Technology Integration

QR Codes are pretty cool!  I mentioned them in a previous Tech Tuesday as one of my favorite things and we even played a scavenger hunt game with them at Christmas. 

Watch this video to learn How to Generate a QR Code   I used the website www.qrstuff.com to generate a code.  Not only can you print out codes from this site, you can also order t shirts and baseball hats with your code printed on them!

Here is a video showing 2 mobile devices (droid phone and iPad2) that use an app to scan a QR Code. Scanning a QR Code 

If you are using an android phone or xoom, I would suggest using the free app QR Droid. 

If you are using an iPhone or IPad2 I would recommend the free app Scan from QR Code City.

This tool is to be used to measure the quality of School Library programs within individual school buildings in Michigan.

To achieve Qualified and Exemplary Status for their School Library program, completed criteria measurement evaluations are to be submitted to the Library of Michigan, an Office of the Michigan Department of Education and the school building must be in compliance with state rules.

School administrators are to evaluate their building’s School Library program in conjunction with their
School Librarian and submissions require the signature of their District Superintendent.

Status earned will be valid for three years.

Here are 4 organizations that may be able to help you get an iPad and/or apps to work with students with special needs.

• iHelp for Special Needs is dedicated to help raise funds for children with special needs to receive iPads & Apps to assist with communication, life & Social skills.
• The Conover Company is a maker of special needs apps for the iPhone and iPad. They also give out the Conover Mobile Technology Grant is to promote the use of mobile technology and their apps to improve an individuals freedom and independence.
• Danny’s Wish is committed to providing life enhancing resources and experiences for children and families dealing with autism and autism spectrum disorders. Their goal for this campaign is to raise $50,000 to supply approximately 100 iPads to those children affected and in need the most.
• iPads4U The blog Apps 4 Children with special needs is giving an iPad away to a family in need every time $500 is raised.

Here is a document with ‘Scenarios’ for using curriculum crafter.  They show how to find comparison reports that let the user compare common core standards across grades, how to find interventions once you have data showing a student needs help in a certain common core standard, and how someone unfamiliar with a content area (para pro, special ed teacher, new teacher, ancillary staff, etc…)can use curriculum crafter to find resources.

This document can be used alongside the following videos:

• Using Comparison Reports: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/35939737/comparison%20reports.avi
• Searching for Interventions by Common Core Standards: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/35939737/search%20by%20standard.avi
• Finding resources for ELA http://dl.dropbox.com/u/35939737/Common%20Core%20ELA%20books.avi

Here is a great resource of apps that includes  links to download, descriptions and costs of apps that are appropriate for students with Autism!

Here is a great place to start if you are an OT looking for apps: Apps for OT’s

Here are some more apps that OT’s are talking about:

Lose it!(free)  Succeed at weight loss with Lose It! Set goals and establish a daily calorie budget that enables you to meet them. Stay on track each day by recording your food and exercise and staying within your budget.

Live Happy  (.99) Happiness boosting app . This first-of-its-kind program guides you through a set of daily activities scientifically proven to boost both your short and long term happiness.

Dragon Dictation (free, need internet access) easy-to-use voice recognition application that allows you to easily speak and instantly see your text or email messages. In fact, it’s up to 5 times faster than typing on the keyboard.

Alphabet Tracing and  ABC Tracer  (free) Fun train, truck and worm animations come to life for children to follow, while showing the proper way to write alphabet letters and numbers.

Draw for Free and Doodle Buddy  (free) Paint, draw, scribble, sketch. Doodle me allows you to import pictures so students can draw/color on them.  Tip: Use PowerPoint to create words/phrases, save them as a picture then import them for student to trace.

Kids Yoga (free) a quick Yoga Flow of 7 yoga positions for your students.

Med Alert (.99) this is the application that you need to remind you or to remind them when they  need to take medicines, vitamins, respiratory therapy, etc.

