Unit 3- Apps that can be used in the class
Unit 3
Unit 3 Objective: After completing this unit, the student will be able to select and purchase; reading, writing and speech to text apps.
During this unit, you will be exposed to different websites that have broken down educational apps into different categories that will help you determine which apps will be beneficial to use in your classroom.
How to download an app
On the iPads home screen, (you can get to this screen by hitting the circle button) there is an App Store whose icon is a white A inside a blue square (pictured below). If you click on the icon, you will be brought to the App Store. You will be brought to the featured section of the store. This section has the Best New Apps, Best New Games, and Festive Games. On the bottom there will be a tab that says, Search. If you click on the search button, you can type in a name of the app you are looking for or any word or phrase and any app that relates to those word(s) will come up. When the results come up, you will see the number 1 result. To move from app to app, slide your finger to the left. To get an app on the iPad, you must click on the price of the app, once hit the button, you will be prompted to put the password in. This will be the password to the school's Apple ID. This process will prevent the students from buying apps that they want.
In the top right of the app information, you will see the cost of the app. At the search page, there are three different ways that you can modify the search; price (free/paid), category (education is one option) and by relevence, popularity, rating or release date.
APPS
These are a few apps that I have used in the past that I found to be useful in the classroom.
| APP Name | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sight Words | Free | You are able to customize the sight word app for students. There are 6 pre-loaded list on the app. The lists are: pre-k, Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade and Nouns. There is the ability to add or delete words from the list. Two modes; play or game. Game mode, the student listens to the word said and will choose the word from a list of 2-6 words (selected from the options menu). Learn mode- the word will be said aloud so the student can repeat it or can be set to no audio for partner use. |
| ABC Tracing | Free | Student will be able to work on the formation of the upper case and lower case letters. The app will say the letter when the item on the page is clicked. Then the student is to trace the letters. This app is great for students who struggle with letter formation or the students who need work in their fine motor skills. |
| Magic Spell | Free | Interactive alphabet game where the students will be given a picture of a word and the student needs to place the given letters in the correct order. This app is very colorful and engaging for the students. |
| First grade learning games | Free | This app has patterns, ordering, word bingo, compound words, contractions, spelling, nouns, verbs and adjective games and lessons. This app is very interactive and the children who I've used it with have had many great things to say about the app. |
| Reading A-Z | FREE | Reading A-Z has many books that can be downloaded via the app store. The students can listen or read a book at their reading level. The words that are deemed more difficult by the company, are underlined in blue and the student can click on the word to get a definition of the word. |
| EDUcreations Interactive Whiteboard | Free | This app turns your iPad into a recordable whiteboard. By touching, tapping and talking you can create a video tutorial. This app would be for reteaching the children a particular skill and be used during centers. |
| A-Z Level Book | Free | This app is for teachers use. This app is a running record app. The app allows to insert a students name and create a file for that student. The app records the student reading and the teacher will tap the screen when the student makes an error when reading. To put a self correction in, double tap the screen. The app will then calculate the students accuracy rate, self correction rate and the words per minute. I find this app very useful because it records the student reading, therefore, it can be shown to other teachers or the child's parents to show their fluency level. |
| First Words | $1.99 | This app has a total of 174 word games that include animals, vehicles, colors, shapes and common words. There are different levels that can be used for differentiated instruction. |
| Desteria | $3.99 | This app is designed to be used in short sessions on a regular basis. This app is for fine motor skills. There are a set of theraputic hand exercises designed to improve fine motor skills and handwriting readiness in children. The app takes full advantage of the multi-touch interface to help build strength and dexterity. |
The links below are websites that have many apps listed; both free and paid apps.
Link to free apps for first graders
Apps especially designed for use by Special Education students- http://spedapps2.wikispaces.com/
Apple's website that is a great resource for any teacher using an iPad in the classroom- http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/apps-books-and-more/
I found this rubric that I thought that would be helpful using when deciding to keep using an app. http://kathyschrock.net/pdf/ipad_app_rubric.pdf
There are many gradebook and attendence apps available in the App Store. I did not touch on these because the school typically has a system in place that they feel works best for their teachers. However, there are many options available if you are looking.
Activity for this unit
- Download a FREE phonics app for Kindergartners or first graders and complete a short critique of the app.
In this critique include: A basic summary of the app. (look at the colors, brightness, sounds, distractability) Do you believe the students would enjoy this app? How this app would benefit the students in your class. Any potential downfalls of the app.