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"Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me"

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Tapikeo HD Review


Tapikeo HD
- Create with your Kids their Picture Book, Storyboard, Soundboard and Audio Flashcards by Jean-Eudes Lepelletier

Tapikeo HD is an open-ended app that allows you to create customized grids using images, sound and text for social stories, visual schedules, flashcards and much more. It can also be used as an inexpensive AAC app. Tapikeo HD just received a major update and offers a multitude of creative and engaging learning opportunities.

Features

Create personalized grids with up to 48 images with sound and captions.

Five demo grids are preloaded on this app with the option to download over 20 free ready-to-use grids. There are 5 in-app downloads available for .99 each that include an AAC starter pack, social story pack, animals, songs and a learning pack.

Import grids from the website
www.tapikeo.com for free. Save grids and export them to friends and family via email.

Safe mode which prevents user from deleting information from within grids or change settings.

Shake mode which allows user to find a picture within a grid related to sound.

Settings

Language: English/French

Sound Options: Play sounds in order or together

Active Picture: No change, large picture, large picture then downsize when sound ends

Shake Mode: enabled-press the shake button to hear a random sound, then find related picture.

Using the app

Upon opening Tapikeo HD you are taken to a page that has 16 pictures in a grid style setting. This is the play mode. There is a toolbar at the bottom of the page that has play, edit, grids and settings. The edit button allows you to make changes to the current grid. The grids button takes you to a page where you can change grids or create your own. The settings button enables you to change the features within that grid. The shake mode is also located on the page, unless you disable it within settings, which quizzes the user on sounds and pictures. The safety mode is found on the page as well. To lock you simply press once. To unlock you must rapidly press the lock button 5 times within one second. This feature makes it difficult for children(even I had difficulties) to unlock and change or delete anything within the grid. Functionality of each grid varies greatly as there are endless possibilities for potential uses.

In the Animal Sounds grid(demo grid included with purchase) there are 44 cells. Sixteen cells per page each featuring a picture of a different animal. In play mode you can simply touch a picture to hear the corresponding animal sound with the animal name printed below. To challenge the player you can press the shake button to hear the animal sound. The user then has to locate the correct animal that matches the sound. If correct animal is chosen a celebratory sound is given and a place on a caterpillar at the top of screen turns blue. If incorrect animal is chosen a buzzer sounds and the next place on caterpillar turns pink. Time/Score is also recorded during the shake mode to motivate the user to beat the previous score each time this grid is played. To repeat a sound you simply press the shake button.

Another demo grid provided is used as a social story for learning to wash your hands. When selected from the grid manager, you are taken a page with 16 cells. There are only 12 pictures for this particular social story so the other cells are left blank. The user is prompted, by flashing picture, to touch the first picture cell on the grid. That picture is enlarged and a recorded voice explains the first step in washing your hands. There are arrows that prompt changing to the next picture. Each picture has recorded voice as well as written words which is great for non readers.

Tapikeo HD has some amazing features and the ease of use is just one of the many benefits. There are many grids with each in-app purchase that cover a wide range of learning tools. Learning to brush your teeth, learning emotions, animal names and sight words are just a few examples of grids within the in-app packs. Creating new grids is simple and just requires some creativity and planning. In order to create your own grid all you need is a topic, some pictures and a plan of how you want to implement them within a grid. This app has so many different uses that it is impossible to list them all. It is a well thought out app that is well worth the price.

Wish List

Tapikeo HD just received a massive update. One of the things I would love to see in an update would be the ability to add video clips as well as pictures. The use of video modeling within a grid style system would be beneficial to teaching steps to those who have a hard time understanding inferences. Upon opening the app, I would like to be taken to the grid manager instead of the last grid or page used.

Find Tapikeo HD:
Tapikeo HD in iTunes
tapikeo.com
Tapikeo on Facebook






a Rafflecopter giveaway

8 comments:

  1. I really want this app! Thank you for the giveaway. Maybe I'll get lucky, if not, I'll buy it!

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  2. Looks like a cool app for the ipad.

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  3. Look forward to trying it out. I think Gabriel would love it! thank you.

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  4. Nice review. It looks like a great app!

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  5. Bonnie B here. Liked the review & heard so much about this app that I had to try the rafflecopter for it. Will get it either way. Thank you for doing the giveaway for this and the DPS Social Express App! Finally figured out how to make a comment and have it show it came from me! Thanks for helping me to learn all these cool things! :D

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  6. this app looks great for adam and lily. there are so many possibilities and video would be great also!! i would love to try it out! fingers crossed :-)

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  7. ok, I was going to enter for myself, but Adam and Lily need it more than my two do. We've got some good AAC apps that can be made into just about anything. This app just sounded great for the fact that it had some nice grids already built in. So, I will enter, but if I win, give my code to LiSa for her twins, please. thanks!

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  8. Jessica - again another GREAT review! Thank you so much for this. I have been looking hard at this app for several days as I like the idea of making my own social stories easily and on the fly as needed and I love that there is a shake option as well to make a sound etc affiliated with the picture! To me it looks like one of the nicer/user friendly grids out there to do the social stories myself and that is much needed here and if I need to leave my kids (especially my son but both really) where I could easily show the person watching them how to do something and that would make a world of difference!

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