Thursday, November 28, 2013

Review: SpeakColors Español Pro



SpeakColors Español Pro by RWH Technology (iPad only, $6.99 at time of review) 


Speak Colors HD iPad
 I use SpeakColors HD and Speech Cards Professional with my students often, so was excited to see a version in Spanish-SpeakColors Español Pro. There is a free lite version to try out too.
SpeakColors Español Pro allows you to practice noun +color phrases (i.e. "mariposa verde") and sentence structures ("La mariposa es verde", "Veo una mariposa verde" etc.) in Spanish. The student taps each word frame or image to hear it spoken, and presses the microphone button to record himself saying each utterance. The app comes with language structures and color photos to use, but my favorite feature is how you can add your own content easily using the provided templates.
It is very straightforward- there is a customize button on the main screen- add the word you want to use with a particular sentence structure, add an image (existing in the iPad library or via camera), audio, and text. You can even do this with existing nouns and colors in the app-you can also change the text, or switch a more relevant image to represent a vocabulary word.  For a student with articulation challenges, I change the beginning of each syllable to a capital letter to signal the change. It is easy to revert back to the default image/audio/text for a word too.
The app also has a simple lock feature to keep students from accidentally moving out of the activity at hand too- you can tap the tiny lock symbols in the top right hand corner to make changes. For example you can decide whether the sentence frames should be accessible, or if the student should be locked in to just one sentence framework for practice.
You can choose whether the student can scroll through the different noun choices, or whether you want the student to practice one noun only. You can also decide if the student can tap the color buttons to make sentences describing different colored objects, or if you want the student to work on only one color concept at a time. The lock will keep the child on whatever color/noun/sentence is displayed at the time it is pressed. There are video tutorials and a Help section embedded in the app too if needed.






 
 
 
 If you would like to try to win a copy of this app, enter via the rafflecopter below: (COMPLETED)
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway