Before I started hunting for apps, I wanted to familiarize myself with some strategies for using iPads to foster literacy. I found this archived webinar in which Richard Colosi shares strategies for integrating iPad in Literacy Circles. It is an hour long, but well-worth the time. He shares some incredible strategies.
VOCABULARY APPS:
Chicktionary:
(Free w/ the option to purchase more puzzles) This is a great game to play
different levels to learn new vocabulary, review spelling and have a great time
with different challenges.
Conundra:
(Free) Conundra is a simple anagram game that is easy to learn, but hard to put
down. Solve anagrams that are from from six to ten letters long. See how your
performance varies over time and by time of day and day of the week. A great
way to find out when your thinking is sharpest!
English
Idioms Illustrated: (Free) What is the meaning behind English IDIOMS, and
where do they come from? Join Professor
Potts to discover the history of HUNDREDS of
beautifully illustrated English idioms.
Martha
Speaks: ($0.99) A US Dept. of Education-funded study found target
vocabulary improved up to 31 percent for children ages 3-7 who played this app over a two-week period. Includes FOUR games
starring Martha the talking dog from the popular PBS KIDS TV series.
My Word
Wall: ($1.99) Help your child develop early reading skills with Word Wall.
Watch them develop into confident and strong readers.
Phrase Game:
(Free) Try to get your teammates to guess the phrase before time is up. The
timer is ticking throughout the entire game and becomes more urgent toward the
end of each round. In Classic mode you pass the device
from team to team after each phrase.
Word
Wizard ($2.99): "Speak ‘N Spell for the iPad Generation" - The
New York Times
PHONICS/PHONEMIC AWARENESS:
ABC
Pocket Phonics: (free) work on letter sounds, letter writing, and 160 first
words (try the lite version first and see if you think it is worth upgrading)
All
About Letters Interactive Activities: ($1.99) Kids explore the whole
alphabet. Animated lessons cover letter formation, letter
sounds, etc. Ages 4-6 years
iWriteWords:
($2.99) teaches your child handwriting while playing a fun and entertaining
game
Montessori
Letter Sounds: ($2.99) teaches pre-reading skills such as letter sounds and
shapes in colorful, uncluttered, and self-directed activities
Phonics
Genius: (Free) over 6,000 words grouped by phonics sounds. This app is
awesome to teach phonemic awareness.
FLUENCY:
Open
Wide Snap eBook: ($0.99) Kids build reading confidence and become better
readers with words that highlight as they are read. Animated and Interactive, words that zoom up
and are spoken when pictures are touched
Audio
Memos: (Free) voice recorder for the iPhone and iPad. Great for recording student voices to talk
about fluency with students.
Garageband:
(Free) turns your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch into a full-featured recording
studio to record audio (and to add musical accompaniment) – great for
podcasting.
DIGITAL STORYTELLING:
Puppet
Pals: (Free) Create your own unique shows with animation and audio in real
time
iMovie:
($4.99) create movies with special effects, sound, music, images and video shot
with your iPad
MIND MAPPING / GRAPHIC
ORGANIZERS:
Idea Sketch:
(Free) draw a diagram - mind map, concept map, or flow chart - and convert it
to a text outline, and vice versa
Tools
4 Students: ($0.99) 25 graphic organizers supporting common comprehension skills
like main idea and detail, sequencing, compare and contrast etc. Each organizer
can be used again and again
