Best iPad Apps for Differentiationact.aurorak12.org/.../uploads/sites/10/2013/02/Beninghof_iPad_Apps.pdf · Best iPad Apps for Differentiation ... CoachMyVideo app to analyze with

Copyright Anne M Beninghof 2013 1

Best iPad Apps for

Differentiation

Courage to Risk 2013

Anne M. Beninghof Education Consultant

[email protected] www.ideasforeducators.com

720-934-1508


Approaches to Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction (DI) is a teaching philosophy

based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to meet students’ varying readiness levels,

learning preferences and interests.

Readiness Student

Interest Learning Profile

Content

Process

Product


What do you want in an app?

o Cost o Ease of Use o Audio/Recording Options o Cultural Sensitivity o Size o Requires internet connection o Appealing o Multiple Modalities o Choices for Students o Various Readiness Levels o Positive Feedback o Data Collection o Share/email feature o Multiple users o Advertising o Motivating o Supports curriculum o o o o


Preschool App Selection Guide Directions: Select an app with an educational purpose in mind and explore the app to decide whether it might be useful. Then evaluate the app for these factors. Evaluate several apps to identify the most suitable app for the child you are working with. App Title:______________________________________________ Price: _________ 1= Characteristic is Mostly Absent 2= Characteristic is Somewhat Absent 3= Characteristic is Somewhat Present 4= Characteristic is Mostly Present

Rating

Accessibility App can be used by children with a range of abilities App is easy for children to understand Minimal adult assistance is required Images and sounds are used to present important information App gives positive feedback for correct answers App gives corrective feedback in a positive way App reduces fatigue and maximizes comfort for use App allows enough space on the screen for 1 or more children to use it

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Content App can be used by children with a range of preferences and interests App encourages children to be interactive App has multiple options for children to explore App minimizes rote responses App encourages children to find answers to problems Language is appropriate for young children New vocabulary is taught Music is socially appropriate App is free from violence App avoids cultural stereotyping App promotes diversity App is free from advertisements Content of app is challenging but not frustrating for children

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Individualization App teaches skills the children need in order to use it App is compatible with the child’s assistive technology The difficulty of the app can be adjusted or changes based on child’s response App has options for prompting and other supports that can be turned on and off Content of app addresses multiple skills Use of app can be embedded into daily routine.

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Subotals Notes:

Overall Score

Reprinted with Permission from: More, C. & Travers, J. C. (in press). What’s app with that? Selecting educational apps for young children with disabilities. Young Exceptional Children.


Anne’s 5 Point App Rubric

Is it intuitive? Does it take less than 2 minutes to figure out?

Is it engaging? Do real students like it?

Does it apply to varying ability levels? Have depth and breadth?

Is it free or inexpensive? If not, is it worth it?

Can I quickly see ways to connect it to the Common Core Standards?


Lesson Plan for: EQ/Standard/Objective: CCS: Have we considered the following elements?

o Aud/ Visual Perception o Modeling o Practice o Student Choice o Novelty o Connections

o Formative Assessment o VAKT o Vocabulary o Participation o Varied groupings o Retention

o Sim/Differences o Technology o IEPs/Accommodations o Other:

o

How will we challenge? How will we support?

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General Approach

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Activator Body of Lesson Closure


Lesson Plan for: Science, 2nd grade EQ/Standard/Objective: Use observational skills, perform analysis, draw conclusions Access skill: Stay on task for extended periods of time

Have we considered the following elements?




o

How will we challenge? These students will sort the magnets into common categories. How will we support? Categories on board. Self-monitoring practice. Visual supports.

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General Approach

2

Activator Magic Bag – pull out iPad. Teacher acts out what it looks like to be off task. Use CoachMyVideo app to analyze with group. Body of Lesson Take video of students looking on task and have them analyze proper behaviors. Using wipe-off magnets, brainstorm ideas for what is needed for effective observation. Sort magnets into categories. Practice observation skills in lab activity. Share observations. Closure Return to categories for effective observation. Verbally rehearse 3 times for retention.


