iLiveSpelling

Applicable2U is excited once again to review another educational app from iHomeEducator.  One of the many things that I enjoy about iHomeEducator applications is the use of cross curricular concepts.  It’s interesting that iLiveSpelling happens to be one that Applicable2U will be reviewing. Last night via my Twitter feed, a number of educators and I were having a conversation about the development of sight words and how it should be incorporated into context rather than as basic flashcards.  Flashcards are all well and good, but it is also important to incorporate the use of high frequency words in context enables comprehension and is better suited to real life.

iLiveSpelling is an amazing addition to any iPad or iTouch experience for the classroom or home learner.  iHomeEducators main purpose is to encourage educational skills through a cross curricular approach.  With iLiveSpelling, users will experience high frequency words in context as they explore the wonderful mammals of our world.  There are four levels of learning within this application.  iLiveSpelling is not an application that just ends once levels have been successful met.  Each return visit will provide the user a new set of sentences.  This educational app provide over 100 of each of the following: sight words, sentences, audio recordings, photos and videos of mammals.  Learning is continuous and encourages the user with reinforcements.  As I see it, this application would be applicable to students in kindergarten through first grade.

What a user sees as they navigate through this cross curricular application is amazing, but what the parent or teacher will see is just as exciting.  Prior to implementing this application, a number of preferences should be set which will make your student or child’s usage different with each new experience.  A parent or educator should go into the “Settings” of their Apple device.  It is here that you can set your email so that educational reports can be shared and discussed.  In addition, you can select which lesson will be implemented along with how many questions need to be answer before video reinforcements are provided.

iLive Spelling can be experienced as a whole group connected to a larger screen for all classmates to be participants.  Or it can be used individually during center time to show individual progress to a parent or teacher.  Upon entering, a user will see a stunning photograph of one of the many mammals of our world, two sound buttons, a spelling box and the sentence.  Students are expected to click the yellow sound button to hear the word that would fill in the blank of the sentence.  Based on the sounds that they hear, a user is to click in the “spelling box” and type the word just heard.  While learning high frequency words, a user must also keep in mind for capitalization when necessary in a sentence – nice added touch!!  Once the word is spelled correctly, it is important that students click the alternative yellow button that will allow them to hear the entire sentence read back to them.  A note to the developers – it might be interesting to have the sight word magically appear in the sentence after the positive reinforcement is provided.  Something else to think about upon hearing the spelling word in context,  might it be possible to have each word of the sentence highlighted to further reinforce reading skills. Depending on how many questions are to be answered will determine when the video reinforcements will be offered.  The videos are nice breaks for students and it will provide them with opportunities to see these amazing creatures that they might not ever see.  iHomeEducator is disguising learning in multiple ways!

iLiveSpelling is a definite must have on your Apple device.  We have enjoyed experiencing it and I can’t wait to share it with my other colleagues.  If you would like to learn more about iHomeEducator and the applications that they have developed click here.  Or you can begin downloading iLiveSpelling today by visiting your iTunes library here.