APP REVIEW: Conversation Builder for Teens!

Conversation Builder for Teens
Only $29.99 in the App Store

Today we are reviewing the very interesting and exciting app from the Mobile Education Store called "Conversation Builder: Teen."

This app opens up with the expected registering page but is easy to navigate and does not require much information. 

You are then navigated to edit the settings within the app. You can change the conversation type to 2 or 3 players, or group for more. You can turn on and off audio, reset the played conversations in order for you to work with a clean slate, and then you can choose the categories that will be used once you begin the activity. You can also manage your user(s) here, turn on parental controls, or watch a video tutorial.

Settings/Opening page

Once your settings are completed to your satisfaction, you then select play at the bottom of the screen and are immediately directed to the first task/question. I selected "randomize all available modules" so the first question for mine was "Hey Dude" and three responses popped up with audio buttons next to them. It then directed me to choose what I would say next. For the first incorrect answer, the audio feedback stated, "That is an unusual response to the question, try again." For the second incorrect answer, the audio feedback supplied a helpful hint, such as, "try asking a question." 

You are then able to record your response and listen to it as many times as you need to. You have the option of re recording your response for your student and then letting them record their voice.  This is a fantastic feature of this app since so many of our students on the spectrum have such a difficult time with prosody.

The app has a variety of audio feedback responses that are socially appropriate responses that we as speech therapists and educators would most likely say to our students if they were to respond with a negative, literal, or off-topic response. The pictures within the app are extremely appealing and relevant to today's society and what our students see often.  At the top of each question, an icon that states "info" describes the scenario. The "history" icon changes the page and shows in text what the question stated and is in the format of an iPhone text message conversation. Many of our students have iPhones or have played on them and this a definite bonus. 

The last icon at the bottom of the app is "progress." This is where your conversations are stored. I'm unaware of how many conversations you have to have in order to save them or master them. That is the only downfall so far. This app has fantastic modules that relate to a range of ages and topics.  I see myself using this app with my high school students and them thoroughly enjoying it! 

Hope you enjoy as well!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS APP IN THE APP STORE

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App Review: Articulation Station

Articulation Station is a great app to use with any articulation student. The app utilizes colorful, motivating pictures that the students can relate to. Stimulus items are organized in three groups: Words, Sentences, and Stories. These are the things we love most about the app:

• Students can record and playback their own productions (promotes self-awareness/self-monitoring)
• "Check" and "X" buttons on each page/sound can be used for student feedback and therapist data
• Data can be saved to individual students
• You can work on multiple sounds with multiple students, each with their own data being stored for each sound
• Stories are followed by comprehension questions

This is a must have app!! Check out the author's blog at: http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/?p=1711

App Review: My PlayHome

My PlayHome by Shimon Young is an excellent app for language therapy.  It’s a doll house with five rooms (kitchen, bathroom, living room, backyard, and bedroom) and five “dolls” (mom, dad, baby, brother, sister).  The app is very interactive.  Users can move the dolls around and have the dolls perform activities such as eating, drinking, watching TV, sleeping, showering, brushing their teeth, etc.  Users can open the curtains, turn on the TV, change the CD in the CD player, bounce a ball, swing a swing, etc. 

We love using this app to teach skills like….

·         Vocabulary that is functional for young children

·         Simple commands like turn on, turn off, put in, take out, open, close, put on, take off, etc.

·         Multi-step directions

·         Basic concepts like fully, empty, all-gone, clean, dirty, dry, wet, opened, closed, colors, quantity, etc.

·         Pronouns

·         Associating sounds with objects (the clock ticks, the stereo plays music, hear the faucet running water, hear the toilet flush, hear the tea kettle whistle, hear the microwave, etc.)

·         Categorizing

·         Social skills needed for the home environment (role play requesting, conversations, playing, etc.)

·         And so much more!!

We love this app and would love to see more like it (maybe a school with a classroom, library, cafeteria, office, playground)!