German with Moritz

German with Moritz is a vocabulary learning app for all ages but mostly aimed at KS2, KS3 and GCSE level students. The app opens up onto the homepage which is a bright and colourful house with lots of different rooms. The app is user-friendly and easy to navigate around. You simply click on a room in the house and it opens up that particular room showing lots of different items. The user can then click on any of the different items to hear the pronunciation of the selected item. 

 

Once inside a particular room the user can then select Moritz wearing a mortar board to bring up a list of all the words located in that room and you have to select the word and drop it over the item which you think that word means. It is a good test feature within the app, though this can be problematic at times as the items are located within such close proximity of each other that it can often be difficult to select the item you wish. Users will then score ten points for each item that they identify correctly with the score being counted up and located in the menu section of the app. 

 

Users can also scroll up from the bottom of the screen after having selected a particular item of vocabulary to reveal that item of vocabulary used in sentences and also similar items of vocabulary, e.g. if the user selects a stool in the kitchen, the user can then scroll up to reveal other items of furniture which is a particularly good point to the app. The items of vocabulary and the sample sentences are in both German and English. 

 

The content of the vocabulary is very relevant to the KS3 and KS4 curriculum. Perhaps there is some unnecessary vocabulary but on the whole the vocabulary is applicable to the curriculum. Unfortunately the user cannot access all items within the syllabus from the homepage but through the settings icon and from within certain other lessons. Despite the fact that not all features are accessible through the homepage, the content of the app is second to none with a vast array of vocabulary available. 

 

The app meets its objective of being a good vocabulary learning app which is both educational and entertaining. It is fun to use and easy to navigate around. The ability to browse words in the same category is another advantage. Users will find the app interesting, innovative and interactive. Viewers are able to guide their own way through the app at their own pace. There is one area where the app could make improvements and this is concerning the amount of items of vocabulary in each room - sometimes the app offers too many items of vocabulary. Having said that, the app is both engaging and informative, in terms of its purpose as a vocabulary-learning app.