Apps

Using the iPod over the weekend makes me think of the song “My Baby Loves Me Just the Way That I Am.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM5B7STkS1o

The song, although about a relationship, is about feeling appreciated for who you are, and just how you are.  This is how I want all my students to feel, and it is my experience that most teachers feel the same way.  The opposite is here, and this is my technology in the classroom, which is not so great.  Lyle Lovett’s Skinny Legs, about if only I had this..., then this would happen.  I often use it with students and about talking about self-esteem, interpreting text, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNHgHjImRTM.  I think I am thinking in terms of songs because I have been playing around with YouTube for the course.

The iPod, I think has the potential to make students feel respected - a real biggie.  Not being a fluent reader HAS to take a toll on your self esteem. Kids, in general, are caught up in what their peers think about them already.  If they have a perceived or real deficit, it can chip away at them.  Something compact and fun like the iPod can really open doors if used properly.  It holds great potential:

20 apps for Reluctant Readers (and we all have some of them):

1.       TikiNotes (this is a new 6 key typing program that anticipates what you are going to write.  I found it a bit slower to use than normally typing, but that is because I know how to type already.  I can see how it would be useful to someone who does not know how to type and finds looking for keys a time consuming thing.  As well, the keys are large and only appear 6 at a time so it makes the choosing easy.   As you type a word, the program gives you three choices that you can choose (and shortcut the writing out of the word) or ignore.   The keys in this program are in alphabetical order, so it makes sense to kids. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPqR8Ubb6h0

2.       Dragon Dictation.  You will see the words you speak appear on the screen. You can save them, email them or text them.  You can speak right into the screen or microphone and it will translate it into text, which you can edit.  This is amazing and free !!!!!!!!   .  Go to about 1:29.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf_qaoXvX6g&feature=player_embedded#at=157

3.       vBookz One of my very favourite apps.  You can choose from over 3000 classic novels (Moby Dick, for example) that come with the app.  You can pick a book you want to read from the selection the app provides and you can read it or read along with it and it will narrate and highlight the words as they go.  The second option you have is to have a text that you choose read to you. You can scan a book/ document, transfer it into a readable iPod format (though the computer program Stanza Desktop and then transfer vBookz.  I am looking forward to getting familiar with this free app.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48cY9lK6jCQ

4.       Typ-O  “Wow!” Barbara had mentioned this and when I saw it noted in the webinar, that is what I wrote in my notes.  It is an amazing app.  There is word prediction, auto correction, and you can listen to the words before you choose them.  You can also listen to what you have written before you send it off, or whatever you want to do with your text.  This is a great app for readers who have difficulty spelling and writing – those with dyslexia and dysgraphia, for instance.  This app is $4.99. 

5.       Wordle is a game app.  You will get a list of letters and you have to try and create as many words as possible with them.  It helps with spelling and word creating.  You can compete against yourself, get into teams, etc.  You can even post your score on Facebook.  There is also a website if a child was super interested in it. This app is $.99 and could be used by many age levels.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPlFS-4cC30

6.        Sideways.  The student would write selection into keyboard, export text to email or copy/ paste.  The keyboard can also be turned sideways for bigger font and fewer typing mistakes.  This app, I would imagine would be used by children in upper elementary and on into high school and beyond.  This app is $1.99.

7.       Montessori Puzzles.  A great website for kids.  Children are given pictures that they need to spell out (ex. Cat in level one); the players are to drag and drop the letters into the covered boxes.  The program sounds out any letter the children touch.  This is a great program for phonemic awareness and it fun for kids  This app is $2.99.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c-oRe-nFGk

8.       Pictello .  The player of this app can make his or her own story books with pictures imported or with picture you take from the iPod Touch camera.  You can type what you like to say on the picture or you can record it.  You can type something underneath the pictures as well. The program can be used with any curriculum and you can share your files on iTunes.  Made by the same people who created Proloquo2go.   A great program.   This app is $14.99. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLPV5m2bwNY

9.        Miss spell’s class.  I went on this app, but was disappointed.  It was very advanced and I had to think about the answers.  Also, it would not let me go back and correct when I realized I had made a mistake.  This would not be great for reluctant readers. I am including it because I thought (mistakenly) by the font and the title that it would be geared in a different way.  Also, there were ads at the top of the screen.  This app is free.

10.   Question builder This app will allow students to practice answering questions based on cues.  It will read the player back his or her answer or he or she can listen to what has been said. This app was created specifically for autism students, but I could see using it with many reluctant or struggling writers.   This app is $3.99.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbBUq2lYMaM

11.   Storybuilder.  This app will allow students to build their own stories based on pictures.  The player must answer in full sentences in audio; he or she can play back, move forward.  It prompts with questions to move along the story and teaches tools to reinforce story writing skills. This app was created specifically for autism students, but I could see using it with many reluctant or struggling writers.  This app is $3.99.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbBUq2lYMaM

12.   ABC Pocket Phonics. This is a sound letter association app, and is geared towards young learners. Words and letters are sounded out and words are put together (spelled) by the young child.  The YouTube video attached is a great example of a young child in action. This app is $2.99.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW9WGj5dINA

13.   Itsy bitsy spider interactive book.  This is a great app, as it is interactive and fun for children.  Music plays throughout; children can poke at the spider, the water spout and learn about nature.  Interest level would be high when using the book, so even reluctant readers would probably be engaged.  This app would be geared more towards young learners.

