Reading Apps for the iPad

Just this morning I had a teacher tell me that a parent asked about reading apps for his child, so she, in turn, asked me my thoughts. Here is how I responded:

That's a very broad question! If they asked me--and now since you are asking me--I would have responded by asking the question “What do you mean by a ‘reading app’?”. There are literally over 750,000 apps, so we need some parameters for a worthwhile search.

1. “I want an app that teaches my child to read.” There are apps that claim to do they teach reading, like abc PocketPhonics, but the best way to teach a child to read is through one on one contact. This begins with a parent reading copious amounts to the child, then having the child begin reading to the parent. The iPad serves best as either a consumption tool (the user is passively taking in information, as we do when we watch television) or as a creative tool (the user is creating new content). It doesn’t work well as a teaching tool, which is why iPads will never replace teachers! Yes, it is possible to find videos online via YouTube, Vimeo, and other sites that teach certain topics like history or proper car maintenance, but reading is a very unique skill and cannot be learning through videos without the guidance of an experienced reader. That said, I don’t believe there are any apps that actually teach reading. (I’ll put away my soapbox now.)
2. “I want my child to read greater quantities.” You probably want a basic digital reader, like the iBooks, NOOK, or Kindle apps. These apps let you search a large online bookstore and download books to your iPad. The Overdrive app will allow you check out digital books and audio books from the library and store them temporarily on your iPad.
3. “I would like for my child to develop a love for reading.” 
1. For kids to develop a love for anything--whether reading, math, science, sports, boating, dance, etc.--they need to create a connection with it and there is a free app I ran across for parents that provides them with many ideas to enhance that love. The app is entitled Reading For Kids: 100 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read. Hard to argue with a title like that!
2. One of the greatest features of the iPad is its ability to add an element of interactivity to content that is traditionally flat, such as books and text. Therefore, begin by doing a search for interactive book iPad. You’ll find many options, so you may decide to add some terms to refine that search. Try adding the terms elementary or children to your search if you’re not finding what you’re looking for. On a quick Google search I found a few possible websites to consider:
1. http://ipadexperiment.wordpress.com/top-10-interactive-books/  This is a list of ten books that include some level of interaction. Some of the books may be beyond students’ heads, so you’d obviously need to choose books on their level.
2. http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31747_7-20002462-243.html  CNET is a great source for finding all kinds of technology news, whether reading reviews on televisions or cell phones to hearing about several great children’s books!
3. http://interactbooks.com/  I haven’t heard anything about this company or its app, but a casual scan looks very interesting.
4. http://www.bestinteractiveebooks.com/  You can’t beat a website with a name like this! This looks to be a regularly updated list of newly released books (or eBooks, meaning “electronic books”).