . . .

 

I'm thinking about getting a second one for the kids, because I don't want to share mine, lol.

 

iPads are wooonderful. I looooooooooooooooooove mine, lol.

[kiwik]

Don't think that option is available here. They can, of course be purchased second hand but I don't like the idea of buying expensive fragile stuff from unknown sources. I will be able to afford one in a few years probably. Or someone I know will upgrade and sell me their old one:-)

[Renaissance Mom]

I just pulled the plug and bought level one to test it out with my 10yo for a change of pace. I think we'll enjoy it! The price is awesome, and the interactivity looks like loads of fun. I love the audio component built right in!!

 

How do you TEST using this resource? I see there are end of chapter reviews/tests in the iBook, but is there an answer key somewhere, or do you just compare with the suggested answer? Do you just tell the child NOT to use the suggested answer? I've found my kids tend to slack on memorizing stuff if I don't make them do vocab, etc, quizzes regularly. What's your plan for that aspect?

 

I had emailed the publisher a while back about this same question. He said that tests and answers are available only with their self learner print packages. He said that the app contains the full text plus all those fun interactive tools, but that many parents wanted to use it as a supplement. He uses it in his classroom, but he adds tests, quizzes, etc. Sounds to me like he is justifying getting people interested in his curriculum with a relatively inexpensive app, and then you have to buy the more expensive package to get the testing. I figure I can make my own quizzes.:)

[Renaissance Mom]

If you have an iPad mini, you can download a sample from iTunes.

 

I had problems last year with using just the sample. Apparently it takes up a lot of storage, which should not have been a problem for my iPad, but it crashed or kept trying to load. So I deleted the sample.

 

Yesterday, I downloaded the sample again. Seems to be working but I'm reluctant to buy it due to a couple of reviews on iTunes.

 

As for font size, it seems fine for an older child, but my DD would get eye strain, and I'm using iPad 2. You can't enlarge it as it would stop the audio.

 

I don't have any sort of ipad yet. My hubby managed to score $400 of bestbuy gift cards using his frequent-stayer hotel points and gave them to me to buy some sort of ipad to use for school. I'm trying to figure out if I want an ipad 2 or an ipad mini. I need to stay on the basic end of whatever I choose because I can't spend much more than the value of the gift cards. I really want to be able to use it for this sort of educational app -- plus maybe some upper levels textbooks and possibly one of KnowledgeQuest's timeline apps for starters. I suppose I need to go to a store and actually look at both sizes and then decide. Sigh. Who has time to go fiddle with electronics at bestbuy? If I have to bring my kids, my son will go into some sort of electronics-induced ecstacy coma!

[JadeOrchidSong]

 

 

I had emailed the publisher a while back about this same question. He said that tests and answers are available only with their self learner print packages. He said that the app contains the full text plus all those fun interactive tools, but that many parents wanted to use it as a supplement. He uses it in his classroom, but he adds tests, quizzes, etc. Sounds to me like he is justifying getting people interested in his curriculum with a relatively inexpensive app, and then you have to buy the more expensive package to get the testing. I figure I can make my own quizzes.:)

Do you mind sharing your quizzes? That would be great! We are finishing up Getting Started with Spanish. We may follow up with Breaking the Barriers. Thanks!

[SunnyDays]

Old thread alert... :)

 

I did a search, trying to figure out what to do after GSWS next year. Holy moly, loving the look of this iBook!!

 

Wondered if, as some of you have been using it for a while, anyone has any feedback. I did get the sample and it looks great, just wondered how everyone is doing with it now? If you all didn't find that it totally flopped, LOL, I think we will give it a whirl.

 

I'd be especially interested... Halcyon, did you end up sticking with BtB, Easy Spanish step by step, both, or neither? That's the other I was looking at. But I love that this is interactive.

 

[Matryoshka]

Now I'm all cranky that I don't have an iPad. We have a Windows tablet dh won for free, and it's hard to justify an iPad when we have another tablet... but I think dd would be much happier with the interactive book than the printed one! I already own the teacher's book and tests from when I did them with my older kids...

[SunnyDays]

LOL... Yeah I wondered how much I'd really use it, but my iPad is now permanently attached to me.

 

Bumping in hopes of feedback! :)

 

[NittanyJen]

Are you guys kidding me??? I saw BTB at a friend's house, got all excited, and ordered it, and NOW I see this thread??? I could have just spent $15 for each kid's ipad?

 

I wonder what the return policy is . . .

[zoo_keeper]

Keeping an eye on this thread in case they ever release a non-ipad version...

