Top Apps of 2011

I have noticed a lot of sites doing top app picks for 2011. I didn't want to feel left out so I decided to create a list, well more like LISTS. There are so many great apps that I felt I needed to choose the top apps in a few different categories. All apps have been used by myself and/or students within my classroom. These are the apps that I try to incorporate into the curriculum and daily schedule as much as I can (with the limitation of 1 iPad, 1 teacher, 3 assistants, and 7 students). 


If you would like to see a complete list of the most used apps within my classroom, visit my list at the Technology in Special Education website. I have to admit, with over 850 apps in my itunes account, narrowing these down and keeping them all organized was a little difficult!

Also, check out my special ed counterpart from northern Ohio, Miss Kolis. Here is the list of her top 20 or so apps of 2011. 

Looking for app for older students, check out Golden Communications, LLC's list of apps for older students to enhance language and learning skills. This list was created by an SLP working with students grades 7-12 and is the developer of Enchanted Dictionary (an app worth looking into for vocabulary development and language).


~ Melanie

Top AAC/Speech and Language Apps

** AAC apps are suggestions, it looking for a voice output app/device, please consult SLP or AT specialist to request a AT/AAC evaluation **
SonoFlex- LITE version FREE, voice output app, customizable

Answers: YES NO - simple, easy to program AAC app

Toontasic - FREE, create 'puppet show' videos; add characters, voice, and video is created
Verbally - FREE version, w/paid upgrade available; although I do not have a student that can use this AAC app this school year (as it is word based versus picture based), I had to include it because it made quite an impact for a student at the end of last school year

Top Fine Motor Apps

Bugs and Buttons - app that incorporates fine motor, sorting, patterns, colors, visual motor...I could go on! Great for fine motor, but also works on pre-academic skills as well.

injini - a multiple activity app that is divided into levels within each activity; this is the app I use most within my classroom; it incorporates activities that develop fine motor skills, matching skills, patterning, colors, visual motor....and another app that I could continue to list the benefits; Project Injini website has tracing printables that mirror iPad activities

iLuv Drawing Animals - simple learn how to draw app; takes user through picture step-by-step; great for fine motor development, teaching how to add detail to drawings, great feature - can email completed pictures

Top Book Apps

Cinderella by Nosy Crow - all Nosy Crow apps are amazing, but Cinderella made me feel like a kids again; a timely story, great interactivity, amazing illustrations create this superior book app
Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul - book app with the characters every little boy loves, embedded activities to reinforce letters, fine motor, and story comprehension; my review of Chuck and Friends
Penelope the Purple Pirate - an adorable story of a little girl who turns into a pirate; had to add it to this list as it is the one app a student requests frequently

Top (Pre) Academic

Alien Buddies - my review of Alien Buddies, great to reinforce letters, numbers, shapes, colors

Junior BINGO - bingo app for younger students; bingo reinforcing letters, numbers, and shapes
Kandy Fish -  great app for sorting by color, fine motor

Top Reading Apps

Word Wizard - my review of Word Wizard, great to use as an alternative to handwritten spelling tests

Word BINGO - great app to use with individual students as an assessment tool or with 2 students as a turn taking activity; my review of Word BINGO

My Word Wall - my review of My Word Wall, great to introduce letters and word families 
Photo Touch Sight Words -  great app to use as assessment tool, very customizable with built in word lists as well as ability to set word lists
 

Top Math Apps 

iLEAP Touch Spot Subtraction and Addition - very similar to "touch math" concept; various levels: learn, explore, apply, practice; gives more concrete meaning to subtraction/addition

Jungle Coins - customizable app with various levels from penny to all coins, including dollar; app is also customizable by other country's coins as well; my review of Jungle Coins and Jungle Time
Jungle Time - customizable app with various time levels of to the hour down to minutes
Candy Count - not a well know app and it does contain an in-app-purchase (IAP) which I am against as a selling point, but the concepts are great; sorting, counting, number order, greater/less than all in one app
iLearn With Poko: Addition - fun app focusing on the math skills of counting, grouping sets, and addition; my review of this app

Top "for fun" Apps

All Toca Boca apps

My Underwear - the only time it is ok to decorate and play with underwear

Top "grown up" games/apps

Scrabble

Battleship

Words with Friends
Angry Birds  
Zite  - personalized magazine
Flipboard - personalize magazine

Vacation time...iPads ready? CHECK!

