Weally Wonderful Apps V4 May 2012

Weally Wonderful Apps V4 May 2012

Weally Wonderful Apps V4.0

The need for parents, educators and therapists to research, identify, choose and document appropriate resources to cater to students’ needs is time consuming and often frustrating. This resource has been created to help others ascertain the Apps and accessories that can make these new devices more relevant and specifically tailored to accommodate specific needs.

Before purchasing or acquiring any new technology, it is important to make sure that the device is going to be applicable and the best possible choice – before committing to it. Every technology has benefits, strengths and also has weaknesses. It is not the device ion itself, but the operating system, functions, features, software and peripherals that must be taken into account as well as how it compares and/or complements other competing technologies. Accurately meeting the needs of the user, in a context and with sustained positive outcomes over time, are the critical factors.

Determining students’ access, learning and communication needs, skills, understandings, prerequisite exposure and use of prevailing technologies, as well as how, when and where a new device will be implemented and supported all need to be taken into account as well as the choice and acquisition of Apps, management, ongoing support and technical backup. Time for experimentation, play and professional development are critical.

In education, the outcomes should reflect the aims and goals documented in a student’s individual learning plan. Educators need to incorporate the technology within a framework where classroom practice can be altered, modified or changed to reflect the enhanced, improved or accelerated learning and communication outcomes. These should be measurable.

Design Principles Employed in this Document

• To make it easier and faster to locate sites dealing with Apps for Apple devices, and those running other operating systems such as Android and Windows Mobile, especially when working with students for greater autonomy and independence, I have chosen to document those sites in an MS Word Document, with the data arranged in a table format.
• This subset of internet sites has been extracted from the Weally Wonderful Websites resource as the predominance and significance of portable devices including iOS and other tablets in increasing exponentially in education.
• The document can then be stored on school servers or classroom computers or saved to external hard or USB thumb drives for quick and easy access at school or at home. No need to remember a specific web address!
• Each web site has a thumbnail representation to CRTL-Leftclick on (i.e. hyperlinked to the corresponding web home page or relevant start page of a site).
• The sites refer to resources, links, reviews and articles concerning Apps for the popular iOS devices (including iPhones, iPod Touch and the ever expanding iPads), Android and to a lesser extent Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices.
• Sections are separated with corresponding page numbers and the headings are coloured for easier referencing.

Categories are all listed for easy location and navigation throughout the document. To navigate quickly to a page, press Ctrl-G and type in the desired page number and then press Enter or click on the Go To button.Please email or contact me and share other sites that you have discovered about Apps with students so that this document can become an ongoing resource, to be updated every month or so and then republished and shared. This is Version 3.0 and I hope to expand it to many more pages over time. Please also report lost, missing or dead links to me at: .

Feel free to distribute/republish this document and post this document to other sites “as is”.

The following table has been added to Version 4 of Weally Wonderful Apps so that readers can locate Apps more quickly and easily.

Some Apps cross over into multiple categories so broad descriptors have been used to help identify resources that cater to a major need.

Categories / Brief Description / Page
Lists of Apps / List of Apps for all categories / 3
Apps for Special Needs / Apps specifically created for people with different abilities / 6
Apps for Education / Apps specifically created for education n and classroom practice / 13
Organisation and Management / Information and articles regarding the management issues of Apps / 16
iPhone and iPod Apps / Apps designed for iPhones and iPods / 17
Accessories and Covers / Sites devoted to accessories – covers, stylus, mounting etc / 18
Significant Apps / One off sites or Apps that have a significant role / 21
Articles, Books and News / News items, books articles and commentaries about Apps / 24

Note: Up-to-date copies of Weally Wonderful Websites, and other articles are available at: or from the Spectronics Blog -

These resources are all available as downloads in MS Word format (with some in PDF format from other sites).

Note: The inclusion of a site or resource does not necessarily imply full endorsement It is up to reader of this document to determine the value of each resource on its own merits and its relevance to their role and to their client base or students with whom they are working, educating, training or assisting.