Lesson Plan for: Photosynthesis EQ/Standard/Objective: CCS: 5.RIT.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the same topic, noting similarities and differences 5.L.6: Acquire and use accurately domain specific words

Have we considered the following elements?




o

How will we challenge? Assign to highest level QR station Have students perform Word Surgery on “photosynthesis” How will we support? Whiteboards to record info, review with partner Sample abbreviations on board

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General Approach

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Activator Hold up a raw vegetable and ask what this has to do with photosynthesis. Have students talk with partners, then share. Model some simple abbreviations for note taking while recording their ideas. Be sure to record definition of photosynthesis. Body of Lesson Hang 6 different QR codes on classroom walls, linked to websites with information on photosynthesis. Groups of 6 go to each QR code, bringing mini white boards to record information learned. Use QR Scanner app. Before breaking up, have students pair to review the information they have recorded. Jigsaw cooperative learning groups – each student shares about what they learned at their QR station. Complete similarities/differences chart. Closure Add new learning to science journals. Show two or three students’ work on doc cam.


General Tools

Software for your computer Has been $14.99

Reflection View your iPad on your Mac or PC and continue using it while you're mirroring. Download software onto computer first. Then anything on your iPad will show on computer and can be projected onto screen.

Software for your computer Has been $30.00

Doceri Download software onto your computer and then add the app to iPad. Doceri causes mirroring onto the iPad, so that your iPad becomes an interactive whiteboard. Annotate anything on your screen.

8.1 MB FREE

QR Reader Fast and effective. App opens instantly in real time scanning mode. Simple to use.

16.7 MB Has Been FREE

Aurasma Lite The world’s first visual browser. Aurasma allows your smart phone or tablet to recognize images and objects. It then augments your view of the real-world with videos, music and 3D animations called auras or overlays.

1.5 MB FREE

Socrative A student response system that empowers teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games.


Nearpod Teachers use Nearpod to share content with their students and to manage the flow of the lecture. · Students use Nearpod on their iOS devices to receive multimedia content and to participate in engaging assessment and collaboration activities.

Class Management

.1 MB Has Been $4.99

ABC Data ABC Data is an unobtrusive data collection tool for counting behaviors and recording session duration. Data analysis can be emailed. Also serves as a stopwatch and tally counter.

2.5 MB Has Been Free

Three Ring Three Ring allows you to take pictures of student work and keep track online. Each piece can be tagged with pre-loaded or customized descriptors such as “district standard” or “adapted.”


6.9MB Has Been $.99

Take Turn Timer Customizable timer for up to 5 different students. Simple to use for managing turn taking.


Giant Timer Free timer with large, bold numbers, and a variety of sounds.


VisTimerFree Free timer that shows a pie chart visual changing as the minute counts down. Free version allows up to 5 minutes. No sound effects.


StopGo! This app allows you to set different times to help students stay on track. Includes a warning noise when the light turns yellow.

Communication


Dragon Dictation Dragon Dictation is an easy-to-use voice recognition application that allows you to easily speak and instantly see your text or email messages. Accuracy is good (for native English speakers,) even with background classroom noise.

18 MB Has Been FREE

Sock Puppets Several puppets to choose from with a few backgrounds and props. Student records own voice, but voice is morphed to different pitches. Easy, intuitive way to capture storytelling.


FreeSpeech Provided by a non-profit, an easy to use app for people with difficulty speaking. Use computer voice or record your own. Use icons provided or add your own photos.


Morfo Take a photo of a face, adjust it to line up with parameters, then record your voice. The app turns the face into a 3-D, talking image. Students are motivated to speak through a morphed image of themselves.


Grid Player A symbol, text and voice communication system that allows the user to build sentences or use pre-recorded words, phrases or sentences.



Translate Box Voice and text translation into dozens of languages. Simple to use.

Fine Motor

79.7 MB Has Been $2.99

Bugs and Buttons Very engaging activities to practice fine motor skills, path finding, patterns, sorting, tracking and more. Self-paced, two play modes, and progressive skill levels.


PicknStix Classic A modern day adaptation of the classic Pickup Sticks game. Visual focus and fine motor skill practice within a colorful game.


