By: Lisa Johnson

Coming home from the Mobile 2012 conference in Phoenix, I met a father of two girls in line for the San Antonio flight. Both girls were passing the time with mobile devices. The elder one was voraciously reading Archie comics on an iPhone and the youngest was thumbing through photos from the photo gallery on the iPad. Being a bit of a chatty Kathy, I struck up a conversation about mobile devices and apps. The father had mentioned that it was quite difficult to locate good apps for his girls… and that he exclusively used the app store for his searches.

I quickly started rattling off a few apps such as Puppet Pals, Sock Puppets, Toca Boca, and Lil Kitten Shopping Cart. By his surprised and intrigued expression, I quickly deduced that he had never heard of any of these gems. Short of jotting a list down on the corner of a boarding pass, I realized it might just be quicker and more useful to email him a list.

While mobile devices are becoming more and more prevalent in schools and at home, ways to locate sound educational, purposeful, and economical apps has been a bit convoluted to say the least.

After our appy conversation, I deduced that a list of the top 11 FREE apps every parent of children should download the very day they open their brand new shiny iPad might be a useful resource to share. While most of these apps are product-based in nature, they are all very intuitive and engaging and easily support creativity and interest. (The three with an asterisk would be most appropriate for preschool/primary students.)

1. Puppet Pals/Sock Puppets/Toontastic: This is really a 3 for 1 as all of the apps are free and essentially produce similar results.
1. Puppet Pals allows children to create puppet shows with a default pack of characters. (My son still watches puppet shows that he and I created together months ago and saved within the app.) I will say that the Director’s Pass for all of the character packs and the ability to add your own characters and backgrounds is well worth the $2.99 price tag.
2. Sock Puppets allows children to create puppet shows that are limited to 30 seconds with multiple sock puppets and backgrounds.
3. Toontastic allows children to create multi-scene stories with toons that include mood music and plot.
2. ScreenChomp enables children to tell/draw a story or explain anything in their world and create a video product.
3. Videolicious is a very cool and intuitive app that creates a professional looking video with narration, photo, music, and video. Perfect for a recap of a trip or vacation!
4. Doodle Buddy is a fantastic drawing app that includes stamps, stencils, and backgrounds and can be used to create poetry or simply doodle.
5. ABC Magnetic Lite* is literally a magnetic alphabet. It does include additional packs for purchase but my two boys have had a jolly ol good time spelling words with the free version.
6. Albums FX Lite/iPen FREE: This is another 2 for 1 situation. Both apps allow children to create a book which can be exported as a PDF or as separate images.
1. Albums FX Lite only allows one book to be created at a time but the full version allows for unlimited book creations. Books can include text, audio, video, images, clipart, and animations.
2. iPen FREE is similar to Albims FX Lite but is limited to text, images, and drawing.
7. Video Star/Vidrhythm: While both of the apps could be assigned educational value, they could simply be an engaging and entertaining way to pass time.
1. Video Star allows children to create their own music videos with the music on their iPod/iPhone/iPad.
2. VidRhythm includes multiple templates to create amusing 80′s like music videos.
8. Songify will create a song from anything you speak.
9. StoryLines for Schools is a great way to be engaged on vacations or road trips. It is similar to the telephone game and offers a varying multi-player features.
10. My PlayHome Lite* is a fully interactive doll house. Only the two rooms are available in the lite version – the paid version was well worth the $3.99 upgrade.
11. Lil Kitten Shopping Cart* is a delightful shopping cart game where children help a cat locate items on a shopping list in a grocery store.

My PlayHome Lite Interactive Dollhouse

FREE apps aside… I will say that my two preschool boys have their favorite paid apps as well:

1. Anything by Toca Boca! My son repeatedly watched the Youtube video for Toca House before the app was available and out of all of the apps we own, these get played the most often.
2. The Monster at the End of the Book is a wonderful interactive version of the beloved original.
3. Roxie’s Doors is a story book that prompts children to locate a list of objects in each interactive room.
4. Spot the Mistake is a story book that includes a “what’s wrong with this picture” in each scene.

