Decide Now! app

Decide Now! app for iPhone and iPad is free today (typically 1.99). I have blogged about this app  before, but with it going free today, I thought it was worthy to mention again. This app provides a customizable spinner with text ( no pictures or audio) for generating questions and ideas to create a game like activity. This app has many educational uses as well as can be used to generate choices for some therapy activities. Here are a few images of possible uses as suggested on Digital Kindergarten Blog:

Decide Now! can be used for a wide range of students (with some text identification) to create letter, number, reading, copying, or math activities to name just a few. Decide Now! app provides customization of the labels create simple curriculum activities. Attach it to a projector with a VGA connector can create a whole class activity.

Used in therapy sessions, this can be a fun tool offering letters, numbers or words for handwriting practice, generate a sentence starter or choice making. I currently use it as a spinner to practice determining sensory strategies a student might employ given choices of scenarios on the spinner:

The student spins to a text-based scenario then determines what sensory strategy they might use based how they would identify their feelings on a 5 point scale and identify and share what strategy they would use. This provides continued practice and review of strategies identified with them in the classroom. This has been a fun way to reinforce strategy choices and practice. Used along with our 5PointScale expanded , which is individually created for a student, this allows practice and coaching of the strategies individually created with the student .

This app is helpful when used with students who can read what is entered on the spinner. Draw back of the app is there is no audio or image capabilities, limiting differentiation for non-readers. It is easy to spin by spinning it or tapping the middle green button. Options for customizing include eight different color schemes, reducing or adding labels on the spinner and unlimited number of spinners created and saved within the app.

For those students who need picture and audio support the Image Spinner app (.99) for iPhone and iPad is available. Image Spinner app only saves one spinner at a time, unfortunately, requiring recreating a spinner for each activity.

Happy New Years!

Do you have a spinner or choice making app you use with students? Please share if you do!

More for your OT mTool Kit for 2014!

Carol