Dyslexia
& iPads!
IPads can greatly benefit learning in the classroom, but
iPads can also be very helpful for students with dyslexia. This condition is
often misunderstood, so in turn people are confused as to what to do to help a student
that faces it daily. Dyslexia is a condition that affects the way the brain
processes words. The student may appear to be bright or highly intelligent, but
seem unable to read, write, or spell on their grade level. This is absolutely true,
students with dyslexia can be smart and capable kids, and usually they are because
of the obstacles they overcome on a daily basis. The main thing to remember about
students that face dyslexia, is that it by no means reflects their
intelligence. It is a condition that affects the way that their brain processes
words, and if helped they can work to overcome it. Students with dyslexia have
difficulty manipulating letters and numbers. However, there are ways in the classroom
that the teacher can assist students as they learn how to process words, read,
write, and spell on their grade level. One great tool that can be used in
several ways to do this, is the iPad. There are tons of apps and features on
iPads to assist students with dyslexia in the classroom. Let’s first take a
look at what features iPads already have that can benefit students with
dyslexia. IPads are great for all learners, but they already have built in
features that are great to use to assist students that are trying to overcome
dyslexia. The recording feature can be used to record the teacher reading a
story, students can use the microphone feature on notes so that they can record
their answers for activities, and students can use the camera feature to take
pictures of activities and enlarge the photo to view larger print. These are
just a few great features that iPads already have installed and that are ready
to assist learning in the classroom. A few apps that can assist students with dyslexia
includes the following: See Touch Learn (free), Phonics Genius (free), Dragon
Dictation (free), Read to Kids ($0.99), and Mod Math (free). See Touch Learn
allows teachers to customize lessons to fit each child’s needs. Teachers can also
purchase pre-made lessons for a low price of $2.99. Phonics Genius allows
students to use a pre-loaded word list or a word list that is loaded by the teacher.
The students are then able to practice pronouncing the words as they see the
words and are exposed to the words more often. Dragon Dictation allows students
to record their response to short answer or essay type questions. Read to Kids
allows students to record their self reading a story. The student can then use
this recording to go back and listen to whenever they need to do so. Mod Math
allows students to work on math problems digitally. Once it is completed, the students
can print the activity off or email the activity to their teacher. I already
had planned to implement iPads in my classroom instruction, but after seeing
how much they can assist students with dyslexia, I see more opportunities to use
them in the classroom. I am excited to implement the apps Mod Math, Dragon Dictation,
and See Touch Learn in my classroom. Using iPads to assist students with dyslexia
allows these students to be creative in the way that they overcome the obstacles
they face. They are able to use critical thinking as they use Dragon Dictation
to record their response to questions. IPads give these students an opportunity
to record their response and reading, which ultimately gives these students the
opportunity to communicate and collaborate with other students on the content learned
in the classroom.
This link provides 5 great apps to help students with dyslexia. Including Phonics Genius, Openweb, and Predictable.
A great video of a little boy using an iPad to overcome dyslexia!
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