Monday, November 5, 2012

GIVEAWAY: Tense Builder by Mobile Educational Tools


Tense Builder by Mobile Education Store ($19.99)


I have quite a few apps from Mobile Education Store, and I am glad to say Tense Builder meets all expectations built up by the rest of Mobile Education Store's collection of apps- these are apps that engage students while teaching important concepts for language development. This app tackles the tricky topic of tenses through the use of animated video clips (students can choose from Future, Present, Past or a combination of all three tenses). Another plus is the clips are playful and funny. The child can play the video clip, then assemble sentences to match what they saw.  I am particularly happy that Tense Builder includes a data feature- I can save my students' recordings to play back with them at a later time.  I can also choose to save data from a session and email it to myself.  This has been really useful. Another positive is customizable settings- there are different levels of difficulty and cues can be turned on or off as needed. You can also decide if you want to focus on just regular verbs, just irregular verbs, or a combination of both. My short wish list:  I would really love the ability to pick exactly which verbs to focus on.  I would like to see the price drop a bit as well, but the good news is the app will soon have even more content added (58 verbs covered by December 2012)






Description (from Developer)

TenseBuilder is designed to help students learn how to identify and use correct tense forms by playing movie quality animated videos to demonstrate past, present and future tense. 48 video lessons (will expand to 58) are in place to help give students a deeper understanding about the purpose of tense. Special attention is paid to the past tense of irregular verbs.

Students will learn how to sequence events and how to differentiate between events that will happen, events that are happening now and events that have already happened. Students will also identify correct written verb forms and drag them to complete sentences.

Students have the opportunity to record their sentences in their own voice to improve their receptive and expressive language skills and promote carryover of these target verb forms to their conversational speech.

Tense Builder offers a unique environment for improving a student's ability to understand tenses and use verb forms properly.

FEATURES
-48 target verbs with matching animated movies (will expand to 58 by Dec 2012)
-Movies employ humor to engage student
-Video modeling for each verb and tense form used
-Each verb has separate animated lesson to show past, present and future tense
-Option to focus on a particular tense
-Ability to address past tense developmentally, by first teaching regular past -ed forms and then moving to irregular past.
-Includes receptive task, where student taps the correct image to match a sentence, and an expressive task where student drags the correct verb form to complete the sentence
-Intuitive drag and drop to create sentences
-Words are spoken as they are being dragged for emerging readers
-Record feature allows students to record sentences in their own voice
-Save and email recorded sentences

LANGUAGES
- English

REQUIREMENTS
- Compatible with iPad
- Requires iPad 5.0 software update

Mobile Education Tools is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages: 3-6, 6-10
Categories: Special Needs, Education


Mobile Education Store recently appeared on the Lifetime network show The Balancing Act.  Click here to see the segment!

Thanks to a wonderful community, MES has been able to help over 250,000 children improve their language around the world.



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Friday, November 2, 2012

REVIEW / GIVEAWAY: Talk About It Objects Pro HD by Hamaguchi Apps



Talk About It: Objects Pro HD by Hamaguchi Apps for Speech, Language and Auditory Development ($9.99 at time of review; Home version also available- $5.99 )



After a while on the app scene, you begin to recognize apps by the developer name.  Having used many Hamaguchi apps and knowing their quality, I knew Talk About It: Objects Pro HD would be a good addition to my app arsenal. Many of the Hamaguchi apps work on more basic language skills like combining words into phrases, or following basic directions. This app, however is more geared toward students who have already mastered basic communication skills, but have difficulty with tasks such as describing, categorizing, and recognizing the most important/most specific details of an object.  Students work on receptive, expressive or both receptive/expressive tasks. I am glad to have a Hamaguchi app that meets the needs of these students. 