Dexteria Designed by occupational therapists. Three therapeutic hand exercises in game format to build strength, control and dexterity.


Touch and Write Shapes 16 different writing textures, 28 backgrounds, wide variety of shapes with increasing difficulty. Students are guided through tracing shapes, with built-in correction and reinforcement.


Handwriting without Tears A multi-sensory approach, two options for sensitivity, introduces letters in a developmental order, 3 levels of difficulty for each letter.

Logic/HOT


Cargo-Bot Cargo-Bot is a puzzle game where you teach a robot how to move crates. Strategic thinking causes greater success. Very engaging across grade levels.


inDecision Teaches a process for decision making including pros and cons, weighted importance, bar graph and percentage. Effective for individual, small groups or whole class decisions.



Little Solver Figural Analogies This game helps students develop critical thinking skills for figural analogies. Fourteen different levels, detailed performance tracking, fully customizable.


Creative Braining Develop fluency, flexibility and creativity by generating examples in a wide range of categories.


Kids iHelp Analogy Children are challenged with a variety of visual pictures and verbal concepts in order to hone their analogy skills. The combination of images and words provides different ways to develop analytical skills and visual awareness.


ABA-Problem Solving – Which does not belong? This app displays 4 images and require the child to identify the one item that is different. The difference could be due to the color, name of the object, type of object or concept being presented.

Math

12.8 MB Has Been $ FREE

Chicken Coop Fractions This app provides practice at determining the decimal equivalent to a given fraction. Hens lay an egg and the player must place the nest in the correct spot to catch it – or it gets very messy. A range of settings for differentiation.


Math Duel Math Duel is a split screen mathematics game that pits two players against each other on the same device. Each player can be working on different operations.


Marble Math Math practice for intermediate grades. Student tilts the iPad to roll a marble through a maze to capture correct answers. Many levels and options for differentiation. Very appealing with obstacles and things to earn. Do overs allowed and no time limits.


Factor Samurai Focused, fun game for factor practice. Student plays as the samurai whose sacred duty is to cut all the numbers down to their prime factors. Three levels of speed, very visual and tactile. Numbers stay below 25.

68.3MB Has Been $1.99

Math Evolve Stop the aliens and save Earth by quickly completing math equations. A variety of levels make this accessible to many, but even the beginner levels require quick responses. Appealing graphics.



Pick-a-Path Excellent game for practicing strategic thinking. Utilizes all four operations. Student has to choose a path of numbers and operations that will lead to the target total. Distributed by NCTM.


Operation Math Code Squad 2 to 4 players race against the clock to complete a math mission, using chosen operations and difficulty levels. Stats are kept for each player. Engaging “Mission Impossible” feel to the game.


CandyFactory Candy Factory is an educational game that teaches the concept of fractions to middle grades students based on splitting operations with partitioning and iterating. Directions are very complex, so it may frustrate students who have trouble with multiple step tasks.


Fill the Cup Four math games allow students to experience math concepts with a variety of visuals and manipulations.


Slice it! This app is about slicing shapes into pieces that are equal in size. It requires strategic thinking and applied understanding of fractions. Great for higher level thinking in geometry.

4.6 MB Has Been 4.99

Math Board Screen looks like a chalkboard. Student is given a math problem, a black board with chalk colors to work out the problem, and a multiple choice list of answers. Student can also opt to have steps in the problem shown on the chalkboard. Data collection and timer.

Note Taking


Note Taker HD The most comprehensive note taking app for the price. Lots of features that provide choice, accessibility and enhanced productivity.


Sling Note On the left panel you have a web browser while on the right panel you have a notepad. Student can read in a web page, highlight text, copy it and paste it into notes. Can choose images, crop them and copy them into the notes.


Paper Helper PaperHelper splits your iPad screen in half providing you with a Internet Browser and a Document writer. Keep track of sources with the “source” button.


38.6 MB Has Been $.99

Notability Very comprehensive productivity tool that integrates handwriting, PDF annotation, typing, recording, media and organizing. Features allow for creativity and artistic expression, as well as traditional note taking.

