The following apps have been reviewed and are applicable for reading practice with students. Clicking on the picture will take you directly to the iTunes store where you can buy and/or download that particular app.
As we are building a shared community of knowledge, should you come across another valuable app for this purpose, please add it to this page by leaving a comment!
iBooks
Created By: Apple Inc.
Cost: Free
Description: This is Apple’s eReader app! It is available for free from the iTunes store and provides a place to organize and read ebooks on the iPad. It is fully compatible with VoiceOver so books can be read aloud in 33 different languages. Additionally, students can click on unfamiliar words to determine their meaning and context. Design features include being able to read portrait or landscape, adjust the font size or type, and adjust the colour contrast of the font (white-on-black). Since the iPad screen is incredibly sensitive, even the slightest movement of a finger will allow book enthusiasts with disabilities to turn pages independently.
Watch A Demonstration: click here
Created By: Wizkids
Cost: $29.99
Description: AppWriter provides students with reading and writing disabilities (including dyslexia) the tools necessary to assist them in accessing and utilizing curriculum. It features text-to-speech capabilities (highlights words being read, opens and reads aloud pdf files shared on a Google Drive), optical character recognition capabilities (allows students to take a picture of worksheets, textbooks etc with the iPad camera and have them converted to digital text which can be read aloud) and the Dyslexie font (a font that makes it easier for dyslexics to recognize and read letters and words).
Watch a Demonstration: click here
Read2Go
Created By: Beneficient Technology Inc
Cost: $19.99
Description: The most accessible DAISY ebook reader for iOS. Using this app, you can browse, search, download and read books direction from Bookshare (requires membership) as well as read other DAISY books from other sources. Students can adjust font size (up to 70pts) and colour, background and highlighting colors, and text-to-speech preferences (including rate of audio). Word-by-word highlighting is also available. Braille displays are also available through this app.
Watch a demonstration: click here
Starfall Learn to Read
Created By: Starfall Education, LLC
Cost: $2.99
Description: This app provides all the content from Starfall.com’s Learn to Read index. It allows students to hear, touch, read and master a variety of vowel sounds through engaging activities, movies, and songs while emphasizing the relationship between spoken and written language
Watch a demonstration: click here
Aesop’s Quest
Created By: New River Community College
Cost: $0.99
Description: This app is based on Aesop’s Fables and requires students to remember elements of a story to complete a level, building students comprehension skills. It features five short tales of favorite animal characters and classic narratives and focuses on strengthening student’s recall and sequencing abilities through quizzes and games. The app features five levels that correspond to 2nd through 6th grade reading levels.
Created By: Best Before Media
Cost: Free
Description: Audio Boo allows for quick and easy recording of students’ oral reading. Students can also use this app to record answers and information for demonstrating reading comprehension or strategy abilities.
Bob Books
Created By: Clozure Associates
Cost: $1.99 per series
Description: This app allows students to interact with text and pictures using the popular Bob book series for beginning readers.
Watch a demonstration: click here
These reading apps are fantastic tools for enhancing literacy skills especially for younger learners. They encourage engagement, improve comprehension and make reading fun. Excellent selection for educational growth and learning support…