The day started off great! The first app we looked at was called Frog Dissection ($4.00). In a blink of an eye I put it on my new iPad. I'm currently in the middle of doing lifecycles with my Grade 2s. There's Monday's science class planned. They're going to be amazed at my tech knowledge. Who's going to be the cool teacher then?
The biggest chunk of the morning was watching the webinar and choosing 3 of our favorite apps.
Once we went through the webinars, we shared our faves. Here are a few that caught my attention:
Sock Puppets - This is a great app for social stories! This is the cutest little app ever. You can develop your own scripts. The puppets can also mouth your own voice! So cute. You could really use this for anything. Can't be the price of free.
The Shredder - This app is super simple. You type in your negative thought(s) and drag the negative thought in the shredder. It's perfect to reinforce the idea of "cope and let go". This would be great for kids with Autism, students who have anger issues.
WritePad - I really liked this app. I used to have a student who had really poor finemotor skills. His printing was hard to decifer. He would get frustrated when he had to write because he couldn't keep up with everyone else. He could certainly use this.
Touch Trainer - This app trains the student (or teacher) to refine their ability to touch screens. The button gets progressively smaller and smaller as time goes on.
Kiddie Question - This app helps to build language and improve problem solving skills. User has to answer questions. The student can do it independently or you could be having a conversation with them as you go through it.
Bugs and Buttons- This app is for all kids for kids who love bugs. It focuses on fine motor activities. It gets more complicated as you go along. It works on finger isolation and works on preprinting . The animation is awesome. Really engaging stuff!
Sign4Me - This app is basically how to use sign language. It is a 3D so you can see how it looks from different perspectives. You can save any phrases or sentences. This app is $12.99.
The afternoon was spent discussing social stories. Social Stories are usually done on paper. But, a lot of our kids with Autism can't really deal with paper. Students with Autism (and anywhere on the spectrum) need visuals. Technology can really come in handy here. It's so much easier when you can use technology (iPad).
So, we set off to create our own social story. We had to keep in mind text should be short and sweet, it should be worded in a positive way and in a language they understand. There should be lots of pictures and limited text. We used the Book Creator app to put it together.
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