Tech Links
On this page, we want to share mobile instructional, organisational and assistive technology tools, and links to products or apps, that we think may be useful to a child seeking strategies to overcome barriers to learning. The list will never be exhaustive, but will grow all the time!
Reader for text to speech recognition anywhere, anytime
The KNFB Reader app is an essential tool for anyone with low vision, visual impairments, difficulty reading, reading disabilities such as dyslexia. Available on Apple or Android devices.
Afrikaans Support
http://www.easyafrikaans.com/index.html
Easy Afrikaans contains free online Afrikaans language courses. The lessons have audio recorded by native Afrikaans speakers. Easy Afrikaans will help you to start to learn the Afrikaans language. It is aimed at beginner level language learners and anyone who plans to visit South Africa. Included are basic grammar lessons, simple words and phrases in the Afrikaans language as well as links to resources and further information about Afrikaans.
http://www.learneo.co.za/#wpcf7-f1537-o1
A further website offering online Afrikaans resources.
Parental Control
OurPact: Parental Control and Screen Time Management by ParentsWare
Organisation
EpicWin is an organisational or executive function tool that is great for keeping students on task, keeping them from procrastinating, and using gaming to incentivise their tasks. Homework, projects, and chores become a lot more fun with this gamified role-playing app.
The more of your everyday life tasks that you complete, the more your characters grow and develop within the game, leading to better scores and adventure. It’s a great work/life balance game that is fun for teachers, parents, and students.
Simply set up an avatar, enter tasks to complete, assign “epicness” or priority, finish the task, fight a battle, and earn rewards based on the task’s epicness.
My Homework
My Homework: an organisational tool for homework records and task planning
Notability
Notability: an integrated app that allows the learner to receive, store and annotate notes in a colour coded filing system. they can also add pictures and overlay voice recordings.
Free Technology For Teachers
http://www.freetech4teachers.com by Richard Byane.
Information about free resources that teachers can use in their classrooms.
Typing Rocket
Typing Rocket is a sixty second game in which students make fireworks explode by typing the letters that appear on the rockets in the games.
In the sixty second span of the game students try to correctly type as many letters as they possibly can. The rockets speed up as the game progresses.
Typing Club
Typing Club offers free online touch typing lessons for students of all ages. Typing Club provides 100 free activities that begin with the basics and progress in difficulty.
Z-Type
Z-Type is a simple and fun typing game. To play Z-Type all that you have to do is go to the website and type the words that are falling from the top of the screen. When you have correctly typed a word a laser shoots it. The object is to shoot the words before they reach the bottom of the screen.
Dance Mat Typing
Dance Mat Typing is a nice little resource from the BBC. Young students (four to eight years old) can receive clear, informative typing instruction through Dance Mat Typing. There are four levels for students to work through. Within each level there are multiple lessons and practice activities. The very first lesson that students receive is placement of their hands on the keyboard. Each lesson and practice activity offers instant feedback in visual and audio form.
Power Typing
Power Typing hosts a small collection of five typing games that students can use to develop their typing skills.
Useful iPad Apps and online portals to support learning Mathematics
http://learn-timestables.com/tafels-oefenen
http://ca.mathletics.com/other-apps (downloadable on iPad or Windows devices)
https://www.multiplication.com/games/all-games
For videos that teach and explain – senior grades: http://patrickjmt.com/
Motion Math’s visual, adaptive games. Based on growth mindset research, Motion Math builds math fluency, conceptual understanding, and a love of challenge. http://motionmathgames.com/
Maths Flash Cards (Free android app) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.november31.mathflashcards&hl=en
Children can build and improve essential math skills in: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, using free flashcards.
Sushi Monster
A game in which players must solve a series of addition and multiplication math problems. http://learningworksforkids.com/playbooks/sushi-monster/
Photomath
Is free on the App Store
For spelling practice
Spelling City: www.spellingcity.com
To drill sight words
Sight Words by Photo Touch by Innovative Investments Limited: https://appsto.re/us/AQshz.i
For handwriting practice
Handwriting Without Tears: http://wetdrytry.com
An all-time favourite app for practicing letter formation. It gives clear verbal instructions, models each stroke clearly, and provides both tracing and freehand practice. The oral feedback is both prompt and specific (e.g., “Don’t go outside the line!”). In addition, the app allows the child to sign in and practice letters while the app records progress and errors.
Letter Find: http://rubberchickenapps.com
Write-on Handwriting: www.writeonhandwriting.com
Text to speech and speech to text software
Dragon Naturally Speaking: http://nuance.com/dragon
ClaroRead: www.clarosoftware.com
WordQ and SpeakQ (iWordQ for ipads): http://www.goqsoftware.com
Study Skills
iStudiez: an iPad app that helps you arrange all your schedules and homework.
Using this app will enable you to :
- Manage your schedules using a built-in planner
- Organise your class types and extracurricular activities using different labels.
- Keep track of your homework and assignments
- Organise your tasks and assignments by date, course, or priority or sort them into pending or completed
- Work collaboratively on your assignments by adding people from your contacts
- Keep up-to-date with your due tasks and assignments through notifications sent regularly by iStudiez.
inClass : inClass allows students to organise their school schedule by giving them the possibility to track their courses, tasks, and homework using a built-in notification system; also ideal for taking all kind of notes (video notes, audio notes, and photo notes).
ClassOwl: iPad app for organising assignments, tests, and deadlines into simple to-do lists.
StudyBlue: improve learning through the use of flashcards, study guides, and quizzes.
My Homework Student Planner: track homework, tests and projects. It provides an in-built calendar and supports time, block and period-based schedules.
Explain Everything: a comprehensive app to navigate and prepare projects