Apps for Elementary School Students with Learning Disabilities
Compiled by Carolann Cormier, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP and Nicole Natale, MS, CCCSLP
CREC-TABS
This handout is meant to be a resource. It is not meant to be exhaustive and is not a suggestion on what
apps to buy or download. It is always helpful to review the ratings on apps before purchasing. For
review of apps, click on the review button when you are on the app download page in iTunes. If a lite
version is available, generally they are free or cheaper, so they can be a way for you to try an app.
Virginia’s First iPad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndkIP7ec3O8
iPad Basics
F - Headphone Jack – This is a standard 3.5mm audio jack. You can use it with headphones or
speakers. If you plug in headphones with a built in microphone the iPad will sense it and allow
you to use it for apps with audio recording capabilities.
G – Microphone – The iPad has an internal microphone you can use to record audio with any app
[email protected], 12/12
that supports audio recording.
H – Built in Speaker – This will play anything that makes noise on your iPad, including music or
a video’s audio track. It plays all audio in mono as it has one speaker.
To create folders drag one application on top of another and name the folder. On the iPad you can have
up to 20 apps in a folder, allowing many more apps to be loaded onto the device. You can also use
folders on the iPhone and iTouch. It can also be done on the computer while you are syncing your
device, by going to the list of your apps and dragging apps on top of each other. You will see
thumbnails of each app in the folders. A great way to organize your apps.
To take screen shots of your various displays on your devices, press the “home” and “sleep” keys at
the same time. The screen shot will be saved in your photos and can be emailed or used in
presentations.
Settings
To restrict access to WIFI on the iPad (with OS 4.2 onward), go to Settings>General>Restrictions
and then Enable Restrictions. You then set a passcode. You now have the option of not allowing access
to Safari, YouTube, iTunes, and Installing and deleting Apps. If you choose to restrict these apps, they
will not even appear on the device. You can also set Content ratings for Music, Movies, TV Shows,
Apps, etc.
iTunes
For children’s apps click on the Apps for Kids category in iTunes sidebar. For books, click on the
[email protected], 12/12
Books category. Use the search parameters built into iTunes for apps by clicking on the apps button
when your search results come up.
iTunes now has a Special Education Section as one of the searchable categories in the iTunes sidebar.
Included in this category is: communication; hearing; language development; literacy & learning and
organization.
FREE APPS:
It was reported that approximately 30% of the apps on iTunes are free. In iTunes you can do a Power
Search to search only for free apps. If you put “Power Search” in the Search Store section in the upper
right hand corner of iTunes the Power Search menu pops up. Click on Search only for free applications.
You can set this for the category type, as well as apps just for the iPad.
The website Free App Alert (http://freeappalert.com/) provides information on free apps. This website
is updated on an on-going basis, as apps may only be free for a period of time.
Apple has Education Account Executives that can assist educational systems or educators in purchases
or understanding the Education Volume Purchase Program. The representative for Connecticut is Ann
Couser Kittredge, , K12 Education Account Executive, Apple Inc. , Chester, CT 06412,  860-5012976, Fax: 866-758-7704. She reported that there is a discount on volume iPad purchases.
Assistive Technology & Accessibility
There are accessibility features on the 16 and 32 GB model iTouches only and on the 3rd and 4th Gen.
iPod Touchs, iPhone 3GS and up and iPads. These features include voice over, voice control, high
contrast mode, mono audio and up to 5x zoom. For more information go to:
www.apple.com/accessibility/ and click on the specific tool you would like information on for the
accessibility features. Voice Controls – After holding down the home button, speak voice controls to
your iPhone 3GS onward, to make calls and play music.
Decibel
Web Reader
ZoomReader
[email protected], 12/12
($.99) Allows you to know how loud a sound or environment is.
Could use for biofeedback for someone to self-monitor or for
working on increasing or decreasing volume levels.
($1.99 to 4.99) Web Reader is a text to speech page reader. You
can configure web pages to be read as soon as they are loaded,
read pages manually after they are loaded, point to where you
want to start reading, or use Cut, Copy, and Paste to read only
sections of text. You must be at least 17 years old to download
this application.
