Apps for Education and Fun

MPC Co-Director Godrefy Rivera attended a workshop in December on iPad and Android apps for Children with Special Needs at UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) Technology Resource Center that discussed how the Apple iPad and Android tablets can be used as devices for educational and fun activities at home for children with special needs and their families. These apps are used to enhance communication and speech, art, music, and sensory activities.

The MPC will be hosting a workshop on Assistive Technology and the IPad and IPad Apps on Thursday February 21 from 10AM-12PM that will be conducted by technology specialists from United Cerebral Palsy (UCP). Contact Godfrey Rivera for information at grivera@sinergiany.org or call 212-643-2840, ext. 307.

Below is a list of free resources/apps for the iPad compiled by Dan Herlihy (www.connectivetechnologysolutions.com).

Free iPad Apps 

Story Creation, Writing
- StoryKit – create books, stories, record, write, draw
-Paperdesk Lite – free notebook, write, record
-Sonic Pics Lite
-TalkingPics Micro
-My Scene – create stories from backgrounds and characters
-Storie – create and share stories
-ZenTap – free word processing with word prediction program
-Poetry Creator
-iDiary for Kids Lite
-smartNote Free - note taking
-Picturebook – create and illustrate stories
-Scribble Press – create and publish ebooks for kids
-Poetry Creator
-Educreations - create screen movies with annotations, drawing, text, voice over tutorials
-ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard – create screen movies with annotations, drawing, text, voice over tutorials
-Screen Chomp - create screen movies with annotations, drawing, text, voice over tutorials
-Animoto Video Slideshows
-PaperPort Notes – voice recognition with embedded Dragon Dictate, record audio, type, draw
-Popplet Lite – brainstorming, take/add pictures within app, connect, add text
-PhotoPuppet HD Lite – animation program, work with your own images, export
-Write 2 Lite – simple writing tool, link files to Dropbox
-i Tell a Story – free audio recording app
-Present it Lite – import PowerPoint presentations (from Dropbox or similar program) and run on iPad – both ppt and pptx formats

Audio Books, eBooks
-Freebooks – free eBooks – import ePub from Dropbox
-Nook for iPad
-Ebook Search
-OverDrive Media Console – download/playback/sync to iPods audio and ebooks from public libraries
-Bookster – free books that read aloud, students can record their own voice
-iBooks – eBook Reader
-Stanza – eBook Reader
-I Like Books – 37 Picture Books for Kids – reads aloud, highlighting word by word
-Curriculum Books – CK12 Chemistry, CK12 Earth Science, CK12 Biology, CK12 Life Science, more
Dan Herlihy dherlihy@juno.com www.connectivetechnologysolutions.com 1
-Common Core Standards
-http://www.gutenberg.org/ - download over 36,000 free audio and eBooks for ipad
-Blio – ebook reader, can download free books that read aloud, can purchase voices and it will read your own ePub books

Audio/Recording/Notes
-Audio Memos Free – The Voice Recorder
-Quick Voice Recorder – record notes, memos
-AudioNote Lite
-Dragon Dictation – speech to text
-Dragon Recorder – record voice, export as MP3
-Talking Tom Cat – character speaks back what you record, can save as MP4
-Talking Anya Free - character speaks back what you record, can save as MP4
-Teacher Notes – take notes, add images, audio
-Scribbie Free – note taking and audio recording

 Photo Editing, Video, 3D Panorama Creation
-Tour Wrist – see 360 degree panoramas of sites around the world
-Photosynth – create 360 degree panoramic images using camera
-Arounder Touch –similar to Tour Wrist
-Time-Lapse HD Free – time lapse movie maker
-Instagram – photo sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, Foursquare and Posterous
-Gloop Free – warp images and photos
-DocScan HD – take picture of document – creates PDF file
-iStopMotion Remote Camera – (to be used in conjunction with iStopMotion) as a remote to run camera on

iPhone, iPod, iPad2
-Videolicious – add photos to slide show, add music, export
-Adobe Photo Express – excellent, better than most apps you would pay for
-iCoacher – add annotations on video
-Time Lapse Photography – create time lapse movies
Time, Money, Calculators
-Counting Money
-Counting Bills & Coins
-Telling Time Free
-Clocks 2
-Stop Watch Lite
-CheckBook HD Free
-SpinCalculator Free - talking calculator
-Grocery Gadget Free – Shopping List
-Calculator
-Calculator+
-Calculator++
-Calculator Pro for iPad Free
-Free Graphing Calculator
-powerOne Scientific Calculator – Lite, Free Edition

Online file storage, organization, note taking
-Dropbox – free online storage
-Evernote – free online notebook
-SpringPad - free online notebook
-Remember the Milk – free to do list, sync online and with device
-Wunderlist – (www.wunderlist.com) sync to cloud, computers – tasks, homework
-WunderKit – additional features expanding on Wunderlist
-Teacher Pal, Teacher Notes

Autism
-Autism Apps – compendium and review of apps for Autism with prices, descriptions, reviews
-ABA Flash Cards and Games
-ABA Problem Solving – What Does Not Belong
-See.Touch.Learn
-Touch and Learn – Emotions
-Match it Up
-Matching Jobs
-Vis TimerFree – 5 minute visual timer
-Social Skills Builder
-Model Me Going Places 2
-Choice Board Creator
-Visual Cue Lite
-Talking Picture Board