Roxie's Doors Interactive Storybook

Seeing a true need for a way to easily access FREE educational apps that were appropriate for an age group or content area, I recently created the TechChef4u app which is essentially an educational sortable app store of 500+ FREE apps suitable for children and students. The TechChef4u app is now currently available for FREE in the iTunes app store!

TechChef4u FREE App Database

What are your MUST HAVE FREE educational apps for the iPad?

By: Lisa Johnson

With the announcement of iBooks Author to the Mac App Store, self-publishing will become a whole lot more graphically pleasing and popular. Thee are multiple textbook companies like Inkling that have begun to create digital textbooks and a growing number of educational institutions that have decided to jump on the self-publishing bandwagon. Some districts are using the technology as a way to create interactive course catalogs for students, to publish literary magazines, and to have students create interactive resources and instructional materials for lower grades. Many districts are even applying for an iTunes U Channel to house all of the interactive media for students and teachers.

"Hot Apps 4 HOTS" Available in ALL iBookstores

Recently, Yolanda Barker and I published a book entitled “Hot Apps 4 HOTS“. The book includes 9 step-by-step apptivities that focus on each level of Bloom’s (some levels have more than one apptivity). Each apptivity utilizes one or two free iPad/iPod apps. All of the apps can be adapted to be used in any content area or grade level.

The initial intent was simply to create task cards for a workshop we were delivering at TCEA 2012. Through a series of happenstance events, we decided to create an ePub version of it and make it available to everyone (not just teachers in our district and those attending our TCEA workshop).

The beauty of an ePub is the interactivity and customization. Users can click on live hyperlinks, take notes and highlight important passages, and even change the font and size of the font). The table of contents, bookmarking capability, and slider bar at the bottom also make it simple to navigate the book.

ePub Customization and Interactivity Features

The days of submitting your book to a large publisher or producing strictly paper content have given way to a wave of self-publishing possibilities. So where does one begin?

1. ePubs with a Mac: If you have a Mac, you can utilize iBooks Author or visit Apple’s page on “Creating ePub files with Pages” for step by step instructions and tips. They also offer an “ePub Best Practices” sample document which serves as a guide and template. While it is a Pages document, users simply save as an ePub when the book is complete and ready to be shared and/or published.
2. ePubs with a PC: But what if you don’t have a Mac? Check out programs like Calibre which allow users to convert files into the ePub format (from Word, PDF, or HTML). Check out these other tools to assist with that process.
3. Viewing an ePub on a Computer: When publishing, you inevitably will want to share with users who do not have a mobile device to view the book. In situations like this, utilize the free software Adobe Digital Editions for Mac or PC to allow individuals the ability to view ePubs on their computer.
4. Viewing an ePub on a Mobile Device: As I am an iPad Evangelist, my means of getting an ePub on to an iPad/iPhone/iPod is through iTunes. The process is as simple as dragging the ePub file into iTunes and checking the file to make sure it syncs to your device.

For more info on self-publishing and the process of creating an ePub, check out “Hot Apps 4 HOTS: From iCeption to ISBN”.

Need some inspiration for creating a class book, consider some of these topics to inspire:

1. Story Ideas for Student Publishing
2. Writing Topics for All Grade Levels
3. Creative Writing Exercises and Prompts

By: Lisa Johnson

At a recent Mothers of Preschoolers’ meeting, I had the pleasure of listening to two Kindergarten teachers share a list of of skills needed for preschoolers to be ready for Kindergarten. While there was no mention of actual technology skills or the idea of technology working to support the readiness items they mentioned, my mind instantly  began assigning apps to each one.

Made with ABC Magnetic Alphabet Lite

In an earlier post, I mentioned how the iPad could support literacy so I felt this post should focus more on color and shapes, sight words, hand-writing, letter recognition, time, and patterns and sequences.

Letter Recognition: There are many ABC books out there but I am always partial to anything from Grasshopper Apps. Their The Little Book of ABC (free) is clean and visually appealing, gives you the option to read to you/read to myself/autoplay, and will even allow you to customize the story with your own voice. As they become familiar with the story, have them rewrite and rerecord each page with more adjectives, prepositional phrases (e.g. instead of “A is for Apple”, consider “A is for Apple that grows on a tree”), or words with the same beginning letter (e.g instead of “A is for Apple”, consider A is for Apple, Ant, and Alligator” or “A is for an apple the ant ate”).

