Increasing Oral Language Can be Easy as APPle Pie

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Students need various opportunities to speak aloud, to share their thoughts in a safe forum and/or to increase language acquisition. If you have access to at least one iPad, then you can offer some fun, engaging and relevant oral language learning in the classroom. Check out the follow apps:

Photo by William Iven on Unsplash

CHATTERPIX

Take a photo with this free iOS app, draw line (for a mouth), add your voice and voila! Students can create a 30-second script about a topic/concept. The script can easily be created on paper or via a Google Doc (with RW4GC talk & type or Google > Tools > Voice typing). They should practice reading their script aloud with partner and alone for oral mastery. Students are able to re-record if they make mistakes. Share the link via a site or QR code for others to listen to it.

 

Chatterpix Tutorial 

1. In Safari, students find an image they would like to use that is related to the content. 
2. Hold image down with one finger until SAVE IMAGE box appears. 
3. Open Chatterpix Kids App 
4. Click on GALLERY 
5. Click on Camera 
6. Click on Camera Roll 
7. Select image and NEXT 
8. Cut a mouth and RECORD 
9. Next to add filter and stickers. 
10. Export to Camera Roll (can also be saved to a GDrive from there).

 

CHOMP

This $5.49 iOS app allows users to take their face and stick it on various animations. Students could create a one minute script about a topic/concept. Once again, using an online document to brainstorm and write up the script is highly recommended. Have peer editing involved. Once the student creates the Chomp it directly exports to camera roll.

 

Chomp Tutorial 

1. Open Chomp App and click on app squares 
2. Choose a template to use 
3. Click Record button twice. You know it is recording when there is a red box around the perimeter of the screen 
4. Tap the screen as you record to make the animation change. 
5. Tap Record to stop. The video automatically goes to the camera roll and then can be shared to a common GDrive or even as a QR code.

 

CLIPS

Share fun videos with text, effects, graphics and more with this free iOS app. As the students record themselves, their words appear on the screen! Clips has introduction templates and fun filters for the videos that make it easy to create a video.

 

Clips Tutorial

1. Open Clips App.
2. For Live Titles, click on the speech bubble to add words to the screen as students talk. 
3. Double click on Live Titles to edit 
4. For Live Posters, click on the square with a “T” to pick an introduction to your video 
5. For Live Filters, click on the three rings and explore filters 
6. Drag your clips in the order you like and export to camera roll.

 

FLIPGRID

This free app is where teachers spark discussions by posting Topics to a classroom, school, professional learning community, or public Grid. Students record, upload, view, react, and respond to each other through short videos. Students just need a Flip Code from their teacher to join Flipgrid and start recording videos.

 

Flipgrid Tutorial

1. Teachers create their Grid and then share the Flipgrid URL.
2. Students then join in.
3. Click on the green + to record.
4. Draw on the whiteboard or add stickers.
5. Review or edit the video.
6. Take a selfie.
7. Watch other people’s video in the grid and respond to them.

No matter which iOS app you use or introduce your students to, helping them further develop their oral language skills is a great thing!

Resource for teachers: 

• Ways of improving oral language by Brookes Publishing.

 

 

iPadnesday: Literacy

Today I met with a group of teachers who were interested in seeking out resources to use on the iPad for Literacy tasks in the classroom. I grouped the resources I was sharing into:

Class Project – Flat Stanley

Challenge – Textropolis, 4 Pics 1 Word, Photo Quiz, Pics and Words, MixTwo, Word Wall, Bluster!

Create/Demonstrate – Creative Book Builder, Toontastic, PuppetPals HD, Sock Puppets, Word Foto, Comic Touch Lite, Fotobabble

Notetaking – Notability, Dragon Dictate, Paperport Notes

Reading – TeachMe, LAZ, Booksy, MyScript Memo, MeeGenius, iBook

Our purpose was to review what apps were available in the above groupings and see how they could be used in the K-12 classroom. The early years teachers loved the Flat Stanley app while the middle – high school teachers really liked Comic Touch lite, Fotobable and Paperport Notes. One of the second language teachers saw a great opportunity to use WordFoto in language acquisition. Check out the more in-depth information provided at http://bit.ly/ipadLiteracy.

 

Taking a Byte into 21st C Learning

This week, I had the opportunity to attend an Apple educational showcase event. It was titled “Engaging, enhancing and inspiring – Breaking down barriers to learning”. Within the half-day format, I believe that it was indeed engaging, enhancing and inspiring.

Although hosted by Apple, the three presenters were from across Canada and Europe.  We were treated to: a school program from Ontario, a post-secondary blind student and a software programmer/company founder.

FIRST UP
Twentieth Street School has regular and inclusive special education programming. Sabir, the principal spoke about the school context and about her excitement in receiving an iDevice. Enter, Andre, a former CA, now second year teacher, who took the iPod Touch and some apps (like Proloquo2Go, Google, Weather, Dragon Dictation, Voice Memos.)

Andre’s well planned presentation run from his iPodTouch (gotta get me that app!), showed how he used this device in his inclusive specialized classroom for information and communication.  His students would search, use online encyclopedias, local weather, how-to videos. They also worked on expanding their communication with others

through using pics and symbols, creating digital stories, making movies and developing oral fluency. Challenges for

Andre have been ensuring that his students use the

equipment safely and knowing how to effectively and purposefully use the technology without creating any anxiety for a student. Benefits are that the iPod touch is lightweight, apps have been easy to use, all learning styles can be

accommodated, students enjoy the tool since it is at their fingertips (where the active learning happens). Andre had some wonderful student video clips to show how students were using the iPod.

SECOND BASE

Jessica Rathwell is a creative writing and digital studies student who is blind. She walked up to the front of the room with her seeing eye dog and iPad. She spoke confidently and clearly about how, since June 2009, her whole world has been opened to many opportunities that ‘seeing’ people already have. The date is significant since this is when Apple brought out accessibility settings as part of their iPhone. Now these settings are part of all Apple products. Jessica pointed out features such as voiceover, zoom, contrast switching, monoaudio, Bluetooth Braille, apps like Pages.

GOING FOR THE HOMERUN
David Niemeijer from AssistiveWare spoke about his company providing assistive technology solutions.

I tweeted that: AssistiveWare’s David saying his products r made 4 universal access- ppl ONLY ltd by creativity n talent not by impairment…

Other tweets during the morning and afternoon –

Great vision to push for fuller or more complete access for all instead of pushing a single app – assistiveware from @jonathankonrad

AssistiveWare’s tech is impressive and liberating for all those with impairments. Tech IS the great equalizer! from @MultiMediaGrrl

Proloque2go can be demo-ed at any Apple Store from @MrAaronBall

I am really impressed with assistiveware.com, and the tech solutions they develop for special ed from @danielespejo

The switchX demo was cool. Also would benefit from a doc cam showing the iPad under click control from @jonathankonrad

Below you see the links shared by David via @agauld (Allan, Apple Ed Acct Exec):
Mac products              http://bit.ly/AWMac
Proloquo2Go                          http://bit.ly/AWP2G
Pictello                        http://bit.ly/AWPT
AssistiveWare Videos http://bit.ly/hRl6iB
AssistiveWare Site      www.assistiveware.com
AssistiveWare FAQ    http://bit.ly/AWSP
iPad Case                    http://www.amdi.net/iadapter/

Overall, it is important for school personnel to be exposed to as much information, resources, and  successful teaching strategies that are available in this digital era.

 

What an exciting time for our students!

Further links shared by @agauld:

Apple Learning Experience:

Special Education Sign LanguageApps