There are several things I value about this app. For starters, it is developed by a speech and language pathologist.   It allows data tracking to easily keep track of students' progress, it has the "fun" factor with a spinner feature during describing practice, and a built in game/reward system. In addition there is a recording feature which has been very useful for students to refer back to their speech productions.  Another feature I love is the customization- I can go in to the settings and choose exactly which objects I want to cover from the list, or make it randomized.  There are 50 objects spread across the following categories: Animals, Clothing and Accessories, Foods, Household Items, Jewelry, Musical Instruments, Places, Vehicles, and Miscellaneous.  I can set how many facts per object I would like the student to work on, (three, five or seven statements) and whether or not there will be feedback given for incorrect selections (I personally have kept this to off).  I can also remove the recording feature and/or clues from the game screen, and choose whether the reward game is played after every object, after three objects, after five objects, or none.  I can even shut off progress and scores if they are a distraction to the students.

While I am reviewing the Pro edition, there is also a Home edition of this app available, if you do not need to track multiple students. The Pro edition tracks up to 30 students; the Home edition is for a single child.



To play, select the students from the students you have entered under the Users tab, and highlight them in red to include them in play.  The name of the player whose turn it is will display in the top right hand corner.  To play, the student presses the play button under the picture square on the left hand side to activate the spinner.  The spinner will land on an object to describe- possible guesses/information for that object is displayed in a "Guess Box" to the right.  The game show feel continues with a special "Talk About It" curtain below the picture window and guess box-

During game play the student is required to look for the best descriptive sentence for an object.  The choices include a mix of statements, from unlikely, to true but vague or irrelevant etc., and to most specific.  For example there is a picture of a doll and the user is asked "Which sentence below tells us the most specific and important information about a doll?

1. A doll looks like an animal or a unicorn
2. A doll is something that you look at on your shelf.
3. A doll is something that you sleep with.
4. A doll is something to play with and looks like a person.

If needed, there are audio buttons next to each sentence so the child can hear each detail read aloud before making a choice.  If an incorrect choice is made, a red x will show in the box next to it.  More than one correct answer can sometimes be chosen.  For each correct answer a chime will sound and the child's score will increase in the upper left hand corner if it was not preceded by an incorrect choice. When a correct choice is made, a green check mark will also be placed next to the sentence, and the sentence will "magically" be sent behind the curtains for storage.   The student can view these stored sentences by pressing the Show button below the curtain to reveal them.  Then the play will continue with more choices for the same object, along with the same request to find the most specific and important information:

1. It has a head, body, arms and legs.
2. My sister has a doll named Cathy that is really cute.
3. I saw a doll.
4. It has different parts.




After all the important details have been gathered, the curtain opens to reveal all the details, with bubbles to check off for each detail, and a recording feature displayed below.  If you want the child to recall the features without written support, there is a hide button. Press the start button to have the student list the details he/she remembers (The curtain will automatically close when the start button is pressed and open after the stop button is pressed)  If the student needs cues, touch the magnifying glasses along the bottom to hear different hints voiced such as "Tell me some important parts of it."  "Can you describe what it looks like?" "Think about what you would do with it." "What category is it?"  The details the student remembered can be ticked off on the list- a chime will sound and the correct responses will be scored when this is done. The student can also listen to his/her recording, pause it, or rewind it to the beginning. You can set a reward game to play after a certain number of objects are described.


 When the student is finished, choose a new student from the Player list, or end the session by pressing the red End Session button in the top right hand corner. If you choose to end the session, a pop up window will say "Save data and show session?  Here you can review data for each student, email, delete or print the data.  You can also create a PDF of the data.  You can also see data from previous sessions by returning to the main screen, selecting Users, then Previous Data.





Wish List:

There is not much to add, as Hamaguchi Apps has already thought of what we need most!  What I would love to see:  this is one I am always pining for in my speech and language apps- the ability to insert our own picture and details, of course!  I would also like to see the app automatically move from one player to another, instead of having to change it manually.  I would also like the reward game to be more interactive and perhaps timed- right now you can keep pressing Play again but sometimes a set time length is better, especially for some of my students who have a need to know what is coming next- these kiddos need a more defined time frame.


