Best Free Apps for Special Education

1. Best Free Apps for Special Education The purpose of this session is to inform educators and parents of free iPad apps used in special education classrooms. Apps that develop spelling, sight word recognition, phonic, reading, math, and motivational skills will be shared. Information on how to find and use the iPad apps with your students will be discussed. Educators and parents will walk away from this session with the ability to improve student learning while targeting specific academic skills.

2. Introductions • Lisa Gudmundson and Kathryn Minor • Scribble Press Books

3. How we use iPads in the special education classroom… • Introduce Equipment • Discuss Rules • Review and Sign Contract • Photo Release/ Parental Consent • Organization • Individual or Group Skill Review • Individual or Group Instruction • Motivator/Reward • Free Time/Free Choice Activity

4. Our Favorite Apps

5. Scribble Press Scribble Press an amazing app that lets you be the author and illustrator as you create your own books. This is one cool tool! Kids can use their imaginations while writing, illustrating, and publishing an ibook, which can then be shared. Wait, it’s get better. This app is not only FREE, it is phenomenal! There are three parts: My Books, My Drawings and Gallery. • over 500 drawing tools, including markers and stamps in a vast array of colors • a unique sticker collection • your own photo library • an easy and fun to use book layout tool • sharing tools that make it easy to show the world – or just family and friends – your great finished product! • PLUS, you can use Scribble Press for iPad to read books created by other kids, from all around the world! “Scribble Press for iPad makes it easy to create a book on the iPad.  Children, and grownups too, can write original stories or use one of over 50 story templates, draw using over 500 drawing tools, upload photos or original artwork and instantly publish in the ebook gallery or share with friends anywhere in the world.” — Scribble Press Team Developer: Scribble Press Target Skill: Reading Comprehension and Writing Description

6. Reading Monster 1 Developer: BluePin Target Skill: Reading Comprehension Description Reading Monster Town has interactive word/sentence games for better understanding stories and reviewing the words and sentence structures. Various stories with these games in Reading Monster Town guide English reading beginners(young learns) to a enjoyable journey of reading.★ Reading Monster Town’s Target Learners- Children starting to read in English- Children from K-5★ Reading Monster Town’s Characteristics- All the story topics are from the preschool and elementary school curricula.- Captivating illustrations attract learners’ attentions to fun and easy reading.- Fun word games with their pronunciations and illustrations help students grasp the words’ spelling and meanings in an effective and efficient way.-Sentence building up games help students comprehend different kinds of sentence structures.For Purchase: Reading Monster Town’s Components- Fiction and non-fiction passages from Level 1 to 8.- Containing 6 stories, word games and sentence games in each level

7. Life Skills Sampler Developer: The Conover Company Target Skill: Functional Life Skills Description This sampler includes 80 of the most common words or signs in the Functional Life Skills System. Included in the program are such words or signs as First Aid Kit, Information, Hospital, Library, School Bus Stop, Don’t Walk, Bread, Cashier and Receipt.•Contains 80 videos•Part of the Signs and Words Series for teaching sign and word meanings•Take classroom learning out into the community•Make assignments for each user based on individual needs•Lock the device to a particular user for ease of use•Narrated with human-quality audio, NOT text-to-speech•Great companion product to our online Functional Skills System (online.conovercompany.com)The Life Skills Sampler application is a complement to our Functional Skills System software. Each application contains all the digital videos contained in their software counterparts. Life Skills Sampler is a part of a series of applications that focus on functional life, literacy, math, social, health, transportation and work skills for both the iPod/iPhone and iPad.

8. Sight Words Developer: Innovative Mobile Apps Target Skill: Phonics, Work Attack, Spelling Description Help Your Child Learn to Read Sight Words, also known as the Dolch List are an integral part in learning how to read. The Dolch Word list contains 315 words that are broken down into appropriate age groups. It is important for young readers to be able to instantly recognize these high frequency words in order to be proficient and fluent readers ✔ Add your own cards - you can add an unlimited number of new words and record your own voice✔ Add new lists - you can add and group flash cards into customizable lists which is ideal for learning✔ Fun & engaging voice artist keeps kids engaged✔ The application works both in portrait and landscape mode✔ 5 unique game modes from easy (2 words only) to challenging (6 words per page)✔ Fully customizable font size, font color, spelling (upper case, lower case, etc.)✔ Unique continuous looping feature so you can go through hundreds of flashcards automatically✔ Customizable speed - you decide how fast to go from flashcard to flashcard✔ Multi-sensory learning tool - combining audio, voice, and written words