As we get ready to take a long weekend road trip to see a couple of baseball games and visit a few children's museums, I had to make sure we did the iPad check. I wanted to make sure that both my work iPad and my husbands iPad 2 were "kids" organized and had a variety of apps to entertain 2 kiddos in a car. Even though they both are excellent travelers and enjoy looking at the scenery, I wanted to make sure we had all our bases covered. (No bun intended - if you closely, the background on my hubby's iPad is Pete Rose sliding into home plate.)

I have been asked several time about how I have organized my apps into folders. I don't think there is a "right" way or a "wrong" way. You have to figure out what way is going to work best for the user.
 

Here are a few pictures of how we have folders set up on our iPads. My husband's iPad 2 is sent up for his use. I have only advised on how to organize his apps.

But I made sure that since my kids would be using it too, they knew what apps were OK for them to play. So....
we made each kid a folder (Grace and Caleb), then we have a Books folder, games folder and a kids fun folder. These folder contain all the app that are appropriate for the kids to play.

  
My iPad, which is primarily for work use, is set up more "kids friendly" and academic. I have apps organized into folders set up according to subjects, such as math, reading, drawing, books, etc. Apps that I use on a frequent basis (like Proloquo2Go, Pandora, iDress, etc.) are no in folders so that they are easy access.

Here are the top 10 apps (ok, may be there are a few more than 10) that we have on at least one of the iPads that I know will make the road trip a little less painful.

1. Every app from Toca Boca: Toca Tea, Toca Doctor, Paint My Wings, and Toca Hair Salon (our new favorite).  apps range in price from $0.99 to $1.99 with a free LITE version of Toca Doctor available. Toca Doctor and Toca Tea are some of the favorite apps of my 5 year old.
2. My Underwear by Thumb Arcade and Todd Parr. Several activities all relating to....well, you guessed it underwear! You can decorate it, match it, and have monsters eat the undies. My kids LOVE IT! available for $2.99 in itunes.
3. Playskool: Alphie by Red Urban. This app is a simple that teaches basic skills (colors, numbers, shapes). My kids love to help Alphie on his adventures and visit his Grandpa Blue. The price is amazing... FREE!
4. The Three Little Pigs by Nosy Crow. See my review for additional information on this app.
5. Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul by Ruckus Media Group. My 3 year old loves his cars and trucks so I knew that this interactive book was a must. Various learning activities are imbedded into the story. BONUS * app allows you to record your own voice reading the story* Chuck is available for $3.99 for full version or LITE version for FREE
6. iDoodle Card by BND Co., Ltd. offers a variety of drawing activities. It allows for free drawing, follow a maze, complete a picture, or coloring pages. It is able 2 or 3 apps in one. I can't wait to do a full review because this one has so many potential IEP uses. I think it is a steal at $0.99.
7. MiniSketch by FatalFun is similar to the handheld "Etch-a-Sketch", but with a twist. In this app, you can change color and line texture. Although I was never good that the original etch-a-sketch, I found this one fun to just play with due to the color and line changes available. If you hurry, it is FREE until June 27th.
8. Bug Builder by zinc Roe allows you to choose between 4 different bug body shapes. Next, you can decorate your shape to create your bug. After your bug in complete, you have the choice of taking a picture of the bug going back to create another. I'm not a fan of taking the picture as I end up with 50 bug photos on my iPad if my kids are playing by themselves. Consider yourself warned. This app is $1.99 which compared to other "creative apps" is a little high for the simplicity of the app.
9. Create a Car by ABCya!. See my review for additional information on this app.
10. Moody Monster by ALEX toys allows you to create your own monster, take monster tour of the manor, and play games with the monsters. The app integrates both academic (colors) and social (feelings) components as well. Moody Monsters is one of the favorites of my 3 year old (until we got Chuck the Truck). Best of all, it is FREE!
11. And last, but not least, we cannot leave the house without a copy of The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton made into an interactive story app by Loud Crow Interactive, Inc. This book, actually this board book, has had a place in our nighttime ritual since my daughter, who will be 6 in August, was born. We have read it so much that the whole family, even Caleb (age 3), can recite the book from memory. So when we saw that there was an interactive version for the iPad, we jumped on it. For the iPad version it is $2.99, iPhone version is $1.99 which I think is a great price for a very good quality interactive book. Both cheaper than the original board book which was probably about $5.99. However, I wouldn't be trading in the board book.....too many memories are attached to the book.