Customize your ABC Book

Hand-Writing: Alphabet Tracing (free) offers tutorials to help students practice how to write upper and lower-case letters and numbers from 1 to 10. The app provides a tutorial for each letter and number, two places to practice writing it, and a word that starts with that letter.

Alphabet Tracing

Sight Words: ABC Sight Words Writing Free Lite HD (free) features words from six different categories (e.g. Pre-Primer, Primer, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, and Nouns). In each category, there are multiple words available.  The app will read the word and then you can trace over it to practice handwriting.

ABC Sight Words Writing Free

Patterns & Sequences: When it comes to patterns and sequences, I have to say both of my boys are enamored with Caboose – Learn to Recognize and Complete Patterns ($1.99 and worth every penny). Not only are the dinosaur and train delightful graphics, it is a wonderful tool. The dinosaur drags out a patterned sequence train of upper case and lower case letters, numbers, shapes, or colors. The app will read off each element in the sequence and then prompt you to drag the item below the bridge that will complete the pattern. You can even customize the pattern content and type and answer method.

Caboose: Learn to Recognize and Complete Patterns

Color & Shapes: Let’s Make Shapes! Lite (free) has three modes. The first prompts you to trace a shape, the second allows you to draw free-form shapes, and the third provides directions and patterns for you to create a scene with shapes. The creature host will also tell you what shapes you draw and highlight the color you use as well thus reinforcing both color and shape recognition.

Let's Make Shapes! Lite

Time: Apples in Hour Hands (free) provides three grade levels (Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade). Simply choose the apple with the digital time that matches the analog time on the clock in the tree.

Apples in Hour Hands

Clearly this is not an exhaustive list of apps that will prepare your preschooler for Kindergarten. Motor skills, social skills, and further assistance with Math, Science, and History are also integral. Visit your state’s essential knowledge and skills for a complete listing of standards. As a parent of an iPad native and preschool student, I have to say that apps can only go so far in supporting learning. I always encourage parents to be involved in their child’s iPad time whether it be asking probing questions or simply monitoring iLearning.

By: Lisa Johnson

Earlier this month, I  posted a blog on tools for adults to “support goal-setting and desired outcomes by providing avenues to produce visible, publicized goals that allow for accountability and a support system to share your progress.”

While goal-setting is obviously a integral part of an adult’s life, teaching and modeling proper and appropriate goal-setting skills is also a formative and valuable part of successful character-building for children and students of all ages.

Here are a few ways students can set and achieve their goals (e.g. academic, personal, behavioral, or extracurricular) in 2012:

• Create a Goal Behavior Chart with Goal for It citing specific behaviors that need improvement. (Also check out Printable Charts for Kids: free but must login with Facebook or create an account.)

Behavior Goal Chart created with Goal for it (free account requires a login)

• Create a Reading List with Shelfari or Reading Rewards and even publish your own book reviews using Scholastic or Edmodo. (OR even consider using an app like K-12 Timed Reading Practice Lite to improve your reading speed or fluency)

Tools like Scholastic provide a forum for your sharing your reading goals & progress

• Create a Vision Board or Goal Road Map: take a picture of something that represents one or all of the goals that you would like to achieve (e.g. get an A in Math, Read 12 Chapter Books, Make the Volleyball or Cheerleading team, or Build a Community Garden) and then outline the steps needed to reach that goal. (Also Check out Goal-Reasons Graphic Organizer.)

My Personal Goal Road Map created with Popplet Lite App (also a web app)

• Motivate with To Me By Me: Write reminders to yourself of things you would like to achieve or send yourself  little motivations (great for older children – or parents could compose the notes to send to their little ones).

Motivational Letter Created with To Me By Me app

• Track your Progress using PicCal Lite: record a goal or mini-goal pictorially as you achieve them. Take a picture of a clean room at the end of the week, a picture of an A on a Math assignment, or a snapshot of each book or chapter that you read each day/week/month.