9. Counting Bills & Coins Developer: K12 Inc. Target Skill: Counting Money and Mental Math Description Counting Bills & Coins lets you practice identifying and solving math problems with money. Count, match, and make change with coins up to quarters and bills up to $20. Practice money skills in five unique activities:(1) Counting Money: Type the total of the coins and bills you see.(2) Show Me the Money: Drag bills and coins to make the total shown.(3) Making Change: Drag bills and coins to give customers change for their purchases.(4) Matching Amounts: Make the amount shown by using a different combination of bills and coins.(5) Show Values: Drag coins and bills to count up, and then check your answer.Perfect for younger students who are just learning what pennies, nickels, and dollars are and for more advanced students who want to practice making change up to $99.

10. Corkulous Developer: Appigo Target Skill: Organization Description Corkulous™ idea board is the incredible new way to collect, organize, and share your ideas. WHAT IS CORKULOUS?Family Message Center, Kitchen Cork Board, Reminder Board, Simple Mind Map, Goal Manager, Vacation/Event Planner, Vision Board, Simple to-do list, Exam Study Aid, Lesson Planner, … and more!HOW TO USE CORKULOUS?Plan any kind of event, collaborate with friends and colleagues, manage project assignments, brainstorm something BIG, prepare or teach a lesson, track your goals, keep track of your kids' chore list, take notes, build a simple org chart, … and whatever else you might think of.FEATURES- Notes, Labels, Photos, Contacts, Tasks, Index Cards, and Arrow Flags- Full board view with pinch zooming- Search cork board items- Email board snapshots as PDFs or images- Export board PDFs via iTunes File Sharing- Save images to Saved Photos album- Unique back side of the cork board- Excellent and proven customer support- Oh yeah, did we mention it's FUN? !!

11. Dragon Dictation Dragon Dictation is an easy-to-use voice recognition application powered by Dragon® NaturallySpeaking® that allows you to easily speak and instantly see your text or email messages. In fact, it’s up to five (5) times faster than typing on the keyboard.With Dragon Dictation you can also dictate status updates directly to your Social Networking applications (Facebook and Twitter) or send notes and reminders to yourself….all using your voice.  So when you’re on-the-go, stop typing and start speaking – from short text messages to longer email messages, and anything in between FEATURES• Voice-to-text transcriptions that may be sent as SMS, Email, or pasted into any application using the clipboard• Submit text to Social Networking applications – Twitter and Facebook• Convenient editing feature that provides a list of suggested words• Voice driven correction interface Developer: Nuance Communications Target Skill: Speech, Articulation, and Writing Description

12. DotToDotnumbers & letters Lite Number counting. Learning the times tables. Repeating the alphabet. This needn’t be boring for kids. With DotToDot numbers and letters it’s fun to practice all three!Using dot-to-dot puzzles, DotToDot numbers and letters teaches the sequence of numbers and letters by creating puzzles of dots that kids can’t wait to join up! Whether it’s counting “1,2,3”, learning the various times tables, or remembering each letter name in alphabetical order, DotToDot makes learning fun. This app is ideal if you’re child has progressed well with learning the phonetic sounds of letters (as taught by abcPocketPhonics) and now needs to learn the letter names. Developer: Apps in My Pocket Ltd Target Skill: Handwriting and Number identification, Letter identification, and Sequencing Description

13. Stack the States Lite Stack the States makes learning about the 50 states fun! Watch the states actually come to life in this colorful and dynamic game! As you learn state capitals, shapes, geographic locations and more, you can actually touch, move and drop the animated states anywhere on the screen. Carefully build a stack of states that reaches the checkered line to win each level.You earn a random state for every successfully completed level. All of your states appear on your own personalized map of the United States.HAVE FUN LEARNING ALL ABOUT THE 50 STATES:▸ Capitals▸ State shapes▸ Abbreviations▸ Bordering states▸ Location on the map▸ NicknamesFEATURES:▸ Hundreds of unique questions▸ Choose any of the 50 friendly-looking states as your avatar▸ Create up to six player profiles▸ Track your progress on a personalized map▸ High resolution pictures of famous US landmarks▸ Fun sound effects and music▸ Works on both iPhone and iPad - a universal app Developer: Dan Russell-Pinson Target Skill: State Location Description