Learn More:

Developed by noted speech-language pathologist and author of Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know, Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP. To find out more about this app and our other upcoming projects, visit our website: www.hamaguchiapps.com or YouTube channel: HamaguchiApps


 

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Special Apps, Special Kids' 1,000 Likes Party Continues-More Post-Party Giveaways to Enter:


Who would like a Post Party Giveaway? Several generous developers have joined in supporting Special Apps, Special Kids with more codes to share! Please enter through the Rafflecopters below:

ICOMMUNICATE GIVEAWAY 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/icommunicate/id320986580?mt=8

iCommunicate by Grembe

iCommunicate is an app I personally use often to make story boards or visuals to accompany articulation activities, for example.  It also has been useful at home for following step by step routines. In addition I have used it to support my second language learners by using iCommunicate as a sort of visual dictionary.  The latest update allows sharing of story boards and pictures through email and iTunes file sharing!

iCommunicate

Description (from Developer)

iCommunicate lets you design visual schedules, storyboards, communication boards, routines, flash cards, choice boards, speech cards, and more. It is customizable to your needs.

Features:
► Record your own audio for pictures and boards
► Share pictures and boards thru email and iTunes File Sharing
► Utilize Text-to-Speech with 20 voice options(Note: higher quality options available with a WiFi or 3G connection. When no connection OpenEars US Male voice used.)
► Internet Voices include: Australian(Female), Canadian French(Female/Male), Canadian English(Female), Dutch(Female/Male), French(Female/Male), German(Female/Male), Italian(Female/Male), Norwegian((Female), Swedish(Female), UK English(Female/Male), US English(Female/Male), US Spanish(Female/Male)
► Use your own pictures, take pictures on the fly with camera, or quick online image search
► Includes 10,000+ N2Y SymbolStix at no extra charge

Two type of boards possible:
► 4x10 - up to 4 pictures across by 10 down(2x2, 4x4, etc.)
► Task Completion - one picture at a time, swipe to move back and forth, add a checkmark(one finger) or do not symbol(two fingers) with touch. Touch hold time, move to next picture automatically on completion, and audio feedback options available

► Print with AirPrint or email boards
► Lock app from unwanted changes
► Universal app

Note: This app is identical in every way to our other iCommunicate app. We have made both apps Universal to work on all iOS devices, and needed to support our existing users. Anyone who has purchased this app in the past, now can install on any device.

Please visit http://grembe.com for more info and demos, and engage with us and users from around the world at our support site http//getsatisfaction.com/grembe

► Uses iSpeech, CMU Flite and Poilitepix OpenEars libraries for Text-to-Speech

Grembe is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages: all,parents
Categories: Special Needs


WONKIDO GIVEAWAY

Playing with Friends with the Wonkidos by Brighter Futures Brighter Minds
Coming Soon!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/playing-friends-wonkidos-hd/id497924583?mt=8

Several friends rave about these apps from Brighter Futures Brighter Minds- there is a wide collection of apps from Wonkido to address social and daily living skills, see here for their full collection: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?dkId=11&ids=491143846&softwareType=iPad

Description (from Developer)

Playing With Friends With the Wonkidos HD

BFBM now offers their exciting instructional animated videos as WonkiBooks: an E-book with interactive audio. Each WonkiBook contains the same fun and colorful visual learning tools to help teach your children valuable developmental skills. Your child will enjoy interacting with each page to hear the Wonkidos come to life as they read the story.

Evan is a young boy who loves playing with his favorite toys, the Wonkidos! Wobbles, Stacks, Apps and Sparkles spring to life in Evan's imagination, and together with Mr. Know-It-All, help Evan learn valuable social skills in a fun and entertaining way!

Asking a friend to play is difficult for some children. This video will teach step by step how to ask a friend to play with you. Special topics include eye contact, communication and smiling at friends. Children will learn proper ways to approach and greet another child, as well as ways to ask them to play and listen to their response.

