Reading, Writing and Creating with the iPad

There are lots of good free apps out there for teachers to start exploring with students the learning potential of the iPad. If you have already done that you might want to look at some paid apps to extend your students reading, creation, imagination and thinking.

Toontastic $1.19 (Yrs 2-6)

If you have used Puppet Pals with your students you will find Toontastic a step up for your students in creating their own stories. The strong point of this app is that it teaches the writing process. It story boards and discusses the steps of Setup, Conflict, Challenge, Climax and Resolution. Students can creaet stories from included backgrounds or characters or they can draw their own backgrounds and characters. They then record their own narration and move their characters around the screen to record the actions. Once their story is complete they have a complete animated story with narration and background music., which they can shrea

The one area of the App that needs more development is the drawing feature. It would also be good if you could upload your won photos from the iPad photolibary to use as backgrounds or the characters.

Launch Pad the developer provides a Parent Teacher guide and more information on their website.

Wonkey Donkey $9.99 (Yrs K-6)

The popular Wonky Donkey book and song by Craig Smith and Katz Cowley is available as an ipad app. This is a really fun book, each page telling us something new about the spunky, hanky-panky cranky stinky dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.

This read along audio book allows the child to listen to the story as it is sung or read to them or to record their own version of the story/song, and play it back. By touching the text the child can have the book read to them word by word.

It also has a painting function and interactive sound effects on each page. With the painting and recording options a child could create their own personalized version of the book. The sound effects are very amusing and great for keeping a child’s interest. Try touching the donkey or other parts of the picture to get the amusing sound effects.

Bartleby's Book of Buttons Vol. 1: The Far Away Island $3.99 (Yrs 2-6)

This interactive book is highly engaging with colourful graphics and interactve options on every page. Reading the information on each page children interact with the book to make choices for Bartelby so that he can get to his destination. Flip switches, press buttons, slide sliders, rotate the ipad, turn in a circle, and carefully read along in this "digital pop-up book" adventure. Reinforces reading and understanding, sequencing and logic.

Help Bartleby in his journey to find new buttons for his collection! Flip switches, press buttons, slide sliders, rotate the ipad, turn in a circle, and carefully read along in this "digital pop-up book" adventure. For example Turn an onscreen compass (connected to the iPad's compass feature) to make various objects appear in the portal -- a ship in one direction and finally an island in another. Once the island was lined up and the weather was clear, the next page then opened up, and pressing another button moved the story forward. There is no voiceover so for younger children a parent must read along.