Photography/Imagery


Lego Super Heroes Movie Maker Bring objects to life with this simple app for creating a stop motion movie. Simple guides make it easy to shoot and edit. Picture your animal research projects come to life!


WordFoto Similar to Wordle, this app lets you enter your own text and your own photo, placing the words into the photo randomly to create the typographic work of art.


Videolicious Instantly combine your videos, photos, music and stories. Just talk and tap to create a video showing knowledge about any topic.


CoachMyVideo This app uses videos you take with your iPad. You can review and analyze videos in slow motion, draw, mark or write notes on videos. Show two videos side by side for compare and contrast. Use to view academic or social behaviors, or physical skills.

Pre-K/K Emerging Skills


Counting Ants Lite Cute game for practicing 1:1 correspondence. Five mini-games. Spanish option.

49 MB Has Been $.99

Sentence Maker Make and complete sentences with just the touch of a finger. Highly customizable with lots of support. Can add your own voice and items if desired.


Funny Alphabet This funny interactive learning game features original phonetics, animation, and pictures that come to life. Very interactive.


53 MB Has Been $.99

Savannah Adventures! Beginning numeracy skills in a cute interactive game format. Includes “parent” tracker to show student progress. Part of a series by ILearnWith.


Montessori Numbers Part of the series of Montessori apps. Offers a sequence of guided activities that gradually help children reinforce their numeracy skills. Many levels and adjustable options to choose.

Reading

Reading Comprehension Booster A collection of interactive bookmarks that keep students thinking while they are reading. Students practice comprehension skills by making connections, following sequence, noticing literary elements and developing story ideas.


Super Why A collection of interactive literacy games based on the four main characters from the TV series. Lots of nice graphics and audio. Learning is scaffolded nicely for beginning readers.


Reading Remedies A quick and easy assessment in six areas of literacy: rhyming, blending, segmentation, sight words, fluency, and word attack. Suggested follow-up activities.


Phonics Genius Over 6000 unique words, grouped by phonemes. Includes audio, visual and ability to record. Can customize and add your own words. Lots of options for presentation.


Word Bingo 4 games based on the Dolch word list, pre-primer through third grade. Simple word recognition, audio repeats available, data collection, up to 30 players.

24.9 MB FREE

Bluster This word matching game develops vocabulary and word understanding skills through drag and match activities. Can play solo or against an opponent.


Subtext This app is a book reader that has partnered with google to provide a social platform for shared reading. In Subtext, teachers and students can exchange ideas as they read—right in the margins of any ebook!

62 MB Has Been FREE

JibJab Jr. These books allow you to insert a child’s face to become the main character. Nice graphics and rhymes, but not interactive. One free book per month, others available for purchase.


256 MB Has Been FREE

HMH Readers HMH Readers provides a selection of FREE interesting non-fiction and fiction selections designed for K-6 students. Others available for purchase.

Science

9.4MB Has Been FREE

Project Noah Grab a photograph of a plant or animal that you want to learn more about, select the appropriate category, confirm your location, add some descriptive tags, and submit it. If you need help identifying species, the community will suggest species IDs.

17.9 MB Lite – Free or $1.99

Touch Physics Draw shapes with a crayon that come to life on your device. These shapes interact with the wheel, causing it to move according to physical laws. Logic and strategic thinking involved.


3D Brain Rotate and zoom around 29 interactive structures of the human brain, lighting up specific areas and retrieving information on their functions.

166 MB Has Been $2.99

Dr. F’s Body Lab Drag and drop body parts to build a complete monster and bring it to life. Timed and very fast paced.


Science 360 The National Science Foundation’s app provides stunning images and video from around the globe and a news feed featuring breaking news from the science world. Easy to save favorite images to return to later.

Selectors


Stick Pick This app allows you to draw a student’s name randomly. The best part – in advance you have chosen the level of questioning appropriate for each student’s ability. Includes Bloom’s Taxonomy and levels for ELL. Tracks data on student reponses.


Not It Students place a finger on the board. A random picker begins and selects one of the fingers to be “Not It.”



Make Dice Very easy dice creation. Customize the 6 faces and the color. Shake the iPad to roll the dice – one or more dice on the table at a time.


