Showing posts with label visuals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label visuals. Show all posts

Monday, September 9, 2013

#AppMondayTAS - Symbol Support

Each week I will be featuring an app from BridgingApps.org.  These apps are features in the Bridging Apps newsletter each week and are reviewed by Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Special Education Teachers.  Come back each week for a new review.  If you’d like more information on how to use the BridgingApps.org website, or to find more app reviews, please click here.

Attainment's Symbol Support - $59.99 (Universal)




Reviewer Comments

SymbolSupport is an excellent app to be used as a reading and communication support for someone who needs symbol support to read and comprehend. This is an app that an adult/caregiver would use to create documents with symbols for someone who cannot read words or needs symbols to help them comprehend what they are reading.
SymbolSupport allows you type any text, and it adds symbols to each word as you type. The app comes with two symbol libraries: GoTalk Image Library and Slater Symbols, and then you also have the option of using images from your photo library.
When creating a document you have a variety of setting options. You can choose if you want the symbols on the top and bottom, if you want it to automatically symbolize the text or if you want to choose which words have symbols. You can choose if you want the parts of speech to be different colors and what colors you want. Each of these settings is set for that document only, so each document you create can be very individualized.
Along with these settings it also gives you “details” about the document such as, sentence count, word count, and grade level. You can also turn on the "read only" setting so that once you are done creating the document, the person using the document can not make changes on it. Once the document is finished and ready for the user you have more options. You can have it read aloud to the user and/or you can have it highlight each word as it is read. These options have to be turned on in your iPad’s general settings. You can also share this document via wireless or as an image through email.
There is also another app called SymbolSupport Viewer App. This app can receive, read, store and print documents that have been created in the SymbolSupport App but it can not edit the documents. So if you and the person who will be reading the documents each have your own iPad, you could have the full version of the app on your iPad and he/she could have the support app so you can then create the documents on your app and then share it with him and he can read it through the support app.
This feature would especially helpful to a teacher whose students have their own iPads. The teacher would need the full version but the students could just have the viewer app, and they would be able to receive any documents the teacher created. The teacher could create one document on her iPad and then share it with all of her students. (And the best part is that the viewer app is free!)
You can make your document as simple or complex as you want, so this app could be used for children/adults of all levels and abilities. The full version app also comes with a detailed and user friendly “User’s Guide” that is easy to access at anytime while creating document. Also be sure to check out the screen shots because that will give you a visual for what the documents will look like.
Mobile Devices
Assistive Traits
Assistive/Independent
iTunes Categories
BridgingApps Categories
Disclaimer:

You may copy, modify format, distribute and perform the work(s), including app reviews and any data even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission provided that you: a) cite our research project and publications as follows: BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston; b) agree that we make no warranties about the work(s) or data, and disclaim liability for all uses of the work(s) or data, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law; c) when using or citing the work(s) or data, you should not imply endorsement by us; and d) do not misrepresent the work or its content, or any part thereof, or present it any manner which would have the effect of disparaging BridgingApps, Easter Seals Greater Houston or any affiliated entity or person.




Share this
Do you know somebody else who would find this post interesting or useful? Please forward it to them. Did somebody forward this post to you? Visit Teaching All Students and subscribe to receive posts for free. If you need a RSS Reader please visit this post Google Reader Replacements.

Monday, June 10, 2013

#AppMondayTAS - SoundingBoard


Each week I will be featuring an app from BridgingApps.org.  These apps are features in the Bridging Apps newsletter each week and are reviewed by Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Special Education Teachers.  Come back each week for a new review.  If you’d like more information on how to use the BridgingApps.org website, or to find more app reviews, please click here.



Sounding Board - Universal, Free
Reviewer Comments
SoundingBoard is a simple yet effective AAC communication board for children or adults who are non-verbal or for students who may "freeze" in an emergency and can not get their words out.
The app is preloaded with 14 boards with the option of 9 pictures per board depending on the needs of the user. AbleNet has an extensive library of pictures to change photos. There is also the option of using your own photos for certain boards. The other nice feature is the option to use your own voice when editing pictures such as your name and phone number.
Editing the board is also very user friendly. Caretakers, teachers or therapists just turn off the edit lock in the settings and simply go to the board they want to edit and either add or delete pictures. This is where you also can change the given voice and put in your own.
There is an option for in-app purchases from Able-Net to purchase boards dealing with restaurants, movies, general conversation getting dressed and mealtime. They are separated by female or male making the expressions more appropriate for a variety of users.
This app is one of the tools we use with all of our students as it helps with choice making, expressive language, receptive language and social skills. Two important boards are the Emergency Information and Emergency Help. In our classroom, we use this as one of our warm up exercises.
This is a must have tool for as it can be adjusted to the needs of the child. Our non-verbal students will use this app when they need to get information out quickly, especially for requesting help.
For those who are unable to use a touch screen, but who can operate assistive switches, the app can be used with 1 or 2 Bluetooth-connected switches.
Auditory Scanning: SoundingBoard now allows auditory scanning in addition to single and dual switch scanning. Auditory scanning works by playing a short "prompt message" during single or dual scanning actions. When the user selects the appropriate cell, the full message plays.
The app offers detailed videos and instructions at:
http://www.ablenetinc.com/Assistive-Technology/Communication/SoundingBoard
Possible IEP Goals:
Student will be able to state their address.
Student will be able to state their phone number.
Student will be able to make a choice from between two choices.
Attributes
Mobile Devices
Independent Traits
Assistive Traits
Assistive/Independent
iTunes Categories
BridgingApps Categories
Disclaimer:
You may copy, modify format, distribute and perform the work(s), including app reviews and
any data even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission provided that you: a)
cite our research project and publications as follows: BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals
Greater Houston; b) agree that we make no warranties about the work(s) or data, and disclaim
liability for all uses of the work(s) or data, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law; c)
when using or citing the work(s) or data, you should not imply endorsement by us; and d) do not
misrepresent the work or its content, or any part thereof, or present it any manner which would
have the effect of disparaging BridgingApps, Easter Seals Greater Houston or any affiliated
entity or person.







Share this
Do you know somebody else who would find this post interesting or useful? Please forward it to them. Did somebody forward this post to you? Visit Teaching All Students and subscribe to receive posts for free. If you need a tutorial please visit this post: RSS Readers.