As you are planning your own vacation, hopefully this list will give you a few idea on how to "keep the peace" and quiet while traveling. Safe travels to all!

~Melanie

Create a Car ~Review~

Create a Car

The creator of this app is the same as Math BINGO and Word BINGO This app is one of the apps that is just FUN! It has a simple design. It is similar to the Create a Car activity from the ABCya! website, but my students and I (and my own kids for that matter) found this app to be easier to navigate than the website. The app allows for multiple users to save information (5 in all). Users are asked to sign in or play as a guest. Users are first asked to "choose your ride". A choice of over 30 vehicle bodies are displayed from a police car to a school bus to something resembling a Smart Car. After a body is chosen, the user is given a choice of options to add onto car: wheels, engine, power tools, fun stuff, etc. The options are accessed by touching on a small square, but it isn't clearly marked as the option for parts which caused some confusion during the first couple times. Once a car is made, you have the option of saving it. To retrieve it, the user must access "My Garage". In here, there is a key button that starts and stops the vehicle, information button (which allows user to name, discription of vehicle, and lists special features), email picture of your car, edit your car, or delete it. The students liked the options and were very engaged while creating their car.

Additional IEP applications
Basically, I used this app for fun, getting user familiar with the touchscreen of the ipad, and as a reinforcing activity after another task was completed. However, it could be easily adapted to integrate it into IEP goals. Create a Car lends itself to working on basic concepts such as color and numbers. Initially, I wasn't aware of the information button in the "My Garage" section. That section would be great as a writing prompt. An individual could create a car, then use the information section as a guide to write about the car. Lastly, I could see this app (as well as the website) being used with a student to increase communication. Options could be presented to student (pictures of body type, wheels, etc.) and student would choose options.

Suggestions
A few suggestions for this app:

1. Since this app is in my "fun" catagory, I could see students using this app on there own. It would be great if there was an option for the student to have the directions read to them, if touched.
2. While in the create a car area, I think it would be helpful to place a word in the purple box with lines that allows you to change options. I think that either the word ADD or changing the color of box to green might help facilitate the idea that it is the option button.

Conclusion
In conclusion, this app is fun and engaging for both students and adults. The graphics are nice. The idea of creating his/her own car is a kids dream and the options to add onto each are can really give the imagination a workout. I could see this being an effective app for so many ages. It is one that my husband and son enjoy playing together as well. For $0.99, this app is well worth the purchase, especially as we head into vacation season.This $0.99 app will get you some quiet time in the car which could be priceless.

APP INFO
developer: ABCya!
website: http://www.abcya.com/
itunes: Create a Car
category: Education
recently updated: March 21, 2011

Word BINGO ~Review~

Word BINGO

This app is set up very similar to Math BINGO. It uses the simple concept of BINGO to reinforce sight words. The app gives the options to choose various levels of sight words (pre-primer through third grade). Once a level is chosen, the next option is to choose a game: word bingo or spelling practice. In word bingo, a word is spoken while a grid of words are displayed (AKA bingo board). The user is expected to recognize word, find it within the bingo board, and touch correct box. The user is continually given words until they get a BINGO. Wrong answers are displayed at bottom. The user gets points for correct answer. Once you get a BINGO, a score is given and user wins BINGO bugs. Once BINGO bugs are earned, the user can use them to play game additional games. I have to admit, we often didn't get time to "play" with the bugs. Spelling practice is for working on spelling the words correctly. It can be customized to show letter "hints" where students match the letters or without "hints" so just the mixed up letters in the work are shown. With the spelling practice section, I really liked how each time the letter was touched, it spoke the letter. Bonus games were given if you spelled 10 words correctly. After games are played, the app will generate a "report card" so that you can view how well the student did on each of the activities.

