Saturday 19 October 2013

Lost in a sea of Apps?

Do you find yourself lost in a sea of Apps?






Here are links to the Apps/Programs for Reluctant Readers that were presented in-class:


  • Prezi - Free - Presentation Creator
  • Word Bingo - .99 - Focuses on sight/high frequency words
  • The Land of Me - 2.99 - Storybook - You choose lead character/ending.
  • Write Reader - 6.99 - Story Creation (independent/guided/shared)
  • Hideout - Free - Focus on word Families
  • Meet Millie - Free - Interactive Pop Up Story (additional books are free)
  • Learn with Homer - Free - Cross curriculum - variety of  -activities (reading, writing, etc.)
  • Cat in The Hat - $3.99 (lite version for Free) - Interactive Storybook
  • Comics - Free -  (Books $) Graphic Novels - Adventure Books
  • Razkids - Free  (School must have site license) - Interactive Reading
  • Little Speller - .99 (Lite Version - Free) - Literacy - Making & Breaking Words
  • Mad Libs - Free - Creates funny story, focuses on parts of speech




Wishing you had an iPad in your classroom?  
Wanting more apps?


Are you a PETA (Primary Elementary Teachers Association) member?

  • If you are an NSTU member consider joining this professional association.
  • You can apply for a grant of up to $300 
  • Grant Applicaton




Friday 18 October 2013

Reading... as easy as 1,2,3?

"Reading never just happens."
~PBS Series: Secret Life of the Brain~

There are so many things that need to be in place to help support reading.  It is such a complex process.  I think we often take this for granted as many of us don't remember not being able to read. 

Reading has to be explicitly taught. It is a rapid fire process made up of so many components: sounds, visual information, letter naming, letter perception, word perception, comprehension, word recognition and the list goes on.

Reading Task Analysis

We used Inspiration ($9.99) to make a chart to show the flow of the components of reading.



      Here is a link to a Inspiration Video tutorial.



Making Text Accessible to All utilizing the iPad

During class we explored a variety of apps to make text accessible for all learners, below are some link and video tutorials for programs that we explored.


Text to Speech
  • Take a photo with the camera
  • Add in Readiris (limited time $4.99) 
  • Send to Claro PDF (usually $5.99 **Currently FREE)

Here is a tutorial for Readiris which was created by our professor.


If you're new to Claro PDF, here is a video overview produced by the company.






Supporting students with Learning Disabilities & Visual Impairements

NaviDys "How to" Video created by our professor.



    Symbol Support Viewer ($59.99) 
             similar to Writing with Symbols



Check out this video of a child with Dyslexia who chooses book apps over games.


Check out my review of 20 apps for reluctant readers



Name




Video link



Price

Who benefits?

Compensatory vs. Remediation



What makes it a great app?









7.99


Remediation

Primary – 5
SLP

·         Help supports reading/writing at the same time (grammatically correct sentences).
·         Color codes visual codes & word grouping (setting can be removed)
·         Students can record their own voice







5.99

Remediation

Primary – 5
SLP
** Two levels for junior high.
·         Supports composing grammatically correct sentences
·         3 levels of play








7.99


Remediation

Primary - 6


·         Supports paragraph formation, integration of ideas and imploring higher level abstractions by inference
·          Uses audio clips to support ASD or sensory processing disorders
·         3 levels of play
·         Students can record their own voice
·         Stories can be emailed
·         Photos can be imported from camera/library






.99

Remediation

Primary - 8
Grade 2 – 4 Reading Level

·         Supports reading comprehension
·         10 stories based on Aesop’s Fables
·         Comprehension quiz
·         Words can be defined or read to user
·         Font size can be resized
·         Stories can be read using  iPads Speak Selection option in Accessiblity








.99

Remediation

Primary – 5
SLP
·         Conduct assessment in rhyming, blending, segmentation, sight words, fluency, and word attack
·         Quick assessment with recommendations
·         Good for parents & teachers 






Free

Compensatory

Elementary & Junior/High School
·         Features Reading Logic: zooms to next logical place
·         Bookvault: virtual library you can access from anywhere
·         Many reading features: single/dual page, speading reading view, etc.
·         Highlights words







1.99


Remediation

Elementary
·         Focuses on making connections between letters and sounds, sounding out simple words and spelling the words they’ve read
·         4 levels







1.99/
book

Compensatory

Upper Elementary – Junior High
·         Focus on Gulliver’s Travels & Greek Methology
·         Audio based: words are highlighted while being read by narrator
·         Features can be adjusted on each page (word reading, highlighting, etc.)







4.99

Remediation


·         Focus on reading, writing and spelling phonetically, identifying consonants and vowels, phonograms - writing and pronunciation , letter sounds, pronunciation and composition  and how to compose, identify and spell phonetic words
·         Ability to construct own stories
·         Alpha Spy – “I Spy” feature






2.99

Remediation
·         Hear sounds with a talkable, movable alphabet
·         Multiple voices, alphabetic or Qwerty keyboard, phonics or letter name when letter is touched, magnetic grid
·         Reads all the words created as a sentence or word by word
·         Adjustable speed & tone






Free

Remediation

Pre Primary – Grade 1
·         Teaches phonemes, starts with sounds and letters, moves to words, and then sentences
·         Focus on sight words, punctuation, blending and spelling
·         Uses fables, rhymes, poetry, folktales, songs, etc.
·         Parents can track progress, access book recommendations, or download printables using the parent website





Free for   1 book

10.00/
mth

30.00/
6 mth

Compensatory

Elementary
·         Library of books themed according to interest
·         Books can be read aloud or user can read book independently





2.99

Remediation

Early Elementary
·         Focus on vowel sound
·         User can hear, touch, read and work toward mastering sound-spelling through a variety  of activities, movies, and songs






2.99

Remediation

Early Elementary


·         Focus on letter sounds, first words and handwriting/letter formation
·         User is taught letter sounds and then shown how to blend them to sound out words
·         Parents/teachers can monitor progress online and receive weekly email of progress





Free



Remediation
·         Book level selected for each student by teacher
·         Tracks student progress, days since last login, parent views.
·         Highlights words & reads aloud or students can read independently & record own voice
·         Students can access from home
·         Can assign running record or quiz for comprehension




6.99

Remediation

Pre-Primary – Elementary


·         User can make or participate in making books and learn to read at the same time
·         Shared app with parent/teacher/peer who “translates” child’s writing
·         Books can be saved, printed, posted online or emailed
·         Vowels and consonants are framed in coloured squares
·         Record & play function for child to record voice




Free

Remediation

Early Elementary

·         Focus on sentence building & structure
·         Word games with pronunciation & illustrations to help solidify spelling & meaning
·         Fiction & non-fiction
·         8 Levels





Free
(first book)

Remediation

Pre Primary – Early Elementary
·         Phonics based instruction
·         Voice over audio with highlighted text
·         Sound out words by touching
·         Speech bubbles
·         Read on your own or read to me mode
·         Teaching notes & printable activities
·         Optional supplementary instruction focusing on phonemic awareness, print concepts, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and sight words
·          






1.99

Compensatory

Text-to-Speech
·         Clear, natural sounding speech
·         Copy emails, documents, web pages, PDF files, etc.
·         Create audio files that can be emailed
·         Highlights words as they are spoken
·         Adjustable font size, speech rate and volume
·         Multiple languages