($19.99) Compatible with iPhone 4 only. Allows you to take a
picture of text, and the app will then OCR it and read the text to
you.
Books – Early Elementary
ABC Dinos
Bugs
Dr. Seuss’s ABC’s & Others
iBooks
Just Grandma & Me and other
Mercer Mayer
Kaeroboy Book 1
The Penguins of Madagascar
StoryBook (a lite version is
available)
StoryKit
Toy Story 1, 2 & 3
A dinosaur name is read and shown on each alphabetical page
Real photographs of bugs with the text that is read by
touching Mother Goose.
An interactive book that can be read to you or you can read
where each word is highlighted and the text label of items
on the page is displayed and read when touched. Other Dr.
Seuss books using the same format are available on iTunes.
(free) Download and read books that show the pictures in the
actual books, turn the pages back and forth by touching the
edges of the pages. Get free books by searching for free books
in the store.
($1.99) The Little Critter story about going to the beach. No
animation, but good sound effects, animated with a child’s
voice. Highlights word by word and pictures named and labeled
when touched.
($.99) iPad, the tale of a kid with dyslexia who discovers he can
read the secret language of superheroes, turning him into one.
Includes a maze, spot the difference, kaleidoscope, create a
scene, coloring board, jokes and 2 stories, that contain some
videos (words are highlighted as read to you).
A collection of stories that allows you to customize the books
by genre, names, gender, ages and species. Each reading can be
slightly different, introducing you to new words.
Easy program to create your own stories by adding in
photos, text and speech. Could use for social stories and
schedules.
(Free to $8.99) Animated books that highlights the words as
they are read, contains a variety of games, videos, singalong tunes and coloring pages.
Early Literacy
300+ Sight Words
ABC Animals
ABC Learning Pad (iPad)
abc Pocket Phonics
Alphabet Animals
Bob Books Magic #1
Build a Word (a lite version is
[email protected], 12/12
Sight words for Level 1 to 5 and Nouns 1 & 2 with text only
that can be read to you.
Interactive animal flashcards with audio that provide the letter
name, associated animal name and the phonetics
($1.99) Includes 4 games to teach alphabet, animals, numbers
and colors in 2 learning modes: training at your own pace and
Quiz interactive challenge. ( Free version and Audio Baby
Talking Learning Pad is the iPhone/iTouch version for $1.99).
Combines 3 apps with letter sounds, letter writing practice and
170 first words
All 26 letters in interactive flashcards that make sounds and
animations when touched
Match and then spell out words on each story page to have
the page come to life.
Place letters in the outline provided one at a time to build a
available)
I Can Read
iFlash
iSentence
K-3 Sight Words
Kindergarten.com – 24 titles
See Read Say
Sound Sorting
Stories2Learn
StoryKit
Voice Cards
word and the word morphs into word friends.
Flash cards where 1 side contains the picture and the other the
text only.
Flash cards by word ending families. Pick a word ending and
each time you touch the screen the initial letter changes. No
audio.
Use a roller bar to line up words to create the sentence that
makes sense (could use as a sentence writing activity also).
($0.99) Sight or dolch words on flash cards.
Most of the titles present one photograph at a time with the text
above it being read when you touch the page.
Includes all 220 Dolch Words spoken at the push of a button
with individual tracked progress.
(free) from Lakeshore, pick pictures and students sort
additional pictures under the three pictures by beginning
sounds. (they have other free titles)
A shell to build your own social stories or other types of stories,
can include pictures and audio. Comes with 1 story.
Comes preloaded with a few stories. Easy to import pictures
and create your own stories, schedules, social stories or
sequences for activities. Can add voice recordings and text.
Pictures and text for various category cards in English and
Spanish.
Early Writing
ABC Animals
AlphaPuzzle
Build a Word (lite version
available)
Dictionary
Dragon Dictation
First Words: Deluxe (Home
version available)
iFound Poetry
iWriteWords (a lite version
available)
Pocket Whiteboard
Pocket Phonics
Puppet Pals
[email protected], 12/12
($1.99) Letters, phonics and handwriting for preschoolers
Tracing letters, word flashcards and easy puzzles
Make the letters into a word by putting them in the outline and
having the word morph into the word friend.