PLAYTALES GOLD GIVEAWAY 




PlayTales is offering the Special Apps, Special Kids Community the chance to win a year's subscription to PlayTales Gold (a $39.99 value) Anyone can sign up for a free trial subscription good through the end of October!  FYI books can be read in 7 different languages! 



Playtales Description (from developer)

Have fun and learn with…
GREAT STORIES, MUSIC, NARRATION, SOUND EFFECTS, PLAYABLE FEATURES and more!

Make your life easier with PlayTales Gold.

Now, with PlayTales Gold you can finally have COMPLETE AND TOTAL ACCESS to an entire catalog of hundreds of fun, interactive, multilingual children’s e-books for one low monthly price of only $3.99! Make things easier and get access for the entire year worry free.

PlayTales Gold offers interactive books for BEGINNER AND INTERMEDIATE readers in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese and Japanese for users all over the world. Access and browse our easy-to-use storefront and fill up your child’s bookshelf. DOWNLOAD AS MANY BOOKS AS YOU LIKE.

Kids can PERSONALIZE the bookshelf, rate books and chose from 3 different kinds of reading options ‘Read by Myself’, ‘Read to Me’, and ‘Autoplay’.

Kids will enjoy reading a wide range of super fun e-books. Find books about Word Learning, Friendly Animals, Royal Families, Outer Space, Fashion, Fun Vacations and so, so, So much more!

Gold Features:
* Low Monthly or Yearly Subscription and FREE for Libraries and Educational Institutions
* 100+ titles of beautifully illustrated books for children
* Wide range of book story themes from word/topic learning to friendly animals and royal families to space aliens and family vacations
* Browsing options with Book Summaries and Page Views for each story
* Book Filter Options for Titles & Reading Language
* 1-5 Star Book User Rating for each story
* Personalized Bookshelf for kids
* 3 kinds of book reading options ‘Read by Myself’, ‘Read to Me’, and ‘Autoplay’
* Fun music, narration, sound effects and interactive playable features in each book!

For more information about PlayTales Gold please visit our website at www.playtalesbooks.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest!


Contact the PlayTales team at the following email: info@playtalesbooks.com. Or visit our web page if you prefer: www.playtalesbooks.com.


PLAYTALES PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS
PlayTales Gold Promo Video –  Coming Soon
PlayTales Gold How to Use Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THZc0Dm8geI
PlayTales YouTube Channel–  http://www.youtube.com/user/playtales?feature=results_main


Where can I download Playtales?
iTunes
Universal for iPhone and iPad –

Android Market Place
Android –  Coming Soon

Blackberry AppWorld
PlayBook –  Coming Soon

Windows App Store
Windows Phone – Coming Soon


PLAYTALES WEBSITE
http://www.playtalesbooks.com


PLAYTALES SOCIAL COMMUNITIES


PLAYTALES NEWSLETTER
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123 kids fun Alphabet giveaway  


123 Kids Fun Alphabet by RosMedia

This is a cute ABC app- each letter name is spoken as the child advances through the app, along with a short sentence, i.e. "L is for lamp".  There are several animations and sound effects for each letter, and the illustrations are charming- the voice is pleasant as well.  Depending on which camp of reading strategies you belong to, you may or may not appreciate some of the word choices, such as knife for the letter k.  While trialing the app two small errors were found that should be corrected with the next update.  I really like the alphabet letter tracing- it helps keep children in the lines with cute car themed guides.  I don't know much from an OT perspective about the letter strokes, so it would be interesting to get feedback in that area about that as well. It captured my 5 year old's attention.  It also got him practicing his letters, and it jumpstarted a good discussion about silent letters, too! 

123 Kids Fun Alphabet Description (from developer)

123 Kids Fun Alphabet is designed for all children (ages 3 to 7) to start their adventure with the alphabet.

It is also recommended for teachers. Each letter has been illustrated with four words, one of which is animated and enriched with a sound characteristic for a specific object. Just tap the first picture of each letter.

The combination of letters with pictures and a readers’ recording is a very effective method to quickly and enjoyably learn the alphabet.

