Showing posts with label spelling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spelling. Show all posts

Monday, December 16, 2013

#AppMondayTAS - ABC - Magnetic Alphabet HD

Each week I will be featuring an app from BridgingApps.org.  These apps are features in the Bridging Apps newsletter each week and are reviewed by Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Special Education Teachers.  Come back each week for a new review.  If you’d like more information on how to use the BridgingApps.org website, or to find more app reviews, please click here.

 ABC - Magnetic Alphabet HD (iPad Only, $1.99)

Reviewer Comments
ABC Magnetic Board is an engaging app that can be utilized to address many different skills. It is so versatile that teachers want to purchase for use with their students it once they see it!
This app mimics the magnetic letters we grew up with and used on magnetic boards or refrigerators. It consists of sets of upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, shapes, and signs. It also has toy magnets sets related Spring, Summer, Snowy Winter, Christmas, Halloween, Party, Garden, the Russian, Korean and Thai alphabets. When a user taps a letter, American and Russian, the name of the letter is heard. This app also includes 9 backgrounds, some of which are magic and animate when completed! What a fun reward that is engaging and motivating for users.
With these magnets, teachers can address patterns, sequencing, alphabet skills, spelling, visual memory skills, visual planning skills, counting, mathematical operations and much more! Teachers can also determine how the interface will appear, from simple to busy, depending on the needs of the student.
We have found that many students can benefit from using this app. We have used this app to address sequencing the letters of a name with a number of students. One student worked intently on matching letters on a template. Though the interface was busy, this student mastered that task and increased his time on task.
Mobile Devices
Assistive/Independent
iTunes Categories
Disclaimer:

You may copy, modify format, distribute and perform the work(s), including app reviews and any data even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission provided that you: a) cite our research project and publications as follows: BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston; b) agree that we make no warranties about the work(s) or data, and disclaim liability for all uses of the work(s) or data, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law; c) when using or citing the work(s) or data, you should not imply endorsement by us; and d) do not misrepresent the work or its content, or any part thereof, or present it any manner which would have the effect of disparaging BridgingApps, Easter Seals Greater Houston or any affiliated entity or person.



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Monday, July 8, 2013

#AppMondayTAS - SpellBoard

Each week I will be featuring an app from BridgingApps.org. These apps are features in the Bridging Apps newsletter each week and are reviewed by Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Special Education Teachers. Come back each week for a new review. If you’d like more information on how to use the BridgingApps.org website, or to find more app reviews, please click here.

SpellBoard - $4.99 (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad)


Reviewer Comments
This is an extremely helpful app for helping users learn, manage and have fun with spelling word lists. You can input word lists into the app by creating a new quiz. First you can name the quiz and as you type in the word, you have the ability to categorize it according to grade level 1-12, record audio pronunciation of the word, and record a sentence with the spelling word.
Once you have created the list, the user can begin to work on learning the words by doing different activities. Included in the app is Word Scramble, Word Search, and Missing Letter game. Each of these games has "hints" built in, so for those who can get frustrated easily, there are built in prompts that help support/scaffold the student as they are learning.
Word Scramble takes the spelling word and mixes the letters up, so that the user must put the letters in the correct order to spell the word. In Word Search, the words are put into a Word Search format with the spelling words listed on the right hand side. This game can be challenging if the list is long, so for those with visual perceptual deficits, this game might prove frustrating. In the Missing Letter game, the letters of the word have one missing letter with a choice of 3 letters. The user must drag one of the 3 letters to the word with the missing letter. It is a fun drag and release type game. For each activity there is a timer that records the length of time it takes the user to complete the activity, along with data demonstrating percentages right, etc.
"Study the Quiz allows users to practice spelling the words when given the word auditorily and visually. "Take the Quiz" allows users to take a practice quiz, complete with using the word in a sentence, but the prompt is given auditorily, just like a spelling test is generally given in a classroom setting. The word is spoken and the user must spell it using their finger, a stylus or can use the onscreen or external keyboard to spell it.
You can create multiple users on this app and track data for them. Another nice feature is that the app can be used for virtually any language because you can record the audio for whichever language you need, making it especially nice for ESL classrooms. Version 1.8.1 added an upgraded sharing feature allowing users to share quizzes via email, iCloud, DropBox, Bluetooth or other iTunes file sharing. This version also added Landscape mode support for the iPad.
We have trialed this app with typically developing children in all grades, students with Down syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Global Developmental Delay K-12. Many children demonstrated much more interest in working on spelling words because they had control in helping to make the lists and recording voices or had a peer record their voice. For those with fine motor impairments, it is recommended to use a stylus or have caregiver assistance because some of the option buttons are quite small and could be frustrating for those who cannot access the screen with accurate isolation.
All in all a must have for teachers and a fantastic tool for students of all levels.
Mobile Devices
Independent Traits
Assistive Traits
Assistive/Independent
iTunes Categories
BridgingApps Categories

