#AppMondayTAS - Pictello

Recently, I was asked at a training, about a good app for social stories.  I didn't have an answer at that time, but now I do.  Strangely enough I heard about it later that day and it is a great app from AssistiveWare (makers of Proloquo2Go) - Pictello.

Pictello is a very full featured app, that allows for creation as well as consumption.  Pictello allows you to create stories using pictures from your iOS device.  The app includes text to speech, but also allows you to record your voice if you want.  You can download more voices (British & American) for free through the options menu.

There are a ton of options for creating stories including top & bottom labels, and it can read both, one or none, different voices, and other options.  The interface is easy to use, and includes a wizard mode to help you create stories.  One very useful feature is the ability to share stories between devices.  By creating a free account you can upload and share the stories with other Pictello users.  You do need to use a unique code to share the stories.

PIctello is $14.99 at this time, but I have 1 free code to giveaway this week.  As always you can enter up to 3 times, using the following methods:

1.  Comment on this post
2.  Tweet about this post using the hashtag #AppMondayTAS
3.  Like the Teaching All Students Fan Page on Facebook & leave a comment

Get your entries in by Thursday, 2/10 and good luck!

Patrick

Crossposted at iEAR.org

Disclaimer - I received a copy of this app to review for this post.

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#AppMondayTAS - iCommunicate

I came across iCommunicate ($4.99) while getting ready for my latest workshop.  iCommunicate is a program that helps you create "storyboards".  It comes with a  set of pictures, but you can easily add more from your photo library stored on your iPod Touch or iPhone.  You can use the storyboards to create social stories as well as schedules.  At this time you can save up to 40 photos for each storyboard  For an additional $4.99 in-app purchase you can add custom audio to your storyboards.  The user interface is easy to use, and it's very simple to create and modify storyboards.  They are saved, so you can reuse them.  One feature that I'd like to see added (suggested by someone at my workshop) would be some way to mark pictures as done (which they are working on but it will take some time).

The developers of iCommunicate are a husband and wife team, Grembe, Inc.  They have 2 other apps - iReward and iConnect.  I've not tried either of those programs, but if they are anything like iCommunicate they are well done.

Patrick


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Creative Social Stories

There have been several additions to Diigo for comic strip creation sites. While I've not used them, I've always thought they would be a great way to create social stories for some kids. So I've take a look at a few of them, and here's what I think:

Strip Generator

Strip Generator has a great interface and some interesting looking characters, an easy to use interface, and is pretty intuitive. As you can see I created a simple strip, and it took me about 5 min. The sites does limit you to their pre-selected items. They have humans, beings, objects, shapes and bubbles. You are limited to 3 frames, and if a student doesn't respond to line drawings this might not be a good choice for you.

Make Belief Comix

Make Belief Comix is another very easy to use site for creating comic strips. You are again limited to 3 frames and the characters they have provided. One neat feature is that you can change the characters emotion! This I think would be helpful in creating a story for a student.

Story Creator

While not specifically a site to create comic strips the Story Creator allows you to create a story with sound. It includes sound effects as well as the ability to record your voice. The characters are limited to "myth" type characters and the theme is to create fairy tale or legends, but a powerful tool.

Toon Do

Toon Do is my favorite tool in this post. Toon do does require registration, but for good reason. It has more characters, objects, speech bubbles, etc... then any of the other sites combined! It again has a very easy to use interface, and even allows you to create different frames (not just the typical 3 frame). This tool would really allow you to create stories very specific to a student.


Well I hope I've inspired you to check this out and take a moment to create your own story. If you have any you'd like to share, leave me a comment with the link to your comic strip!




- Patrick


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Most Viewed Posts

As the end of the year approaches, I'd like to take some time to share some of my favorite posts, posts that have garnered a lot of comments, and posts that are the most viewed. I'll be sharing these over the next few days. So today let's start with some of the most viewed posts of my short blogging career!

Social Stories Sites

Making Talking Powerpoint Books
Boardmaker Plus Book Template
PODD & Partner Assisted Communication
New info on PODD, now has a US version for letter paper available here: US Letter PODD
Math Fact Cafe

So if you're new to Teaching All Students, take a look at these posts, and for those who've followed for a while feel free to take a look back and refresh your memory. Have a wonderful Christmas everybody, and Happy Hanukkah too!

Patrick

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The Picture Communication Symbols 1981-2008 by Mayer-Johnson LLC.
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.
Boardmaker is a trademark of Mayer-Johnson LLC.

social stories site

A great link was shared on the Boardmaker Group recently. This is a link to a great site for social stories. The blog that it was mentioned on is here at the Fruitful Prairie:

Fruitful Prairie - Social Stories

Which links you to the Kansas Autism Spectrum Disorders website. They have an entire section devoted to social narratives and power cards. They use many different characters (Dora, Thomas, etc...) to help teach students different skills. The files are available in different formats too - powerpoint, word, Boardmaker, and more. Check out this great resource for writing social stories.

Patrick