SnapType

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Just wanted to make a quick post, that I just found this app -- SnapType -- and it's been a huge help with homework for my son who is handwriting-averse. He gets these monster packets every week and even though he *can* write, he hates it so much that he often simply refuses. (This is true at school as well). There are various accommodations he is allowed at this point, including dictation, speech-to-text software, and use of an AlphaSmart, but there is something I really like about this app, especially compared to dictation-- when he dictates, it feels like a VERY slippery slope to "learned laziness"... it's almost as though he sees the note-taker as his personal servant who is actually doing all the work, while he sits back and only slightly engages in the task at hand. (Still, it's so preferable to him not doing ANY work, that I'm fought for his right to have this available to him-- at least the staff know that he understands the material and CAN do the work, which they really didn't believe before, because he wouldn't even write his name on his paper.)

Anyway, watching him use the SnapType app, it's clear that it really engages him into the material. What it is, is you take a picture of the worksheet with your phone or iPad and then the kid can click anywhere on the page and start typing stuff. The only thing removed is the physical component of handwriting. Typing the words himself gets him thinking about the spelling, grammar, etc, in a way that dictation or speech-to-text does not. And it's better than the AlphaSmart because he's typing on a version of the actual worksheet. The only downside so far is that there's a built-in autocorrect so he can "cheat" Which of course he does, when possible I have to check and see if that can be disabled.

You can save the work as a .pdf or image and email it to yourself or straight to the teacher. I'm really excited about it. My son did 4 pages of language arts today, using it, and had fun doing it.

Anyway. Just wanted to give a "heads-up" if anyone is looking for something like this. It seems like a really good solution, especially if the kid enjoys tech.

And it's free!

Cool! Thanks for sharing this info. Both my kids have issues with writing and have technology in their IEPs. One of them has a lot to say, but the physical act of writing is torturous for him and he has illegible handwriting. The other one has Dyslexia. He has a DOE laptop, but most of his homework is worksheets. He usually types the answers, then prints it out and staples it to the sheet. But with this, he could just email the image to the teacher. Awesome.