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App

The Writing Machine

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This The Writing Machine app also includes:

Introduce your learners to the letters of the alphabet. They will tap to hear the name of each letter and see a word beginning with that letter appear on the screen. The highly repetitive nature of this app could be a good way to reinforce concepts with students who have severe intellectual disabilities.

Pre-K - 3rd English Language Arts 36 Views 18 Downloads
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App Overview

Explore the alphabet with a word-making machine. Intended for children with special needs or severe intellectual disabilities, this app helps build letter recognition skills and helps them identify initial phonemes. They'll use the typewriter to choose a letter, when they tap a letter the letter name, a word beginning with that letter and a related image appear. Every time they tap a letter, they will hear it's name.

Play:

  • Tap or swipe to start 
  • Tap the question mark for instructions
  • Tap any of the letters on the keyboard
  • The audio narrator will say the name of the letter and a word beginning with that letter
  • An image and the word will appear on the screen
  • Tap the letter in the upper left-hand corner to repeat the name of the letter
  • There are five different words and images for each letter of the alphabet
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Instructional Ideas

Use the app with a document camera or other projection device to introduce your group to each letter of the alphabet. Students can take turns tapping each letter and the whole group can say the name of the letter in unison. 

Classroom Considerations

The tool is very limited and children may tire quickly of its single purpose. It is not very engaging and does not allow the user to write his/her own words.

Pros
  • It can help learners with letter identification
  • It is appropriate for very young or very severly disabled individuals
  • The audio is clear and understandable
Cons
  • The audio does not make the sound of each letter. It just states its name
  • The images and words repeat frequently 
  • The tool is very limited in function. No new words can be typed or created.