Keedogo and Keedogo Plus

Keedogo Plus with ClaroPDF

AssistiveWare, makers of Proloquo2Go and Pictello, have released a third party keyboard for iPad.  Third party keyboards are a new possibility in iOS 8 and higher.  They allow users to install and alternative keyboard on the iPad to use for typing.

Keedogo and Keedogo Plus are great keyboards for children, those with vision problems and emerging readers and writers.  Keedogo has a bold font, qwerty or abc layout and differentiated vowel keys.  Keedogo Plus has all the same features word prediction.

 I am also very anxiously awaiting Keeble which is AssistiveWare's next third party keyboard.  Keeble will include a wider variety of keyboard layouts, customizable features like colors, switch control, select on release and hold times. 

Keedogo and Keedogo Plus work beautifully in all apps.  Some of my favorite apps to use it with are ClaroPDF, PicCollage and Pictello.

Keedogo Plus with PicCollage

ClaroPDF is an amazing accessible PDF app.  It allows you to hear PDF files read aloud with highlighting, type, write and draw on the PDFs and insert pictures, diagrams and more.  It syncs with Dropbox and/or Google Drive.  If you need to do worksheet or study guide adaption on the fly you can use ClaroPDF with Prizmo to photograph text, scan it with OCR and open in ClaroPDF.

PicCollage is intended to make photocollages but it is a great, free app to do all sorts of multimedia projects with kids like labeling pictures, main idea or vocabulary collages and more.
 
Pictello is a story writing app designed for special needs users.  I use it with students for dozens of purposes.  Writing personal narratives, creative writing, adapting curriculum materials, talking photo albums, video modeling, picture recipes, social stories, life skill sequences, pragmatics practice stories and so much more.  Pictello's best feature is how amazingly easy it is to use.  Use the wizard feature and it walks you through making your book.  You can use text to speech in a variety of voices or record audio.  It has switch access if needed.  My students LOVE Pictello.  It is easily the number one app I use.


Before I wrap this up I do want to note that there is a known Apple bug in iOS 8 that can interfere with all third party keyboards.  It has nothing to do with Keedogo or Keedogo Plus.  If guided access is turned on and you use a third party keyboard you can have all your keyboards disappear.  The issue seems to have been at least somewhat fixed in iOS 8.0.2.  That being said go ahead and ignore the one star ratings based on the Apple bug!  I will vouch for Keedogo and Keedogo Plus.  They can make already good apps great and great apps amazing.