REVIEW: Voice Dream Reader- Text to Speech by Winston Chen

Voice Dream Reader - Text to Speech by Winston Chen (iPad / iPhone; $9.99 at time of review w/ small in-app purchases)

Cross posted at The Appy Ladies and Small But Kinda Mighty


Voice Dream Reader by Winston Chen is classified as an educational app but could definitely fall under several categories. It can be used as an assistive tool, for educational purposes, or simply for pleasure. It is exactly what the title sounds like- it reads aloud for you, highlighting each word and line. There is a small in-app purchase (currently 99 cents) to open up access to Bookshare (account required), which means you could load one of many classics from Bookshare, set down the iPad and listen to a book while taking a drive, or relaxing in the bath. To make it clear- you can exit the app and it will still read to you, which is a wonderful feature! You can also insert any text of your own into the app as well, and have it read to you in a variety of colors, text sizes and fonts.

What I love:

Universal App- no need to buy separate apps for those with other iOS devices
Built-in Tools such as Dictionary, Bookmarks and Search Feature
Useful Settings- sentence rewind/fast forward, a sleep timer and more
Ability to type directly in Voice Dream Reader! - this is super for school work tasks!
Integrates with a variety of media: ebooks (from Gutenberg), PDFs, web pages, Powerpoint, Microsoft Word, ePub, Plain Text, Apple Page, MS Powerpoint
Integrates with Pocket and Instapaper Reading Lists
Integrates with Bookshare for small in-app purchase (currently 99 cents)
Built-in Internet Browser- grab text from the Internet right from within the app, add web addresses to the app and access content from those websites at any time!
Optional Voices- comes with one quality Acapela tts voice, "Heather"; allows you to add additional voices (55 voices in 20 languages) for small in-app purchase (currently $1.99 each)
Translation Capabilities (in-app purchase of "credits")
Vision/Reading Disabilty-Friendly- variable font size, and customizable color choices for highlighting of read word, selected word, and line; adjustable reading speed
Special Font for Dyslexia- OpenDyslexia font

There are several handy features I wanted to highlight:


Easily save text to Voice Dream Reader-
You can copy or paste text from a variety of places into the app, including word documents, PDFs etc. You can even open a web page through the embedded web browser in Voice Dreamer Reader.  Copy and paste a section of text by pressing/holding the screen for a moment until it highlights blue, pressing copy and then pasting into a new document OR simply save the web address by pressing the blue save button to the right of the browser window- A pop up will say "Smart Save" or "Save All".  Smart Save should be used for a simple text entry.  Save All will save every bit of a text on a page- including page tabs, headings above videos etc. the text from that web page will automatically show up in the Voice Dream Reader.


Editing- Editing saved entries is easy. Just tap the pencil symbol to bring up the current text. You can edit with the iPad or iPhone keyboard and press save to keep the changes.  You can type whatever you would like in the app with the native iPad keyboard as well, which is very useful for school tasks, such as writing a book report, answering questions about a text etc.  It is easy to delete an entry also, just swipe to the right and press delete. While I like this feature, I would like to see a setting to turn off editing so that items cannot be deleted without going into settings- this would make it more friendly with motor difficulties, or for curious fingers. 

 


Jumping to Next Entry- After reading a saved entry, the Reader jumps to the next entry.  If I don't want to read the next entry, I can easily tap the screen and then tap the Home symbol to return to the main menu.

Bookmark - Voice Dream Reader will automatically "bookmark" your reading by reading exactly where you left off when reentering a text, but you can also add multiple bookmarks to spots you want to return to later.  To add a bookmark, just tap and hold the screen to bring up the Bookmark toolbar.  The section you bookmarked will highlight briefly, then a bookmark symbol will remain in the margin of the text until you delete it (press and hold on the symbol to remove it).

Dictionary- press and hold a word to bring up a definition of it. I haven't found a word it didn't recognize yet.  It even knew  "vestigial" and "exaptation"

Vision and Reading Difficulties- A mulitude of customizable settings for users with vision or reading problems. There is customization of text size, style and color. The background can be set to light, dark, or any custom color you want through the use of a color picker. The text color, as well as the line color, spoken word color and selected text color can all be set separately. The text size can be set from 13 to 37 point. ( I would prefer it to go up to much a higher point for more severe vision difficulties.)

Using Voice Dream Reader as an Assistive/Academic Tool
If you are the parent of a special needs child as I am, you probably won't be using this while taking a relaxing bath any time soon, but you may be interested in using this as an assistive tool!

