An apple a day...

Over the past week I have been watching webinars regarding general topics for students with special needs.  The first webinar I watched was a fabulous one on Top Apps.  I gained a ton of information about ways I can support my students (or help other teachers in other subject areas support their students).  For this blog post, I wanted to share  the top apps as discussed in the webinar and then give a bit more information about what I see as the top apps in my experience.  I have divided them into categories by major uses but remember the apps are only limited by your imagination - they are often cross curricular and can be used for a variety of students with various needs.

Please feel free to post your favourite apps so we can continue sharing resources!

Here we go!!

Sensory Regulation: calming relaxation, difficult with transitions,

-My Fish 3D Free

(horizontal or vertical mode) – touch the screen and get all sorts of

-Pocket Pond

-Bubble Popper (would be great for cause and effect work in young children as well!)

Literacy Skills:

TikiNotes – word prediction – offers alternate access (alternate keyboard for people with find motor difficulties, accessing the regular keyboard is tough) – can email it out!  This will be fabulous for some of my older students – written output issues, auditory processing issues as well

Dragon - must be online- need access to the server – very articulate – can plan an idea – language is good – vocab is strong – but output challenges

Photo booth – take into book creator, making silly pics, manipulate pics, motivating, story starters, language development,

ABC’s Writer – enhance fine motor, motor control, trace letters, ;learn letters, choose various colors, etc.

ABC Phonics – family phonics, beginning sounds, phonics sounds, popular with SLP’s, language development, emergent literacy learners

Sentence Magic – ABC Magic – ABC Magic 4 – emergent literacy learners, letter sound memory games, sound letter associations, phonemic manipulation,  sentence formulation, picture/sound match, sound matching,  (A MUST HAVE SERIES OF APPS)

PicCollage – make a collage of your pictures! Students who don’t have the literacy skills to write a test for example on the lifecycle of a plant, they could make a collage and put them in order instead.

Cool Fingers Faces – take pictures of your fingers and then dress them up.  Hilarious! Use for emotions discussion, autism students, make stories about finger character, reluctant writers,  ebook creator and make a book about it later,

Touch Emotions

Science/Social Studies:

Google Earth – for visual learners, people who require visual reinforcement, geography social studies and distance

Google Search App – can search google with voice

iTunes U – full courses of tons and tons of topics, take free courses!, entire course loads for free! , lectures, videos you can access, pdf documents to download, web links, good for enhanced learning, free content,

TED – 20 minute lectures or videos, tremendous for gifted students

Maps – directions, geography, outdoor experience course

TourWrist – tours of panoramic views from around the world,

Eye Witness – beautiful and provocative photos from around the world, stirs on conversation, current events discussions, engage reluctant learners

 Science 360 – no text in this app – from National Science Foundation, videos on science topics, no reading involved,

NASA – with IOS5 you can have speech selection and have info read to you, detailed info about planets, space curriculum, beautiful videos and images

iCell

General Communication/Executive functions (planning):

Notes - note taking, great for executive functions and planning difficulties, keeping track of assignments, quickly send to email to pass in or print

Reminders – difficulty with executive functions and planning. Calendar, tasks

Calendar – memory, executive functioning

Messages App – texting, easy to use, people who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate instructions, safety issue (used as a modern way to keep track of students who may be a flight risk),

Howcast – free how to videos, visual learners, concept of sequence of steps, students who need rehearsal, LD, ASD, Aspbergers

Speech Button – alternative communication, augmented communication, non verbal communication – great for introducing at a very simple place (more, no, yes, .) clear recorded voice, great place to start for augmentative communication

iSpeech Text to Speech

Feelings – digital recorded video, feelings

Math:

Grade 2 Math Worksheets – (ties in with Splash Math Apps) – Place Value and Number Sense worksheets are free.

Math – pre algebra, geometry, algebra – banked video lessons, must have wi-fi, for people who need reinforcement of math lessons

Quick Graph – 2D and 3D effects, graphic calculator

Preschool Games - Little Puzzles Toys – Grasshopper Series (not all apps are free) but you can sign up and get alerts if new apps come up and you’ll get them for free if you evaluate them, individualize your own puzzles, drag and drop and build the puzzle, can put your own pics in!

MathTappers – 7 Apps in this Math app series, all free, wide variety of topics, reluctant math learners,

Chronological Age Calculator