I am a long-time fan of Crick Software’s Clicker products and was very excited when I heard about their new Clicker Apps! I have been using the apps with a number of struggling readers and writers, and the results have been fantastic.
Student A is in Year 3 and was referred to me due to his refusal to record information at school or at home using any writing implements. He is of above average intelligence and has the need to be in complete control of all aspects of his life, including his learning. He has made tremendous progress with recording, as you will see in the video below. However, he does have very low tolerance to such activities and does not cope well with misspelling words. You will see in the final part of the video that when it came to using the Clicker Docs app, he was very direct and open about the benefits:
Student M is also in Year 3, of above average intelligence, and was referred to me as he is Dyslexic and his reluctance to record information is seen through behavioral issues. He has made tremendous progress with me and while he enjoys using Clicker Docs, he is actually writing more using a pencil now too! He quickly gets overwhelmed due to his severe problems with spelling and therefore the use of technology is clearly a motivator.
I am also working with another student in Year 5 who is severely Dyslexic. His writing is at Level 1C. He has at least an average IQ but is only accessing some aspects of the curriculum. He has refused to record information and has very poor scanning skills for keyboard work. He has loved using Clicker Sentences – it is ideal for him and he was very, very excited to use the program!
Recently his father sat in the lesson watching me use Clicker Sentences with him. His family have just purchased an iPad and will now be buying Clicker Sentences and Clicker Docs to support his learning at home.
Clicker really encourages independent learning and the essence of that is all here in the apps. They are incredibly well thought out, so user friendly and the potential is fantastic – I’m excited by just how much these pupils will be able to progress with access to such tools.