Toad-ally Exceptional Learners: App Finds and a Freebie

October 14, 2012

I think the iPads will be up and running by mid-week. It seems like it has taken forever to get them up and running but what can you do when iTunes crashes after an update. My building computer techs work Friday on getting the VERY long list of apps on to them. I wish share a couple of discoveries.

In my app store wandering I came across several for preschool/kindergarten. They have been the hardest to shop for. Since, my main goal is to find apps that work within the Blooms Taxonomy and are not games.

I came across several free apps concerning Letters of the iPads just right for through little minds and hands. Those apps are: ABC Phonics, Little Matchups ABC, ABC Alphabet, Beginning Sounds ($.99), and Spelling Bug.

Little Matchups ABC by matching uppercase, lowercase letters, sounds and pictures with beginning sounds together. In that app and ABC Phonics, the more answer students answer correctly, the more choices appear on the screen. Spelling Bug helps students spell three and four letter words.

ABC Alphabet Phonics asks students to identify letters by name. Little Sorter is even lower: students discriminate between several letters, puzzle style. As they matched each shape to it’s spot, the app announces the letter name. Beginning Sounds allows users to choose three letter sounds by picture.

Early last week I was at a class, "I have an iPad...Know What" hosted by my district. The presenter pointed out two apps that I love and can't believe I didn't know about them earlier. It takes only having one iPad to a new level. Students can interact with the apps without being tied down to my doc camera.

One is Airserver. This one mirrors the iPad through my computer and onto my SMART board. There are two levels: one free (for 7 days) and a paid down that you can use on 5 machines. It replaces the VGA cord. One thing to keep in mind its that your iPad and computer you download the software to need to be on the wireless network. In my building we have three wireless networks--iPad connects to one and my laptop a different one. To get it to work they both have to be talking to each other on the same channel.

The other is Splashtop Streamer. This one mirrors my computer on iPad. So if I'm running a power point on my laptop and displaying it on my SMART board, I can walk around the room and not be tied down to my laptop. It works like a remote. So very cool. This one you have to pay for but if you have only one iPad; just think of the ways you can engage students.

My sixth graders are working on fractions, decimals, and percents. They have to be able to smoothly translate fractions to decimals to percents and back again. The more fluently the better. Here's a sample that you can download at my store and pick up the at 32 pages if you like. Be sure to stop by my store for all of them and other great small group activities.