Track Your Progress Pictorially with PicCal Lite App

By: Lisa Johnson

Earlier this week I received two mini-lesson ideas (the Best and Worst for 2011 and 2012 New Year’s Resolutions) for the end of the year from Edmodo. Rapidly approaching 2012, I thought it would be a good idea to focus on tools that can support goal-setting and desired outcomes by providing avenues to produce visible, publicized goals that allow for accountability and a support system to share your progress.

Evernote (a.k.a. My New Best Friend): The program can run on your computer and mobile devices and syncs your notes. Due to the fact that I use this tool for both personal and professional todo lists, it is daily part of my routine to view my existing notes and add additional ones. I have chosen to use this tool as a place to house my personal and professional goals for 2012. Consider inserting images to represent your goals, organizing goals in a checklist format so they can be checked off as you complete them, and adding a sound file (which can be recorded within Evernote) as further explanation for each goal. (Pinterest and Scoop.it are also great tools to house images, sites, and resources that support or symbolize your goals.)

My 2012 Goals via Evernote)

PhoGo: Write down your goal, take a picture, and share with friends on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+. Also check out the Daily BHAG (Big Hairy And Audacious Goals) for more PhoGo-like examples. Helps you keep accountability and have a support system to hold you accountable. Consider changing your profile to pic to your PhoGo!

My 2012 PhoGo (filtered with BeFunky app)

43 Things: List your goals, set up a reminder for your list, share your list with friends and family (note the FB plugin), and get the support from people with similar goals.

My 2012 Goals via 43Things

FutureMe.org: Send an email to your future self. Include all of your goals and motivations for those goals, set a delivery date, upload an image, and send to your future self. (Also check out the app To Me By Me which allows you to send letters to your future self as well).

My 2012 Goals via FutureMe

Inspired to set your own goals for 2012, check out these resources:

• “The Top 10 Ways I Goal Set“: more ideas to keep your goals fresh, handy, and fun
• “Keep Your Goals in Front of You”: more ideas for keeping your goals visible
• “15 Fantastic Apps to Track & Manage Your Goals”
• “Best Apps for Setting Goals & Keeping Resolutions“
• “11 Free Goal-Setting Software and Tools you can use“

Stay tuned for Part 2 of “Give the Gift of Goal-Setting” which will highlight tools and activities to support goal-setting with children.

By: Lisa Johnson

When I first came across Pinterest (web and mobile app), I thought… “Wow, this is just like Scoop.it… why do I need yet another site that stores interesting blogs and websites?” I truly wondered if I had a need or space for yet another social networking site in my portfolio. I soon realized that Pinterest wasn’t a replacement for current networking sites… but a replacement for how we traditionally share and manage ideas and innovations…

While Google+, Linkedin, Twitter all co-exist to support my professional self, I never realized the needs of my personal self were going unnourished. Yes, it is true that my mobile devices and laptop are near and dear to my heart. However, much of my pre-Pinterest time online was spent feeding my mind professionally by searching for apps, blogging about lessons for iDevices and Web 2.0 tools, and social networking. I didn’t realize I had a void to fill in my personal online self… until I explored the boards…

How can Pinterest save me time and money? Sitting in a wicker basket is a stack of unread magazines on multiple topics. Why? Frankly, I don’t have time to digest full articles or flip through multiple pages to find a topic worth devoting more time to. I’m not saying I’m too lazy to read… Simply, that I don’t want to read to find out if something is worth the effort and time. This is why pinterest is so simple… and addictive. In a few moments each day, I can quickly peruse a topic of my interest ranging from Architecture to Weddings & Events (My favorites are typically DIY & Crafts, Design, Education, and Technology). If I am interested in the pin, I can tap to read the full article or simply re-pin the image to one of my boards for later viewing. Pinterest provides a much more direct and economical approach to gathering information on your interests.

How can pictures help me achieve my goals? Because I am simply scanning through a board of images, I can easily locate innovative and interesting ideas. In this case, a picture may not be worth a thousand words…but most times you get the gist of a DIY project, educational craft, or cool tech toy by picture alone or a brief caption. In olden days, we would clip cool ideas out of magazines and stash them  in a manila envelope or drawer never to see the light of day again. With Pinterest, I can repin an interesting photo or inspiring image to my own boards(s) and easily locate it for later use.

