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5 New Apps to Enhance Reading, Writing, and ELA Instruction

A monthly showcase of the latest mobile apps for educators and students. This month's roundup features spelling, reading, and annotation apps to assist with English Language Arts instruction.

  • Happi Pappi offers Happi Reads, a learning game for young readers. Children see a word and three pictures on their screen and try to sound out or read the word in order to match it to the correct word. Correct answers net children a piece of fruit to eat once the level is complete. Currently, the app has 100 words in four levels. $1.99 (free for educators); iPad.
  • The DocAS app, from 9 Square, lets users create, annotate, and export, documents like PDFs, and supports handwriting, drawing, and typing. It also features audio note taking and wireless printing capabilities. Documents export to Dropbox, Google Docs, and other popular sharing sites. Recently, the app was discounted 80 percent for a limited time. $0.99; iPad.
  • Quiet Spark has released an update to its Super Speller 3 app, making it available for both iPhone and iPod Touch, and also adding support for syncing over iCloud. The app lets users add custom word lists that correspond to ones students are currently studying, and then assesses students in a number of ways, including fill in the blank tests and word search puzzles that compile several words. $2.99; iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.
  • Coast offers LexiMobile 1.0, an app that includes a large database of words as well as direct links to Wikipedia and many search engines, proving meanings, synonyms, etymologies, and spellings. The app's thesaurus includes a crossword help section. $2.99; iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.
  • demografix pty introduces School Writing 1.0, which allows teachers to prepare, and students to complete, writing lessons using written and audio instructions and responses. The app lets teachers prepare lessons using words, audio, or images that students can respond to. For example, teachers can create words with missing letters and pair with images to help assess students. $5.99; iPad.

For more app suggestions, see previous App Roundups.

About the Author

Stephen Noonoo is an education technology journalist based in Los Angeles. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo.

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