Using predictive text search for a word and its definition or
synonym in context from dictionary. Com or thesaurus.com
Voice recognition that you can then see and edit your text to
share on clipboard, SMS and email
($4.99) The game includes over 147 words including
animals, vehicles, colors, shapes and items from around the
home. The user touches a letter to hear it and drag it to the
correct position.
($1.99) Can have different backgrounds and add your own
words. Drag and arrange words on a screen to create poetry.
In easy or regular mode, trace numbers, lower and upper
case letters using numbered prompts
Works as a whiteboard on the phone or iPad. Can take pictures
of your creations, thoughts using the “home” and “sleep”
buttons (can do this for all apps for a screen shots)
Tracing letters paired with the letter sounds
Allows you to use set scenes and characters recording your own
messages to create stories or shows that can be saved.
Sentence Builder
SpellBoard
Story Patch
StoryTime
Typo (lite version available)
Word Magic
ZenTap
Additional sets and characters can be purchased.
($3.99) Use spin wheels to make grammatically correct
sentences with attention paid to the connector words,
interactive with picture support
($4.99) Allows you to create spelling quizzes in any language.
Enter word, the grade level and the spoken word and you can
add the written word and/or spoken phrase. You can share quiz
with other SpellBoard users, tracks performance
($4.99) Comes with over 800 illustrations (that can be
customized) or you can add your own photos, to your
writings or use one of the built in themes.
Pick a topic and pictures in the story. A word bank is
provided for each picture to help you write sentences.
As you type possible words show up in a list. To hear the
words you touch them, and to select, you touch them again.
With a picture shown and a letter missing in a word, select
the correct choice for reinforcers and rewards
Word prediction with choices displayed on top of the alphabet
screen
Text to Speech
Easy Speak
iSayIt
TextExpander
($1.99) Text to speech with word and phrase prediction
alphabetically based. Word and phrase prediction cannot
work at the same time. Can save words and phrases to be
used later and can build a favorites page of 4 items.
($.99) Simple text to speech, phrases or words can be saved and
spoken again.
($4.99) Typing and abbreviation expansion, can add and
customize your own abbreviations, text can be saved and
emailed or sent as a text, no speech. Abbreviations can work in
certain other apps.
Communication – Expressive & Receptive
Pictello
Question Builder
SLP Goal Bank
SLP Updates
($14.99) Design your own talking story books, social stories
etc. Has a wizard, can add in pictures, text to speech or your
own voice. Could use to create your own stories.
($3.99) Designed to help elementary age children learn to
answer abstract questions and create responses based on
inference. Include audio clips to improve auditory processing
for special needs children (prompts can be turned off).
($9.99) Designed to serve as a starting point for SLP’s for
creating goals for children and adults
($.99) An information resource for speech language pathologist
with dynamically updated information from various sources.
Need an internet connection for links pages to work.
Math
[email protected], 12/12
iLiveMath (series)
Math Bingo
Math Drills
MathTapper: Estimate
Fractions
MathTappers: Multiples
Number Line
Multiplication
TimesTables
($4.99) Series includes sports, oceans, trains, cars, animals of
Africa. Asks word problems at 3 different levels using real
situations.
($.99) Play Bingo by solving addition, subtraction, division or
multiplication problems at 3 different difficulty levels.
($1.99) Drills for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing
with number lines, hints and facts.
(free) Made by math teachers to help students make sense of
fraction sums and differences.
(free) Learn basic facts for multiplication and division, shows
displays in various ways for figuring out the answers.
(free) a game to help students learn about fractions, decimals
and percent by ordering them on a number line.
Includes quiz component that takes data
Works on times tables in different formats including a 12 x 12
grid
Organization, Prompting and Memory
Corkulous
J’s Job Jar
MyHomework
Picture Scheduler
ReQall
Scheduler
To Do
VoCal
($4.99) A corkboard where you can map out ideas, brainstorm,
store notes, etc. There is a YouTube video with an overview at
($0.99) Enter jobs that need to get done. When you shake the
job, the job jar will select the job most likely to lead to job
satisfaction
(Free) Allows you to ender you homework by subject or due
date. Nice interface, good organizational tool.
