As a primary school teacher, I am always looking for ways to enhance the learning experiences for my students. As we have recently set up a partial class set of iPad minis, we are encouraging all of our teachers to use content-creation apps as opposed to content-specific consumption apps to share our knowledge. Sock Puppets (free, with optional in-app purchases) is a great storytelling app that both educators and students alike will enjoy.
If you have yet to hear about Sock Puppets, it is an app that will let you create funny and original lip-synched videos that you can share with your class. We have already had a few classes try this app, and our students (ages 7-11) have had no trouble with it all. Learning how to use the app is actually fun, and the many options of backgrounds, props (most of them moveable!) and puppets will keep their imaginations flowing.
Creating a video is simple and fun:
- Select your puppets;
- Select a background;
- Select a variety of props
- Record (You can either improvise or have your script ready before you record!)
Move your puppets side to side as you speak. The puppets mouths will move as you speak. Some puppets have the ability to scale as well, and become bigger and smaller as you move.
Check out this video tutorial on how to use Sock Puppets:
Import your own background images directly from your Camera Roll:
Here’s a video made by my colleague Sylvia Duckworth (@sylviaduckworth – Follow her!) showing the ability to use multiple backgrounds:
Complete versus Free version
- Here are some of the advantages of having the complete version (iTunes link: $3.99USD):
- 90 second recordings instead of 30 seconds
- Ability to import your own backgrounds (The possibilities are endless using your own photos + images from the web!)
- Save your videos to Camera Roll
- No more ads
Conclusion (with features of the complete version):
This app is a great and imaginative app for all young learners. Students will be able to work in small groups to plan a story in order to create a short play for their teachers and classmates to enjoy. Using different characters, voice enunciation, and various expressions, students can even create videos on their own. Voices are automatically altered to simulate cartoonish characters. Create specific voice qualities for each of the puppets (low, medium or high). Sharing the creations could not be easier. Save your creations to Camera Roll, upload to YouTube (great for sharing to parents!). In settings, you can even adjust export quality and video size to suit your needs. Once saved in Camera Roll, students can even import them into iMovie to further add other effects, titles etc. I love how you can move and resize the puppets as you record. It results in a more realistic depiction of the storyline. Changing backgrounds between scenes is also possible. For $3.99, the complete version is totally worth it.
Promo Codes for the Complete Version ($3.99USD) of Sock Puppets!
As usual, I do have free promo codes to give out. Here is how to receive one:
If you have Twitter:
Tweet out this (or ANY) of teachingwithipad blogposts by using the Share button at the bottom of each post. Please include the hashtags #ipaded and #ipadchat. Share as many as you can/want. Promo codes tend to have an expiration date. If you are chosen, please remember to redeem it immediately.
If you don’t have Twitter:
Simply leave a comment below on how you could benefit from the complete version of this app.
I will contact winners directly through email. If you receive an email, please reply back and let me know if it worked.
teachingwithipad.org 
It seems very interesting! I would like to have a promo code! Please!
Interesting! I would like a promo code, please!
Thanks for profiling this wonderful app, Steve. It’s one of my favourites! A couple of things users should know: the animated voices have to be changed in settings before you start recording. Also, you can only use one background at a time. To piece the scenes together, you need to import the saved videos into iMovie on your iPad.
As usual, you’ve given such a clear explanation of the app that I can’t wait to try it out! Having only my personal iPad in the classroom, I’m thinking of an enrichment activity for early finishers as we do an end-of-year research project.This looks like a great way to have children articulate their learning. Thanks, Steve!
Thanks for the kind words, Andrea!
Reblogged this on The Appy Family and commented:
I have used sock puppets with my own children as well as at school with Kindergarteners. It is a winner!
I am an ESOL teacher and would love to use this with my students who are uncomfortable speaking in front of others. I think they would have a great time using this app. I have the free version, but would love to have the promo code for the full version so my students can have more options when using the app. I can envision some of my students creating their own dialogue, while others would be able to produce a sock puppet play from a reader’s theater that they have been reading. Great app!!!!
Thanks for the comment Heidi. Unfortunately the promo period is over.
Steve
I am a Speech Language Pathologist and I think it would be great to help kids work on conversational skills.
Sorry, the promo has ended.