One of my favorite, easy-to-use, kid friendly apps is SnapType, an app developed by an occupational therapy student. SnapType is free ($4.99 for the Pro version), and it allows you to easily type in answers to complete worksheets on the iPad. You can then print or share the worksheet as a PDF.
To use SnapType:
- Download and open the app, select NEW DOCUMENT, select CAMERA
- Take a picture of the worksheet
- You can crop the photo by selecting the icon mid-center on the bottom of screen
- Once done, select the CHECKMARK in lower right hand corner
- It will prompt you to add/name the document (my suggestion is to use name/subject/date to help quickly identify documents)
- Select ADD
- Select the document you just named
- Complete the worksheet by tapping on the screen where you want your answer to be. This will prompt the keyboard to come up. You can then type your answers in. At the top, you can move the guide left or right to adjust the size. You can also change colors by selecting the artist palette icon in the upper left corner. When you are done typing your answer, hit the keyboard icon on the keyboard in the lower right corner and the keyboard will disappear. To continue working on the worksheet, repeat the process and tap the screen where you want to put your next answer. Continue until the worksheet is complete.
- Once done, you can SAVE it (upper left corner) or you can share it (icon in the upper right corner).
- Select PDF. Here you have multiple options to print it, email it (it will attach as a PDF) or move it to Google Drive or Dropbox.
A few more tips for using SnapType:
- When working on the worksheet, you can zoom in to work on just a portion of the page at a time, which will improve attention and is less visually overwhelming.
- If you want to prepare ahead of time, you can take pictures of multiple worksheets and just save them in your “home” area.
- You can also organize by folders:
- Select NEW FOLDER and name
- Select CREATE
- To move a document to a folder, select EDIT in upper right corner
- Select the RED CIRCLE on the left of the document name
- From here, select MOVE (you can also select RENAME, EDIT or DELETE)
- Select FOLDER you want to move it to
- Select MOVE
- You can also organize by folders:
I highly recommend at least downloading the free version and giving it a try. This app has made quite the difference for many students who struggle with handwriting and productivity in the classroom.
Visit the App Recommendations page for additional information about great classroom and productivity apps for your children, or view additional iPad resources on the St. Louis Children’s Hospital resource website.
Nicole Weckherlin, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist