All the latest news
It’s less than five months since the release of our first apps but in that short time they’ve charted in 9 countries (with top tens in four of those!) and we’ve had a Number one and two in the UK education charts for both iPhone and iPad. Tens of thousands of people have downloaded and with all the interest we’ve developed a ‘one a month’ schedule for the next two years.
Our latest app uploads today (22nd September 2014) and it should be on the App Store (unless iOS 8 leads to delays) within 10 days.
The new app – out late September 2014
The Science Fiction Story Machine
(by Alan Peat Ltd)
The Science Fiction Story Machine will helps both pupils and busy classroom teachers to plan Science Fiction stories (over a million combinations are possible…and that’s no exaggeration!).
The machine has eight parts:
1 Opening
2 Main character/s
3 Other character/s
4 Setting
5 Dilemma
6 Random Language Feature
7 Objects
8 Ending
Pupils ‘spin’ each of the eight parts of the machine (up to three times) to reveal a HUGE range of genre-appropriate ideas.
When ALL eight parts have been ‘spun’ the story machine collates all of the ideas into one printable sheet which can be used as a stimulus for a science fiction story.
It’s NOT prescriptive – pupils can include as many of the ideas as they wish but they don’t have to include all of them. Whether they include a few or every one they certainly will be learning a great deal about the genre.
This is the first in a series of Story machines which will cover all narrative genres. Watch out for the Fairytale Story Machine next (late October 2014) All will be priced at £1.49
Other apps
We are adding finishing touches to the iVisualiser app now (Sept 2014) so that live video annotation as well as live still annotation are BOTH included in the app (for £1.99) The app also has a ‘Freeze’ button – hold the Ipad over a pupil’s work and freeze what can be seen below (Think of it as taking a photograph – it’s the same principle BUT it’s in-app) Once the image is ‘frozen’ then the Ipad can be handed to any pupil to annotate the image on screen.
We’ve included a range of coloured pens of varying thicknesses for the purpose of annotation. Just select the desired pen then write on the screen. Pupils could circle ‘powerful words’; peer edit; highlight etc on screen! The annotation can then be saved OR undone with a single button.
If you have Airserver or Apple TV then the Ipad screen can be mirrored on your interactive whiteboard. So… you’re Ipad becomes a visualiser which isn’t tethered to a desk. You can wander around the class using it and if you wish, you don’t even need a stand! The international interest in this app (pre-launch) has been astounding.
Also in October we release the first of our writing guide apps. Each will relate to a specific genre and the first is titled ‘The Alan Peat Guide to Writing Gruesome Ghost Stories’. There’s a book’s worth of information and inspiration for the busy classroom teachers – a huge array of classroom ideas!
In November the fun really begins as we release the first of our vocabulary development games (in English) and MFL word games apps (initially in French and German).
We’re very, very busy but we’re also extremely excited. Our thanks to all of you for each and every download. The two Exciting sentences apps are still selling very well (we keep bobbing in and out of the top twenty) and the Punctuation guide is now being used in 14 countries.
I’ll blog about further developments after Christmas 2014. In the meantime follow Alan Peat Ltd on Facebook for all the latest news from the whole team.
Cheers!
Alan Peat
Alan Peat's Blog 