Additional IEP applications

There are so many IEP application for this app above the basic sight word reinforcement. The BINGO section can be used to assess students word recognition in a 'fun' way aside from flash cards or simple text. The spelling section could be used when working on letter identification and matching letters. The natural set up of the app (first work, then a 'game') allows for a built in reinforcer to complete the task so that they can play.

Suggestions

The app, unlike the Math BINGO, has a section for game settings. This allows for control of sound and game setup (yeah!), that was not available with the math one. The "How to" section is a little easier to read, but still having a 'read me' for the directions may be helpful. A couple other options:

1. When wrong word is touched on Bingo board, I found that the students often wanted to get a second chance and touch the correct word. This often lead to another incorrect answer because they were then answer a question behind. If possible, it would be nice if once a word was wrong, that the correct word would get highlighted on board so students could get that reinforcement. I know that this kind of doesn't work with the whole true BINGO experience and it may also not work for scoring. It would help reinforce the correct responses. I know my students would find that helpful.
2. I like the game setting features; however, it would be great if those features could be saved under each student profile. This way the app would already be set up to go from student to student without an adult having to change the settings.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Word BINGO is a great and fun way to teach and reinforce the sight words. The customizable options allows you to differentiate; however, the options are not user specific. They apply to the whole app. Word BINGO provides a way to assess students word recognition without asking them to say a word. With $0.99 price tag, this app is a fun and engaging way when teaching and reinforcing the basic facts either 1-1 or with a small group of students.

APP INFO
developer: ABCya!
website: http://www.abcya.com/
itunes:  Word BINGO
category: Education
recently updated: Word BINGO March, 2011

Math BINGO ~Review~

Check out the ABCya! website for great online games. I have tried several in my special education classroom as well as used some of the KDG and 1st grade activities within the Kindergarten classroom. Most have worked well with the SMARTboard (interactive whiteboard).


Math BINGO

This app uses the simple concept of a BINGO game to reinforce math facts. The app gives the options to choose addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division as well as a mixed operation option. There are 3  level selection. The app allows for up to 5 players to be saved with ability to play as guest. Math problem is given (ex. 4+1=__) along with a grid of numbers (AKA bingo board). The user is expected figure out the answer and touch correct number on grid. The user is continually given math problems until they get a BINGO. The user gets points for correct answer and for speed with deduction taken for incorrect responses. Once you get a BINGO, a score is given and user wins BINGO bugs. I have to admit that I was a little confused at first about the BINGO bugs. As I explore the app, I found it has a very nice "How to" section that explained the game. After I read the section, navigating the game was much easier. I did find that directions were geared more towards older students and adults. Once BINGO bugs are earned, the user can use them to play BINGO bungee game. The object of BINGO bungee is to shoot bingo bug via sling shot to collect the most coins. Game points are listed on a score board . Within the score board, individual student's "high" scores can be viewed as well a high scoreboard for all students. The view all students option is nice for when multiple users may be using the same iPad.

Additional IEP applications
This app is great for reinforcing basic math skills. I used it to work on addition and subtraction skills with both Kindergarten students with and without IEPs. It is a great way to have students show you what they know but taking off the pressure of giving a verbal answer. I was able to sit near student, he could complete the problems while I simply watched (and documented) his responses. It made the assessment task much more fun for all involved. I also could see using it to work on number identification. The teacher could help facilitate the answer, then ask student to find that number. Again, working on receptive language.

Suggestions
I do have a few of suggestions that would make this app more even more appealing:

1. The music during the introduction time is a little overstimulating, especially to someone who might be sensitive to sounds. I used the mute button or turned down volume, but it would nice to have option to turn on/off.
2. In a classroom setting, I could see this app being used; however, the ability to add more than 5 users would be helpful in accommodating classrooms where only and iPad or 2 are available.
3. It would also be helpful for the directions to be read aloud, if needed.
   

Conclusion
In conclusion, Math BINGO is a great and fun way to reinforce the math facts. It provides a way to assess students without asking them to write an answer or verbally give the number which is often a struggle for students with special needs. I could see this app being used 1-1 as well as with 1-3 students. With $0.99 price tag, this app is a "must have" when teaching and reinforcing the basic facts.

APP INFO
developer: ABCya!
website: http://www.abcya.com/
itunes: Math BINGO
category: Education
recently updated: Math: Feb, 2011