I began today by searching for apps that would assist students with various disabilites. I thought I would do some researching before listening to the webinar. I found a lot of great apps. One that stood out was the Dragon Dictation app. Not requiring the use of a keyboard and only needing voice made me think how beneficial this could be for students. There are many students in my school who have difficulty getting their thoughts down on paper. As well, their fine motor skills at times would impede the message they were trying to get forth. This app would be wonderful in assisting students to communicate their thoughts.
In my search I also came across the Christopher & Dana Reeve website where there are many apps available for people who are living with paralysis of some kind. Some of these apps would definitely assist students in the school system. One called "physiotherapy exercises" would enable students to go through a set of exercises without the manual handling from physical therapists. As well, one called "TaptoTalk" would be for those students who have difficulty speaking and this app would give them a chance to verbalize their wants and needs.
Upon listening to the webinar I realized that the Dragon app is quite a popular app for the Ipod and Ipad. I especially like the feature of word prediction that this app has as well as the Typ-O app. We use Fusion in our school which provides this feature of word prediction and it has been especially helpful with students spelling as well as giving them a chance to hear back their writing with the text to speech option.
In the webinar, there were a few points that have made me more excited about the use of the Ipod and Ipad within the classroom. I believe it is so important to have students included as much as possible and with the use of an Ipad for those non-readers, so they are able to listen to books in the classroom during a silent reading time, is wonderful. The "Reading A-Z" app for leveled text I could see being used within our school. I must admit that we have used so much paper to copy these books for various students and to see it ALL available within an app makes be very excited. (We just have to get an Ipod) I could touch on so many apps that I see being useful for our students. The app "Icoin" would be put to good use and the fact it deals with Canadian money is an added bonus! I must say the relaxation app also caught my eye. After I watched the webinar I did a google search for other relaxation apps and I found "Bubble Blow". This app allows you to blow bubbles, bounce or pop them, by shaking the Ipod you can create more bubbles and bubbles can also be blown by background sounds. (Sorry for all the "b's"). I had a boy with autism in my class last year and we were searching for different ways and methods to help him relax. These apps could be a huge help for him as well as many others. My eyes are widened as I continue to research and read about the benefits of apps on the Ipod and Ipad.
Thank you Barb for your time and efforts in this area!
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