My almost 9 year old son is on the spectrum and has both fine motor and visual motor delays which impact his ability to read and write at grade level. Voice Dream Reader has several features that may assist users with a reading or visual disability. Having access to educational literature that I can load in to Dream Reader is very helpful for my son as a grade schooler, but I imagine even more so as a middle schooler, high schooler or college student, when the educational demands increase.

One of my son's issues is copying from the board. Instructions or materials can be copied and pasted into the Voice Dream Reader from a web page or other sources so he can have the material directly in front of him, and if need be, plug in headphones or turn down the volume and use only the highlighting and font features to assist him.

Dream Voice Reader integrates with Bookshare for individual accounts, and recently organizations as well! Many districts offer access to Bookshare, and when we get back from Winter Break I will definitely be looking into accessing an account through my district- currently there is a very reasonable fee of 99 cents to access Bookshare- this is available as an in-app purchase.

Another neat feature is the search window to find a word or phrase within a text. This is super for going back to reread a portion of a text to answer comprehension questions, or if lecture notes have been entered, to find that exact spot where a specific topic was discussed- The only caution would be that the user know how to spell exactly what he/she is looking for or results will not come up. If the text was entered through the editing feature incorrectly, say the user made a spelling error when they created the text- the user will have to use that same improper spelling to pull up that entry as well.  A poor speller may need someone to help with this feature.

 Another setting I have found useful is the Focused Reading Mode- to access this my son simply pinches the screen to black out the top and bottom of the screen. By the way, you can make it even more focused by changing the background to black, text color to black, then choosing whatever contrasting color to highlight the line that is being read. This way only one line of text will appear on the screen at a time!

Wish List (I always have one):

Technology Limitations- Technology still hasn't quite caught up yet in a few areas: (Intonation and Pronunciation)- As with any non-human, Heather just isn't smart enough to know when to make her voice go up or down, or know how a word is pronounced at all times, especially when it comes to names. She also has a hard time differentiating between words that shift stress according to their part of speech label- for example "content", as in "material" was read as "content" as in "She feels content". This problem is not unique to Heather (this is a top of the line, well-respected text to speech voice)- it is a limitation of text to speech engines in general. But perhaps there could be a work around in place for exceptions that the user can set up manually within the app, such as an "exceptions dictionary".

Access to other ebooks, like iBooks, Kindle books- then I could use this to read my special needs books while on the go. Dream Voice Reader is unable to integrate with copyrighted materials. This is not a fault of this app, so it looks like this will remain on the wish list. Unfortunately, I believe this is a restriction placed by Apple.

Support for images - It would be wonderful if images could be copied along with accompanying text- it can feel a bit disjointed when reading about a picture that cannot be seen.

More support for users with disabilities -   A person with poor spelling will need help accessing the dictionary feature as no result will be found.  This app would be incredible with word prediction support while in text editing mode, and would be a wonderful option for in-app purchase!  Also, I would like to see a setting to turn off editing so that items cannot be deleted accidentally. This would make it more friendly for users with motor difficulties, or for curious fingers.  Additionally, if the text size could be increased to about 80 point, this could help users with more severe vision difficulties too. (Update: the developer is looking in to a larger font size- larger fonts take up memory, so ways to address that will be looked at.)

  

**FINISHED**



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REVIEW: State Bingo and Road Trip US by Niyaa

State Bingo and Road Trip US by Niyaa ($1.99 at time of review, iPad only)

 

ITunes Description:

Buckle up and ride with Pep the car to discover amazing US destinations. Play a game of classic State Bingo and look for clues on a beautifully illustrated US map. Play the brand new Road Trip US game. Travel to random destinations or choose to drive along the historic Lewis and Clark trail. Win the game to send states to statehood. Enjoy fun animations as Pep the car cheers you along.


State Bingo game:
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Play bingo, solve state riddles and put your map reading skills to test. Win and send a state to statehood. Fun animations during game play.

Easy :- Riddles are easier. Reference map is fully illustrated.
Medium :- Riddles are harder. Reference map is fully illustrated.
Hard :- Riddles are harder. Reference map only has state names. You answer questions by state shapes instead of names.

Road Trip US game:
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Travel east, travel west and move Pep the car on the map. Reach the destination state before all your tires go flat. Pick one of three random state neighbors to drive to. Answer at least one question to move Pep to the next state. Beware of dead-ends on the road trip. Drive along historic trails like Lewis and Clark.

