Thursday, February 21, 2013

Thank Goodness for Pocket SLP Language Apps!


Yes, thank goodness for Pocket SLP again =D They had so many awesome apps that I needed TWO thankful thursday posts to showcase their apps =D
Now for the Language Apps from Pocket SLP! Look for a giveaway at the end of the post! There are 10 app codes that I have been given as prizes! Yay Pocket SLP. Unfortunately, Pocket SLP does not have any more codes for Opposite Day so that is not one of the ones available- but it is available for 5 dollars in Itunes if you read the review and love it like I did =) So hereeeee we gooo......

First up is "Describe it!"

This was a neat app for defining and vocabulary! There are buttons at the bottom of each picture to give clues about which item is being described. This app could be used with young children all the way up to adults in a rehabilitation setting.

These are all the categories to choose from!

There is a guess it option. This is where the clues at the bottom of the page are pressed and heard and the student/patient attempts to name the item being described. It works great for word finding and problem solving/reasoning!


This is the app in study mode. I had each of my students use the icons at the bottom as a visual for information to include in their definition! This is an awesome resource for definitions and describing!

There is a pass it option. This is where you can play the app in a game type way!

I have used this app with children AND adults. I used it with adults after a stroke, after "anesthesia brain" and those having decreased cognition with aging. It was great for cues already built into the app. It was WONDERFUL for my students who required visuals for defining words! It was a great addition to my speech room!

Up Next is the Opposite Day app!

You can select which target areas you would like to have in the therapy session.

You can choose either STUDY mode or QUIZ mode. 
In study mode, I had all my students just go through each of the pairs until I felt that they all understood the targets.
Then in the next session, I would press quiz mode. I would use the app as shown in the pictures below.

The student will press one card and then tell the opposite of the word.


 Then the student will press the other card to see if their verbal answer was correct.

In quiz mode, there are buttons at the bottom where you can keep track of correct and incorrect responses.

 When the student has completed all of the therapy targets, there is an option to view the results.

 At that point, you have the option to e-mail results and/or print the results. I used this option close to progress report time!

My students really liked the memory aspect of this game. It was really nice being able to target opposites in a game format. The results section at the end was so valuable for response recording. Basically, I didn't have to do it because the app did it for me. I set up all the students at the beginning of the day so when their session came around all I had to do was press go =)

Next I will talk about SLP Break Room App!

This is the title page when you open the app. There is a place to view the apps, a place to get information and a place to go see the blog posts from Pocket SLP. I have sent these cute postcards to friends before and we get the cutest laughs out of them =)

 There is this cute section for postcards that feature SLP Funnies! I have sent these to a few of my speech friends when they are having hard days!

Next up is Category Carousel!

First, you choose the categories that you would like your students to work on. 


 The best part of this is you can choose 2 categories if you have students that are lower level. I chose two categories so I can show you the coolest part!


Once the student gets done categorizing the pictures into the two categories. You can press on the animals button at the top! At that point it brings you to this screen, where the students can categorize the animals into subcategories! AMAZING feature!!!!!


This is by far my most used app for the three- I highly suggest you get Carnival Categories! I really like the subcategory concept. It taught my students that there are categories in categories and that there are many different ways to categorize information. This was an invaluable lesson to my students and made many "lightbulbs" go off in their heads. This was probably one of my favorite apps because it was so comprehensive in terms in categories! I use this app more than I do any of the others.

Next up is One Step, Two Step!
This is my second favorite language app =)
There are many options to choose from for the backdrop of the following directions activity! You can choose 1 step directions or 2 step directions  for this app which is wonderful when you have different ranges of abilities.

 Here are the rest that you can choose from!

 There are colors to choose from and an eraser. This will come into affect when the student needs to use colors to follow the correct direction. Then there are shapes at the bottom of the screen that will be used as well for following directions as well.
<------here are the shapes


 The SLP/student presses direction 1- then completes the task. It might say "Color the apples red" as a 1 step direction. The second direction might say "Put a circle on the mouse's cheese". 


 This is the end result of one of my students doing all of the tasks on the activity.

 Here is another example of a completed activity from one of my students.