Pinterest-inspired Projects via PicWall app

What can Pinterest do for me? While  Pinterest does clearly have a social networking framework, my addiction is not collecting and sharing pins and managing boards but collecting ideas and inspirations… for all avenues of my life. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I quite often said…” Wow, I would never have thought of that… what a clever idea…now that I see it, I think I could do that too…”. From Pinterest images alone,  I was inspired:

• to repurpose a storage trunk full of unused bed linens to house scrapbook supplies that had been relegated from my youngest’s room (As my youngest son grew more and more into his room, I lost a dedicated spot for scrapbooking and crafts there. Until I was inspired to reinvent another space in another part of the house, these tools were scattered amongst closets and random nooks…)
• reorganize my closet to house my scrapbook and craft supplies to be easily accessible (The original shelving space in our closet awkwardly housed shoes. Seeing organized and purposefully dedicated spaces in Pinterest led me to use the space for craft supplies that would and could be easily accessible.)
• to create thoughtful and home-made teacher and family gifts for the holidays
• to gather odd-and-end things around the house to teach educational skills like phases of the moon, place value, word families, and number sense

I later even found myself conducting Pinterest evangelical speeches with friends, family members, and co-workers…“Have you heard about Pinterest? Let me tell/show you what Pinterest has done for me.”

Once you are done curating your board from re-pins and images found on the net, consider creating and contributing your own pins from your personal interests. Gone are the days of experts residing exclusively in monthly publications…now everyone can share their ideas, inspirations, vision, and expertise in a visual manner that will ignite and inspire innovation and purposeful productivity in others. A DIY home-improvement, thoughtfully-made craft, or educational project might seem obvious to you, but could be an innovative idea to another.

Gruene Coffee Haus: BeFunky

By Lisa Johnson:

I’ve been thinking for some time about a topic for my next blog entry. I knew that I wanted to highlight photo tools and filters, but didn’t quite feel that these topics in it of themselves were meaningful. Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Tech Forum in Austin, Texas. The keynote speaker was Dean Shareski and his speech was on “What Matters Now”. From his inspirational and thought-provoking message, I took away the ideas of play, joy, and storytelling.

As family photos are a source of tradition and meaning, I decided to share some tools for creating a memorable story with our photos… whether it be a joyous occasion, a candid playful moment, or a time-honored tradition.

Once you have captured the perfect pic, check out some of these free iOS apps and web tools for adding a splash of joy and jazz to your image.

Apps for Photo Filters/Effects:

• 

  Got Toys in Gruene: Pixlr-o-matic

  ArtCamera: includes artistic filters (e.g. Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Modern Art Quad, etc…)

• Old Photo Pro: gives images that antique look with sepia filter and torn edges
• Photo Effect Studio: lots of filters, photo-editing tools, and borders
• 100 Cameras in 1: 100 different filters
• Pixlr-o-Matic: cool filters, effects, and frames
• BeFunky Photo Editor: cool effects and frames

Web Tools with Photo Filters/Effects:

• BeFunky.com: editing, photo effects, frames, text
• Pixlr-o-matic: filters, effects, and frames
• Piknik: editing, photo effects, text, stickers, frames, and collages

GruenePhotos: Video (compiled with iPhoto) highlights examples of all tools listed!

Now that you have mastered the art and joy of photo filters, frames, and funky effects, consider a project that makes a treasured statement. With the holidays quickly approaching, some of these out-of-the box image projects can tell your family story in a unique way:

Young Me Now Me Photo from Gallery

• Young Me Now Me: Reenact a childhood photo
• History Pin: Locate old family photos and “pin” them to current images of the same places today.

History Pin: The Alamo

• Create Your Own Letter Photo Art: Rather than purchase a ready-made letter art gift, create your own. Visit places in your town that hold meaning to you and your family and capture letters from each to spell out a name, word, or feeling.

STORY : Built from Letters in Gruene

The beauty of all of these ideas is the stories that they each tell. Consider sharing your story and your project with your family members and make it a family affair. When finished, publish your treasured photo story in a variety of fashions (e.g. online photo books, collages, a video or trailer, or a scrapbook). How will you let your imagination, family, tradition, and history frame your story?

