A rubric to support selection of scheduling apps for students with high support needs

As schools introduce iPads as teaching and learning tools, they are confronted with an overwhelming number of apps. If an app is to be suitable for an individual learner, it must be relevant to the learner's education program. It must also contain features that build on the learner's strengths and provide support for areas of need. The Hills School in New South Wales has been working with iPads since 2011 and has received funding to extend this work. Part of the project was a formal research project to explore the use of an app for creating visual schedules for students with high support needs. In order to select an app and to create a practical tool to help others choose an appropriate visual schedule, the team looked at a range of apps and developed the table described in the article as a way to summarise the features of each app and to make a judgment about whether or not they would meet the needs of individual student. The possible features of the app are summarised in the left hand column, the needs of the learner in the middle column, and an overall rating on the match between the features of the app and student need is made in the right hand column.