Navigating Child Life Apps

One of the most vital technologies that a Child Life Specialist has in their emergency kit is their Ipad. The Ipad has become a staple among Child Life Specialists. However, with all of the apps available on the App Store it can be difficult to narrow down which apps are appropriate for the department you have been assigned to and the age group you will be working with. This website Child Life has a compilation of every app that a Child Life Specialist could ever need.

I think that this website could be used for CLS and teachers alike. If you are looking for a specific app to teach a recently deaf child some basic sign language you can simply search for "sign language" in the websites search bar and all sign-language related apps will pop up. 

Then once you choose the app that you're interested in you can click "view". This button will pop up a variety of helpful materials. It has a rating for that particular app so you can see what other users thought of it. It also has a comments section, which is the best part. CLS, teachers, or any other educator using the website has the ability to leave a comment for everyone else to see. So, if someone figures out a different use for the app then the intended use they can leave that comment. The view window also allows you to see the last time the app was modified, to make sure it is not out of date, and can take you directly to the apps website. The app is also broken down into categories based on who the app is most appropriate for. Some of the categories are: Parents, families, medical reference, pre-school children, etc. 

For a better experience with the website users can create an account through their hospital or school so that their most used apps are saved in a convenient way. While the site is primarily set-up for CLS, I think that teachers could also benefit from its use because of the wide variety of apps available. They have everything from apps for autistic children, medical words in Spanish, to simple distraction games like Angry Birds.