Easy :- Game allows for endless exploration without flat tires.
Medium :- Riddles are harder. Game ends after 4 flat tires.
Hard :- Riddles are harder. Game ends after 2 flat tires.

Key Features:
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- Comprehensive data set covering elementary state geography.
- Fully illustrated map of the US to help practice map reading skills.
- 600+ questions in the game.
- Fun animations during game play.
- App created in collaboration with teachers and keeping common core standards in mind.
- 3 levels of game play.
- Bonus learn key historic trails, state events and dates.
- Fun geography learning blended creatively into game play.

What you will learn:
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-State capitals
-State shapes
-US regions
-Map navigation
-State neighbors
-State facts
-State landmarks
-Landforms – rivers, mountains, lakes and oceans
-Topography
-Natural resources
-Nicknames
- National parks
-State flowers
-Neighboring countries
-Historic Trails
-Statehoods

Recommended Ages: 7+ years
Categories: Geography, Game - Family, Kids, Trivia

Although the recommended age is 7+, my five year old is enjoying this as well- I do need to help him read the instructions and quiz questions, and hope voice overs will be added in the future for users of all ages at different reading levels.  State Bingo and Road Trip US is visually rich, with its colorful map of the US and gorgeous illustrations.  

The Road Trip game is really clever.  You choose a historical route and then select states along the way as you answer trivia about the states.    When a quiz question is answered correctly a tone will sound to signal this and the car will move forward to the next state the user has chosen-this also requires careful planning- are you watching the map and picking the shortest route? If you are not careful you might end up at a dead-end, unable to travel to a neighboring state. At the end of each "trip" if you have succeeded with a passing score, you collect a "statehood", which is placed in chronological order along a viewable timeline.




 
The Bingo game is equally fun, and again you are awarded a statehood with a score of 60% or better. You can access the US map by tapping the magnifying glass symbol during play. (We have been playing the easy mode but you can make game play even more challenging by choosing medium or hard.  Hard for example, removes the written labels under each state on the bingo grid.)

Please enter to win a code for State Bingo and Road Trip US here:  a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 

 

 

 

REVIEW/ GIVEAWAY: Count to 100! by FuzzyBees

 

Count to 100! by FuzzyBees (1.99 at time of review, iPad only)
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While there are a large number of math apps on the market, only some do it well, and even less have children with special needs in mind- Count to 100! does. And while clearly developed with special needs in mind, Count to 100! would make a great reference tool for any young child learning how to count. As others have pointed out, this is also a very useful app for early addition and multiplication skills. The child can use the visual patterns to help solve simple math problems.

The developer is the parent of a child who has special needs, so it is no surprise that she would build on that knowledge to incorporate features that would be most beneficial. The features that stood out to me were the simple uncluttered visual background, and the use of visual and auditory cues to guide the learner. There is also a mechanism to prevent access to the settings unintentionally- the child needs to touch the house symbol and then touch it quickly again to exit to the settings. In addition, a number of customizable features in the settings allow the parent, educator, or child himself- as you can see in the video- to adjust settings to fit individual needs.

Settings:

Count To:
You can change the amount of numbers displayed on the screen- you can choose between 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 or 100.



Count By:
You can practice counting by 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, or 25s? (Normal Mode only)


Mode:
Normal- numbers have to be tapped in the right order.
Tap Any- any number can be tapped anywhere on the screen (this is great for learning and exploring, whereas Normal mode is great for practicing).



 


Numbers:

How do you want the numbers displayed - will they remain on the screen throughout the task (Always Displayed), or should they appear only when touched (Displayed When Tapped)?

Sounds:
Numbers- when turned on numbers will be spoken when tapped.
SFX- if on, a soft buzz will sound when a number button is touched out order; when Number sounds are off, a soft tone will play when each correct number is touched.
Music- turn the music on or off, without changing the sound effects.

These "special" touches did not go unnoticed as I tried it with my own two children. My 8 year old is autistic, and his younger brother who has some delays as well as ADHD and sensory difficulties, is somewhere on the spectrum. Despite being nearly four years apart, both children are able to benefit from Count to 100! My youngest is in kindergarten, is practicing learning his numbers, counting, and making simple number patterns. My oldest is in 3rd grade and is using Count to 100! as a visual and auditory homework tool for simple addition and multiplication.



