Make it for Teachers – recommended app for creating customized learning activities

As a special education teacher working with students with complex learning disabilities, I often search for apps that allow me to create my own learning activities. Because I need to be able to adapt my activities to a variety of learners, I prefer apps that are simple and quick to use. Make it for Teachers meets those criteria and in a very short amount of time I can create customized activities for my students for knowledge acquisition and practice.

General Information – The app allows you to create and share educational activities using the activity templates provided. Each activity is comprised of a desired number of pages. You may choose one activity template per page. Sharing the activities is simple, and the app is available for both iOS and Android operating systems.

The free version allows you to create a limited number of activities and provides you with access to a small portion of the in-app creation packs. You can choose to remain in the free version simply erasing old activities and creating new ones. A subscription provides unlimited activity creation and full access to in-app creation packs. There are a number of subscription options available and they can be explored within the app. Note: Once a subscription is chosen, you can cancel at any time within the first month at no charge, however, you  must cancel the subscription manually, through your Apple ID or Google Play settings, otherwise you will be charged automatically for the subscription after the first month.

Activities can be shared between users, using a code that the app provides for each activity. This feature is available in the free version, as well.

 

Advantages

• Activities can be created and played without an internet connection
• User-friendly – you can easily and quickly create useful engaging activities
• Nicely animated creation packs are designed for educational activities
• A variety of simple activity templates
• Option for reinforcers for the student – chosen from a limited number of provided options.
• Ability to add written and auditory instructions

Disadvantages 

• Gallery of page backgrounds is limited and cannot be personalized
• Recording of auditory content is not initially intuitive
• Graphic design of the templates is quite plain

 

Here are useful examples of the templates I use most often:

• “Drag to Containers” – I like to use this template, for example, for conjugation work, dragging words to their matching infinitive, or for categorizing even and odd numbers. In the examples provided, there are only two containers, but you can add as many as you like in the settings of the game.

• “Tap it” – I often use this template to work on phonological awareness, matching pictures to their beginning sound. For older students, I have used it as an activity for identifying parts of speech in a sample text. In the example below the student needs to tap on all the adjectives.

• “Connect” – This template allows matching between two items and can be useful for math drills as in the sample blow. Other ideas include matching word opposites, vocabulary words with their definitions, and more. You can use words, numbers, or photos to provide variety in the way materials are presented.

Make it for Teachers is a great app for creating customized learning activities, and because it is so easy to use, it is especially useful when working with students who have a wide range of learning needs. You can quickly and easily create activities for specific learning goals for all your students.

So…go Make it! 😊

Good Luck!

Sheli