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Teacher's app spells success for students.

Byline: Simon Gaskell Reporter [email protected]

A TEACHER from Cardiff has taken her mission to improve students' literacy standards outside the classroom - by creating a spelling app.

Hannah Macfadyen, 28, an IT co-ordinator at a Canton primary school made the app - called Word Ninjas - during last year's summer holidays.

The app, for seven to 11-year-olds which has both a free and paid-for version, was released this week. Hannah, from Llandaff, said her aim was to harness enthusiasm pupils had for using touch phones and tablets to engage them in something fun and educational.

She told the Echo: "iPad technology in school has really opened up the opportunity to use all the great apps out there.

"I looked at how the kids were responding to them - they were really engaged and motivated to use them.

"I thought; if I can harness that motivation to use apps with something like spelling, which some children can really struggle with, then that'd be great."

Word Ninjas sees youngsters play as spelling-conscious ninjas to learn important high and medium frequency words. There are four games and a master quiz.

"A lot of the spelling apps out there are quite babyish and phonic - for kids who haven't grasped spelling basics by year four or five," Hannah said.

"I wanted to produce an app more for their age range and be able to engage them."

After coming up with the idea Hannah created a power point presentation and went to a developer. Hannah says she wants the app - which has no in-app purchases or third party advertising - to help children from across the region.

And she would like to create more in the future.

"I think there should be more apps with Welsh in mind."

Word Ninjas: HF, developed by Angel Applications, is available from the Apple App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

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Teacher Hannah Macfadyen has created a spelling app called Word Ninjas: HF, to improve children's literacy outside school PETER BOLTER
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Publication:South Wales Echo (Cardiff, Wales)
Date:Jan 11, 2014
Words:333
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