The Smart Cards app is a must-have for any teacher, tutor, speech pathologist, occupational therapist or any other individual who uses a synthetic phonics approach to the teaching of reading and spelling.
The Smart Cards app is an efficient, engaging and cost-effective way to help students practise reading words that share common phonic patterns. Instructors can choose from a bank of phonic flash card packs included within the app, however the premium feature of the app is the ability to create card packs, completely tailored to the teaching sequence and students. Students can study card packs, ticking off cards as they are read, and have the option to revise challenging words. For a spelling focus, the instructor can simply open a card pack for an instant spelling word list. A companion app, the Smart Cards - Student app, can be downloaded onto the student’s iPad. The instructor can then share all card packs the student has been explicitly taught for further practise at home. The layout of the Smart Cards - Instructor app is user-friendly and ideal for online teaching. It can also be used without WiFi.
Please note, we do not allow third party advertising within the app, and we do not collect any personal data. Please email feedback and suggestions to support@startsmarttasmania.com.au .
Start Smart Tasmania was established in 2017 when a speech pathologist, Tania Innes, and a teacher, Clare Weare, sat down to have a chat about how they could best meet students’ language needs in the classroom. This innocuous conversation resulted in a growing practice that now offers a range of speech pathology and education services to Launceston and the surrounding regions of Tasmania. It was through our Literacy Intervention services that we first recognised the need for tools like the Smart Cards apps. We teamed up with IT Zen and the rest, as they say, is history. For more information on who we are and what we offer please visit www.startsmarttasmania.com.au.
Anyone teaching or learning to read and spell through a synthetic phonics approach. The Smart Cards - Instructor app enables instructors (teachers/ therapists, etc) to use, create and share flash card packs that share common phonic patterns, while the Smart Cards - Student app enables students to practise reading and spelling card packs shared by their instructor.
If you are looking for a must-have resource with which to teach phonics, try the Smart Cards - Instructor Lite app first. This free app allows access to limited content to ‘try before you buy’. This version includes access to the full teaching scope and sequence. If you like what you see, purchase the Smart Cards - Instructor Full app to access all the content within the app.
For students working with an instructor who uses the Smart Cards - Instructor app, try the Smart Cards - Student app. This allows the instructor to share content that has been explicitly taught, for further revision at home.
You can quickly and easily make your own. While there are a large number of card packs included within the app, the flexibility to create and edit packs is a key feature of the app. Tap ‘New Pack’ and insert your own words.
Not yet. This format is in the development stage so we’d love to hear from schools about the features you think would work for your context. Please email support@startsmarttasmania.com.au.
This app is deliberately sold without card packs so your child’s instructor can tailor a combination of card packs specific to your child’s needs and email them to you.
Not yet. Keep checking back for when our apps are released in the Google Play store.
We don’t keep any of your data at all. Everything is stored on your iPad only.
You should regularly back up your data in Settings. This will allow you to email it to yourself, save it to a cloud, or download and save.
Absolutely. You will just need to reconnect to WiFi to share packs or access the online help.
Nope, none at all.
- Check you have packs saved in the Student.
- Check your network connection.
- Check the email address is correct.
- Check the student’s spam or junk folder.
- Make sure you don’t have multiple images in the student’s packs, which make them too large to email.
You could use the parent’s email address - it just needs to be an address that is accessible on the student’s ipad.
You need to open the email on the iPad that has the Smart Cards - Student app installed.
If you access the email using the iPad email app, tap the attachment in the email then tap the Smart Cards - Student icon to open. You may need to tap More at the far right of the row to find it. The packs will then be updated.
If you access the email using the Outlook app, you may receive an error message stating that the file format is not supported. In this case, tap 
in the top right corner, tap Share File via ... and tap the Smart Cards - Student icon. You may need to tap More at the far right of the row to find it. The packs will then be updated.
If you access the email using Safari, you may receive an error message stating that no preview is available, with a download button below. In this case, tap Download, then open the Files app on your ipad. Tap on the updated data file to import it into the app.
If you access the email using Chrome, the attachment may pop up at the bottom of the page. In this case, tap Download. Once it has downloaded tap Open in… at the bottom of the page, then tap to open with the Smart Cards - Student app. You may need to tap More at the far right of the row to find it. The packs will then be updated.
Read through the guidance for the previous question on importing data to the Smart Cards - Student app. Follow the same steps to import any data via email; you will just need to select the Smart Cards - Instructor app instead.
To share via OneDrive, tap and hold the Student/ pack/ folder then tap Share. Tap the OneDrive icon with ‘Copy to OneDrive’ below. Do not choose the OneDrive icon with just ‘OneDrive’ below. Once the student/pack/folder is opened in OneDrive, tap Upload to OneDrive. Choose a folder to which to upload and tap Select this location.
To share via Google Drive, tap and hold the Student/ pack/ folder then tap Share. Tap the Google Drive icon with ‘Drive’ below. Do not choose the Google Drive icon with ‘Copy to Drive’ below. Tap My Drive if you wish to select a folder in which to save, then tap Upload.
To share via Dropbox, tap and hold the Student/ pack/ folder then tap Share. Tap the Dropbox icon, select a folder in which to save and tap Save.
For OneDrive, tap on the Student/ pack/ folder in OneDrive to show a preview. In the top right corner tap … and tap Open in another app. Tap the Smart Cards - Instructor icon to import.
For Google Drive, tap on the Student/ pack/ folder in Google Drive. The Student/ pack/ folder file name should end in .scpack. Do not choose the file with .txt at the end of the file name. In the top right corner tap … and tap Open with. Tap the Smart Cards - Instructor icon to import.
For Dropbox, tap on the Student/ pack/ folder in Dropbox. In the top right corner tap… and tap Export. Tap the Smart Cards - Instructor icon to import.
We do not keep any of your data at all.
All folders, packs, cards and student email addresses are stored on your iPad only.
This means you will lose them if your iPad is lost or stolen. Use the Backup App Data button in the settings of the app to back up your data.