Introducing Bamboo Learning for iOS: First Ever Touch & Voice-Enabled App for Children that Boosts Reading and Listening Comprehension Now Available on iPad and iPhone

SEATTLE, Dec. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Bamboo Learning, Inc. today introduced the Bamboo Learning App for iOS, a touch and voice-enabled reading and listening comprehension learning program for children in Kindergarten through 5th Grade. The Bamboo Learning app offers children a unique, voice-driven, self-paced experience for reading and listening to books and incorporates interactive activities to improve reading fluency and comprehension, promote active listening, expand vocabulary, and boost confidence.

Bamboo Learning features over 25 free books and hundreds of free reading and listening comprehension activities levelled for each grade from K through 5. Up to six children per family can use Bamboo Learning independently. Bamboo Learning is a free download, available today in over 170 countries in the Apple App Store at http://www.bamboolearning.com/iosapp.

HOW DOES BAMBOO LEARNING WORK?
After parents go through a simple, one-time setup wizard and select an animal avatar (cat, elephant, frog, monkey, pony, tiger) for each child, children can easily use Bamboo Learning without requiring parental or caregiver assistance.

Each day Bamboo Learning's (human-narrated) Panda greets each child, and guides them through activities appropriate for their grade level. Children may select a book from a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction titles via touch or using their voice. Then children embark on a first-of-its-kind, interactive literature experience with professional narrators reading the story and beautifully designed screens with illustrations and text to follow along with the narrator. Every few sentences or paragraphs, depending on the grade level, the narration pauses, and the Bamboo Learning app offers listening comprehension questions. Children may answer questions using either voice or touch – we leave the choice up to them.

Bamboo Learning's pioneering, patent-pending solution evaluates children's voice responses or touch responses and provides immediate feedback to the learner. The Panda praises children when they answer correctly, and supportively nudges them to try again if they answer incorrectly. To keep children engaged, Bamboo Learning includes professional custom-designed sound effects accompanying both correct and incorrect answers; children earn tokens (with accompanying sound effects) when they answer questions correctly.

"As a former educator, I know how critical conversational learning is to boost children's in-context reading and listening comprehension, vocabulary, and narrative skills," said Irina Fine, Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer, Bamboo Learning. "Bamboo Learning for iOS is the first-ever app to offer children a choice to respond using their voice or touch. We're so excited to make it available today for families to use on iPads and iPhones in over 170 countries."

FOLLOWS STANDARD K–5 CURRICULUM
Bamboo Learning's educational activities are designed around the standard K–5 curriculum and aligned with the Common Core and other state standards. For each grade, there are thousands of reading and listening comprehension activities and questions based on fiction and nonfiction books, legends and fables from different cultures, fairy tales, and more. Examples of comprehension activities include:

• True or False: The second billy-goat Gruff was going up to the hillside to make himself fat. Is this true or false? (The Three Billy-Goat Gruff, Kindergarten)
• Actions, Behaviors, Feelings: How did Peter feel when he rushed all over the garden? (The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Grade 3)
• Expand Your Vocabulary: What is the definition of the word DISTINGUISH — (A) to break open, or (B) to tell apart? (The Emperor's New Clothes, Grade 3)

"Bamboo Learning's iPad app offers great books for each of my kids, who are 4, 9, and 12 years old, and they are already improving their reading, listening, and speaking skills," said Shayle E., high school teacher and mother of three from Kingston, MA. "Bamboo Learning has been a fantastic resource to use at home with my children during remote and hybrid learning."

BAMBOO LEARNING PLUS FOR ACCESS TO COMPLETE COLLECTION OF BOOKS Bamboo Learning also announced Bamboo Learning Plus, an in-app subscription to over 100 fiction and nonfiction books and thousands of reading and listening comprehension activities from Bamboo Learning's publisher partners, Highlights for Children and Teacher Created Materials. Bamboo Learning Plus is only $3.99/month per family, for up to six users, providing incredible value to help children boost literacy skills throughout their elementary school years. Families can start with a two-week free trial to Bamboo Learning Plus by clicking on the "subscribe" button within the Bamboo Learning app.

Some Bamboo Learning titles include:

Bamboo Learning (free)

• The Three Billy-Goats Gruff (Kindergarten)
• Rumpelstiltzkin (1st Grade)
• Cinderella (2nd Grade)
• The Emperor's New Clothes (3rd Grade)
• Aladdin (4th Grade)
• Peter Pan (5th Grade)

Bamboo Learning Plus (subscription)

• Counting Stars (Kindergarten)
• Davy Duck's Grumpy Day (1st Grade)
• The Skeleton Crew (2nd Grade)
• Balto the Sled Dog (3rd Grade)
• Delmar and His Disappearing Dog (4th Grade)
• Creating a Symphony of Steel (5th Grade)

A complete list of books is available at http://www.bamboolearning.com/iosbooks.

The Bamboo Learning app is available on all iPads and iPhones with iOS version 14 or later.

To try the Bamboo Learning app, download it from the Apple App Store at http://www.bamboolearning.com/iosapp. To learn more, visit http://www.bamboolearning.com

SUPPORT FOR BAMBOO LEARNING'S EXPANSION TO APPLE DEVICES

To further support Bamboo Learning's expansion to iPads and iPhones, Bamboo Learning also announced today that it has been accepted as a member of Amazon Web Services' EdStart program, AWS's startup accelerator for EdTech companies. Additionally, to help fuel the expansion to iOS, Bamboo Learning announced it has received funding from venture capital funds, angel investors, including three former Amazon vice presidents, and the Day One Fund, an investment syndicate with significant participation from Amazon veterans.

ABOUT BAMBOO LEARNING Based in Seattle, Bamboo Learning is the award-winning leader in voice-powered education with a mission to bring engaging, high-quality learning experiences to customers worldwide. Bamboo Learning develops applications based on K–5 standard curriculum that enable children to have fun learning and practicing different academic and afterschool subjects. Bamboo Learning applications, including the Bamboo Learning for iOS app, and the Bamboo Learning Alexa skill, offer a range of challenging and engaging activities to help children master different levels of subjects.

In three years, Bamboo Learning has won 5 industry awards, and has been a finalist or otherwise honored for 11 industry awards. Awards and honors include:

• Bamboo Learning – Project Voice Education Developer of the Year – 2020 & 2021
• Bamboo Math – Voice Summit Awards Best Multi-modal Experience – 2019
• Bamboo English (2021), Bamboo Luminaries (2020), Highlights Storybooks from Bamboo (2020) – Webby Award Honorees – 2020 & 2021
• Co-Founder & CEO Ian Freed – Voicebot Top Design & Product Pros in Voice – 2020

Bamboo Learning's co-founders are Ian Freed, CEO, and Irina Fine, COO. Ian Freed is a thirty-five-year veteran of the technology industry, including twelve years as an executive at Amazon, having served as vice president of Amazon devices, where he led both the Amazon Echo & Alexa and the Amazon Kindle businesses, and served as technical advisor to Amazon founder and former CEO, Jeff Bezos. Irina Fine is a thirty-year veteran of curriculum development and teaching, having worked in public and private sectors of education in New York, Washington DC, London, and Moscow.

Connect with Bamboo Learning, and learn more at: http://www.bamboolearning.com, Instagram: @learnwithbamboo, Facebook: facebook.com/BambooLearning, Twitter: @learnwithbamboo, YouTube: http://www.bamboolearning.com/youtube

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Press Inquiries: Ian Freed for Bamboo Learning [email protected]
+1 218-4BAMBOO

Media Contact

Ian Freed, Bamboo Learning, 1 2064197566, [email protected]

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SOURCE Bamboo Learning