Disclaimer:
You may copy, modify format, distribute and perform the work(s), including app reviews and
any data even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission provided that you: a)
cite our research project and publications as follows: BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals
Greater Houston; b) agree that we make no warranties about the work(s) or data, and disclaim
liability for all uses of the work(s) or data, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law; c)
when using or citing the work(s) or data, you should not imply endorsement by us; and d) do not
misrepresent the work or its content, or any part thereof, or present it any manner which would
have the effect of disparaging BridgingApps, Easter Seals Greater Houston or any affiliated
entity or person.



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Monday, August 1, 2011

#AppMondayTAS - L'Escapadou apps - Word Wizard & Montessori Crosswords


UPDATE: Developer commented this afternoon that he will provide 3 more promo codes for Word Wizards (for a total of 5)!


Good morning! This week I am excited to share two great language arts apps by L'Escapadou that focus on developing children's phonics and spelling skills - Word Wizard and Montessori Crosswords. These apps develop children's literacy skills in an engaging way that makes it feel like they are just playing another fun game on the iPod Touch or iPad!



WORD WIZARD
Released about two weeks ago, Word Wizard is the first educational app to use natural sounding text-to-speech voices to help children learn how to spell words! This app targets multiple skills - letter recognition, phonics (letter - sound matching), spelling, and sentence construction - through a multimodal approach using touch, sight, & sound. The Word Wizard app consist of two activities - Movable Alphabet and Spelling Quiz.



Overall Features:
  • Clean, simple interface
  • On-screen instructions are provided upon launching app for the first time
  • Customization (settings allow adjustment of interface/verbal feedback/voice, custom word lists, etc.)
Movable Alphabet:
  • Children are able to experiment with letter sounds, building words, & or even writing a sentence
  • Verbal feedback (choice of letter name or sound) helps children decide if a selected letter is in fact the letter they intended; add, rearrange, or remove letter(s) to hear how it changes the pronunciation of the word
  • Choice of having alphabet presented in either upper or lower case letters
  • Letters are color-coded (consonants & vowels)
  • Innovative text-to-speech engine reads whatever words children create - even if such words don't exist, providing another opportunity for self-correction
  • Spell checker highlights misspelled/unrecognized words
  • Choice of two voices (American or British)
  • Speed & tone of voice are adjustable (for added fun)
  • Grid or free placement modes with choice of two backgrounds
Spelling Quiz:
  • Choice of using built-in lists or creating your own custom lists
  • App comes preloaded with over 100 built-in word lists organized into categories (Dolch Words, 1000 Most Frequently Used Words, Colors, Shapes, Numbers, Body Parts, Clothes, Family Members, Animals, Foods, Sports, & Nature). These lists are locked & cannot be edited.
  • Word lists can be arranged in folders
  • Same options for customization as in the Movable Alphabet.
  • Words/phrases/sentences are presented verbally for child to spell
  • Buttons at top to either hear the word again or be given a hint (provides spelling letter-by-letter)
  • Visual reinforcement (simple animation) is provided when a word is spelled correctly
  • Once a quiz is completed, a report is displayed and fun, interactive animations featuring multi-touch are presented as a reward.
Suggestions for Improvement:
  • Allow muting of background sound
  • Make on-screen help easily accessible after initial launch
  • Optional password-protection of settings panel, so children can't easily access
  • Additional voices (including a child)
  • Movable Alphabet: 1. Add other basic punctuation marks (question mark, exclamation point, etc.) to the alphabet grid. 2. Add a PRINT button (with option to hide), so that children could print the words/sentence that they write
  • Spelling Quiz: 1. Ability to copy & edit built-in word lists. 2. Ability to backup and/or share custom word lists online (preferred) or via iTunes software. 3. Option of exporting/emailing results to parent/teacher. 4. Option for parent/teacher to record the words using their own voice (more familiar to the child/student).
Cost: $2.99 (Universal)







