Apple iPad - Page 33

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Getting Started with Apple iOS Devices
Building Reading Fluency
iPad and iPod touch oer so many ways for students to read, hear, and record text to
develop their reading uency skills. The compelling new Multi-Touch textbooks for
iPad engage students in the reading experience. And interactive apps like Milly, Molly
and the Bike Ride let students read and hear the text of an engaging story (in multiple
languages), and they can even record themselves reading it and play back what
they’ve recorded.
Many students nd it useful to listen to audiobooks, often following the written text
onscreen or in the printed book at the same time. Even for uent readers, listening
to audiobooks can provide audio reinforcement of their reading skills. (See “Reading
Books on iPad and iPod touch” earlier in this guide for more information.) In addition
to downloading audiobooks, older students can produce books for use by younger
students.
Students can record themselves as they practice reading uency and save the record-
ings in an iTunes playlist as a digital portfolio to show progress throughout the school
year. (See “Using iPod touch and iPad for Voice Recording” earlier in this guide.)
Students can also enhance their reading uency by reading the text of an audio le
while they listen to it. For example, if you or your students record a reading sample
(or if the “Send to iTunes as a Spoken Text” service is used to convert written text to an
audio le in iTunes, described in “Creating Content on a Mac for Use on an iOS Device”
earlier in this guide), text can be added in iTunes. Students can tap the screen and
view the text when they listen to the audio on their device. To do this, select the audio
le in iTunes and then choose File > Get Info. Click Lyrics in the toolbar and either
choose Edit > Paste to paste text you copied from a website or document, or type the
text directly. Next, click Options in the information window toolbar, and then choose
Music from the Media Kind pop-up menu. After the audio le is synced to the iPad or
iPod touch, the student just taps the screen as the audio is playing to see the text.
Many resources are specically designed to aid English language learners. For example,
the Pocket English (ESL) app features extended dialogues along with lesson reviews,
vocabulary lists, and other features to reinforce learning. Each of the three Pencil Bot
ESL apps combines videos and interactive mini-games for dierent levels of English
language learners. Other apps, such as Starfall ABCs, help young learners practice
language and phonics skills. The iTunes Store oers other resources for ELL students
and their teachers, such as podcasts designed for ESL students and the University of
North Carolina’s School of Education English as a Second Language (ESL) Workshop
video, audio, and transcript les available in iTunes U.
Learning World Languages
Students who are studying a world language can download apps to practice, such
as the Byki or uTalk apps for a variety of languages, or interactive books in another
languages, such as Little Red Cap, a French version of Little Red Riding Hood. They can
quickly look up words and hear them pronounced in dierent languages with a variety
of translator apps. Using resources available on iTunes U and the iTunes Store, they
can listen to audiobooks and other recordings (such as the news in Spanish), practice
dialogues with iTunes U language courses, and watch videos to learn words and phrases.
Students will enjoy using Word Lens—it allows you to instantly translate printed words
from one language to another using the video camera. They can also record themselves
using video or voice recording to practice the language and improve their uency.