Product Review of Daisy the Dinosaur
This app is designed to introduce programming to kids from an early age. Through a user-friendly interface, kids can relate easily to the app and understand the basics of programming by dragging and dropping objects along with the screen. This process helps them get the hang of sequencing loops and objects.
What Users Love About the App
“Easy to use, especially for young kids.”
“Overall, I like this app. The children do as well. I think it is a great “next step’” in an introduction to coding. It is always amazing to see their reaction when I say that we are going to learn how to “talk to a computer.” I think it is great to point out that this is a simplified version of how programmers make their favorite video games. This app is great for beginners and an awesome extension to Robot Races. The students are successful in getting the character to move and then there are more challenging levels for students who are ready to try harder coding. This app is also a great launchpad to other more difficult coding apps. This app has also become a great “fast finisher” tool. Students can choose to do some “coding” when they have finished their required work. This is great for the students who do not like to “read when finished” because some reading is happening without them even knowing it.”
“This is a great beginner programing app for young students. It gives them confidence as they pass through levels and solve problems.”
“Great for small group collaboration. At the basic level, they can make the dinosaur move, spin, jump, grow, etc. At a more advanced level, “when” commands can be included. A free app that is a good introduction for Hopscotch by the game developer.”
“I was looking for a way to introduce the concept of “programming” to the youngest learners, and this fit the bill. It introduced the concept of writing instructions that the computer would follow in a simple way that the young students could understand. I liked that it had a directed mode and a free-play mode. The directed mode served two purposes in my mind—to introduce that a computer program solves a problem and to introduce the concept of programming. I liked that there were more commands in the free-play mode than were demonstrated in the directed mode. And I especially liked that it simply executed the commands; if Daisy grew too big for the screen, you could no longer see her head and feet. This really drove home the point that the computer does what the commands are.”
What Users Dislike About the App
“I would have given it a 5, but Freeplay mode is a bit buggy and it does not give you unlimited movements. Overall, it is great for kids! But please add a grade selection.”
“The app is really fun but the levels is really easy. Also, there might be some more things Daisy could do but I keep getting bugs.”
“This app really does teach the basics of computer programming, which is really cool. It is simple enough for very young kids, BUT kids have to be able to read well to learn to play it. It would be nice if the app had an option to read the instructions to you, so younger kids could learn it independently. The character, Daisy Dinosaur, seems to be for very young kids, and the instructions are certainly simple enough for them—if only they didn’t have to deal with the frustration of using early reading skills to stumble over the words. I think Daisy is a bit too cutesy for older kids, but they would feel more confident in reading the instructions. If parents don’t mind reading the instructions though, the commands are easy to read for beginning readers, and kids as young as 5 or 6 could play it once they learn how.”
“I think the concept is good, but it needs to be expanded in order for it to be great. Here are some requests for improvement: 1) A lot more challenges. The current challenges are great, but they are very limited. 2) More commands. 3) Ability to place objects in free play mode to give the user a goal. 4) Music and sound effects because silence in games is equivalent to boredom. Thanks for making this and releasing it for free!”
“An excellent app for younger children to start learning about coding. However, it is a limited app that really only services the basics. That being said, it does the basics very well and it would be a good place for younger kids to start. It has potential to be used in the classroom if they want to get an early start on coding and can be used to transition to other topics in a classroom setting.”