This app shows a visual reminder (photo or video) at a specified
time as well as playing a voice note to cue the user.
(Free) Remember what is important here and now. It gathers
and manages all the tasks you need to do by date, time,
locations and keywords, and alerts you at just the right time and
place. Save your ideas, to-do lists and things to remember by
voice or text.
Allows you to create schedules with pictures, text and audio.
Alerts are sent to the user at the scheduled times for each
activity and will display the programmed prompt.
($4.99) Allows you to create your own to do lists, that can be
tagged, with push notifications.
($3.99) A Voice Calendar Reminder app that offers repeats,
choice of alert tones and voice reminders. Instead of having to
type into your device when you need a quick reminder, record a
voice message to yourself and have it alert you at the right time.
Science
Google Earth
GoSkyWatch Planetarium
Life Cycle
[email protected], 12/12
(Free) Type in a destination and see the photo narrow in and
show you what it looks like from above
(free) iPad, easily and quickly identify and locate stars, planets
and constellations with a touch or by pointing to the sky.
($.99) Includes interactive and narrated information on 10 life
NASA
Planets
Science Friday
Science Quiz
SkyORB
Solar Walk 3D
VideoScience
cycles
(Free) thousands of images with on demand NASA videos and
live streaming, current mission information
(Free) Can touch the planets to learn more about them, spin
them and zoom in. Also a popular fidgit tool.
(Free) iPad, A weekly science talk show broadcast on NPR.
Quizzes your knowledge in physics, chemistry, biology,
zoology, earth science and inventions.
(Free) A collection of 6 tools including a 3D star map, 3D
planetarium, ephemeris, search engine, sun clock and more.
($2.99) A 3D solar system model that lets you navigate through
space and time, learning trajectories, structures etc.
(Free) videos that are 2 to 3 minutes in length and demonstrate
the steps of simple science experiments, with little setup time
and using only low cost materials. Features science teacher Dan
Menelly (winner of the Einstein Fellowship).
Social Studies
All Countries
Basic information and a picture of the flag is presented for each
country with links to Google, Flikr and Google maps.
HD History of the United States ($.99) Covers a variety of topics including Native Americans,
Colonial history, the American Revolution, Bill of Rights,
foreign policy, cultural & economic history
History: Maps of World
(free) A collection of high resolution historical maps
(free) Application that comes pre-installed. It can now be done
Maps
in the classic, satellite, hybrid (satellite and maps together) and
terrain view.
($.99) The states come to life as you learn about them. You
Stack the States
learn about the capitals, geography and more as you earn states
for your own map.
United States Map Game
(Free) Learn the names and locations of the 50 states with this
interactive map quiz.
US Geography by Discover
($6.99) Can learn about the states using multimedia content
aligned to national standards.
Westward Expansion
(Free) US History Unit: westward Expansion of the United
States in the 1800’s.
Writing
ACT Spell
Audiotorium Notes – with
Dropbox
Awesome Note Lite (+ todo)
[email protected], 12/12
($2.99) Allows you to add in your own spelling words, auditory
feedback provided. Can adjust number of buttons, button size
and background colors.
($4.99) Dropbox & TextExpander integration. A way to record,
organize, review and share your audio and text notes. You can
define your own abbreviations and use audio bookmarks to
mark and find important sections of audio later.
(Free) An innovative note taking application and to-do manager
that allows you to combine notes with to-do flexibilities. You
Dasher
Diary
Dictionary.com
Dictionary!
Dragon Dictation (free)
iLive Grammar Botany
iThoughts
Live Notes
MindBlowing
Mind Notes
Momento
My Writing Nook
Popplet (lite version available)
iPad only
Sentence Builder
Soundnote
Spel It Rite Pro
SpellBoard
Sundry Notes (lite version
available)
Typo
[email protected], 12/12
can customize its look with themes with different folder icons,
colors, fonts, and paper backgrounds. It provides easy- to -use
regular notes to notes with multiple photo attachments, To-Do
Notes to organize your day, Post-It style quick notes, and the
ability to send notes with photo attachments as emails.
