A is for apps handout - iTech

Editor's Notes

• #4: The iPad can be used as an activity or strategy to teach various concepts to preschool children. Listed here are some concepts that we are going to focus on today.
• #5: Preschoolers respond well to the iPad and find the apps to be fun games to play. It doesn’t take long after introducing the iPad to young children, for them to understand and become absorbed in the activity.
• #7: This is an app that can be used to teach color identification. When the child touches a fish, they will hear the name of the color and then all of the fish will turn that color. This app also has letter and number games on it.
• #8: The Doodle Buddy provides shape stamps as well as shapes a child can color in. On the Preschool Adventure Shape app, when a child touches the little space creatures, the shape pops up and the child hears the name of the shape and it’s color – “Green Square”. This app also has color and matching games. It’s great for younger children. Doodle Buddy will let you pick a shape and then you can color in the shape with your finger.
• #9: There are many different kinds of matching apps available – some are like the old memory games and some match identical objects, letters or numbers. The app we are going to show you is an animal matching game in which the child needs to match the different parts of the animals body.
• #10: This app asks the child to find the one that is different. When the child touches the correct fish, it gives feedback – Excellent, fantastic, good work, etc.
• #11: Here are some apps that are appropriate for 4 and 5 year olds who are working on pre-Kindergarten skills. First Words at Home helps children learn to recognize letters and spell simple words. The letters are scrambled and the child must put them in the right spot. The letter is read each time the child touches it. It will not allow the child to put the letter in the incorrect spot. When they are successful, the app gives a little reinforcement as the object spins and makes a sound effect. iwrite words lets children practice writing letters. Visual prompts tell the child where to start and which direction to go. A squeaky sound lets the child know they are not making the letter correctly. When they are successful, it names the letter. The letter then needs to be dragged into the spinning circle and positive reinforcement will be given (excellent) and then you move to the next letter. You can also adjust the size of the letter on this app.
• #12: These next 2 apps can be used to teach 1 to 1 correspondence, counting, and number matching. The iWrite Words app allows children to practice writing numbers. The 1,2,3 Kids Fun Games app also has a number game on it. It has a train with a number on it and the child needs to put the correct number of objects into the train car. It has different levels that become more difficult. Next they have to put the correct number of the same object into the car with the corresponding number. After they complete each level a puzzle piece is removed and at the end they see the picture of the cow and it moos. Another app called Animals Count asks “How many animals do you see?” and then the animals pop up on the screen and they hear the animal sound. As the child touches them and counts them, the number appears on the animal. Then the child touches the corresponding number and if correct, hears clapping and sees a smiley face guy. There are different levels of difficulty on this game and once the child completes a level, he moves to the next level.
• #13: Vocal Zoo has real pictures of animals and real animal sounds. It has a large number of animals. When iPad is held sideways, 6 squares of animals appear, and when held upright, one animal is shown at a time and it is named. What’s That Sound app shows 3 objects and plays a sound and the child must touch the picture of the object that makes that sound.
• #14: This is one app that will help a child work on body parts. There are other apps available for young children that focus on the face and the body part is named when the child touches that part.
• #16: Young children love music and enjoy singing songs and doing fingerplays. These two apps provide entertainment as they teach young children animal sounds or allows them to play instruments.
• #17: Doing puzzles is a good way to work on spacial awareness and also orientation as the child maneuvers a puzzle piece to make it fit. This app has varying degrees of difficulty ranging from simple matching to 8-piece puzzles that require more problem solving.
• #18: The Read to Me app will highlight the words in red as they are read aloud. The Read it Myself version will also read and highlight the words in red but only if you tap the words. It is fully interactive. It will label any of the objects on the page and highlight that word in the text. It also has sound effects. Auto Play is like watching a movie. The pages are turned for you as it reads the story.
• #20: You can copy and paste these links into your browser and go directly to the iTunes store to purchase or download the free apps. There are many descriptions/reviews of apps online that you can read. You can often find video previews of apps on You Tube that can give you a better idea of what the app is like. This power point will be posted online, so you can refer back to this information.