Fun with “R” App Review

The Fun with R app offers an intensive program for children to practice articulation of the difficult to produce R sound.

 

The App follows the same format as all the other Apps from Virtual Speech Center. It offers a video tutorial that guides you through the main features of the app as well as a written description of the app features.

 

Fun with R app includes over 2000 audio recorded stimuli which allows the student to listen to the correct production.

 

–      R in the initial, medial and final positions of words at the word, phrase and sentence level

–      R-blends in the initial position of words at the word, phrase and sentence level

–      Vocalic R: air, ar, ear, er, ire, or in the initial, medial, final positions of words at the word, phrase and sentence level.

–      Additional rl in the final and medial positions of words at the word phrase and sentence level.

 

 

Settings Menu

The following features are offered:

 

 

Show Text:                               on/off

Correct sound:                         3 different sounds to choose from

Incorrect sound:                      3 different sounds to choose from

Approximation sound:           3 different sounds to choose from

Custom words:                          This allows the user to add their own words at a word phrase and sentence level.

 

 

 

 Features

• The app allows multiple user profiles to be created.

 

• Different users can target different target positions within the same session
• Recording feature allows the student to listen to his own production.
• When evaluating the response it can be evaluated in terms of correct, nearly, or incorrect.
• Selected phonemes are saved for the next session

• Reports can be emailed at the end of the session
• Reports can be viewed by goal or by date

 

 

Activities

The app has 3 different activities to target the /r/ sound in order to engage the student.

 

• Flashcards

 

 

 

• Matching Game

 

 

• Bingo Game

 

 

What I like:

• The ability to add custom words. The /r/ sound is something that is pronounced differently across cultures and continents and customization makes it a universal app
• The ability to work with more than one student at a time
• The ability to have visual word/no word so that reading skills can be targeted at the same time.
• The ability to move from word to phrase to sentence level at any point during the game.

 

What I would like:

 

• Although multiple targets can be selected, the app only caters for one target at a time. For example if you select /r/ initial and /br/ blends, the game cannot mix the 2 sets of words.
• When using multiple students, I would like the option to proceed automatically to the next player rather than having to change students using the arrow icon at the top.
• During the Bingo game, I would like to be able to hear the target word even though it is not on the bingo board. Particularly when you are playing with more than one user, it makes the game more interactive and there were occasions when  I wasn’t sure what the target word was, based on the picture.

 

Fun with R is great for fun and ongoing practice of the  ‘R’ sound.

It is available on the App Store for $19.99

Virtual Speech Center provided me with a copy of their App for Review. Opinions expressed are my own.