Custom Boards Premium provides a way to create picture based classroom materials from your mobile iPad. Custom Boards, by Smarty Ears, was created by a speech therapist and you can tell. The symbol set used is one created by Smarty Ears called Smarty Symbols and offers over 11,000 symbol choices. Custom Boards Premium offers over 100 templates for communication devices, schedules, activities, and worksheets.
I downloaded Custom Boards in December 2011. After downloading the app, I created my first board within about 5 minutes. The app is easy to navigate and create material quickly. The templates were appropriate for the activities that I use with my students.
As a Boardmaker user for the past 13 years, I think that both have a place when supporting students. Depending on the student, they gravitate towards a specific symbol set. What I like is that I now have options. Before, I was limited to the Boardmaker pictures, searching and re-naming pictures, or using photographs. Custom Boards provides me with an addition symbol set that I can try with students. Another bonus of Custom Boards is portability. With Boardmaker, I was limited to my desktop computer at school and I needed to have the CD with me. If I needed a visual while supporting students outside the classroom, I would wither have to go without or have to go back to my room to create and print. With Custom Boards, I can create with my iPad, email it to the teacher whose room I’m in or email to my self, then print form email. In a perfect school, with air print set up, it would be even easier to create visuals or adapt curriculum using Custom Boards.
As an intervention specialist, I did find some of the Custom Boards templates were a little more therapy based than what I would use in my classroom. However, I found that some of the templates provided me with ideas to incorporate into my classroom.
Custom Boards Premium is a great alternative to other symbol sets available or it can be used to compliment what you are using in your classroom. Initially, the price for Custom Boards was over $80. I found this to be a little more than I would spend if I purchased myself. This price point was a lot more than what my school district would purchase for me. Currently, Custom Boards is $39.99, which makes it a little more assessable for teachers and therapists and a great addition to what you may be already be using.
I downloaded Custom Boards in December 2011. After downloading the app, I created my first board within about 5 minutes. The app is easy to navigate and create material quickly. The templates were appropriate for the activities that I use with my students.
As a Boardmaker user for the past 13 years, I think that both have a place when supporting students. Depending on the student, they gravitate towards a specific symbol set. What I like is that I now have options. Before, I was limited to the Boardmaker pictures, searching and re-naming pictures, or using photographs. Custom Boards provides me with an addition symbol set that I can try with students. Another bonus of Custom Boards is portability. With Boardmaker, I was limited to my desktop computer at school and I needed to have the CD with me. If I needed a visual while supporting students outside the classroom, I would wither have to go without or have to go back to my room to create and print. With Custom Boards, I can create with my iPad, email it to the teacher whose room I’m in or email to my self, then print form email. In a perfect school, with air print set up, it would be even easier to create visuals or adapt curriculum using Custom Boards.
As an intervention specialist, I did find some of the Custom Boards templates were a little more therapy based than what I would use in my classroom. However, I found that some of the templates provided me with ideas to incorporate into my classroom.
Custom Boards Premium is a great alternative to other symbol sets available or it can be used to compliment what you are using in your classroom. Initially, the price for Custom Boards was over $80. I found this to be a little more than I would spend if I purchased myself. This price point was a lot more than what my school district would purchase for me. Currently, Custom Boards is $39.99, which makes it a little more assessable for teachers and therapists and a great addition to what you may be already be using.