Using the iPad For {almost} Any Activity

I know what you’re thinking and let me stop you right there-no I do use the iPad 24/7 in my speech room. I’m actually pretty old-fashion when it comes to gadgets for learning and would much prefer my students feel and touch real items than stare at a screen.

HOWEVER. There comes a point when technology is valuable and can be used to our advantage. And let’s face it. When given the exact same activity printed out and used on the iPad, sometimes my students can focus longer and find it more engaging simply because it’s “on the iPad.” Don’t ask me why this works but it does.  The iPad carries with it some magical force of getting my students’ attention when even standing on my head doesn’t do the trick.

The other reason I’ve been using the iPad more is a purely selfish one: I travel and it’s becoming harder and harder to carry 30+lbs of materials. I’m currently about 8 months pregnant and I’ve reached the point where less is definitely more. 🙂

So…because of these reasons, I’m sharing with you today a simple app I discovered that has literally changed the way I do therapy. That’s right. One app. Forever changed. (Almost sounds like a song, doesn’t it?)

This app Notability sells for $9.99 in the app store and it has been worth its weight in gold.

Here’s how I use it:

First, you’ll need a way to store your digital files on your iPad. I use Dropbox for this (it’s free!). When you purchase and download Notability on your iPad, you’ll be asked if you’d like to link your Dropbox with Notability. Say “yes.” Now you can download and transfer any files you have stored on Dropbox to Notability.

So now, when I open up my Notability app, it looks like this with the files I’ve uploaded to it.

 First, I’m going to open up my Nonfiction Texts (Spring/Summer Edition) Targeting Articulation and Language. I use this feature in the Notability app any time I have mixed articulation and language groups and I’m working with text.

I’m going to scroll to my Table of Contents and then search for the passage I want to read. Today I’m in the mood for ice cream. Are you kidding me? When am I NOT in the mood for ice cream! 🙂 This is a nice feature though if you want to navigate to a specific passage quickly, instead of scrolling all the way down.

I want to pause right here and have you notice the buttons at the top. These are the tools you can use with pretty much any digital download. I’ve spelled out their function below:

Okay, so back to the Nonfiction Texts. I’m choosing /l/ and /l/ blends for this specific mixed group. So now that we’re on the passage, I can use the microphone to record my student working on /l/ sounds and have him listen back to provide feedback on his articulation goals.

You could also have your students with language goals record themselves reading and then have them answer questions about what they read. Feedback is so important, which is why I LOVE this feature!

Okay, so now I’m going to show you how I use this app with another resource: Context Clues Packet Using Tier Vocabulary. I’m sure you have lots of TPT or other digital downloads that contain cards. Let me tell you right now. I hate preparing cards for therapy. It’s about a four-step process. Print them. Cut them. Laminate them. Cut them again. (insert hashtag #aintnobodygottimeforthat). Now, however, you can download cards onto the iPad and use Notability to make them interactive.

Here, my students are using the Highlight feature and pointing out context clues in the sentence.

For open-ended responses, my students can simply use the Type feature and type their answer in:

For multiple-choice questions, my students can use the Draw feature and circle their answer:

What do you think? Is this something that you could see yourself using with your students? I’d love to know!

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