Science
-Science360
-GPS by TelNav – GPS
-Commander Compass Lite – compass, GPS Tracker, Maps
-Planets
-AroundMe – GPS
-3D Sun
-HudsonAlpha iCell – cells
-Periodic Table of Elements
-Please Touch The Exhibit – from the Melbourne Museum, interactive
-Science Glossary – glossary of names and terms
-Natural Science for Kids. City of Light
-NASA Visualization Explorer
-Anatomy
-Heart (3D Human Heart)
-LabAssistant – chemical compatibility
-The Water Cycle
-Mission Antarctica
-Human Brain
-Compass for iPad (free)
-Compass 54 Lite
-Clinometer HD
-iElements

Math
-Simply Subtraction for iPad Free
-Algebra Explained
-Quick Graph
-Virtual Manipulatives
-Free Spreadsheet
-Just Numbers – learning numbers 1-20 in a variety of activities
-Fraction Basics
-Pizza Fractions: Beginning with Simple Fractions
-Math Kid
-Elevated Math
- Sketchpad Explorer **** excellent program – can download free modules from website including ability to take picture with iPad, measure lines and angles - http://sketchexchange.keypress.com/browse/tag/ipad
- Geometry: Volume of Solids

Misc
-Read it Later
-Total Recall – mind mapping
-DropMind Lite – mind mapping
-QR Code Reader and Scanner, QRafter, Scan, ScanMyDoc – free QR Code Readers
-WordSearch Star Free – word search creator
-Simplemind+
-Checkers 360 Free
-ABC Magnetic Alphabet Lite
-Little Speller
-WatchKnow Educational Videos
-Study Hall – create virtual study hall for class where students can log-into your class, chat and you can monitor
-Sign-N-Send Free – sign PDF files and e-mail back for printing
-Qwiki – free reference
-Doodle Buddy
-Draw 4 Free
-Paint with Time
-Draw!
-Rainbow Draw Free
-DrawFree for iPad
-Tracing Paper Lite
-MyHomework
-Kid Animation – animation creation
-Paint Sparkles Draw
-The ABC Song
-(there are many more free drawing apps – search drawing, draw or paint)
-iSwifter – flash enabled browser
-Caster Free – create and publish podcasts
-MyCongress
-Constitution for iPad
-TeacherTool One – attendance, grading
-Sparkle Fish – audio story completion
-Flat Stanley
-Magnifier
-Over 40 Magnifier and Flashlight
-PDF Reader Lite
-Perfect Reader - PDF Reader for iPad
-PDF Mate – PDF reader
-Small Talk Aphasia - Male (male voice)
-Small Talk Aphasia – Female (female voice)
-Verbally (AAC app)
-AlphaBaby Free – record sounds for letters and matching images
-LiveBinders – Access to LiveBinders to create, edit your online Binders – internet access required

Music
- Jell-o Jiggle-It, Virtuoso Piano Free 2 HD, Classical Guitar, Mandala HangDrum, GrooveMaker, Beatwave, BarrelTones (excellent drum app), Piano Free, Guitar Free, Steinway Etude, QQ Piano Free, PianoBand Free, Xylophone HD for Free, Pocket Bells, MelodyTouch Lite, Lo –Fi Folk Arranger, Pedros Pigiano, Piano Hero, Discover Musical Instruments Free, SoundPrism, Music Sparkles – All in one musical Instruments, Lego Duplo Jams, Keyboard Music 2 Free, Talkapella, Falling Stars (OS 5), Soundrop, Physics Draw Free, Singing Fingers, Simon DX Free, Harmonizer, Songify

Free Resources: Parental Control Software

On Wednesday January 18, ten parents who attend the Metropolitan Parent Center’s (MPC) support group participated in a workshop about how to use the Internet. The third floor of Sinergia has a library available for parents along with a computer area adjacent to the library that has a number of computers available to parents, so we were able to give them direct, hands-on instruction. The workshop was conducted in Spanish and covered everything about identifying the components of a computer: the tower, monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and what their functions are. This was done because the majority of the parents have little or no computer literacy skills so it was important that they knew some basics on how computers work. In addition, most of the parents do not have computers at home. The parents were also offered some basic information about the Internet, including how to log on and how to make inquiries using the Google search engine. Because they are all parents of children with disabilities, we practiced how to find information about their children’s disabilities (i.e., autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy.) They were shown that they could write questions in Spanish and would be given responses in Spanish. The MPC promotes the fact that in order for parents to be effective advocates, they need to learn how the disability affects their children’s ability to learn in the classroom.

Parents also received information about parental controls that protect children from being able to access inappropriate or dangerous Internet web sites. While the parents may lack computer and Internet skills, their children are very knowledgeable on that subject so some time was dedicated to showing the class how to check on the websites children have visited via the “history tab” in the Firefox, a popular web browser available to Internet users. A list of free downloadable parental control software was provided to parents, and some links are provided below. Overall, the parents enjoyed this workshop very much and expressed great interest in future opportunities to learn about, and be able to use the Internet as a tool to further their understanding about disabilities.

