Project 3

Bianca Helton
2 October 2016

Introduction
While conducting research of applications for education that can be used on
smartphones, I put my focus on finding those that cater to students with special needs for
grades 9-12. As a special education teacher, I am always trying to find different ways to
keep my students engaged, excited about learning and achieving the goals set forth at the
beginning of the year. The apps that I have chosen focus on occupational therapy and the
development of task management through cognitive challenges. Also, they are best suited
for the smart phone which allows easy, hand held accessibility.
Description of Purpose and Function
Snap Type is a form of assistive technology for individuals in need of occupational
therapy. This type of therapy is described as being used by those in need of rehabilitation
through performing daily life activities as a result from having a physical or mental illness.
This app will help students with these impairments become more successful in the
classroom; in particular, dysgraphia students. This is categorized as a specific learning
disability and defined as the inability to write coherently and display fine motor skills. With
the Snap Type app. Students can take pictures of their worksheets in class and use their
smart phone keyboard to type in answers. It is available in the app store for $3.99.
Features (Bells and Whistles)
Along with using the camera to take pictures, users can also tap where they want to
add text, use their smart phone keyboard, move text boxes, resize images by pinching and
spreading two fingers, and resize text. The final two features are the ability for students to
save their work by saving the document to their photo album. They will also be able to

email their work to their teacher. This is perfect to help with turning in work and not
allowing it to go missing.
Evaluation of the App
I like this app because it is very easy to use with only eight simple steps. This is
good for those students who are cognitively challenged. The only downside I found was that
students can only work on and complete one worksheet at a time. I also think it is great
that this app can be used with a smart phone because it is something that students carry on
them throughout the day, making their work easily accessible whenever needed.
Description of Purpose and Function
CanPlan is described as a free task management app that helps those with cognitive
challenges develop independence and confidence through completing activities by breaking
them down into simple steps. This is most commonly used by therapist and support workers
as a way to help clients with memory, cognitive, and other challenges. These clients usually
are suffering from brain injury, dementia, autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, dyslexia and
developmental disabilities.
Features (Bells and Whistles)
With this app, users can break down activities into simple steps by using three of the
apps features; photos, text and audio. There are also scheduling and remind features that
serve as prompts to ensure that the user is completing tasks in a timely manner. Tasks can
also be categorized and therefore be easily retrievable by the user.
Evaluation
This app is very easy to use and can be beneficial to help people with disabilities
function smoother in their daily lives. It keeps you on track and prompts you when its time
to perform a task through video, audio or text. With that being said, it can cater to various
needs. Having this available on the smart phone makes it easily accessible and user friendly,
so there is no need to lug around larger devices like tablets.
Research

In reviewing the study, focused on the enhancement of transportation education via

mobile devices, the findings showed the value in using apps on a smart phone. The mobile
devices used in this research aided students with visual imagery, verbal prompts, and
written direction. These three things are what are most needed by students with special
needs. Applying apps in transportation education, gives greater access to the community,
social events, post-secondary education, independent living and employment (Gallup J.,
Lamothe & Gallup A. 2015) which in turn better prepares the individual for to enter the
work environment and enhances a school-to-work curriculum focused on vocational skills
and independent living (Gallup J. et al., 2015). In another research article focused on the
success of smartphones in academics through the perception of college students. According
to the data that was collected, students who use smartphone see benefits of using
smartphones for academic purposes (Kwun, Fulk, Alijani & Kim, 2015). It also a great
resource for them to receive peer support and have access to other academic materials.
Most importantly, with the way that technology is developing and becoming a part of our
culture, we must be willing to embrace the changes and incorporate our students devices
into their education.
Conclusion
Both Snap Type and Can Plan are applications that can be easily implemented in any
classroom. Almost every high school student has a smart phone, whether it is Andrioid or
iPhone. Its as a simple as downloading the app from the phones app store at small fee for a
lifetime of learning. I find both the studies used as references relevant to my context in
high school special education teacher, because the students that I work with are on their
way to entering the post-secondary world whether it be college or the workforce.

References
Gallup, J. J., Lamothe, S. N., & Gallup, A. (2015). Enhancing Transportation
Education Using Mobile Devices and Applications. Teaching Exceptional
Children, 48(1), 54-61.
Kwun, O., Fulk, H. K., Alijani, G. S., & Kim, H. (2015). Understanding successful
use of smartphones in an academic context: HBCU students' perspective.
Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, (3), 175.