3/28/14 Appy Friday!

Here are my picks from this week's Free App Friday. Remember these deals might be only for today, so hurry!

For early childhood:
Slide and Spin by MyFirstApp.com
Works on cause and effect and introductory iPad fine motor skills such as touch and swipe. Shows picture reward with audio (cheering). You can customize the audio for each picture reward, but cannot customize the pictures.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slide-spin/id421655192?mt=8

For elementary:
Kindergarten Reading, Spelling and Tracing by CFC s.r.o
Works on spelling simple words, tracing letters and pre-reading skills (matching). You can select upper case, lower case or both, the length of word, prompts, word order but cannot customize the word list.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kindergarten-reading-tracing/id417003442?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

First Grade Antonyms by AbiTalk
Works on antonyms using flash cards, matching game, memory game and sentences. You can create complementary PDF worksheets but cannot customize the word list.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/first-grade-antonyms/id824098299?mt=8

Phonics Silly Sentences 1 by Emmy Chen
Works on vocabulary and through matching and labeling pictures with silly sentences. You cannot customize the word list.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/phonics-silly-sentences-1/id458392143?mt=8

For 5th grade-High School:
Elements Compounds Mixtures by Sprout Labs LLC
Works on learning facts about elements on the periodic table, compounds and mixtures. Each section has articles, slide shows, videos and quizzes (using Bloom's taxonomy)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/elements-compounds-mixtures/id721911378?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D8


*Disclaimer: I'm just passing on iPad app deals I had a chance to download and I found interesting. These apps may not apply to your student and/or may not be considered an Assistive Technology tool (An app that applies to your student's IEP goal(s) they are not making progress in despite the modifications in place). 

Appy Friday!

AT Rocks!

I am an Assistive Technology Specialist with a specialty in computer access and curriculum tools and I work for a Special Education collaborative (well it's more complicated than that, but that's the easiest way to describe where I work). My role is both a consultant and trainer. I help teams of special education staff select, implement and support a student with a disability with technology tools (both low tech and high tech). 
 
I am also a school based Occupational Therapist and work in our after school program assisting students with disabilities with fine motor and self-care skills. So I don't just consult about Assistive Technology (AT), I integrate it with students one on one and in small groups. I'm the crazy therapist who brings 2 iPads, a Windows tablet, an Android phone and a Mac laptop to each therapy session. Sometimes what I need is only on my Windows laptop, so I bring that out on occasion too.

One day I was walking out of a school and I had that moment. I was grinning ear to ear and feeling amazing. I just did an onsite training with a team supporting a student with Cerebral Palsy. He rarely was able to do a classroom activity without support.

This time with using a Mac laptop, Madentec tracker pro mouse, Read Write Gold software, Keystrokes software and Adobe Pro software, he was flying solo. Our student opened up his textbook online. Read Write Gold software read him a paragraph. He opened up the PDF worksheet emailed him from his teacher in Adobe and typed his answrs to the textbook questions on the worksheet. When he was done, he saved it and emailed it back to his teacher.

All we did was help him was set up his laptop. We were like the airport crew that filled the plane up with gas and loaded up the luggage. He was the pilot.

These are the moments I live for. The days I know I have the best job on the planet. This blog is dedicated to the tools that make my students with disabilities' lives amazing. Assistive Technology Rocks!