Free Parental Control Software
1.    K9 Web Protection - K-9 blocks websites in more than 70 categories, including pornography, gambling, drugs, violence/hate/racism, malware/spyware, phishing
2.    Parental Control Bar - Free software that helps concerned parents prevent their children from accessing adult-oriented web sites.
3.    Action Alert - Creates a kid-safe PC with filtering and website blocking and permits parents to review activity to determine whether anything suspicious occurs.
4.    KidsWatch - Allows parents to set computer usage time limits by child and blocks access to dangerous and inappropriate websites. It alerts parents immediately when a child steps outside the boundaries of safe surfing. KidsWatch™ will automatically send you e-mail alerts when your child enters or receives a suspect phrase or keyword from any chat conversation.

Free Parental Control Software in Spanish (Controles Para Padres en español)
1.    Naomi - Un programa para bloquear páginas web inadecuadas, dirigido a menores de edad que están expuestos en la red, con contenidos como por ejemplo pornografía, etc. Cada vez que se intente acceder en forma voluntaria o accidental a una página inadecuada el navegador se cerrará rápidamente.
2.    Time Sheriff - Permite administrar las horas que pasan sus hijos en la computadora. Time Sheriff puede limitar el tiempo de sesión de usuarios, prevenir la ejecución de juegos, navegadores y programas de mensajería instantánea.
3.    PC Lock Station - Un programa que permite monitorizar y limitar las actividades de un usuario frente a la PC. Permite establecer límites a la navegación por sitios inapropiados, definir horarios o tiempos máximos de uso.
4.    Amigo Control Parental - Este programa graba lo que se ve en la pantalla en todo momento para que después un padre pueda comprobar qué ha estado haciendo su hijo en la computadora. Es más, puede leer lo que ha escrito y lo que su hijo ha leído.

Learning to Use the Internet as an Advocacy Tool

On Thursday November 17, 2011 the Metropolitan Parent Center (MPC) conducted a workshop entitled, “Internet 101: Learning to Use the World Wide Web. Presenter Mike Mitchell, Deputy Executive Director of Sinergia with the assistance of Godfrey Rivera, Co-Director of the MPC, taught parents the fundamentals of working with the Internet and how to use it as an advocacy tool. They also learned how it can be used to get informed about issues such as how their children’s disabilities affect their learning in school.

Participants also learned about e-mail communication, and how to search topics by using “web browsers.” Parents were given hands-on opportunities to practice using a number of laptops that were set up for their use. They followed instructions by viewing on a large screen while Mr. Mitchell provided easy-to-understand instructions on how to navigate the Internet. The workshop was also available to the Spanish-speaking parents via the use of simultaneous interpretation. In addition, a list of disability-related Internet resources was provided to them, which you can find below.

Disability-Specific Sites 
1.    http://www.add.org/
This site provides information, resources and networking opportunities to help adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by bringing together science and the human experience for both adults with ADHD and professionals who serve them.

2.    http://www.autismconcepts.com/
This site shares information from a variety of sources and provides many links to other sites regarding practical ways to help, plan and manage the lives of children with autism. Information with respect to any treatment, therapy, program, service or provider herein is intended for information and educational purposes only.

3.    http://www.autism.org/
The Center for the Study of Autism provides information about autism to parents and professionals, and conducts research on the efficacy of various therapeutic interventions for children with autism.

Behavior
4.    Behavior Disorders
http://www.behaviordisorder.org/
This website for teens, adults and parents offers information on behavior disorders, conduct disorders, and other behavior problems. Their articles are written to educate the general public about behavior disorders, the warning signs, treatment, and statistics on behavior issues.

5.    Behavioral Disorders in Early Childhood
http://www.brighttots.com/Behavioral_disorders.html
This website discusses factors such as the environmental and genetic influences that may contribute to challenging behaviors in young children. There is also information on treatments and interventions for children with behavioral disorders.

6.    Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/about.html
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning is project designed to strengthen the capacity of Head Start and child care programs to improve the social and emotional outcomes of young children.

7.    Conduct Disorders-Support for Parents
http://www.conductdisorders.com/
This is a website written by parents who are raising children with many different diagnoses regarding conduct disorders, and who demonstrate oppositional behaviors and are resistant to parenting.

Learning Disabilities
8.     www.chadd.org
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders (CAADD.) This organization advocates for students with ADHD and coexisting disorders.

9.     www.interdys.org
The International Dyslexia Association is the oldest of the organizations that are specifically concerned with learning disabilities. Both a medical and an educational emphasis are maintained in this organization

10.    Learning Disability Resources
http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/ldinfo.html
This website is a directory with links to other websites with information and resources pertaining to learning disabilities.

11.    National Center on Learning Disabilities
http://www.ncld.org/
The National Center for Learning Disabilities works to ensure that the nation's 15 million children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work, and life.

12.    http://www.ucp.org/
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) is the leading source of information on cerebral palsy and is an advocate for the rights of persons with any disability. As one of the largest health charities in America, the UCP's mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities through an affiliate network.
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