Great App for Spelling

I have been using Spelling magic with my students. I have downloaded Spelling Magic 1,2,3.

**Spelling magic 1 works on 3 letter words (a words, e words, i words, o words, u words and double consonants). With Spelling Magic 1 you can target individual 3 lettter words or work on several types at once.

**Spelling Magic 2 works on 4 letter words with consonant blends. You can select the category of words you would like to work on , such as animals, home, actions and so on.

**Spelling Magic 3 works on long phonetic words with 7 letters.

Each one works on picture identification, letter name, letter sound and spelling. I have been using this in my class and the students really like it.

List Making

There is an ap called the iRecorder. With this ap, a student who has difficulty writing was able to create a grocery list. This recording is then accessible within the ap under the name that the recording is filed under. The student took the iPad to Walgreens and accessed the ap/ recording. This will need a little more work as I needed to assist with identifying which recording was hers. She liked this avenue of making a list. There is no way to "cross" items off, so I needed to facilitate this portion.

Enlarging

As simple as it seems, being able to enlarge print on the screen by simply touching it...thumb and index finger moving away from one another...was HUGE for my VI student. She had experienced this function with her parent's phone, but was never able to use it due to the size of the phone's screen. She "loves" the iPad. Typically with a laptop or desktop, there is another step involved in order to make print on the screen larger. This usually involves a function key. I realize that this is a very simple function that the iPad has, but honestly, its simplicity makes a huge difference for this VI student and others here in the district.

Useful app

Here is a application that some may find useful. The application is called Flashcardlet. Its nice to put definitions on the front of the card and the student will read through them and then guess the word on the back. This is just a more advanced "index card" version, but is nice because the students can't destroy them and you can make an unlimited number of lists in the program. Therefore they could be used all year and again the next. Also they can be taken anywhere you take the iPad so it would be a nice thing whenever there is downtime in a trip or activity. (plus cards can't get lost!!) Just a quick free app I though I'd throw out there in case some liked it.

Contacts

This idea won't blow anyone away, it's rather simple...

There's alot of relevant information that can go into the contacts application, improving the usability of the phone or tablet. When the phone rings a picture displays of that person, the ability to simply type a name into the maps or email application, etc. If the device is supposed to be more than a toy, it seems silly not to utilize this. Below are some screen shots from the iOS app, I'd imagine Android has similar fields. I think there's an opportunity to get creative with this depending on the individual, and whether or not they see the information as helpful/relevant.

OGT apps

Has anyone discovered any OGT apps yet?  I put in a request to Itunes for one, but I do not know what will come of it.  Kevin

Welcome Back to School!

It's hard to believe that summer is over and we've finished the first week of our new school year already.  I hope that you all enjoyed your iPads this summer and have become more comfortable using them.  I discovered so many new applications and had so much fun with mine.

We have completed the process and been approved for the volume purchasing program and are ready to start purchasing apps for you.  Nine of you requested ProLoQuo2Go to download and use with non- or limited-verbal students.  For those of you that aren't familiar with the app, it is very similar to many of the communication devices used by some of our students - and at a much lower cost.  It allows children to tap pictures to develop sentences that will help them communicate their wants and needs.  The application's website offers several great introductory videos  - click here to view them.  I would encourage those of you that have the app to go to the website and sign up for their newsletter - they are beginning to offer free Webinar's for new users.

My hope was to develop a process (i.e. for those of you who know me, that means FORM) for purchase requests, but I haven't made it to that point on my To Do List yet.  In the interim, I would ask that you send me an email of the top 5 apps that you would like the district to purchase for you, and include a BRIEF rationale of how you will use the application with your students. PLEASE be sure to comment on the blog about great applications that you are currently using, or after we purchase them, so that others can benefit from them as well.  On the flip side, warn us away from apps that you've tried and dislike.

Finally, I would like to know what your training needs are.  We've purchased 20  more iPads to distribute, so another "beginner" session will be offered, and you are welcome to attend if you need it a second time around.  I'm thinking that many of you are ready for an "intermediate" session where we can talk about advanced applications, short cuts and have an opportunity to share favorite apps.  Post your ideas on the blog!

Buying Apps

Does anyone know if/when apps will be bought for us? I agree that a lot of the free ones don't give you everything until you purchase the full version.

I downloaded MeeGenius. They have some books for free that are read out loud while having each word turn red while they read each word. There are also books to buy and I would love to purchase some.

Standards

I downloaded all of the math and language art standards. When you download on the internet, you can click on the box with an arrow and clock on add to home screen. It's nice to have at any time.