The Application also includes three interactive games:

💎 The goals of two are to memorize the knowledge acquired earlier. Your child points at letter or words read by the reader.

💎 The third game is to teach the child to write letters by joining points on a special template.

The Application is prepared in a way to allow your child to independently learn the alphabet without your assistance.

Features:

🎨 Very clear and easy-to-use application.
🎨 Colourful animations and drawings.
🎨 English lector.
🎨 Educational games: quizzes.
🎨 Interactive learning on how to write letters.
🎨 Background music off/on option.
🎨 NO ADVERTISING,
🎨 NO InApp PURCHASES.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Become a fan of 123 Kids Fun Apps on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/123KidsFun

Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/123KidsFunApps

Visit 123 Kids Fun Apps website:
http://www.123kidsfun.com





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123 Kids Fun MUSIC by RosMedia


Description (from developer)

123 Kids Fun Music is a music game for your toddlers and preschoolers (ages 2 - 4) to start their adventure with the sounds.

Enjoy 24 wonderful instrument sounds with an attractive interface. Xylophone, Drums, Guitars, Trumpets, Flute, Bells and many, many more…

123 Kids Fun Music - Fun and easy way to use virtual instruments. Just tap to hear the sounds!

As simple as can be. No over head fixtures, designed for kids of all ages.

Features:



🎸 Very clear and easy-to-use application,
🎸 Colourful animations and drawings,

🎸 Wonderful sounds,
🎸 No integration with social media.
🎸 NO ADVERTISING,
🎸 NO InApp PURCHASES.

Have fun!

-=-=-=-=- www.123kidsfun.com -=-=-=-=-


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Friday, October 19, 2012

Review: Fluency Finder by Lantz, Glass, and Gaskins, LLC ($6.99)


Fluency Finder by Lantz, Glass, and Gaskins, LLC ($6.99 at time of review, iPhone and iPad)

iPod/iPhone screenshot of Fluency Finder

I was excited to trial Fluency Finder- especially with my son (a 3rd grader) so I could get an idea of how he is doing with reading fluency.  There are few reading fluency apps out there, and while there are quite a few reading comprehension apps- many with data tracking- this is the only one that I've found geared toward children  that allows tracking of reading fluency.  Originally I was not impressed by the tiny font and lack of passages, but I am happy to report that the latest update has addressed these issues-  I would now recommend this app for use on the iPad.

The app interface is easy to maneuver- there are four main buttons on the main screen: Home, Students, Passages, and Assessment; there is also an information button in the top left hand corner, and a Contact Us/ FAQ button in the top right hand corner.   The FAQ button includes Target Rates (words per minute) for each grade level (1st- 5th).  Fluency Finder can be used in portrait or landscape mode.  I like that is available for the iPhone, although once you have been spoiled by the iPad screen, you won't want to rely on the smaller screen unless you have to.

Under the Passages tab you can view each passage, along with its type, grade level, word count and reading ease.  To actually score a reader's reading fluency, enter the "Assessment" tab, select a student, then choose a passage.  Start the timer in the bottom left corner to track time spent reading,  and count mistakes by tapping the plus or minus symbols in the bottom right hand corner.  When the child is done, press the "Finish Assessment" button, and a screen will come up with the student's information, the passage read, the date, number of mistakes, words per minute, and the total time (in seconds).  It would be really handy if there was an "email" feature of some sort from this screen.  When accessed from within the Student Profile tab, the data displayed is slightly different- it will include date, passage title, type, grade, reading ease and reading level, along with word count, words per minute and mistakes.

Back to the assessment screen-the font previously was an issue, but is now a much more comfortable size on the iPad.  If you click on the Passages tab, they will still be a fairly small font, but the same passages can be viewed with a larger font through the Assessment tab.  According to the Information button on the main screen, the student shouldn't be reading from the device itself anyway- they should be using the same (printed) passage as the examiner, available at www.fluencyfinder.com . The passages can be opened in Word or as PDFs.  (I was able to easily open a passage in Word and change it to a larger font.)  Now that the font is larger, I prefer the iPad- it eliminates the hassle of going online and printing the passages- it is a time saver to complete it directly from the iPad. You'll have to decide what works best as it may vary depending on the needs of the child- will he/she be distracted by your proximity/scoring during the reading for example?  (For home use, I found it a non-issue.)