14.    Animal Farm Cliff Notes.  What a great in class program for struggling readers and for those that have some comprehension problems (especially because of their reading).  Students, in Newfoundland anyhow, take Animal Farm in grade 10.  What a great thing to be able to look for yourself the chapter summary, etc. We know that struggling readers take much more effort and energy concentrating on getting the words that sometimes meaning is lost.  This would help them do catch up. I am planning on using this with my students in the fall.

15.   Food Fight.  An interactive book for young children.  Children can be read to, they can read along, can be read to by you, and can interact with the characters.  This is a really fun app for young  kids. This app is $3.99.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntDEbCdpsWg

16.   Nancy Drew: Shadow Ranch. This is a terrific app.  I can imagine some of my students loving this app.  The difference (other than the obvious technology) is that players of the app can choose which way the book goes, there are options given, so students have some ownership in how the story turns out.   Students can follow along with the text as the pages are read to you.  A high interest book for students, and I can imagine students from grade 5/6 up to high school liking this app.  I still enjoy Nancy Drew and read some of her stories from time to time and I have long since finished high school.  This app is $1.99. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7FO3-a_sT8

17.    TumbleBooksToGo Munsch 6-Pack.  There is a large selection of popular children’s authors, Robert Munsch being one of them.  This app is geared towards emergent readers, kindergarten to grade two.  This app is $5.99

18.    Moving Tales, Pedlar Lady.  This app is very interactive and interesting.  The books come alive on the page, people are walking, etc.  Very exciting to read.  There are many books in the Moving Tales Series, $4.99 each.  This app would be applicable and interesting to children from elementary up to adults, so it hits a large market.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mfm9dwLzdU

19.    ABC Phonics.  This is an app for young children.  The app has flashcards that sound out letters that make up a word, the graphic for each word in the picture (example ape is spelled out).  There is also an animal match section and a balloon pop (if you get the correct letter).  This would be an excellent instructional tool for preschool children.  Price is $1.99 (or free for the lite version).

20.    Proloquo2go.  It seems that I could not finish off the list with the most recommended site out there.  I did not purchase it, as the price is 189.99, but it comes highly recommended and I believe is used a lot by schools.  It is often used by children/ students who have communication disorders. It appears to be a very user friendly app, which would entice children to pick it up and interact with it.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuKv0Z2_HMo

Other apps that seem like they might be of interest for reluctant readers:

21.   Quick reader lite

22.   3d words

23.   Abc phonics

24.   VOD Lite

25.   Starfell (alphabet keyboard)

26.   Pic My Puzzle

27.   Image to Text

28.   ABC...Touch

29.   Scrabble blast

30.   Image to text

31.   Voice reader text to speech

32.    Kidart (easy to use drawing pad

33.   VOD Lite

34.   Big magnifying free

35.   Zoom reader

36.   Image to speech

37.   Puzzle my picture

38.   Talk assist

My three favourite apps:

This is a hard one, as there are so many that seem fantastic.  I think what I will choose are three that I think would be very applicable for me in my job, so they are:

1.       vBookz

2.       Dragon Diction

3.       Story Builder

I have chosen these three because they do stand out as being exciting and practical for my particular group of students.

vBookz can handle many forms of text and introduces kids to many, many pieces of good, well written classics, and will read it to the kids (or whoever is using the app).  Lots of exciting potential there.

Dragon Diction is a free program that kids can speak into, their words will get translated into text and they can send or manipulate the words into papers, emails, etc.  I think especially for struggling teenagers this program will have a great effect.  What a weight off your shoulders to speak your story out, and have it turn into printed text.  I can imagine a huge chunk of time being saved with homework, for example. I think this program will have students reading and writing. I think allowing them to use iPods in class will be pretty amazing for them, so I think they will submit to using whatever programs I suggest.

Story Builder: I really like this program because it takes you through the steps to writing a story.  It provides prompts, and in doing so, models how a story should be written.  Over time, this has the potential to really help establish a tool kit for writing a story.  I can see using this with many age levels, mostly from grades 3 to 8.

I had my brother’s girlfriend come and bail me out again.  I was not able to sync up all of my apps between the computer and iPod.  I knew I was doing something wrong, but I could not figure it out.  Sweet day, the heavens parted when Kat came and fixed me up in five minutes.  I told her she was currently my lifeline.  No pressure. J

I had been manually re-downloading the apps onto the iPod Touch.  Barbara sent me an email saying I could borrow and should get an updated iPod Touch as the one I am using does not have all of the functions, so I knew I would have to figure this out, never mind the time saved.  Onto the next thing that I do not know.  The good thing, as I keep mentioning, is that I am learning.  This makes me very happy.