Below I have comprised a list of iPad apps that I feel will benefit some of my students in the classroom setting or at home. I know each of my students learn differently, and in order for them to succeed, I need to give them the tools necessary to reach their full potential. This is similar to the idea of Universal Design for Learning, or UDL. UDL supports different learners and uses multiple forms of representation that supports the curriculum.
Stories2LearnUDL Principle(s) Covered: Action and Expression
Feel Electric!
Feel Electric is an app that teaches children emotion and language skills through photos, games, videos, and vocabulary-building activities. This app was designed for a military organization called Military Families Near and Far that supports children with parents in the military. My students sometimes struggle to communicate how they feel when one of their parents is deployed or on a short mission and act out instead of displaying their true emotions. This app can help them use language to let others know how they are feeling- and also let them know that they are not alone.
UDL Principle(s) Covered: Action and Expression
The Storybird
The Storybird app allows children to create their own stories including illustrations. Storybird differentiates from picture books to poems or a longer writing format. The app allows children to have a choice in their writing creations. I have students who become frustrated when writing with a pencil and paper because of the length of time they spend writing and making corrections. For some students, the format of Storybird can remove the stress of writing an make it more fun, while providing visuals and room for creativity.
UDL Principle(s) Covered: Representation; Action and Expression
News-O-Matic app is geared toward children ages 7-10 with new articles daily. The app features a "read to me" feature for children who struggle with vocabulary or auditory processing. The app also features games, stories, and puzzles. Current events are important for children to be aware of. Some news sites contain graphic information for young children or is harder to read because of the vocabulary used. This website could be easily incorporated into the curriculum to support social studies, science, or another subject area.
UDL Principle(s) Covered: Engagement
LetterReflex is an app designed for 2nd and 3rd graders with dyslexia or children still struggling with letter and number reversal, but this app gives 1st grade children a great visual to work on reversals as well. The app helps children who learn better when seeing and touching. LetterReflex also allows parents and teachers to view reports to see how children are progressing. This is a positive way to support children who need extra practice distinguishing between certain letters and numbers.
UDL Principle(s) Covered: Representation
Dexteria Dots 2- Fine Motor Skills and Math Concepts kills two birds with one stone. The app helps children work on fine motor skills and math skills while working on memory as well. Dexteria Dots 2 is leveled to meet individual needs of a child and helps boost memory. The objects in the app are color-coded and proportionally sized for visual learners.
UDL Principle(s) Covered: Representation
Motion Math: Zoom app is another way to help children develop number sense. This app is a great visual and hands-on way to work with a number line. Motion Math also provides feedback so children can learn what they are doing well and areas for improvement. Subtraction can be a hard concept for some 1st graders, but this app provides a great visual and hands-on experience for children. This would also be a great way to support decimals and negative numbers for children in 2nd or 3rd grade.
UDL Principle(s) Covered: Representation; Engagement
Alpha Writer provides children with multiple ways to learn how to spell. The app allows children to hear letter sounds, move letters around to form words, and see a visual with each word. Also, the vowel patterns, blends, and digraphs are color-coded. After children correctly spell the word after they hear the word with an accompanied picture, they can then proceed to the third and fourth steps. These steps include writing their own stories and playing an "I Spy" game with letter sounds.
UDL Principle(s) Covered: Representation; Engagement
This app allows children to work on sentence-building with visual cues and auditory assistance. Students that struggle to create complete sentences when writing and speaking would benefit from this app. The recording feature allows children to listen to themselves speak and catch any errors. Teachers or parents could also use the recording feature to reflect with a child as well.
UDL Principle(s) Covered: Action and Expression
Not all students can learn how to spell a word just by re-writing it several times. This app allows children to input their spelling words, record their voice, and practicing the words using the app. The voice recording software provides support for auditory learners and makes children feel responsible for their learning. This can also be reviewed by parents or teachers since it records test scores as well. The app could be less intimidating for struggling spellers.
UDL Principle(s) Covered: Representation
There are many places to look for apps. When searching for UDL apps, Common Sense Media was a streamlined source with a great list of educational apps.
(All of the apps listed can be found in the Apple store downloads and can be used with Ipads, Iphones, or Ipods. All images were taken from Itunes apple store. Please see links for more information.)