 I would love to see the ability to adjust fonts from within the app itself, and also I wonder if this app could also allow for adjustment of spacing,- there has been some research showing certain spacing distances may be useful to dyslexics, for example.  So as to minimize the distraction, I think the scoring bar could be flipped to face the opposite direction from the student, with the student sitting across from the examiner.

Originally there were only a few passages for each grade level, but I am excited to say the latest update includes six passages for each grade level (1st through 5th grade), including two informational passages, two narrative passages, and two fables.  This means a choice between two different passages for each type, which is really appreciated.  The developer's website says there are more original passages to come as well- in fact, the next update should bring passages for grades 6, 7 and 8*   
If a few adjustments were made, I could see this app becoming even more versatile, but for now it does fill a niche. I may have my son use the app independently- to see if he can self-monitor his reading errors. It definitely removes the need for eyeing the clock continuously or making tally marks on scratch paper, and that is a very good thing.

*Note from Developer
 The next update will include 6-7-8 grade reading level passages. Next we will be adding a comprehension assessment to each passage for all grade levels. We will also be rolling out to the android market.

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Saturday, September 29, 2012

2 Favorite Apps to use for Graphic Organizers and Mindmapping

Tools 4 Students (99 cents, iPad only)
This app has 25 Language Arts templates for the classroom or speech and language therapy room, including Compare/Contrast, Reality/Make Believe, Problem-Solution, Story Elements and much more. You can fill in the templates, save them and email them. A dollar well spent!



Comparing Apples and Oranges




Working on reality versus make believe (and language expansions) with a second language learner. The book we used is Rabbit Stew.
 


Inspiration Maps ($9.99, iPad only)

This is a really nice app for getting thoughts and facts down quickly. I have tried other mind mapping apps in the past, and found this to much more intuitive. The really easy node making is great- tap a shape once and pull at the arrow at the lower right of the shape in the direction you want to place a node.  You can go simple or get fancier with different ways to manipulate shapes, font and text.  You can insert pictures as well. You can save the finished product to your iPad Photos, or email it to yourself, or send it to iTunes, Dropbox, or another app as a PDF or text.

There are about 30 templates to choose from- many geared towards older kiddos than mine, but there are a handful we will continue to make good use of with my upper elementary kids- and making our own is easy anyway. 
Inspiration Maps' KWHL Template: What I Know, What I Want to Know, How Will I Learn, What I Learned

Special Apps, Special Kids
Phew! You can easily zoom in closer, even closer than this screenshot!
Here's a quick brainstorm we made in Inspiration Maps to get all my students' thoughts down on the topic "Sports".



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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

6 Educational Ways to Use Doodle & Sticker Apps

The App Store must have thousands of doodle apps and sticker apps, some of which I have found useful for a variety of purposes, including the creation of quick visual aids, handwriting activities, language expansion, story retell, social stories, and more.  A lot of these examples are interchangeable with other apps but here are some of my favorites and some of their uses- these were all under $2 at the time of this post:


Use as a Visual Aid or as a Token Board:

Easy Board
Easy Board (99 cents) can be used to drag icon "magnets" to the main screen and incorporate them into a drawing.  This is great for quickly reducing a frustration by drawing what is coming next with First/Then, circling Yes/No, showing a timer for a break, as well as numbers etc.   The great thing is the eraser will only erase the writing you add via the pen- the magnets will remain and can be reused for another activity. 

You can also turn the entire iPad screen into a board by tapping "Full" and then tapping the "Hide" button.  Easy Board can also be used as a Token Board- drag the number magnets on the board in order (or not-for extra challenge) and allow the child to cross off  the numbers at a set interval until they are done with the task.


