welcome to their world apps

Monday, June 25, 2012

Marble Math Junior

Marble Math Junior by Artgig Studio: This app puts a new and fun twist to math. My daughter really seems to enjoy working on her math skills with this app. This app works on shapes, matching, sequencing numbers, adding, subtracting, multiplication, fractions, coins, time, and more. This app is wonderful for kindergarten to around third grade (they age it for ages 5-8). There is another app in this series for older children once they age out of this app as well. There is three levels of difficulty in this app to help better suit this app to your child. There is also 16 different marble styles to choose from as well. In the option screen you get your marble choices, how to move the marble (roll or drag), music and sfx off/on, and obstacles and bonuses off/on. There is also a customize screen that has the choices of what to include in each level of play. The customize screen makes this a wonderful app for special needs children since you can choose what they are going to work on. I haven't used this app with my boys yet but I have a feeling they will really enjoy it once I customize it for their needs. With all the wonderful options, the unique game play, and all the choices of math skills I highly highly highly recommend this app :)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Artgig-Studio/176154829099838?ref=ts
http://www.artgigapps.com/
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/marble-math-junior/id528617628?mt=8


Super Duper Publications apps

Listening for Absurdities: This app comes with 54 cards plus audio. This app works on listening skills, reasoning, and problem solving. When your child touches the screen a prompt will be said aloud for your child and then they can give a verbal response to the prompt. Once your child gives a response you choose if it's correct or incorrect. This is a fun app that my children really enjoy using. The app has some really funny pictures and sayings that my children really though were quite funny. This app helped my children tell me what is wrong in the picture such as a boy dressed in a football uniform catching a basketball. This app can be used many different ways since you are in control of which is correct or incorrect. You can have your child give just yes or no answers, ask what is wrong in the picture, what should be said instead, and much more. I would highly highly highly recommend this app :)

What Doesn't Belong? Fun Deck: This app comes with 54 cards plus audio. With this app your child chooses what does not belong in the group of pictures given. You can choose what cards you want your child to work with in the app or select all cards. Some examples of pictures are: a pencil, a crayon, and a butterfly and an astronaut, a planet, a rocket ship, and a stuffed bear. With this app you must choose if the answer is correct or incorrect. Since this app does not have automatic scoring you can have your child answer questions beyond just what does not belong such as what category do the two other object belong in?, Where do you use those objects?, and much more. I would have liked to see automatic scoring included in this app as an option but it is still a wonderful app without it. It has many possibilities beyond just the "What doesn't belong?" so I still would highly highly highly recommend this app :)

https://www.facebook.com/SuperDuperPublications?ref=ts
http://www.superduperinc.com/apps/apple.aspx






Monday, June 18, 2012

Virtual Speech Center Inc. apps

Virtual Speech Center Inc. apps: Each their apps have a different purpose for language development. Their apps are wonderful for working with speech skills. Their apps are wonderful for schools, therapists, and parents. Their website not only talks about their apps but has a huge amount of information beyond just apps.

Quick Artic: This is the one app of theirs I do not actually have access to but I didn't want to leave it out of my review completely. To gain access to this app you must obtain a user name and password for the app. Here's a little bit about it from their website:

Quick Artic is a free IPhone application for Speech Language Pathologists which contains 566 images tagged with titles and categorized by “phonemes”.
The application includes ten most common phonemes in all positions of words. It can be used in speech language therapy or for quick articulation screening.
This easy to use application features a scoring utility which keeps track of the correct and incorrect answers. Quick Artic automatically calculates the score.

Outdoor Fun: This app is cute and fun to work with. It has a simple design in which you ask your child the question and then they can say the answers into the microphone and then play them back. You can then check yes or no if your child answered them correctly. You can use this app as you like or set specific goals for each child. You get three different scenes and two different ways to use each of them in the app. One way is that all the items are already set in the scene for you but the different characters will do different things like drop a surfboard next to them. The other way is that your child must place the items on the screen. You can use this app for both expressive and receptive language skills. My children also enjoyed playing with this app with each other making different scenes for fun. I would highly highly highly recommend this app :)

Auditory Workout: This app is perfect for the basketball lovers in your home that need help with following directions. There is four different types of following directions in this app. The different kinds and number of levels are: Basic Directions with 15 levels, Quantitative and Spatial Directions with 12 levels, Temporal Directions with 18 levels, and Conditional Directions with 15 levels. This app is simple and easy to use with automatic scoring and directions read aloud. At the end of the session your child can even play basketball or play catchball. This app is wonderful for a variety of ages. The voice in this app is clear and easily understood. The pictures in this app are clear. There is many different setting to make this app easier for you and your child to use. I highly highly highly recommend this app :)

Magical Concepts: This app teaches your child concepts. You get a very large variety of concepts to choose from or you can chose them all. There is four different types of concepts: spatial (location), temporal (time), quantity (number), quality (description), and social-emotional (feelings). There is 60 different concepts total that all fit in these different types. The pictures are clear and realistic. The voice is easy to understand and very clear. Your child can view a magic show when they finish their lesson. My children enjoyed using this app. I really loved that you can choose the concepts so if your child is having a problem with some they can work on them over the ones they know well. You once again have a fairly large selection of settings to adjust it for your child and you can always look at reports to see how a specific child is doing. I really like that your child can use this app on their own for independent work time once you set it up for them. I would highly highly highly recommend this app :)