(free) A word prediction program based on letter possibilities
controlled by moving a line connecting the letters
Write in a diary that you can add voice notes or photos, change
the font and size and email to others.
Dictionary that allow you to search for the word using speech to
text, need internet connection.
Easy to use, no fluff dictionary using predictive word search.
Voice recognition that you can then see and edit your text to
share on clipboard, SMS and email
($4.99) Interactive multimedia with 4 lessons in nouns, verbs,
adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, articles, nouns, conjunctions
and review. Sentence are associated with pictures where a
specific word or words are highlighted. The sentence and
answers are tracked for record keeping.
Can import from and export to MindManager as well as other
desktop graphic organizers
Includes an audio component for recording. You can play back
the audio and information you wrote. You can tag parts of your
audio..
(Free) Create mind maps that you can insert videos, pictures,
audio, colored nodes and text. Email the maps to others.
($5.99) Way of collecting, organizing and outline your thoughts
and ideas as mind maps.
Provides a quick and easy way to write in a private journal, can
connect with popular social web services.
Write in portrait or landscape, auto save, word count,
dictionary/thesaurus lookup, email documents
($4.99) Mindmapping application to use with word or concept
mapping, allows drawing within the app.
($3.99) Use spin wheels to make grammatically correct
sentences with attention paid to the connector words, interactive
with picture support
($4.99) Create notes synched with audio, easy to use and play
back.
From two choices, select the correctly spelled word as quickly
as possible
($4.99) Allows you to create spelling quizzes in any language.
Enter word, the grade level and the spoken word and you can
add the written word and/or spoken phrase. You can share quiz
with other SpellBoard users, tracks performance
Create notes that can include pictures, audio, tables, symbols,
web links, a whiteboard and tables.
As you type possible words show up in a list. To hear the words
you touch them, and to select, you touch them again.
Apps & Iphone/iTouch website and/or article resources
100 Ways to use your iPod to Learn and
Study Better
App Management and Syncing Multiple
Devices
App Store Volume Purchasing Program
Explained
From toy to tool: Cell Phones in Learning
How to Build a Theft Proof iPhone
I EAR.org – I Education Apps Review –
extensive resources listed by various
categories from toddlers to college level
Inov8 – Series of articles called There’s an
Apps for that, covers different categories
iPodject Wiki – an collaborative online
community exploring iPods in education.
iPods in School – Kathy Cothran presents a
wealth of ideas on using iPods in schools.
iPodsibilities – a teacher’s thoughts on
using iPods & iPads in the classroom.
Includes extensive links to apps, resources,
lesson plans and app reviews.
iTunesU – free, K-12 schools and colleges
are providing students with learning
opportunities
Learning in Hand – iPods in educations –
information on apps, quick tips to get you
started with iTouch & iPad etc.
Only the iPad - resources about iPads in
the classroom
http://oedb.org/library/beginning-onlinelearning/100-ways-to-use-your-ipod-to-learn-andstudy-better
http://atlaak.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/appmanagement-syncing-of-multiple-devices/
http://learninginhand.com/blog/app-store-volumepurchase-program-explained.html
http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/
http://www.ismashphone.com/2009/05/how-tobuild-a-theftproof-iphone.html
http://www.iear.org/
www.inov8-ed.com/category/special-app-for-that/
http://ipodject.pbworks.com/w/page/7434242/Front
Page
http://ipodsinschool.com/
www.ipodsibilities.com/iPodsibilities/Home.html
Available through iTunes as a free download
http://www.learninginhand.com/ipod/index.html
www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ict/ipad/
PodCasts
AT Tips
AT Tools in public schools, exploring and
investigating different implementation of AT in
schools (not app related specifically).
iEAR Podcast
iPad Live
iPad Screencasts
iPhone Podcast
The Padcast Podcast
[email protected], 12/12
Podcast, many include videos, about different apps
to use in education.
Weekly podcast on various aspects of the iPad
Video Demonstrations for the iPad
Includes information on the iPhone and iPad.
Weekly podcast discussing all things iPad from app
reviews to tips and tricks and the latest news.