Complete Writing Tasks:


Dime Paints
 Finngr Pro (99 cents) allows you to add any picture or image with writing, for example- it will show up dimmed so it can be traced more easily.   You can also do Rainbow Writing by writing over the letters or numbers practiced in a variety of different colors. 

Dime Paints (99 cents) also has an array of bright colors for rainbow writing and an insert picture feature, but the picture is not dimmed as it is in Finngr Pro.  There are FREE lite versions available for both of these apps.





Practice Articulation:

Doodle Buddy for iPad
In Doodle Buddy for iPad (FREE w/ ads, in-app purchases) choose the tic-tac-toe, dots background or hangman-depending on your audience- to practice sound(s) X number of times before each person's turn.
If you are adventurous, try Creative Doodle by Pamakids (FREE) - I can't figure out how to switch off the directions in Chinese, but  it is easy to maneuver around nonetheless.  You can use the app by asking the child to incorporate something with his/her sound into the picture- this allows recording.  


Work on Language Expansion:

Creative Doodle
Doodle Buddy for iPad (FREE w/ads, in-app purchases) has stamps or "stickers", stencils, brush or chalk drawing, plus the option to type on the screen or add a background, including a custom one from your pictures.  You can have the child request, comment, describe etc. to get the stamp in the place he/she wants. This has ads- it is best to set your iPad to airplane mode to use it, or you can do an in-app purchase to remove them. 
Depending on the student's level, elements he/she wants can be requested and drawn by you in  Creative Doodle by Pamakids (FREE), or the child can draw and describe the picture him/herself. 




Play Barrier games:
Work on Following Directions/Prepositions etc.


Animal Stickers


 These are especially great for working on prepositions! Choose one of the scenes from  Animal Stickers by Mind Juice Media(99 cents) Tell the child where to put each object or animal- in the tree, on the rock, behind the flowers etc.

Doodle Buddy for iPad (FREE w/ads, in-app purchases) even allows you to add your own picture background.

To make this a barrier game, use the same app with identical background loaded on two devices (or one device and one printed set of matching background/ cut out images).  Each team or individual instructs the other on where to place each object.  At the end they can check if they are correct or not.

*Other similar "sticker" apps that can be used for barrier games: Animal Stickers for iPad (by Matthew Maddock, has ads) Toddler Stamps HD (by Generate Learning), My Farm Friend Stickers (by Portegno Apps), Buildo (-several themes available- by Jajdo AB), Sticker Book (by toolbukx.com), My Scene (by MyFirstApp), Pets in the House (by KandaBi- there are other themes by the same developer too)  One of my favorites is Techitot Pets, but it appears to have disappeared from the App Store. 


Work on Story Creation and Retell:

Educreations


Educreations Interactive Whiteboard (FREE) has a recording feature that not only plays back voice but also retraces the lines drawn on the screen.  You can also insert images (even from the Internet or Dropbox too), add text etc.- there are quite a few colors to pick from for both drawings and text.  You can also save your projects and share them with others (or keep them private)  Doodlecast Pro is a (slightly) pricier alternative ($1.99 at time of post).

Creative Doodle (by Pamakids) (FREE) has several different categories of  "story starter scenes" to jump start a conversation or story-you can record your own voice and play it back.  (FYI the buttons are in Chinese, but it is easy enough to navigate through the app).  Kidoodle Apps has an app with story starters as well, Pirate Scribblebeard's Treasure with Oscar & Josephine by Kidoodle Apps ($1.99).  

Scribble Press (FREE) allows you to create your own stories or use an existing story template; do story retells, or make social stories.  There is a public gallery of shared books, but you can keep your books private.

Toontastic: Play, Create and Learn!
Toontastic: Play, Create and Learn! (FREE w/in-app purchases) lets you design and use your own doodles but goes way beyond this- it actually helps set up a story by walking the user through the selection of story elements.  You can follow the "story arc" - a setup, conflict, challenge, a climax, resolution- and choose characters and settings.  It even pairs music to match the "mood" of each scene. 








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