Using the App:

When the start button is pressed, a tone will sound to signal the beginning of the task. The type of task is displayed on the screen as well- you will see my five-year-old refer to it and correct himself as a result of this visual cue. I prefer to have the numbers displayed for my youngest-he is still getting used to many of his numbers- I hide them for my oldest as an extra challenge. Both respond well to having the number spoken aloud when correct, and an incorrect buzz sounding when an incorrect number is touched. In the video of my 5-year-old, you will see him start to rely on the visual pattern as he works on completing his tens. Once he has this mastered, we can try this with the numbers hidden.

Simple, consistent praise is used when a task is completed. There is verbal praise "Yay", followed by clapping and a quick "Fuzzy Bees" animation to signal completion of the task. The child can press the replay button to do the task again, or return to the settings screen to change the task/ adjust the settings.

See a short video below:

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=Ifsv11RfO9s&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIfsv11RfO9s%26feature%3Dyoutube_gdata_player

Wish list (I always have one!)
- Perhaps there could be a way to adjust the size of the buttons in the settings so children with motor impairment could benefit from this learning tool?
-Could there be a setting to turn off the highlighting? This would make it closest to a paper and pencil task, which would be the least amount of scaffolding for the child. I would like to see how my child does without the visual cues after he has had plenty of practice with the highlighting on.

I really don't have much to nitpick. Perhaps next "Count to 500" will come out to meet our needs as my children grow older? This developer definitely go inside my head on this one- it's a lovely simple and effective tool for learning. I am glad to have Count to 100! available to my children- especially at homework time. What's 2+2? 10x 3? Go check for yourself!

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GIVEAWAY: App Maker - Learn How to Make Your Own Apps!

 App Maker by Crazy Dog Apps Pty Ltd




Crazy Dog Apps has offered Special Apps,Special Kids fans 5 codes for their app App Maker- an app to help you figure out how to make your own app!  This especially appeals to me as a special needs parent and someone working with students with special needs- I am often jotting down notes on what I would like to see included in apps for our kids. 

App Maker has tips on the steps you will need to take to make an app, and even has an "ideas" section where you can get started jotting down your app plans right in App Maker!

Perhaps this will give you the jump start and inspiration needed to get that app in the App Store! 

Enter for your chance to get your app ideas ironed out below:
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REVIEW: TOBY Playpad by Autism West

  

TOBY Playpad by Autism West Tweet
($94.99 at time of review, iPad only)

What is TOBY Playpad?

FYI this is an Australian app and some vocabulary and pronunciations are different from American English- See Developer's Notes for plans to address this. 

TOBY Playpad, by Autism West, is a comprehensive program SPECIFICALLY developed for children with autism, after years of research.   It is an incredible resource for a parent (or perhaps a new educator) who needs to know how to teach a child with autism - as it literally walks you through what to do and say, step by step, as you and your child progress through the program.  TOBY stands for Therapy Outcomes By You, and this is definitely an accurate acronym- you will become both your child's guide and active partner when using TOBY Playpad. I'll let you read more about the TOBY Playpad program here

Features:
Research based
Created by autism specialists and specialists in related fields

Very comprehensive - covers a variety of learning tasks on and off the iPad in four learning domains: (imitation, language, sensory, social )

Helpful in teaching your child to attend

Likely useful for children with other speech and language delays
"Real World" activities in different settings to cement what your child has learned on the iPad
Engaging; fun; no negative reinforcement used
Consistent rewards- always the same length; rewards can be accessed separately in case you need access to them at another time.

Gives you a snapshot of your child's strengths and weaknesses

Allows you to upload progress to a server as a "back up" if your data gets lost
No expertise needed- the app will guide you through each step of learning
Help guide within the app & online help forum

What I love about TOBY Playpad


TOBY was developed specifically for children with autism.

All of the tasks were developed with the input of specialists who work with autistic children, and are based on years of research.  TOBY Playpad focuses on four main areas of learning - Imitation, Language, Sensory, and Social. The first three activities have tasks to be completed both on and off of the iPad; the Social tasks are solely off the iPad (NET- Natural Environment Tasks).  There are a variety of tasks such as copying drawings of shapes on the iPad screen, matching up like images on the iPad, matching up like objects in real life, receptive vocabulary tasks, expressive vocabulary tasks, matching colors, imitating actions such as put on hat, imitating CVC words, working on eye gaze while singing a song, making noises with homemade musical instruments,  and much more.  There are even tutorial activities for iPad skills such as dragging and pointing (the pointing tutorial does not distinguish between isolated or non isolated finger touches).





