I thought that the book creator was a great app to invest in. I'm not familiar with this app and actually I'm quite new to the Ipad devices. I've had Ipods and Nanos before but just recently got an Ipad. I've had tablets and playbooks for the past few years and it is nice to know that this app will not only be limited to the Ipad and will be available for androids this year :) I will definitely be downloading the free version to try it out, and with the low cost of $4.99 I'm sure it would be a future purchase.
2nd Presentation- Top Free Apps in Special Education
It doesn't get any better than being free! I enjoyed this presentation for many reasons, not only because every app was free, I enjoyed the the different categories that they sorted the apps into, it makes it very easy to choose which app is useful for you and your students. I downloaded pocket pond onto my Ipad, I thought this app was the neatest thing ever! I feel like such an amateur when it comes to the Ipad and its many apps, I wish that I had bought one years ago, however it is better late than never!
3rd presentation -Apps that Enhance Performance of Individuals with Extreme Autism
I enjoyed this presentation for a variety of reasons, one of which I feel may be the most prominent is the fact that my younger cousin has been recently been diagnosed with Autism, I had thought he was autistic for a year or 2, however his parents were unaware, then in denial, and now have accepted his diagnoses and are working to understand Autism and their son. I was very excited to tell my aunt about the great apps that i learned about in this presentation and thought the app called Dusty D Dawg Has Feelings too would be a great one to share with her son.
4th presentation- Learning About Apps to Support Students with Learning Disabilities
I thought the quote used in this presentation was an excellent choice. After watching the few videos in this course it has become very evident how important technology has become to people living with disabilities. I've always known how important technological devices were in education, however I have seen these devices in a whole new light and do hope that we get our Ipads working as soon as possible. I was able to relate to Jeremy when he mentioned the fact that his school has many devices, however has difficulty with access and ability to use these devices to support students with their learning. Technology can be an awesome thing, however it needs to be accessible to be awesome!
5th Presentation - Executive Function (my group)
I was glad that our group chose this topic, it was one that I enjoyed learning about as I did not have much prior knowledge of executive functioning. I didn't realize how easily one can mistaken forgetfulness for problems with executive function or blame them for being disorganized and careless instead of realizing there in an underlying reason for being this way. Technology certainly can make the lives of someone who has problems with executive functioning, the app Take a Chill seems like it would be a great app to use to help students keep themselves focused and the paper shredder would win over many students with its great sound effects.
6th presentation- Exciting New Apps for LD
The video that Dawn shared in this presentation was quite the eye opener, it was great to view learning disabilities from a student's perspective. As an educator I do my best to understand the my students, to acknowledge their strengths, recognize their difficulties and work with them to reach success, however sometimes we just might not be as understanding or helpful as we think we are trying to be. Each child is different, they can not be a fit into the same mold, so what works for one may most definitely not work for another. I love the app IwordQ, it would be an awesome addition to help students who are struggling readers and writers, the speech recognition would be so useful as well along with the speech feedback feature. The app is definitely one I will be purchasing.
7th Presentation- New Apps for Learning Disabilities
I found the byod policy should be in all schools, the benefits by far outweigh any issues that may arise. As mentioned they can be used for note taking, calculators, thesaurus, independent
reading (great idea!!!) as well as provide immediate access to tools they personally need such as audio books, dragon
dictation etc. The group also mentioned that boys have become more involved in reading, as a mother of 2 boys who are not as interested in reading as I encourage them to be, feel that this is wonderful! The free online sites are great to use in the classroom, I use Starfall and decided to check out the other two; Tumblebooks and Red Rocket Readers. The cost seems to be okay considering the great resource they would be as well as how useful they would be in the classroom.
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