We’ve all seen story apps with knockout art and animation – digital eye candy so vibrant, lovely, and/or filled with whimsy we may just want to slip into this new world and stay forever. Which is why adults, who do all the reviewing and buying of kids story apps, go gaga for apps that look great. And of course, story apps need to look great on the screen. After all, we’re talking about creating content for a visual medium.

But story apps have the word “story” right in there for a reason. They need an actual story to qualify. A boy sitting down to slurp a loooong noodle isn’t a story. When a length of pasta is a story’s only protagonist and it doesn’t even speak or do anything, well, we’ve truly entered the realm of PDD (Plot Deficit Disorder).

by Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Ph.D. This article makes the case that good grades matter far less in school than developing internal strengths like critical thinking, compassion, and curiosity.

Even for children who naturally perform well on academic tests, a good grade is only one measurement of success.

===> A few things that school testing cannot measure include: <===

- Open-Mindedness

- Effort

- Social & Emotional Intelligence

- Critical Thinking

- Initiative

- Creativity

- Collaboration

- Curiosity

- Respect

- Kindness

- Capacity to love

- Honesty

- Compassion

Internal strengths, like those listed above, are far more important to a life of success and well-being than whether a child earns an “A” on an Algebra exam or are accepted to a top-rated university. In fact, many tests only measure a student’s ability to produce a correctly memorized answer.