14. Toontastic Developer: Launchpad Toys Target Skill: Imagination and Reading Comprehension Description Making cartoons with Toontastic is as easy as putting on a puppet show - simply press the record button, move your characters onscreen, and tell your stories through play! Once you’re done, Toontastic will play back your animation and voice as a cartoon for you to share with friends and family around the world. Toontastic teaches key storytelling principles that help to promote Creativity at a young age. Its drawing tools bring kids’ wildest ideas to life alongside virtual play sets chock full of pirates, princesses, far away galaxies, and many other characters and settings to spark the imagination. Cartoons can be shared online via ToonTube, Toontastic’s Global Storytelling Network, to help children connect to friends and family and learn about other cultures, customs, and lifestyles through stories created by their peers around the world. Creating a Cartoon with Toontastic is as Easy as…1. Select a scene on the Story Arc: A Setup, Conflict, Challenge, Climax, or Resolution.2. Draw your own Setting and Characters, or custom color a Character from our collection of pirates, princesses, swashbucklers, and more.3. Press the Start Animation button and move your characters around onscreen, telling your story through play. Toontastic will record and play back your animations and your voice as an animated cartoon.4. Choose the music for your scene by adjusting the scene’s Emotional Energy level and plotting out the perfect Story Arc.5. Title your cartoon and upload it to ToonTube for friends and family to see all around the world!

15. Splash Math 1 Developer: Study Pad, Inc. Target Skill: Place Value and Number Comparisons Description Splash Math is a fun and innovative way to practice math. With 13 chapters covering over 185 math skills and an endless supply of problems, it is by far the most comprehensive math workbook in the app store. ★ WINNER of "Best Elementary Student App" (2011), by BestAppEver.com ★ Featured in Apple's "Staff Favorite" ★ Featured in New and Noteworthy ★ LITE version - 2 Chapters Free in this version ★ KEY FEATURES ★ + Interactive Content - Children drag and drop shapes, pop bubbles, rotate clock hands and more to solve problems. The user interface is simple and clear with lots of pictures so that problem solving is fun. + Personalized Learning - Each topic starts with easy level and based on the child's progress, the medium and hard levels are gradually unlocked. The practice mode can be used to focus on problem areas. + Fun Games - Take a break between sessions and enjoy playing with fun creatures in the aquarium. Earn new ones such as angel fish, clown fish, squid, crabs as you earn more points. The more you practice more the prizes! + Weekly Email Reports - You can track your child's progress reports by our awesome weekly email reporting feature. Parents love it. + Scratch Pad for Rough Work - Child can use a scratch pad for all his rough work.

16. Phonics Tic-Tac-Toe Interactive Game Developer: Lakeshore Learning Materials Target Skill: Emergent Readers and Phonics Description Children build language skills in a fast-paced game of tic-tac-toe! Fun, interactive game explores vowel sounds, syllables and more. For ages 6-8 years. Plus, check out the other Lakeshore Learning Materials apps: Letter of the Day Interactive Activities and Beginning Sounds Interactive Game.

17. Vocabulary Central Grade 6 Developer: Pearson Education, Inc. Target Skill: Reading Comprehension, Spelling, and Vocabulary Description Vocabulary Central Grade 6 offers selection specific and academic support activities such as interactive flashcards, songs, and trivia games. Divided into six units of content, these activities help students learn each vocabulary word. Each unit has three activities: Flashcards, BQ Tunes, and Vocab Trivia.With Flashcards, you can build your understanding of each vocabulary word. Each flashcard provides an explanation of the word, a model sentence, a supporting image, synonyms and antonyms, word families, and background information, all with accompanying audio. After practicing, it’s time to earn some points in the Quiz mode. Once you've reviewed all the flashcards within a Unit, you can access the BQ Tunes and Vocab Trivia activities.BQTunes will provide musical and contextual clues to help you determine the meaning of the vocabulary words. Keep an eye out for the vocabulary words highlighted in blue.In Vocab Trivia, read each question, and then choose the best answer. The faster you answer a question, the higher your score will be. If you wait too long, the incorrect answers will start to vanish. When they vanish, so will your chance to score more points.