Lists of Apps / Lists of Popular Apps in all categories
/ Reviews and lists of Apps from various writers and contributors. General in nature but some reviews are centred on students with different abilities. A handy source of new ideas and perspectives of emerging/new Apps.
Suitable for: All ages
/ On this page, educators and student alike will find the best 102 iPad apps for general iPad use. They’ve taken the effort to categorize the apps and choose only those they believe to be the best ones and which will most likely be useful to the majority of users.
Suitable for: All ages
/ The Appshopper lists the most popular Apps that have been downloaded with prices and ratings. Useful for quick reference to see what others are purchasing.
Suitable for: All ages, particularly upper and primary and middle years
/ A list of free iPad apps. In an iPad's browser, tap a program title on this site to go the App Store, tap the "free" button and then the "Install App" button. Or in a PC's browser, click a program title to go to the iTunes Preview and click "View in iTunes", and then download the program within iTunes and sync to a classroom or student's iPad.
Suitable for: All ages, particularly upper and primary and middle years
/ Moms With Apps is a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families. Most of our membership is comprised of parents who have launched their own apps on the App Store, have their own access to iTunes Connect, and have the time and inclination to share best practices with other developers at the founder’s level.
Suitable for: All ages, particularly primary and middle years
/ Users can discover new iPhone/iPad apps that are highly recommended by other App lovers. It’s fast, simple, and easy to search and locate suitable Apps. If users enjoy the App, then they can nominate it on iHeart and provide comments or mini-reviews to help other App users find them. A dynamic site with constant updates and new reviews.
Suitable for: Primary and special needs
/ Jim Sprialis has listed a number of useful links for users of iPads. His delicious account also lists numerous practical resources for Inclusion, Universal Design, Assistive Technologies, literacy, maths and communication. Users can choose to “follow” Jim as he enters new sites quite frequently.
Suitable for: Resource for educators and parents
/ The Bloomin’ iPad site is where users can find links to iPad applications that target the various levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. Kathy Schrock only includes free Apps that are "content-neutral" to make them usable across the curriculum. She also tries to include apps for the iPad only with a few iPod ones included as well. Each app image is clickable, and users will be taken to the iTunes Store to learn more about each one. Suitable for: Resource for educators and parents
/ Six hundred Apps for education are listed. Based in the US but users can check the Apps purchased and available in Australia (as well as many other countries). It charts Paid Apps, those that are free and the highest grossing. An interesting and dynamic perspective on what Apps other people are purchasing and using. Also shows newly released Apps!
Suitable for: Resource for educators and parents
Lists of Apps / Lists of Popular Apps in all categories
/ On this page, users will find the best 100 Android applications (according to MakeUseOf). They’ve taken the effort to categorize the apps and picked only those they believe to be the best ones and which will most likely be useful to users.
Suitable for: Resource for educators and parents wishing to explore Android options
/ A very comprehensive listing of Apps catering to children with special needs. Everything is listed in categories for iPod, iPhone or iPads. It lists Apps for AAC, Speech and language, maths, music, songs, art and design, games, early intervention, fine motor etc. An excellent resource.
Suitable for: Resource for educators, therapists and parents
/ Acalanes learning community has listed iPad Apps in useful categories.
Suitable for: Resource for educators, therapists and parents
/
This ‘One Place for Special Needs’ lists 160 Apps for Androids’ users. There are no icons or graphics on the site but the date of submission and a brief description for each Android App is provided.
Suitable for: Resource for educators, therapists and parents
/ It’s often difficult for users to keep track of the thousands upon thousands of apps that pop up, day after day, clamoring for attention. The SaveDelete’s team have compiled this definitive list of the most innovative and fun apps that have caught their attention in 2011. The Apps are either suitable for iPhone or iPad users.
Suitable for: Resource for educators, therapists and parents
/ This is a previous list of 100 Apps that cater to iPad users. It was published in June 2012. They complied a list of Top 100 Best Free iPad Apps in which users will find different categories from Entertainment , Lifestyle, Games, Sports, News, Utilities , Social Networking, Travel and Productivity.
Suitable for: Resource for educators, therapists and parents
/ site provides links to media and art/design apps that can be used in the classroom to develop creative learning projects. Drawing, photography, audio recording, and movie making apps are shared along with examples of student projects in a variety of subject areas. There are links to creativity and media based Apps from the home page. A very useful resource.
/ This site is devoted to Android Apps. The link is to free Android Apps, each with an icon and brief description. The Gold, Free and New apps are from Getjar.
