PhotoSpeak

PhotoSpeak is a unique application that turns a still photo into a 3D video complete with voice.  The eyes blink; the mouth moves; and the head moves from side to side. Photos can even be adorned with sunglasses, hair, and hats.  The user first takes a still photo, then, following the simple directions, places eye and mouth icons over the photo.  The app records the voice.  In the example above, I took a picture of Roxy, my therapy dog who comes to school visits with me.  I recorded a silly voice to complement a vocabulary lesson.  The application allows the user to save, email, and even post to YouTube.  I was able to save the file and show it on the classroom's smartboard.  The app can be used in various situations. For example, a child can do a report about an alligator, find a picture of an alligator, and animate it with PhotoSpeak while reading the report.  Any biography can come to life.  This is a perfect app for Reader's Theater scripts. This is a great tool for fluency. Have fun with this one! 

• Pros:  easy to use once set-up, fun, great for fluency
• Cons:  processing can be slow, a bit difficult to coordinate eye and mouth positioning 
• Price:  $2.99 (In-app purchases are available for adding decorations to your photo such as glasses, hats, and costumes.)