Book Creator - from indifference to magnificence!

When I was first introduced to Book Creator several years back, I have to say I was a little indifferent.  I couldn't really see back then how it did anything different to other apps such as Keynote or Google Slides.  How very wrong I was!  Book Creator is now our most widely used app, and when used in conjunction with the accessibility features of the iPad (0r Android/Windows 10), it has allowed our pupils to communicate their thoughts in whole new ways.  It is intuitive, and really does make the best of facilities such as the camera and microphone which are built in to the iPad.

Update:  Book Creator is now available online too!

Writing with shapes and technology

Shape Coding is used in many schools to support language including writing.  The official source of all things Shape Coding can be found at the Moor House School and College website.  Here is a link. However, many schools have created or adapted resources to support writing, including ourselves.   We have developed an iPad app called 'Furze Down Shapes'.  To respect the wishes of Shape Coding's author, we are only using the app internally.    The app allows shapes to be used to support the writing process.  It features text to speech synthesis to read words to students and a limited selection of words in word banks. We have just started using the app with students, and staff have already provided some feedback:

• "Best thing I've seen for using with our students on an iPad"
• "It's very useful"
• "I like the way sentences can be rearranged"