By: Guest Blogger Lisa Johnson

There is much discussion about how the iPad should be used. One hot topic focuses on interactive books and if they harm or help reading skills. Cleaning out my preschool son’s closet, I came across my old Sears red and white checkered record player and a box full of books with accompanying records ranging from “Fox and the Hound” to the “Muppets”. I grew up with a passion for reading and literature that encompasses books on record and tape as well as traditional hardbacks. I would like to think I have passed on this passion and voracity for literature and wonder to my two boys.

How will the iPad change the reading experience?

Though I don’t feel the iPad is a replacement for cuddling up and sharing reading time with my sons before bed, I do feel the iPad and all of its interactive marvel not only offers an additional element of engagement but a magical opportunity for building fluency, flow, and touching on all styles of learning (e.g. being able to listen, touch, see, etc…). The iPad is truly the next step and a much needed progression from books on tape/CD or audio books.

While the beauty of most interactive books is their intuitive design and features (e.g. auto-play or narration, highlighted text as it is read, picture/word association), I still feel there are ways to raise the literacy bar.

Before I highlight my favorite interactive books, I would like to share a few ideas for parents to build on what the iPad already offers. To ensure that these interactive books serve as educational tools for literacy, I recommend always reading the book once together with your child prior to letting them do so independently.

During our read, I try to:

• point out difficult words or discuss the meaning of idioms
• highlight rhymes
• discuss imagery, illustrations and details, differences in characters emotions
• expand on elements of setting or plot and build connections (e.g. what do you think will happen next? have you ever been to a forest? do you remember when we went to the zoo?)
• strengthen critical thinking skills (e.g. how do you think the character feels? why do you think he is upset? how would you have reacted to that same situation?)
• practice summarization and sequencing (e.g. what happened to the character?, what happened first/next/last?)
• foster discussion skills (e.g. what was your favorite part of the book? what was your favorite character and why?)

The Wolf and the Seven Lambs: 3D Pop-up Book

I find the initial time to introduce the book to a child is invaluable in building their own fluency and reading comprehension skills and many of the topics and elements discussed will be carried with them in future independent readings.

Can you spot all 16 mistakes?

And now without further ado… (book chime sound to next page)… here is a list of some of my favorite “mostly” free interactive iPad books for primary and preschool.

• I Like Books by Grasshopper Apps: They just released a “37 Picture Books for Kids in 1 App” for free! They do have the option to read to you as well as customizable features that allow users to rewrite and record their own story.
• LAZ leveled readers by Language Technologies: There are many of these and multiple titles that are free. Currently levels extend from preschool to 3rd grade.
• A Story Before Bed: Record yourself and your child reading a story with audio and video. This collection is also available online.
• Hallmark’s Watson, Cooper, Jingle, Abigail : All are free, have puzzles, and interact with the plush Hallmark toy.
• Toucan Toucan’t: This is an amusing tale with options to record your own narration or use the original audio.
• Wild Fables: Currently comes with 3 free fables and an option to buy others (each for 99 cents). Each book is fully interactive and teaches a message.
• How My Dog Saved Earth: Allows you and your dog to star in the tale (if you have an iPad 2).
• The Biggest Pizza Ever by JibJab!: Allows your child to star in an interactive book (currently 4 other additional titles are available for in-app purchase).
• The Wolf and the Seven Lambs: $ this is a beautifully crafted paid interactive pop-up book that will highlight the words as it reads them
• Spot the Mistake $ this interactive activity book is well worth the $5.99. Not only will it read the story, each page comes with a hidden mistake activity.

Let's Rhyme with JibJab Jr.

Books that do not provide a narration feature can be read to your child by turning on the Voice Over function found in settings (Settings/General/Accessibility/VoiceOver: On). Pay attention to the changes in gestures that will occur with VoiceOver activated.

Interested in other interactive books, check out these: 5 additional titles by well-known authors and top 10 iPad book apps for Halloween.

Also check out: How will iPad picture books affect young reader’s literacy?

Stay tuned for upcoming topics from guest CE blogger Lisa Johnson (a.k.a techchef4u)…