My most valuable apps - John Vincent
Older students:
TexthelpiReadWrite The staple for use with students in secondary levels, especially upper secondary, because it can allow students with very low literacy skills to communicate – through two-level word prediction, text to speech through an arrow (no need to highlight), excellent dictionary and word definition databases, and above all, speech-to-text (but only on the ipad 3 and above which includes Siri. iPad only
Explain Everything Such a great multimedia authoring app, allowing drawing, recording, writing, photographing, videoing, multi-page composition etc.. Saves as native format,or as video, or as pdf. Allows import of powerpoint and pdf files which it accurately splits into separate pages that can be edited. iPad and Android
Simple Mind or Inspiration LiteFor dyslexia and any other conditions in which self-organisation and thought ordering is a problem, it is essential to have a mind-mapping app, the simpler the better. For sheer simplicity and clarity of presentation, Simple Mind stands out from the pack. If the student has met and used Inspiration at school, then Inspiration lite is probably better. Inspiration exports to almost any other app, Simple Minds does too but also saves as a picture that can be inserted in another app. iPad and Android
Geogebra Geogebra is not strictly a needs app, but an incredibly sophisticated, free, mathematical tool for creating geometry. However, because of the ability to see the constructions, it can be a great help for mathematical strugglers to access maths, both geometry and algebra, through a visual medium. iPad and Android
Younger students:
Clicker Docs/ Clicker Sentences Staple apps for younger children in the same way as TextHelp is for the older ones. In fact it does all the same things in a more restricted environment, except it seems to cut out the speech-to-text options( its keyboards don’t allow for the microphone, unless I have something to learn here). Terrific for integration of words, sounds, pictures. iPad only
Simple Mind or KidspirationLite As above, but replacing Inspiration with Kidspiration
Explain Everything As above. Great for making own talking books with ability to add pages and sounds and words as you go.
Write-on PhonicsSo simple, so attractive and yet so effective, with spoken phonic backup. iPad and Android.
Fitzroy readers. Possibly the best of the talking books because of the synthesising phonics, the careful progressions, etc. iPads only