This app was wonderful for a technology way of following directions. I liked how there were so many scenes to choose from and different levels for each scene. My kids learned to navigate the app so easily! That was important to me because it didn't appear that way at first. I like how it targeted basic concepts and following directions at the same time. This is one of the neatest apps there is for following directions and using the Ipad. I target basic concepts, colors, shapes and vocabulary all at the same time! This app is a must have for your speech rooms and was my second favorite of all  the language apps. 

Next up is Language Forest!
This is very cool because there are so many decks included with the PRO version! I added all of them to my Ipad because I have such a diverse caseload!

First I uploaded all of the available card decks into the app shown here! Look how many there are!

 Here are a few examples of all the card decks- there are SOO many!


 Then you add users- so I added myself for an example. 

 This app is cool because you can add your own stimuli! You just press on an item and you can upload a picture, word or something for all available options! Awesome for making the app fit your exact caseload!

 Then you have the student either study the word deck and then you can assess them using quiz mode!

 Here are the decks I chose for the example:

 Here are example cards in study mode:



 This is the setup for quiz mode:

I thought this app was wonderful for expanding vocabulary for my students =) Another app I recommend for your caseloads! I like how there were SOO many card decks to choose from! Since there were so many card decks- it allowed the app to be very versatile to my caseload. I used this app mostly with my junior high students.


Last up is Pocket Lexi!
Here is the opening screen =)

 There is a puzzle aspect that you can choose- I use this as a reinforcer after completing the language activity.


There is a match game to go with each book- again I use this as a reinforcer for after reading the book.


Here are all of the books available if you purchase the PRO version of this app. 
 

After you choose a book, you choose if you want the book read to the student or if you want the child to read it by themselves.


 I used "Jude Sky's Strange Day" book for a preview on how this app works.

 Here appeared the first idiom "sleeping like a baby".

You can choose the narration options: You can read the book in your own voice ( I did this for a child that had difficulty in social language) It helped being my voice opposed to the pre-recorded voice. I have also used the pre-recorded version also many times!


This app was great for my upper elementary and junior high caseloads. It might be a bit tough for the younger caseloads. It was great because I incorporated literacy into my therapy sessions and there aren't too many apps that can do that while also working on another therapy target. It was also nice to work on idioms in a contextual manner. 


 I hope you all have enjoyed my post and I hope you all seriously consider adding the language apps of Pocket SLP to your Ipad. I have used all of the apps many times with my students and the apps keep them engaged in each session! Thanks for reading!
Enter the giveaway below and win a chance to win 1 of 10 app codes. The SLP Break Room is free and all of the apps are 5 dollars if you don't happen to win one =D Go show Pocket SLP some love Pocket SLP Facebook


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to tell me your top 2 choices for the apps you would like if you win =D Good Luck!







16 comments:

  1. I would love to win
    First choice. Describe It
    Second choice Language Forest
    Thankyou for great posts about these apps!

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  2. I would love to win Category Carousel or Language Forest! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  3. I actually have all these apps except Describe It. I'd love to win that one. I rely a lot on One Step Two Step. I actually went to a presentation by it's author. Another favorite of mine is Tapikeo. Great for customizing to your students.

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  4. I would love any of them. The ones that caught my eye were describe it, One Step, Two Step and Category Carousel. Any would be great! Not too picky over here.

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  5. Amazing apps! I like category carousel and Language Forest!

    Thank you!

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  6. I would love Describe It, Language Forest. I have a couple others of theirs already and I really like them!

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  7. I just received word I'm getting an ipad - I'd love to try the Describe It app.

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  8. I would love Language Forest, Describe It, or Pocket Lexi!

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  9. I would like One Step Two Step, Describe It, or Language Forest. Thanks! --Cassandra

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  10. Thank you for your reviews. I have Opposite Day and my students LOVE it! Describe it looks great for my kiddos practicing V & V at the picture level and Category Carousel has so many possible uses. I would be lucky to win any of these great apps!
    ~Sherrie

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  11. i would love to get my hand on either language forest or describe it. Thank you for doing this giveaway

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  12. I would love Language Forest or Category Carousel! Thank you so much for the opportunity!

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  13. Language Forest, Category Carousel and Describe It look like they would work well with my caseload...Pocket Lexi looks like it would be useful for my older students...Thank you for the reviews, as well as the giveaway.

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  14. I would love to have Category Carousel or One Step, Two Step! Those would be perfect for many of my students. Thanks =)

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  15. I think I would really like Describe It, Language Forest, or Category Carousel. Thanks for the opportunity :)

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