SoundAmp Lite (.99) Amplifies sound…Sounds are sent to the earbuds in real time. Hear what you’d like to hear. asy to use, and easy to adjust volume, tone and background sound levels too.

Here is list of 100′s of apps for Special Needs.  When you have time dedicated to searching through apps, this is a good place to start!

I’m not sure why this was a surprise to me but…there are voice activated apps.  The user just has to vocalize to make the arcade game/app work…typically shooting at planets or making rockets soar through outer space.  Ah Up Planet will help students work on breathe capacity and vocal intensity (free).  Voice Fighter has the user vocalize different pitches to raise and lower their rocket plus it will shoot at meteors when the user says ‘puh’. (.99)

Merriam Webster Dictionary apps allows the user to speak the word it wants to look up!  Dictionary and Thesaurus‘ app allows the user to speak PLUS it doesn’t need internet access.  Both are free.

There are 100′s of apps that will allow the iPad to be used as a communication device BUT WAIT! I’m not a big fan of using an iPad for a students first communication device.  Chances are, the student already uses an iPad for other things…listening to music, watching movies, playing apps, etc…So they will be tempted to play with the iPad rather than use it for their voice.  So please have discussions with the student’s teachers and parents before jumping into using an iPad as a communication device.

Here are a few suggestions when thinking about using an iPad for communication:

1) Try a free app first…this will allow you to determine the types of features the student will need to communicate in school.  It’s especially important to remember that school and home are totally different environments.  An app that works well at home may not be useful at school.

Here are a couple of good free apps that could be used for a few weeks in school to see how they work.

Verbally is totally word/letter based (no pictures).

Tap to Talk is picture based and each picture can lead to another screen of pictures.

Let the teacher and support staff help make suggestions of what they wish the app could to do.  Then choose an app with those features and in your price range from the list.

2) Try the app on an iPod Touch.  It acts just like an iPad2  but it is the size of a cell phone and costs $200.

3) Still not sure where to start but you know you want more features than the free ones?  Here are 2 good apps that aren’t too expensive and they have good features:

So Much 2 Say (not available for iPod Touch yet) $26. Allows you to import your own pictures and record your own voice (or better yet, use a student’s voice) to create communication boards.

Pictello$19. Allows you to import pictures and record your own voice to create stories.  Ideas for stories include:

- Stories to teach social skills or to recall events
- Photo albums to allow non-speaking people to share their news and interests
- Sharing important events and memories with family who live far away
- Talking books
- Teaching narrative skills as part of a literacy or language skills curriculum
- Schedules, Task instructions, etc.

SmartyEars is a company that is focusing on apps specifically for speech therapy and include great reports for tracking progress.  They range in price $15-$50

Speech With Milo apps were created by a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and work on sequencing, verbs and prepositions.  Each app costs $2.99

SLP Minimal Pairs is a free app that lets you work with students who have cluster reduction errors (e.g. lip for slip, pout for spout)

In this post you will find a few apps to try out over the Christmas Break!  You may want to check out the iPad2  User Manual too!

Apps for You

Freebies is an app that provides you with links to apps that are free that day.  Once you get this app, you will want to check it all the time!

AppStart provides 100′s of resources that will show you a variety of ways to use your iPad.  You will get lost in this one, but you will learn alot!

Talking Apps (Kids love them!)

Talking Tom Talking Ben  Talking News  These apps have a character that repeats what is said.  Your students will figure out all the fun things to do with these characters.  These are free so the adds can be a pain.  Most students can learn to X out of the adds.

Draw ABC  Students can practice writing letters.

ABC Maze  Students spell out words by moving/tilting the iPad.

See video for difference between Nook tablet and Kindle Fire  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9OAztGQeUU

We are using the National Standards for Quality Online Teaching  when developing our Professional Development for teachers to learn how to teach online. 

We are also using the National Standards for Quality Online Courses to make sure we have quality PD course as well as a tool for teachers to self-assess their online courses.