Want an App to go with that?

 

Old MacDonald app

It is no secret to my graduate students here at Northeastern University that I am constantly sourcing new technology support for speech and language intervention models. I am especially intrigued at how technology can scaffold early oral and written language goals. Aside from the “cool” factor of using iPads in treatment sessions, young children who have been identified as being at risk for early literacy development, are often much more readily engaged in an interactive model with visual and auditory scaffolds, than a static piece of paper!

As a longtime follower and fan of Sean Sweeney’s blog SpeechTechie.com, I was inspired by his presentation at the ASHA Convention in Chicago in November, 2013, where he presented on “More Storybooks and Apps”. Upon my return to Boston, I enthusiastically asked my first year graduate clinicians, who were working with me in the clinical research Language Literacy Program (LLP), to source an App that could be used with one of the storybooks they were reading to their K1 and K2 groups. The excellent group of graduate students used Sean’s FIVES criteria to select appropriate Apps. To learn more about the FIVES criteria, please click on the link below.

http://www.speechtechie.com/p/fives-criteria-for-tech-and.html

 

 

STORYBOOK                                                             APP

“Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”                                    “Endless Alphabet”: re-enforces target letters with visual supports.

by Bill Martin Jr.

“Goldilocks and the 3 Bears”                                   “Goldilocks”: re-enforces sequential story and scaffolds novel size, shape and number concepts.

“Froggy” series by Jonathan London                      “Froggy Phonics”: pairs words with pictures and who can resist the Fascinating Firefly Festival!

“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”                               “Cookie Doodle”: baking sequences and cookie decorating with visual supports.

by Laura Numeroff”

“No Sleep for Sheep” by Karen Beaumont            “Old MacDonald”: Pairs pictures with words and visual/audio scaffolding

“Skippyjon Jones Lost in Spice”                               “Alien Buddies”: Letter, number, shape matching with fun visual supports.