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 * Welcome to the Apps for Stages© Recommendations Wiki! **

The Stages© framework takes a research-based approach to defining developmentally appropriate observable learner characteristics for each Stage and recommends features to consider in selecting apps or computer software for learning, along with teaching strategies that match and scaffold student need. This approach has proven very helpful in supporting educators, therapists and families in selecting appropriate learning materials.
 * About the Stages© Framework **

The recommendations and information gathered here is greatly facilitated by the students and faculty of the Simmons College Assistive Technology and Master of Arts in Teaching Graduate Programs. Well-respected and experienced faculty supervises graduate students as they make recommendations for learning apps and create tutorials. Accessibility information comes from a variety of resources. Well-deserved credit and thanks go to Luis Perez and his remarkable YouTube channel. Acknowledgements also go to the incredible efforts to organize accessible apps from both Connective Technology Solutions by Dan Herlihy and Jane Farrell Consulting. An effort to organize these resources is made in the accessibility section of this wiki.
 * About These Mobile Device Apps and Accessibility Recommendations **

Because we know that mobile devices are more actively being considered as learning tools. More and more articles describing individual success stories, and many lists of recommendations for mobile device apps started to become available. However we didn’t find these lists as helpful as we hoped. Few seemed to put the learning first. Sometimes they were organized by task and offered little information about features within the settings.This wiki organizes recommendations for mobile device apps from a competency-based perspective and offers rationale for each recommendation that is supported by features or design found within the app.

The seven Stages are not grade level or age referenced. Instead they are competency based and paired with a checklist of observable learner characteristics. Each Stage identifies skills or milestones to achieve. Once those milestones are determined, and from the perspective of student first, features to seek in skill building applications are suggested.

Because the goal of using assistive technology to provide access to general education standards as well as real world curriculum access, Bloom's Taxonomy is used as a guideline for recommending curriculum apps.

Finally, there is a growing section offering several visually organized thematic apps recommendations resources.