The iPod Touch and iPad: Tools for the Classroom

Disclosure & Bios

  Danielle and Shannon have nothing to disclose

  Shannon Des Roches Rosa   Parent   Advocate   Blogger   Contact her at: thinkingautism@gmail.com

  Danielle Samson, M.A. CCC-SLP   Peninsula Associates   Morgan Autism Center   Palo Alto Medical Foundation   Contact her at: dsamson@paspeech.com

Disclosure & Bios

  Jason Lundgaard   Manager of State and Local Government Affairs for Apple

  Contact: jlundgaard@apple.com

Today’s Objectives

  Why the iPad/iPod Touch is a great tool

  Ways to acquire/fund an iPad/iPod Touch

  Evaluating if the iPad/iPod touch is appropriate for your child

  Supportive Research

  Accessibility & Accessories

  Apps

What about Android?

  The Android platform is quickly increasing the number of apps available

  Assistive technology theories and practices apply to both the Apple and Android platforms

  Apple recently published guidelines for acceptance into the iTunes store

  Android has no approval process or content guidelines

Why are iPads and iPods important to me? I don’t want to buy one.

CONSIDER…

*Apple sold 3.27 Million iPads in its first quarter

*There are more than 250,000 apps available, with entire categories devoted to education and apps for kids

*At least 25% of children with Autism are non-verbal; many more have very little functional verbal language are cannot be understood due to motor/articulation problems

*The Santa Clara County SELPA served nearly 15,000 students in special ed. in 2008-2009 (the SELPA where the iPad comes from so, it stands to reason that a high percentage of the iPads will be purchased within Santa Clara county)

SO – Even if you don’t buy one, chances are good that you will see at least one being used by one of your students sometime soon.

HOWEVER – If you fancy yourself a bit of a tech geek, there are lots of reasons why you might find yourself liking this device.

Why I like the iPod/iPad for Therapy

1.  Quality: screen size and clarity, sound quality

2.  Ease of use

3.  Light weight and portable

4.  Selection of apps

5.  Versatility of use – teaching tool, leisure activity, communication tool

6.  It’s motivating and rewarding – students love to use it!

Why Do Students Like the iPod/iPad?

1.  It’s fun – not only does it help them communicate, they can play games, listen to music, watch movies and surf the internet

2.  It’s socially acceptable – they don’t look different, especially the teenagers!

3.  It’s portable

4.  It helps them focus and learn

Madison

Why Do Parents Like the iPod and iPad?

IT’S AFFORDABLE!!!

But it’s still expensive…

  It never hurts to ask

  “People are generous, the Internet is powerful, and your kid needs an iPad.”

  Funding options for parents   HollyRod Foundation

  ChipIn.com

  GiveForward.com

  iTunes gift cards

Now, before you look for apps…

We need to talk about how to use them effectively within the classroom or in therapy.

iPods and iPads, like all assistive technology, should be used in meaningful, purposeful ways within the classroom and in therapy sessions.

Be selective with your students and your apps. (Keep a close eye on YouTube, in particular!)

SETT Framework

The SETT Framework is a guideline for gathering data in order to make effective assistive technology decisions. The SETT Framework considers:

  The STUDENT;

  The ENVIRONMENT(S);

  The TASKS required for active participation in the activities of the environment;

  The system of TOOLS needed for the student to address the tasks.

**Source: The National Center to Improve Practice in Special Education

Through Technology, Media and Materials, developed by Joy Zabala

SETT Framework

  STUDENTS: Assess the student’s needs and abilities   What is his/her verbal output?   Is he/she ambulatory?

  What are his/her motor strengths and weaknesses?   What is his/her cognitive level?

  You can use a variety of marketed assessments such as:   INCH (Interactive Checklist for AAC)

  COACH (Choosing Options & Accommodations for Children)   There is extensive information regarding assessment for AAC at

YAACK - http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/c0.html

SETT Framework

  ENVIRONMENT(S) – Examine technology currently available in the student’s environment(s)   What is the physical size of the equipment?   Does it have adequate vocabulary available?   How high is the motivation factor?

  And, what is best suited to the student’s different environments   Does he/she use the equipment at home AND at school?   What type of community interaction does he/she have? Does he/she have a

job?   What in his/her environments might prohibit use of equipment?   Does his/her equipment require accessories (e.g. mounts, cases, straps, etc)

SETT Framework

  TASK – Assess what the student needs to do   The student needs assistance learning new concepts/ideas:

•  With increased visual support

•  With auditory input •  Independently accessing information

  The student needs to communicate: •  A variety of structures

•  On the go •  In every setting

SETT Framework

  TOOLS – Select the device that meets the student’s needs

Dedicated communication devices:

iPod Touch or iPad with AAC app:

Are these going to replace the heavy, bulky, expensive AAC

devices?

