MeeGenius! is free app that provides access to a library of e-books geared to children in grades K-3. As noted in a review of this app by Common Sense Media, a few free book come with the initial free download. Beyond this, many other titles are available for purchase. Features of note include: read-along word highlighting, high quality illustrations, ability for kids to read alone or to hear expert narration.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later.
App Writer US is a new app from a programming studio in Denmark. It is a text editor for the iPad with word prediction, text-to-speech, OCR, and a special font for people who are Dyslexic. The developers have put together a short video to introduce the product.
An app developed by Montesori educators at Montessorium, Intro to Letters is based on the Montessori activity Sand Paper Letters. This approach relies on multisensory approaches (i.e., sight, sound, and touch) to teach letters. This app is designed to teach children to trace, read, write and record letter sounds, names, and phonograms, based on the proven methodology of Montessori.
As described by the developers, this app can be used to teach: letters from a-z; lowercase letter symbols and their sounds (phonics); phonograms – writing and pronunciation; capital letters – letter names, writing and pronunciation; consonants and vowels; and fine motor skills. The app allows children to record themselves as they say the letters of the alphabet. The app operates in two modes. The first allows the user to practice specific letters; the second isolates small groups of letters or phonograms.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
Voice Brief is a text to speech app that reads you daily updates from your iOS device such as the weather, news, to-do lists, or other designated information. It does not need to send to the Internet for processing. Watch what it does by playing the video below.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
Speak It! Text to Speech is a product from Future Apps. It has been de signed to work with iOS4, taking advantage of the multitasking feature options. As described on iTunes, you can have Speak It! read your e-mails, articles, etc., while you exit the app and do other things. You can create and save audio files, attaching them to e-mails. You can also set up a list of pre-made statements, playing them with just a tape of a button. Take a tour of this product by watching the video below.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
This app was developed by Learning Ally , formerly Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic. As described in iTunes, membership is required to use this app. Visit LearningAlly.org/membership for eligibility information. Learning Ally serves people with visual impairments or learning disabilities who experience difficulty in reading print material. Learning Ally members can explore our extensive library of textbooks and literature titles. The company works with key textbook publishers to provide audio textbooks for K-12 and college level curricula.
You can find YouTube videos demonstrating how to play books from Learning Ally on various portable devices. The video below is one example.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later
A product of the International Children’s Digital Library, this free app allows users to create an electronic storybook. One customer wrote the following in reviewing the app: Awesome idea – a multimedia storytelling tool. Very cool. Take photos, record your best self-made sound effects, add text, then share (either in-person or electronically). Even has an integrated painting tool! My son loves it. Very well-executed… and the price is right! Kudos to ICDL – thanks for making this.
If you are not familiar with the International Children’s Digital Library, it is well worth your while to explore the resources on their website. And – as you might guess – there’s an app for that! Four of their digital books are available for download for reading on your iOS device.
There is a review of this app on the CommonSense Media website. Watch the video review below.
Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
Developed by The Open University, Our Story is a fun and easy app that allows you to create digital picture books. Watch this short video to see what is possible to create with this app.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
Touchy Books is a series of apps from Genera Kids . They describe their products as having “a big cup of creativity, a spoonful of adventures, and a touch of imagination. Click here to see the bookshelf of available titles, and a demo video of these interactive books. A number of videos of these products can be found on YouTube. Check the one out below, showing a 3 1/2 year old girl reading her favorite Touchy Book, The Goblin Forest.
For early readers, highlighting words as text is being read can be a valuable instructional feature. This post will point you to some of the apps that have this feature built in.
Sandra Boynton has several books available from Loud Crow - Moo, Baa, La La La! , The Going to Bed Book and most recently, Blue Hat, Green Hat!. Watch the video below to see the word highlighting as well as other interactive features of these e-books.
Kiwa Media has put out a series of books about Milly and Molly. According to the developer, the books have been written to promote the acceptance of diversity, sound values and the learning of life skills. “We may look different but we feel the same.” Of particular benefit to young readers, the apps incorporate: Swipe-to-Read™ the words to hear and playback the story at your own pace; Touch-to-Hear™ individual words spoken; Touch-to-Spell™ to hear the letters that spell each and every word; Auto Play to enjoy the narration; and Use the My Narration function to read and record the story yourself and customize your book.