MONTESSORI CROSSWORDS V3.0





Fun app to help children develop their reading, spelling, and writing skills using the proven Montessori learning method.


Features:
  • Clean, simple user interface
  • 300 word-image-audio-phonics combinations appropriate for ages 3/4 to 8 years old
  • Choose words according to difficulty (3 levels of phonics difficulty appropriate for ages 3 to 8 as defined by the Montessori method). Level 1 displays simple words (with 3 sounds & only short vowels) one at a time for beginning readers. Levels 2 (words with consonant blends) & 3 (words of any complexity) automatically create single or multi-word crosswords using tens of thousands of different word combinations.
  • Specialized phonics approach; focus on single letter sound, or phonic, & present only words containing that sound (44 categories)
  • Tap on letters in the alphabet to hear letter sounds/phonics
  • Child can touch the white rectangles where they must place letters to hear the individual phonics sounds within the word. The phonics sounds are chosen/played according the words displayed, so they are always correct.
  • All phonics sounds supported: long & short vowels, consonant digraphs (like "th"), & even silent letters.
  • Phonics-enabled, Movable Alphabet - allows for open-ended activities using letters
  • Choice of displaying alphabet using upper, lower-case, or cursive letters
  • Children can play independently or with adult support. Includes instructions on how to use the game as an educational tool (click the Parent Tips button on main menu).
  • 21 color, fun, & interactive visual effects are displayed as reinforcement when a word is complete. These visual effects animate & change as they react to the child's touch!
  • Developer has updated this app regularly (3 times) since it was released.
  • Also available as a Mac App, so child could play the same game using the computer.
Suggestions for Improvement:
  • Option to mute background noise
  • Main menu: Move "Contact Us", "Share", & "Other Apps" buttons onto the "Parents Tips" screen and rename to "for Parents/Teachers".
  • In settings, add option to hide/remove "tips" on activities
  • Customization - ability to add more words, use custom photos, and record using own voice
  • Moveable Alphabet: 1. Add ability to select/read by word (by using a swipe gesture?). 2. Ability to erase/remove letters by dragging back down onto the alphabet (like in Word Wizard) rather than using the trashcan. 3. Add a screen capture/print button.
  • Data collection with option of exporting/emailing results to parent/teacher

Cost: $2.99 (Universal)






ABOUT THE DEVELOPER

L'Escapadou is a family design studio that is dedicated to creating fun, creative, entertaining, and educational apps for kids. They are a homeschooling family with two daughters, 4 and 7 years old. Their apps are inspired by the Montessori Method, as they believe creativity is essential to a kid's development and well-being. App development is a team effort for this family! The mom and dad work together on the design and graphics, dad does the programming, and their daughters do the testing.

L'Escapadou is a member of Moms With Apps.



GIVEAWAY\OFFER

The developer have provided us with 2 promo codes for Word Wizards and 5 promo codes for Montessori Crosswords to giveaway to active followers and readers of the Teaching All Students blog. You can enter to win a promo code by doing the following:

1. Comment below on this post. Please state which app (Word Wizards or Montessori Crosswords) you would like to win.

2. Tweet the following: "RT @techieteacher - @lescapadou Montessori-based phonics/spelling apps #AppMondayTAS - win promo codes #teachingall #IEAR #edapp" AND comment below letting us know you have retweeted & which app (Word Wizards or Montessori Crosswords) you would like to win.

3. Like Teaching All Students AND L'Escapadou on Facebook. Leave a comment on either Facebook page about this giveaway & state which app (Word Wizards or Montessori Crosswords) you would like to win.

If you choose to do all 3, you will be entered 3 times. Winners will be announced sometime on Friday. Good luck!




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