Category: Apps

Posts about specific apps/applications

Snap Type App for Occupational Therapy – A Tool for Writing

If you work with students who struggle with dysgraphia, you may want to introduce them to  Snap Type App for Occupational Therapy – A Tool for Writing.  This free app was created for use with iPads by Amberlynn Gifford, an Occupational Therapy student in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The app allows  students can take a picture of their worksheet  or other document (e.g. exam) in class and use the iPad keyboard to  type their answers directly onto the worksheet. A screenshot of the completed worksheet can then be emailed to the teacher.

The app can be downloaded for free from the app store.  More information may be found at: Snap Type for Occupational Therapy – A Tool for Writing

Adaptive Technology – For Us, by Us

David Hayden, an alum of Arizona State University, demonstrated that the best technologies are those that engage the user in the design and development process. He illustrated this point when he helped the school’s researchers develop technology that would help him access the blackboard in his classes.

David has a visual impairment and needed assistance taking notes and seeing the blackboard in class. He helped develop an application that allowed him to view the blackboard on half of his mobile tablet while using a “notes” interface on the other half of the screen. Then he was able to link sections of the notes to the frames in the video. Dubbed the “Note-Taker,” the app enabled David to better access information in class. David is now manufacturing his Note-Taker prototype to be used by others.

Full Story: The Best Adaptive Technologies Are Designed by, Not for, People with Disabilities, Slate, Mar. 3, 2015, available at
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/03/03/the_best_adaptive_technologies_are_designed_by_people_with_disabilities.html

RefME App

RefME is a free educational app that  allows users to create citations, bibliographies and reference lists.  With a click users can scan book/journal barcodes to create quick references.

  • There are 6,500 referencing styles to choose from (including Harvard, APA, OSCOLA, MLA and many more.
  • Thirty-five sources can be referenced using the app including, books, periodicals, newspapers, legal cases, DVD’s, CD’s and many more.
  • The – 1- Click Search  option makes it possible to reference journal articles, book titles, DOI, ISSN, ISBN and many other options.
  • Export to Email and Evernote
  • Use the RefME web referencing platform (www.refme.com) to export your references to Word, Google Docs, Medeley BibTex and several others.  Users can then check the citations to ensure the formating is accurate.  RefME helps take the stress out of citing works!

A RefME account is free and users sign up at www.refme.com. RefME users can also create, edit and manage their references at this same site.

The app is available for iPhone, iPad and Android.