Multiple Meanings Library: This app helps teach multiple meanings of words. Their is five different types of activities: auditory bombardment, definitions, picture identification, fill-in, and make up a sentences (with audio recording feature). Once again their is many different settings to adjust this app to your child. You can pick the words you would like your child to work on in the app or select them all. There is over 120 words to choose from in this app. Each of the activities help build up word meaning and get harder and harder as your child moves up so the app can grow with your child. This app is for kindergarten on up. I can't really put an end time to the use of this app as it depends on your child and how difficult multiple meanings are to them. Some of the words used in this app are: awful, bill, hit, pitcher, and more. Each of the words in this app have more then one meaning and will help your child learn to use the correct form of the word and recognize which one goes with which picture. I really liked this app but my daughter is only at the first activity as she is just learning words have more then one meaning. It is really helping her start to learn these concepts so I have a feeling this app will really help her and her brothers down the road :) I highly highly highly recommend :)

Expedition with plurals: This app helps teach plurals and how to use the correct word such as feet instead of foots. This app is wonderful for grades pre-k up to late elementary grades. This app is colorful, fun, and easy to use. There is many different settings to make this app set up perfectly for your child. This app helps practice regular and irregular plurals and includes 5 different activities. The activities are: auditory bombardment, picture identification, fill-in, make up sentences (with audio recording feature), and a bonus memory game. There is 72 words and their plurals included in this app. You can choose them all, regular, irregular, or choose only certain words with this app. I'm finding this app very helpful so far with my children. I haven't had it long but am already seeing progress with some of the regular plurals. This app will defiantly be one of our top go to apps for plurals as the set up is very nice and clear for my children to use. I love the different activities and that I can make the app harder or easier based on the activity I choose for them. I also love that my children can use this app as they please without my assistance depending on what activity they are using. I also love the email report to send off to teachers and therapist to show them their progress in the app if I like. I would highly highly highly recommend this app as well :)

http://www.virtualspeechcenter.com/MobileApps.aspx (all their apps can be found through this link and includes links to all the apps mentioned above :) )
https://www.facebook.com/virtualspeechcenter
https://twitter.com/#!/vspeechcenter







Monday, June 11, 2012

My Word! Reader- Are Squirrels Smart, or What?

My Word! Reader- Are Squirrels Smart, or What? by Wrinkled Pants Software Ltd is a wonderful reading app. This app includes so much such as phonics, word analysis, writing skills, comprehension, and more. There is soo much to do in this app beyond reading that I was very surprised and happy with all the activities. If your child doesn't know a word they can add it to the basket to learn later in the app. This app will have certain words highlighted to learn what the word is in picture form. When your child presses any word in the app it automatically goes to the Nut Basket to learn the what the word is out loud. When you are in the app you will have a choice of Nut Basket or activities. This app includes six activities that expand on the learning of the app. With this one the activities are: rhyming words, long vowel sounds, short vowel sounds, word recognition, word recognition and definitions, and word review. Each of these activities will build on the meaning of the words and recognizing many different words. To properly use this app your child must be able to read at least a short book as it is not read aloud since it is meant to build on reading skills. Not all the words are simple but that is where the Nut Basket and the activities help build on learning these words. My daughter has started working with the app some with help from me since she's only at the beginning stages of learning to read more then a level 1 book. Some of the items in the app will have a "speak" button to have the words read aloud but that's more for directions and the Nut Basket. Your child can press each word in the app to have it read to them but then all the words would be in the Nut Basket for review. Personally I feel in love with this app and would defiantly highly highly highly recommend this app. I hope in the future they consider making an early reader addition in their app series :)

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-word!-reader-are-squirrels/id509944094?mt=8
http://www.wrinkledpants.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/wrinkledpants
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wrinkled-Pants-Software/127483207321763
http://www.youtube.com/WrinkledPantsSoft

Monday, June 4, 2012

Enable Training and Consulting, Inc. apps

Enable Training and Consulting, Inc. apps:

Robot Guide: This app teaches your child all about robots. This app is made ages 7 to 10 but can also be used with younger children. This app has a lot of info about how robots work and there history. The illustrations are wonderfully done and the book is fully-narrated. There is activities within to hold your child's attention even more and to learn more about robots. This book has a lot of info to provide for your child as well as ideas to further the app outside of the the app itself. This app is highly detailed and fun to use. I would highly highly suggest this app :)

ThinkAboutIt 1: This book is wonderful for the child that likes to ask "Why?". This app is made for 7 to 10yr olds but works well for younger ages as well. This book is all about philosophy and answers a lot of "Why" questions within the app. This app includes activities within the app as well as for outside of the app. There is interactive maps and time lines and a lot of very cool facts. This book is also fully-narrated. There is more books to this series of ThinkAboutIt. Right now there is 4 of them to choose from with all different and new topics for each of them. If your child is a "why?" kid or if you want to get your child thinking I would highly highly suggest these apps :)

http://kidsthinkaboutit.com/?page_id=1640
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/robot-guide/id491437405?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/thinkaboutit-1/id486078571?ls=1&mt=8
https://www.facebook.com/sophiathewise
https://twitter.com/#!/sophiasbigideas
http://pinterest.com/sophiathewise/