Suitable for: Users of Android devices
Lists of Apps / Lists of Popular Apps in all categories
/
The Best iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android Kids Appsare listeed including; 60+ Best Android Kids Apps Reviewed; 25 Tips for iPhone and iPod Touch Users; 350+ Best Kids Apps Reviewed; Best Free Android Apps for Kids; Best Free Math Apps; Best New iPhone and iPad Apps for Kids and the Best Free iPad Games for Kids. THese lists could be useful to different readers.
Suitable for : Educators and parents V
Apps for Special Needs / Description and Suitability
/ : A PDF file that is available from this link. It was written as a resource for people with ASD to access suitable apps on iPhones, iPods and iPads.
Suitable: Students with Autism – and many others
/ An excellent resource. ‘a4cwsn is committed to helping the families and carers of children with special needs and the wider community of educators and therapists who support them, by producing videos that demonstrate how products designed to educate children and build their life skills really work from a user perspective. Our aim is that these videos, along with relevant information and advice from an independent source you can trust, provides valuable insight into whether a product is suitable for its intended purpose or not, enabling sensible buying decisions to be made.’
Suitable for: Junior Primary to Year 4
/ Hillary Brumer lists Apps for students with ASD and communication needs. She constantly reviews Apps and writes about them so it’s worth revisiting from time to time.
Suitable for: All ages
/ : Best Apps for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Aspergers. It is written by a mother in the USA. The site offers a range of book reviews and other resources as well.
Suitable for: All ages
/ : this links directly to a PDF file, written by Eric Sailors. It contains 24 pages and is a useful resource for educators and parents. Clearly presented with brief descriptors, icons of each App and direct links to the Apps.
Suitable for: All ages – especially students with different abilities/needs
/ : An excellent review of the accessibility and functions of an iPhone. There are many interesting links and topics to review and read. Excellent resource to cater to people with different vision, access and cognitive needs.
Suitable for: All ages
/ is a very recent and up-to-date article published on Jane Farrell’s Blog on the Spectronic’s website. It is a useful and practical resource for students of all ages and abilities as it lists the significant resources that are now promoting iPad use in schools.
Suitable for: All ages
/ An excellent article by Anita Rafferty on iPads for students and users who have a vision loss, impairment or need.
Suitable for: Students and impaired vision
/ changes quickly so the authors of this site continue to update their Apps page with the
best iOS Apps for students and adults with Dyslexia. A very interesting and informative resource.
Suitable for: Resource for students with dyslexia, educators and parents
Apps for Special Needs / Description and Suitability
/ Lists 5 iPad books for children with handy and useful reviews on each with video support. A good resource and worth reading/watching if teachers are interested in using iPads for literacy and reading. Suitable for: Primary aged students and those with different abilities
/ A wonderful PDF file that can be downloaded freely. It lists some fantastic multisensory Apps for students with special access, communication, sensory and learning needs. It is comprehensive with graphics of each app and a short concise synopsis and description. A must have resource for special educators and parents! Worth downloading and sharing. Suitable for: Primary aged students and those with different abilities
/ A very useful publication, downloaded as a free PDF resource from the DEECD site in Victoria. The PDF was published in January 2011 and contains 41 x A4 pages. It is still a useful resource although out of date as there have been so many other Apps created since early 2011. Suitable for: All ages
/ This is an individual App but has huge potential for educators and students to create their own eBook. The reasonable cost of $4.49 is ideal as the capabilities and features and expansive. An excellent App and one that is strongly recommended.
Suitable for: All ages, particularly upper and primary and middle years
/ and Two lists of Apps devoted to older students who are in developmental level of younger counterparts. They need to learn these skills but they don’t want nor respond to babyish themes. These apps are intended to address those requests.
Suitable for: All ages, particularly upper primary and middle years
/ A very comprehensive site for Apps for Augmentative and Alternate Communication. It has some excellent information re the legal use of iTunes and a long list of suitable Apps for clients who require a communication system.
Suitable for: All ages for AAC needs, particularly junior primary and middle years
/ Another list of AAC Apps but for parents who have Android based devices. Eighteen Apps are currently listed (as at May 2012).
Suitable for: All ages for AAC needs, particularly junior primary and middle years
/ Picture Communication Symbol Apps (i.e. PCS files from the popular Boardmaker program) for Flash Cards, Word Scramble, Match & Memory and Bingo, help different people meet different needs. They can help students learn vocabulary, language and articulation, cognitive and listening skills. These apps are deal for learners of all abilities, including those with special educational or additional needs.