Custom Spinner Customizable spinner – determine how many slices and add your own content to each section of the spinner. Also includes some preset options.


Undecided Multiple decision making tools – coin toss, rock-paper-scissors, straws, dice, spinner and random number generator.

Social Studies


Stack the States Reinforce your knowledge of the states – shapes, locations, capitols and other facts. Earn bonus games as you progress through the levels.


Globe Moveable globe. Search feature lets you choose a country name and then spins and zooms in to show that place on the globe. With internet connection, can tap a country and receive all types of demographic info.


MAKERS MAKERS is a living library containing hundreds of original stories from exceptional women who impact the world in which we live.


National Geographic Today This app brings you the best of their daily offerings – news, videos, quizzes, articles and photography.


Today’s Document Explore American history with 365 fascinating documents and photos from the collections of the US National Archives. An interactive gallery that displays a significant historical document or photo for each day of the year. Searchable collection.


Spelling


Spellosaur Practice your customized spelling list by listening and choosing, completing the word, unscrambling the word, then spelling the word independently. Prompts provided when errors are made


SpellBoard SpellBoard allows you to create any spelling quiz in any language and can now generate a Word Search & Word Scramble puzzles from any spelling list. SpellBoard allows for multiple student profiles so you can track the performance of students.


Build a Word Provides a visual and/or audio prompt to "write" a word. The word is to be written by dragging appropriate letters one at a time in the designated slot in the correct order. Success is rewarded by a short fun game. A variety of levels and accessibility options.


Cimo Spelling Sight Lite This app teaches a combination of high frequency and sight words from the Dolch Sight Word list, K-3, using a cute penguin and visual and auditory prompts. Simple data report on student success.


Alpha Writer Hear the sound of each letter as you touch it. Position letters to form words. Two options: The first asks child to spell words after seeing a picture of the word and hearing it spoken. The second section lets the child use letter and images to write their own story.

Study


Evernote Peek If you have a Smart Cover, then peek under the cover to see the clue, lift the cover higher to see the answer. If you don't have a Smart Cover, then simply enable the Virtual Cover in Settings. Create your own study notebooks.


Brainscape Online site allows you to create your own flashcards or download hundreds that have been shared by other teachers. After checking answer on the flashcard, student rates confidence level with the answer. Data collection on progress.


iHomework iHomework allows you to set alarms for Assignments and Reminders. Be notified of an upcoming test or paper even when you don't have iHomework open. You can even set how far in advance you want to be notified. No network connection required.


Khan Academy Kahn Academy includes videos on a variety of topics, including K-12 mathematics standards. Students (and parents) can watch math skills being taught and learn at their own pace. Line by line text for the video lecture is also provided.


Visual and Auditory Attention

229 MB Has Been $1.99

Dyslexia Quest The games are designed to provide practice with working memory, phonological awareness, processing speed, visual memory, auditory memory and sequencing skills.


P.O.V A set of 3 activities designed to teach spatial reasoning skills through challenging, interactive activities. Includes automatic tracking and reporting features. Ages 10 +


Doodle Find Scan and find colorful hidden objects. Increase your speed as you try to beat the clock. Compete through social networking.


LetterReflex LetterReflex provides a fun way to help overcome common letter reversals. The first activity, Tilt It, uses kinesthetic learning to teach left from right. The second activity, Flip It, allows practice on number and letter discrimination skills.


Odd 1 Out Scan and select specified objects from a moving field. Various difficulty levels, lots of bright colors and verbal reinforcement.

Visual Boards

19.8MB Has Been $1.99

Corkulous Pro A multipurpose app, Corkulous provides large corkboard backgrounds onto which you can easily pin notes, labels, photos and more. Simple to use. Email, save or export projects.


Jigsaw Box This app lets you create a jigsaw puzzle from any photo. Puzzles can be designed to contain 16 to 208 pieces, and can be changed each time you play.


Educreations Turns your iPad into a recordable white board. Creating a video tutorial is as simple as touching, tapping and talking.



Paperport Notes This notetaking app has the extra feature of a dictation option that turns recorded voice into text on the page. Also includes sticky notes, drawing and typing, various paper backgrounds, and ability to insert photos, files, etc.