18. Telling Time Free Developer: King’s Apps Target Skill: Telling Time Description The best telling time app on the app store! Telling Time Free is an app designed for people of all ages. It's great for adults or anyone else looking for a brain training exercise. Telling Time Free is the only telling time app that has over 700 different clock values. Telling Time Free features an innovate way to input the time. Instead of giving the user multiple choice, Telling Time Free lets the user input the time by the hour, ten minute, and minute. The user inputs the digital time based on the analog time. There are two game modes, Practice and Quiz. In practice mode the user must input the correct answer in order to move on to the next question. In quiz Mode, users only have one chance to get the question right. Users also have the option to turn on a timer. Once the time runs out, the user will not be able to answer anymore questions. Users can also decide whether they would like to have a letter grade on their report.Features: - timer can be set to 1 min., 2 min., 4 min., and 8 min. - questions can be set to 10, 20, 30, and 40 - can control minute hand by increments of 1 minute, 5 minutes, and on the hour- sound effects- scores and grades the users answers - uses standard grading scale 90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 60-69=D, and lower than 60=F -sound can be turned off or on-clock animation

19. Zap Phonics Developer: Milk Drinking Cow Target Skill: Emergent Readers and Phonics Description Featured in Staff Favorites!Let child-friendly Zap guide your young one on a learning adventure that not only keeps him or her delighted and engaged, but gives you total peace of mind because you are providing the strongest foundation possible for your future reader.This game teaches kids the sounds that letters make versus the names of the letters. Surprisingly, knowing the alphabet alone does not help a child learn to read - it just teaches memorization skills. It is only when your child associates each letter symbol with the correct sounds that he or she will be firmly on the path to becoming an independent reader, able to form an infinite number of words from the 26 letters.Developed by a master educator, Zap Phonics is the only game that combines phonics with the gradient learning method that is geared towards toddlers and Pre-Kindergarteners and has been proven beneficial for older children too. Parents! With this app, your child will:1. Enjoy interacting with a fun and beautiful world created just for them.2. Learn about associating sounds with symbols that they see.3. Delight in hearing and repeating letter sounds.4. Practice hand/eye coordination with fun interactive games like the letter pick-up.

20. Phonics Awareness 1st Grade Developer: bugbrained.com Target Skill: Decoding and Phonics Description Phonics Awareness, 1st Grade Reading, is a fun way for your child to learn core phonics. Bugs are used to add whimsy and help in the teaching. This tutorial is highly interactive, giving your 1st grader a chance to relate to phonics on a personal level and get instant feedback on how they are doing. Features:**************************** Learning through animation, sound and touch.* Bugs do the teaching to add fun and whimsy.* The “Check Yourself” section tests your child’s learning and shows you the scores.* Tutorial format guides your child through the activities.* Games add to the fun.* Based on the Common Core Standards for 1st Graders.*Give your child a head start on first grade literacy.* Correct answers get immediate and consistent praise while wrong answers simply ask them to try again.*Multi-sensory learning creates a high degree of interactivity through voice, written words and animations.*Fun bug graphics holds your child’s attention.* Personalized feedback every step of the way.

21. My Spelling Test: Free Developer: Funflip Studios Target Skill: Spelling Description Do you want your child to be a better speller? Imagine your kids begging you to practice for their next spelling test. This app is like creating your own spelling bee and is a great way to save time on homework. HOW IT WORKS* Create A Test- Choose the name for your test- Then add words to the test.- For each word, you type the word and record yourself saying the word.* Take A Test- Listen to the word you need to spell- Spell the word in the input box.- See instantly if you spelled the word correctly before going to the next word.* See Scores- Each time you take a test, you will know which words you got right and which ones you got wrong.- You can see your child's improvement with each test.- Even if you don't watch your child take the test, you can see which words he or she got wrong afterwards.

22. Ways to find more apps • CGCSC’s Recommended Special Education apps for Learning handout • App Data Base http://www.centergrove.k12.in.us/Page/5516 • Kindertown-App data base for pre-k, kindergarten, first, and second grade skills • Appshopper- App data base that keeps you up to date on the newest App Store apps, sales and freebies.

23. Other Apps and Programs • Classdojo.com • JibJab Jr. • Grasshopper Apps • Grammar Jammers • Teacher Assistant Lite

24. Q & A