For some students, YES. There are apps that work well for students who rely on a pre-programmed, phrase-based or navigation-based system. Apps such as Tap to Talk and ProLoQuo2Go are viable alternatives.

However, for most students and adults who use Prentke-Romich, Dynavox, or Words+ systems, the iPod/iPad serves more as a supplemental device.

There are no great apps that focus on teaching language – creating and communicating novel thoughts, expanding vocabulary, etc. – YET, but they’re coming!

Cameron

Kolya

Research

Multiple research studies are being conducted to examine children’s usage and learning with mobile devices and apps. Project leaders for applications with special needs students anticipate results in early 2011

*Auburn University – “Touching Lives and Creating Abilities: Social and Communication Skills with the iPad.”

Research

But studies of mobile device usage with typically developing children are already reporting results

*The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop

“Learning: Is there an app for that?” (2010) Cynthia Chiong & Carly Shuler

“Pockets of Potential: Using mobile technologies to promote children’s learning.” (2009) Carly Shuler

Summary

Kids have access to mobile devices

they like them

they are good at them

THEY ARE LEARNING!

iPod/iPad Accessibility Features

  Built in accessibility features   Screen reading with VoiceOver

  Zoom and magnify

  White on Black contrast

  Mono audio

  Voice memos

Accessories

External Speakers Stylus

Accessories

Cases Cases with speakers

Accessories

Mounts Straps

Accessories

Microphones Earphones

Accessories

Camera Connector Keyboards

Which apps are good?

There are too many apps for me to list them all. I’ve attached a few of my favorites. But, the bottom line is, if it works for you and/or your student, it’s a good app!

But let’s look at some of the apps that are out there, good and, well…

Communication Apps

Currently, there are a number of apps dedicated to helping individuals communicate through picture symbols and photos:

*Proloquo2Go

*Tap to Talk

*iCommunicate

These were developed for the iPod/iPhone but can also be used on the iPad.

Proloquo2Go *Created by Samuel Sennott, AT consultant, and David Niemeijer of AssistiveWare

*First released in April 2009

*Research-based, incorporates features aligned with evidence-based practice for ASD

*Customizable

*Memory for recent activity

*Voice output

*Auto-morphology

Proloquo2Go *Uses SymbolStix line drawings and digital photos

*VocaSpace vocabulary

Tap to Talk *Free app for Nintendo, Apple, Android systems

*Subscription service for the design software

*Recordable sound

*Picture library available or use your own photos

Communication Apps

Text-to-speech apps:

*NeoPaul/NeoKate

*SpeakIt!

*I Say It

NeoPaul/NeoKate

*NeoSpeech, natural sounding text-to-speech

*Multi-lingual: English, Spanish, Korean,

Mandarin Chinese, Japanese.

Communication Apps

For Beginners:

*TapSpeak Button

*TapSpeak Sequence

*Grace

*iConverse

Schedules, Motivation and

rewards

*iRewards

*iEarnedThat

*First-Then Schedule

*Time Timer

Thomas’ Schedule

Other SLP Apps – a Sampling

*iPitch Pipe

*white noise

*iQuestions

*iPractice Verbs

*Sound Amp R

*Learn to Talk

*Story Builder

Sudeep

And more…

*Model Me Kids – Going Places

*Stories 2 Learn

*Pictello

*Story Kit

*ABA Flashcards

*QuickCues

Leo

Thomas

For the Classroom *MathGirl Garden

*Math Step 123

*Rocket Math

*Shape Builder

*iWriteWords

*Super Why!

*Sound Touch

*iSentence

*Sentence Spin

Leo

For Fun *Bob books

*Draw with Stars

*Splish Splash Inn

*Whizzit 1-2-3

*Fruit Memory

*Supernova

*DrawFree

*Faces iMake

*Tappy Tunes

*Fruit Ninja

Thomas

Samit

Mishal

Alex

How do I find more Apps?

There are so many apps out there with more being created everyday. I find the best apps in a few ways:

1.  www.squidalicious.com/p/on-ipads.html - Shannon’s blog

2.  Slpsharing.com- a blog created and maintained by Eric Sailers, an SLP in San Diego who specializes in AT and, specifically, the iPod/iPad

3.  Mobilelearning4specialneeds.wikispaces.com

4.  Moms with apps.com

5.  Apple Learning Interchange – Touching Lives in the Classroom

6.  Appshopper.com

7.  Browse the App Store or turn on Genius

HAVE FUN!!

iPod Touches and iPads can be as much fun for you as they are for your students and patients. So, whether you buy your own or come across a student who uses one, by all means, have fun with what the two of you can discover!

Thomas

Apple Resources

  Online Resources:   www.apple.com/accessibility

  www.apple.com.education/special-education

  www.apple.com/education/resources

  Getting Answers to Questions:   Local Apple Store

  accessibility@apple.com