App Review- SpeakColorsHD (RWH Technology)

 

SpeakColorsHD by RWH Technology (iPad, $3.99 at time of review)
Tweet

SpeakColorsHD is an app that teaches colors through real picture use. It is also great for teaching adjective+ noun phrases yellow car, red cup, as well as simple sentences The flower is orange. The pen is black. A new update has introduced even more sentence frames! The premise is you tap a color from a row of colors at the top of the screen, and two pictures will be displayed- a color, and object matching that color. The pictures will speak when you tap them, and the child can scroll through the colors or objects by tapping them. You can use the default mode, with a pre-recorded voice, or set your own voice as the default. There is a phrase mode or sentence mode. The child can also use the record feature to record himself saying the phrase or sentence displayed on the screen.

I have tried SpeakColorsHD with my SEEC(Special Education Early Childhood) preschoolers at two different sites- these are 3-5 year olds working on color identification and/or using 2-4 word phrases/sentences. I had three concerns that I shared with the developer, and am happy to say one of those concerns is being addressed in a future update, and the other two are being considered. If this looks like something your child or student could benefit from, you may want to consider purchasing this before the price goes up (If it does at all- I am only speculating that it might given the added features.)

 

FYI:  SpeakColorsHD has been totally revamped! The latest update is terrific, and has definitely addressed these concerns! I use this app much more often.   I really love the new sentence structures added as well!

 

Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month 2014 -Code Drop

Please take a code!

1. http://redeem-now.com/097757f30780
2. http://redeem-now.com/11a60828f5da
3. http://redeem-now.com/6c48826ae6d1
4. http://redeem-now.com/96760b283aae
5. http://redeem-now.com/7dae01e3b591
6. http://redeem-now.com/223fbc607e92
7. http://redeem-now.com/6d6cd1ec4d78
8. http://redeem-now.com/b4ba8e7eccf3
9. http://redeem-now.com/25588ec1fd1a
10. http://redeem-now.com/8f53c2d0f842

 

 

Picture Advancing-
One of my students will hardly sit still, and he did tolerate several minutes of play and was imitating some words with prompting as well. Another preschooler was fascinated by the combination of the pictures and voicing of labels.

Recording-
I love this feature and I have had success with reluctant students wanting to speak the words to hear their voices recorded- it is very motivating.  I would love to have a student go through the cards, recording his voice for each set. Then I would like him to be able to listen to his voice. I see you can do this in setup mode if I have him record as the default voice, but then that would only save one student's recordings and my sample recordings would be lost. I want something that could be accessed for each student through the play mode. The app also comes with prerecorded voices for each picture- you can choose from a male or female voice.

Add Your Own Images-
SpeakColorsHD uses real pictures, which I love. I feel real pictures are grasped more easily by my students, and am happy to see them as the central feature of SpeakColorsHD. I am happy to report you can also now add your own pictures;  you can check out Speech Cards Professional if you want tracking features for multiple students! I love this as we can use familiar objects of my students'- their favorite colors of M&Ms, their own lunchboxes, the shirt they are wearing that day etc.

SpeakColorsHD is a good app for use with language delayed children.  Due to its customization features, it is easy to use with a variety of students. Kudos to the developer for being open to changes- the app has evolved and is a favorite for my "speech therapy app tool box."

Review: SpeakColors Español Pro

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


 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