SAS Gloss Open a new “canvas” and layer text, images, and drawings. Turn on graph paper for math class or create elaborate drawings and scenes to add to any creative project.


Easy Chart HD Creates bar/line/pie/sidebar charts. - Save to photos and then share. Color choices and font adjustments. Simple to use.

Vocabulary


Same Meaning Magic Same Meaning Magic is an adventure game designed to help children and students understand synonyms. The game incorporates learning synonyms attuned to the various grade levels.

32.8 MB $0.99

WordConnex Students sort words into different categories. Many levels for differentiation, with no-fail supports. Use for vowel types, patterns, themes, and concepts.


Vocab-a-Splat Match pictures to words by slinging paint at the correct choice. Words are grouped by theme, with difficulty levels increasing from more concrete to more abstract. Help available.


Shake-a-Phrase Shake the iPad to join phrases that form a silly sentence. Tap individual words to see meaning. Save and share favorite sentences.


Noodle Words Through interactive play, the set of active words come to life as the Noodle Bugs demonstrate word meanings with their highly animated antics. Helpful for ELL students as well as early readers. Limited words in first release.


Word Spinner 1-4 players will encounter more than 100 vocabulary words through 6 board games, while building their storytelling and oral vocabulary skills.

Word Games



Chicktionary Unscramble a roost full of letters and create as many words as possible. Each hen bears a letter. Touch the hens and spell out a word, then watch as the word appears below them.

40.5 MB $0.99

Wordflick Flick or drag game tiles to the bottom of the screen to spell words. The longer the word, the more points. Option to share your scores with other players.

24.7 Has Been FREE

Boggle Lite Word Search game, just like the Boggle you know. Free version has ads.


7 Little Words Each bite-size puzzle consists of 7 clues, 7 mystery words, and 20 letter groups. Find the mystery words by deciphering the clues and combining the letter groups. Challenging.

Writing


Story Cubes 9 cubes, 54 images, millions of combinations. Each image represents story ideas. Shake the ipad to roll a new selection, then create your story.


Puppet Pals Create your own unique shows with animation and audio. Simply pick out your actors and backdrops, drag them on to the stage, and tap record. Your movements and audio will be recorded in real time for playback later. Customize the stories by adding your own photos.


Writer’s Hat This app is an idea generator to inspire creative writing. Tap a “who, what, when and where” button to discover an idea for writing. Tap a “noun, verb, adjective and adverb” button for additional ideas. Word lists are customizable.


Story Builder This app leads students through the process of creating and telling stories. Picture prompts, audio cues and recording capabilities help students build a story, one step at a time. Lots of accessibility features.


Kids Book Report Templates and prompts to guide a child through developing a multi-paragraph book report. Share finished product by email.



StoryKit Create an electronic storybook with your own photos and voice recordings. Draw on the pages to add emphasis. Add as many pages as you like!

Has Been FREE or $1.99

iDiary Password protected journal. Write, add photos, stickers, drawings. Includes address book and calendar system for looking at past entries.


Story Patch Easy to use story creation app that includes lots of images for background, characters, objects, etc. Write from scratch, or use the supports built in to develop a story. Unlimited pages.


Toontastic Guides student through the creation of a story, building each phase with helpful prompts. Choice of characters, setting, music and more is very motivating. Intuitive use, plus helpful audio directions.


Strip Designer Select one of the many included page templates. Insert photos into the cells. Add a couple of balloons with fun words. Add additional effect symbols (stickers) like "Boom", "Splash", or "Bang" to spice up the story.


Book Creator The simple way to create your own beautiful iBooks, right on the iPad. Read them in iBooks, send them to your friends, or submit them to the iBookstore. The best part…they show up on the library shelf in your iPad so the publishing feels very authentic.


Comic Touch Lite Add thought bubbles and other comic touches to a single photo. Save and share features.

Documents

Best iPad Apps for Differentiationact.aurorak12.org/.../uploads/sites/10/2013/02/Beninghof_iPad_Apps.pdf · Best iPad Apps for Differentiation ... CoachMyVideo app to analyze with