ArtiKix - Full: £20.99

An engaging articulation app with flashcard and matching activities for children with speech sound delays. The highly requested group scoring feature is available for collecting scores in flashcards on up to 4 children at a time. A group of students can now collect data as they practice sounds in words and sentences with a speech-language pathologist, their parents, or independently.

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With a keen interest in ICT and maths, I have been exploring ways in which iPad apps (other than the “I can do maths…. 2+2” type) can enhance pupil progress and motivation. I believe that, when done the right way, gaming can play a huge role in learning.

If you are going to try any of these ideas in class, it's best to be quite familiar with the apps and how they work.

Here are 10 things I have tried:

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Photo credit: http://www.angry-birds-game.info

Tablet computing and mobile devices promise to have a dramatic impact on education. A growing number of schools across the world are jumping on the digital bus and embracing iPads as the latest tool to teach literature in multimedia, history through games and simulations, and maths with step-by-step animation of problems.

In my school, we have been rotating one set of iPads this year and it gave me an opportunity to collect quite a few apps on a variety of subjects. Here's my favourites - all 107 of them:

Langeroo are announcing the launch of the Langeroo English Flashcards Level 1 for Windows Phone.

Throughout 2012, Langeroo will be offering Langeroo apps across multiple platforms. Langeroo apps are designed for the home market and are designed for parents to use with their children as a way of teaching English words and phrases.

The mobile apps will fit into one of two categories: Langeroo Toolbox apps will consist of tools and resources, whereas Langeroo Adventures will be game-driven, utilising the same word sets as the Toolbox apps.  All of the apps will work alongside the Langeroo subscription service and the National Curriculum.

The computer company, Apple, whom you may have heard of from such products as the iPhone, iPad and iPod, made an announcement in the Big Apple on the 19th of January 2012 that has started to create waves in the education system in the States – waves that will likely ripple across the pond to us in the UK.

What was the announcement?

Well, there were two main parts:

1. a new online bookstore selling interactive electronic-textbooks
2. iBooks Author, a tool that allows anyone to create their own electronic-books (e-books) for sale in this new bookstore.

Langeroo, a software package that supports the teaching and learning of English to EAL, Early Years and SEN children, have announced plans to develop a series of Langeroo apps.

Development has already begun on the apps which will be available across multiple platforms. To compliment their popular online version, the apps will be split into two categories:

It's no doubt that smart phones and mobile devices have changed the way we work, rest and play. For millions of users, the i-revolution has changed the way we read our news, connect with friends and manage our banking. And now, it’s changed the way we deliver augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) . With a growing number of AAC applications (knows as ‘apps’) available via iTunes, not only does it mean a lighter load for therapists and AAC users (with the 9.7 inch touch screen iPad weighing a mere 1.5 pound), it delivers socially acceptable devices and the ultimate cool factor for clients.

Since the launch of the iPad in 2010, there has been much hype amongst speech and language therapists, families and clients alike with the possibilities for the iPad as an AAC device. The iPad and its apps offer an affordable and socially inclusive alternative to traditional designated devices which are often expensive. The accessibility benefits of the iPad begin with the built in feature of Voice Over which allows users to be given auditory information about what is on screen as it voices text on touch.

The education discussions, in the online space, are filled with efforts to find the appropriate role for technology in the classroom.  No longer are desktop and laptop computers the main focus; it is the new "kids" on the block, such as the iPhone, iPod and iPad, that have moved the discussion ahead at warp speed.  Mobile devices, no matter how excellent, are not an answer onto themselves -- they have to fit into the holistic concept of a teaching system.  In response, teachers are literally grappling with these new platforms vis a vis teaching and their integration into the classroom.

Teachers understand the need to have a coherent structure within which mobile technology is incorporated. Therefore, in addition to technology discussions, there are new theories and paradigms on how best to teach students.  Or, from the students' perspective, which teaching methods best align with how they actually (naturally) learn.  Unlike a computer diagnostic program, students cannot provide teachers with a printout of what works best. There is enough history, however, using real world data, to deduce what has worked and what has not worked.

Several times, parents have asked our company, Niles Technology Group, the following question, "When tested, why do the writing skills of students always seem to be the lowest scoring?"  And each time, we reply with two questions of our own, "What made you ask? And, what does your school consider writing skills?"  The parents' answer to the first question is invariably the same - either on the SAT or Standards of Learning tests, writing is consistently the lowest score reported by their school.  Interestingly enough, the second question also receives an invariable response - "We do not know what you mean?  Isn't writing, writing?"

Before dissecting these answers by parents, here is another response we received from a teacher with a Masters in writing, after reviewing our mobile essay writing apps.  The teacher said, "I do not get this. An analysis essay is pretty much the same as a critical essay, and I also see no need to have so many forms/versions of what is basically an expository essay."  Our company's response was rather stoic, but poignant -- "We accept the fact that they are basically the same to you, a holder of a MA in writing.  But, do your students know that 'basically the same' really means there are minute, yet crucial, distinctions depending on the essay type?  You have the knowledge to adjust your writing for these differences, but are you teaching your students those finer details?"  The teacher’s answer was rather basic, yet defining -- "We teach what is tested."  To which we responded, "Colleges are expecting students to know this whether or not it is tested."

In our last post, we discussed how to use apps more effectively and what to look for in a mobile app to achieve better memory retention and thus a higher learning acumen.  A couple of questions remain; what does an effective, study-enhancing app really look like and how would it function? In this issue, we examine how mobile apps can enhance study habits as well as help students master independent tasks--and even achieve developmental milestones. There is a great deal of research and discussion amongst experts regarding milestones for the first few years of child development. Unfortunately, the amount of research decreases drastically with regard to pre-adolescents, which is the second highest stage of change (development-wise) and occurs around the age of eleven (averaged for both genders). Puberty usually gets a lot of attention (and blame) for irresponsible behavior; however, I often hear from my students that the real reason that they did not complete an assignment was because they either felt overwhelmed or were unsure how to complete the task--not because they were being disobedient.

This post looks at keeping one's own schedule organized as a developmental milestone resulting from the ability to form abstract thoughts, age, and parental guidance toward independence.  We specifically address practical tools using mobile apps to help students during this major transition. When choosing an app, pay close attention to the things that are important not just for functionality and flexibility, but also to visual aesthetics. For students, specifically, it MUST be visually attractive and age appropriate for it to get used! Students have different values when it comes to product selection--often indicative of what the newest technologies offer; follow the current technology trends and compliance from students is improved.