[katilac]

Are you guys kidding me??? I saw BTB at a friend's house, got all excited, and ordered it, and NOW I see this thread??? I could have just spent $15 for each kid's ipad?

 

I wonder what the return policy is . . .

 

There is quite a bit in the self-learner package that is not included on the iPad textbook, in particular the tests and test key. I also think that writing out answers is a big memory help (as opposed to just entering it on keyboard). I will get the French version when it comes out, but as a supplement, not a replacement.

 

I spoke to them a couple of weeks ago, and they said June for the French version, so very soon if they were correct.

[Matryoshka]

How do you TEST using this resource? I see there are end of chapter reviews/tests in the iBook, but is there an answer key somewhere, or do you just compare with the suggested answer? Do you just tell the child NOT to use the suggested answer? I've found my kids tend to slack on memorizing stuff if I don't make them do vocab, etc, quizzes regularly. What's your plan for that aspect?

 

 

I just popped over to the site, and they say they now have a self-learner package with Tests on disc as well as hard-copy. I'm not sure how that works, or if that includes the iPad app or just PDFs? Where are you guys seeing this $15 iPad version? I don't see that anywhere on their site...

 

But I wonder if he'd just sell you the Test package if you asked nice? I taught a small group, so I needed four student books, one teacher guide, answer keys for my students that were not my kids but not for the ones that were, the test package and test answers and the CD, but I really didn't need the Oasis thingy. He just let me put together my own bundle... of course, I was buying more than what's in the standard bundle, not less...

 

Curious - could the audio on the iPad version negate the need for the audio CD??. Would you still need an answer key for the iPad version, or does it self-correct somehow??

 

There's also good stuff on the website under "Free Stuff" and I also found his "Ideal Lesson Plan" helpful - you'll see he does a lot more in the classroom than just use the book.

[StephanieZ]

The ipad version does self correct. It is standalone, other than no separate tests. Look in the itunes store.

[StephanieZ]

I just checked. You have to go to your iBooks app, then go to the iBooks store from that app. Then search for breaking the barrier, and all three levels are there, 14.99 each. You can order a free sample to test it out before paying. hth.

[NittanyJen]

"How do you make them review vocab/etc with the ipad version?"

 

I am starting my kiddos on it in the fall. One prefers the print version, the other, who has dysgraphia, has already said he prefers the ipad version.

 

I bought myself the ipad version to get a jump-start on them. My plan is to work ahead, and simply converse with them from the book, and periodically quiz them myself. Can't be that hard, right? :). We do it in Latin! We also have several Spanish-speaking kids in our church. I may find out if any of them need tutoring in any subjects, and maybe arrange a swap-- they come speak Spanish with my kids in exchange for say, math tutoring.

[BlessedMom]

This is an old thread.

Anyone willing to give an update on your experience with this Spanish Program?

 

Tia

[Carrie12345]

Ooh, yay for old threads!

Anyone know if it's possible to to run for 2 students?  (Looking at French, specifically.)

We have 2 iPads, but one of them is probably going to kick the bucket soon.

[katilac]

I broke my own rule - I am allowing younger dd to use the ipad version of French 2 without the workbook, but we do already own the tests and quizzes CD, and she does write in her notebook. 

 

She did very well on the first test, and her sister is ahead of her and can tutor her, so we'll see how it goes. We have plenty of supplementary workbooks as well, should she need them (I think she's motivated to get high grades so I don't jump in and say she needs them!). 

 

We also have Spanish 1. Older dd wound up taking Spanish through dual enrollment as well, so she hasn't used it for her text, but she does refer to it when the grammar in class is just. too. slow. 

 

You probably need a book for each student - you can download it on more than one device, but I'm thinking it would automatically sync all the work? I'm not sure. We have one ipad that makes the rounds on a daily basis! 

[EndOfOrdinary]

The books are synced through your apple id.  As such, in order to call up the book on two different iPads you have to use the same Apple ID on both.  This can cause a nice slew of problems if you have two people using the different iPads (ask me how I know :cursing:  there were lots of cuss words).  If money is incredibly tight, then okay.  But, honestly, it is well worth the 15 dollars to just give in and buy it again. 

You can pay for family sharing between iPads.  I cannot remember how much this cost, but essentially you all share the same data programs, books, games, etc. and can do it from different devices somehow.  We opted not to do this because I use mine for work and Ds uses his for school.  The super old, rather destroyed iPad is the gaming one.  There really was not a giant need for us to share info other than a few school items, so I just fronted the cash instead of the family sharing.