Fine Motor Imitation, Basic

    



  

working on gaining attention and sharing a gaze during a moment of fun

TOBY uses modeling, prompts and positive reinforcement to help your child learn.
Toby introduces new words and concepts through the use of modeling and/or prompts.  I really like how TOBY Playpad does not use negative reinforcement by labeling the incorrect item when chosen. When an error is made, the object chosen in error simply shows a red No symbol, and a verbal prompt is given, i.e. "No, Try Again."  Then if the next attempt is wrong, both a verbal and visual prompt will be used - a prompt such as "Try this one" is spoken, while the correct object flashes and an illustrated hand points to the correct answer.  The verbal and visual prompts will continue if the user keeps making an error, however you will notice a written guide for the facilitator in the upper right hand corner : "Prompt: Hand Over Hand".  The facilitator should prompt the child and guide him to the correct answer for positive reinforcement - the name of the item will be spoken and verbal praise/reward token given before moving on to the next item.


Being introduced to a new word; below he chooses incorrectly, and then is rewarded for a correct choice.




TOBY works on imitation skills.

 

Action with Objects: NET Activity (Getting Dressed: Hats)




Copying, Drawings Activity



Oral Imitation, Consonants task

TOBY teaches you how to teach!

The activities included in TOBY Playpad are outlined for you and also include tips on how to prompt and reinforce during each activity, so there is no level of guessing.  There are also lists of what common materials you should have available. In addition, there is a guide that you can access from within the app.  There are sections for troubleshooting as well.  If needed, there is an online forum too. There are some resources on the TOBY Playpad website also, including printable templates and materials lists: http://tobyplaypad.com/resources/
 

Each activity is laid out step by step, with tips on how to prompt and reinforce.

TOBY is fun!

My own kiddos are verbal and actually ask to play TOBY- The handful of  kiddos I've used it with seemed to enjoy the predictability and structure of the program; we have been using the program over the past month or so.  The fireworks reward, hands down has been the most popular, although all the reward games get chosen.  FYI, there are tips within the app on how to keep your child motivated when using TOBY Playpad too.

TOBY fosters learning across environments...

Learning Together....in the real world

As many of us may have experienced, a child can be a superstar at identifying items on a computer task, or in the speech therapy room, but then struggle with doing so in real life.  TOBY Playpad teaches skills both on the iPad and off, using simple materials and items from the real world.  The wonderful thing about this program is that it actually teaches you skills that can transfer to any environment.  Once you start to go through the program and experience different NET (Natural Environment Tasks) activities, you will see how you can create similar opportunities for learning through everyday activities using the techniques planned out in TOBY.  Many of the images I have included are our own activities using principles outlined in TOBY.  We are especially excited because these NET activities have fit right in with our Autism program funded here through our Regional Center, RDI (Relationship Development Intervention). You will see that TOBY Playpad actually takes the best components from a variety of methods (I see elements that line up with RDI, floor time, ABA for example), to give you a very well rounded, comprehensive home program that will likely compliment whatever program you are doing elsewhere.

 

How do I know this will work?

You don't know. This is not a miracle cure, nor will it be the right fit for everyone, but there are several steps you can take beforehand to give your child the best shot at succeeding with TOBY Playpad.  I can say that I have used this with my own two (verbal) children on the spectrum, and a handful of nonverbal preschoolers, and was excited to see them all interested and engaged in the program, with at least some successes for all.  However, I had in mind who might be a good fit before even introducing the program to them.   

Here is a questionnaire to help you determine whether TOBY Playpad might be a good fit for your child:  
http://tobyplaypad.com/suitability/
and here is a link to the light version to trial with your child: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toby-playpad-lite/id566484707?mt=8


Be committed. TOBY Playpad will require time and commitment on the part of the parent (or educator) implementing it.  Some of the tasks are more independent, but almost all will require your input or facilitation.  If you are prepared to put in the time for this program, and have taken the steps to ensure it was the right fit, my hope is you will be as pleased with the outcome as I have been.  That said, you can see fit to use the parts of the program that fit your child's needs as well as your lifestyle. 

You can also get in touch with TOBY Playpad.  TOBY Playpad welcomes feedback from you and is happy to answer questions/ troubleshoot.  Developer comment: we have support available for anyone experiencing any problems with the Lite or Full Version – thetobyproject@gmail.com

Wish List ( I always have one)
 I have probably scrutinized this app more than any before -  If someone asked me to pick just one "Autism App" - excluding essential AAC apps for communication for a moment - this would be the one I would recommend first.   So I am nitpicky not because there is anything wrong with this app - in fact I see this app as very valuable to the autism community.  I have a couple of ideas for options that I feel would benefit more children globally and that would better adapt the program for use in a therapy setting as well.

