Alexandra Jenkins

4/20/17
Dr. Wilson
Read 366
Literacy Applications Handout

1. Name: Letter Tracer Preschool Letter Writing

Practice
Description: This app is used to teach students how to draw while
facilitating identification of letters and numbers. This app is used for
the pre-reading and writing stages in order to help develop the
necessary skills in order to read and write. Within this app there are 3
different modes: flashcard, tracing, and freeform. Flashcard is when
there is number or letter on the screen and the student my correctly
identify it. Tracing is when the student traces the number or letter on
the screen. Freeform is when the letter is shown on the page and they
must draw it on their own.
Why Recommend?: This app accommodates for various learning styles
and can be useful for various students. The flashcards are useful for
more visual learners, tracing is useful for more useful for more hands
on learners, and freeform is useful for more independent learners. This
app may be useful to have on a set of classroom ipads as it teaches
the same skills in numerous ways. These skills are also crucial to
develop as stepping-stones in order to learn how to fully read and
write.

2. Name: Inspiration Maps

Description: This app is a mind-mapping too that helps students

to visually organize ideas. Within this app there are a variety of
organizers to choose from such as; diagrams, maps, organizers,
brainstorms, and text outlines.
Why Recommend?: This app can help to develop comprehension of
students. After reading a piece of text, the student may create a
map that allows them to jot down notes on various important
aspects outlined in the text. This can also allow for organization
when answering comprehension questions. These maps can also be
used as a starting point for beginning a paper. Students may build a
type of brainstorming organizer in order to help them get their
thoughts and ideas laid out on paper.

3. Name: Kindly Language

Description: This app has a significant focus on the alphabet. This

app provides various activities and games that help to build the skill
of visual and sound discrimination, discrimination between upper-
case and lower-case letters, and identification of the alphabetical
order. As a student advances, the app moves into sound
discrimination and recognition of individual letters and how these
specific letters can be placed together to make a word, and then
how words can be put together to make a sentence.
Why Recommend?: This app is a great way for students to use a
combination of senses, hearing and seeing, in order to heighten
their learning experience. This app helps to build important skills in
order to move onto the next level of literacy understanding. In any
class, you as the teacher will have students on a variety of different
academic levels and this app allows for developmentally
appropriate activities for all students in the class. This app can
challenge students as well as encourage them to take their learning
to the next level.