Voice recording
My first wish would be a way to address the differences in vocabulary and pronunciation, as some of the items are markedly different - a stroller is a "pram" for example.  This is especially true for many of the clothing items.  For example, a swimsuit, from what I can make out of the Australian accent, is called "bathers" .  A tshirt is called singlet. Flip flops are thongs, etc.  The pronunciation for leggings is really different, as well as for items in the Household Objects set, such as radio.  On the upside, my 5 year old now can identify and label foods such as a sultana! (I will let my fellow North Americans go look that one up).  Anyhow, if I were given the option to record over the vocabulary item with the American equivalent, that would be fabulous.  In fact so as to not to be selfish in wanting an American version, recording would allow access for anyone with the ability to read in Australian English.  This would be ideal for parents to work with their child in their home language, or for working with students who are second language learners. Developer Response: Record button – we’re working on how a record button can be incorporated as there have been several requests for language translations J  This might be a little way off due to resource limitations but it’s definitely on our wish list too J

Written labels
 A written prompt option would also be super for noisy classrooms when completing some of the iPad tasks. I know a quiet environment is ideal, but that is often not the reality in a school setting.  For loud classrooms,  instead of relying on the voice instructions/replay button when an instruction is missed*, the facilitator could announce what to find "Find _____ " etc.  (*Just to be clear, there is currently a "replay" button available to users when instructions are missed- I have found this very useful for occasional interruptions/ unexpected noises).  Having a written label option would also be a work-around for an English-speaking facilitator working with a student whose language is not English. The facilitator could read the label and voice the word for the child in his language.  Also thinking ahead - a written label option would allow a child to work on reading, using the vocabulary already familiar to the child through using TOBY Playpad! This could also be a way to expand use of TOBY to other children with other learning difficulties.   Developer response:       Written labels – we’ll take this to the team, the thing we’ll need to problem solve it that the written word is potentially a prompt for the child, so we would need to be very careful when and how this is used. We want to ensure that the child is able to pay attention to the auditory word before they pay attention to the written word.  But great food for thought in terms of how to make more advanced options available once skills were achieved J

Customizable Rewards
I would love to see the option to include a personal video or photo illustrating a favorite toy or activity - when a reward is reached a portion of the video would play or a timer would indicate how long to play with the child's preferred item.  The built in rewards are really fun and the kiddos I have used them with have enjoyed them.  However I have worked with children in the past who need something more personal to them in order to be motivated. My youngest took to the idea of playing with castle blocks after completing his TOBY time.  It would be wonderful to have an image of us playing the castle blocks to access when the reward has been reached. Developer Response: Customisable Rewards – this is also on our wishlist J

Customizable Lists of Vocabulary to Target
I would love to have access to a list of all vocabulary used and an option to turn words on/off to focus on the child's strengths and/or weaknesses.  This would be useful for a therapy setting - for example a speech provider could focus on vocabulary within TOBY Playpad to address a specific speech and language goal.
Developer Response: Customisable Vocab List – this is something we can add to our wish list.


Specific data scoring and emailing of work samples

I would LOVE specific data, such as scores showing exact items correct, correct with prompt, or incorrect. This addition would be incredibly useful for data tracking purposes.  Right now TOBY Playpad gives an excellent overview of your child's strengths and weaknesses, but including specific data could allow an I.E.P. member to use TOBY Playpad to show specific progress toward goals met.  Developer's Response: Specific data – yes, that has been the feedback and we’re working on adding this element to TOBY 2 (which targets later developing skills).  Once it’s tested in this setting we might be able to transfer it across to TOBY 1.  We didn’t want to burden families with inputting too often, but parents are asking for more rather than less data collection J

Option for more users
TOBY currently allows 3 users.  I created profiles for each of my children and used the third profile for my students. You could also use the second or third profile as a "test" profile to figure out how TOBY Playpad works. Obviously in my case the third profile's data is not accurate, as it is a conglomerate of several students' work.  I would love to see the option to purchase additional profiles as needed.
Developer Response: More user options – the team are working on this as well J

FYI : As the code for TOBY Playpad expires within 7 days, the winner must redeem his/her code within 24 hours of the Rafflecopter ending.  After 24 hours if the winner has not been in touch, the code will be given out again.  Sorry, it would just be such a shame to see this code go unused. 

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