Just Read The Words...Or Listen Too

In the last post I tried a new application that gives you the option to hear the text. Some of us may not have needed it, some may have found it helpful while some may have found it essential.

We have students who cannot access text for a variety of reasons. Low vision and reading challenges are two common ones. But what about the student with attention difficulties? What about the student with sensory processing issues who does not register sensory input unless it is enhanced? Hearing and seeing allows for a multisensory approach that improves attention and helps some students to "notice" salient information. Perhaps you have students who are auditory learners. Hearing is the best channel to receive and retain information.

We can provide adult support to read the material for these students. This fosters dependence. As occupational therapists, we are always aiming for independence, however.

We can let our students struggle. Just read the words some may say. Easier said than done for certain students. They may eventually do it, but what have they missed in the process?

Now, thanks to the web 2.0 world we live in, there is an easy solution...and it's free. ReadTheWords is a web based service that assists people with written material. They do this by using TTS Technology, or Text To Speech Technology. It was created to assist students with learning disabilities with their studies, by means of auditory learning and auditory processing. The developers quickly learned that it was being used by many others for a variety of purposes. It has proved to be a great example of universal design because it accommodates a wide spectrum of users in their daily lives.

There is nothing to download and you can access this service online from any computer, anywhere. Once the text is converted, it does not have to sit on your computer. Students can take their reading on the go by adding it to their ipod or mp3 player. This keeps the information at the student's fingertips, at their desk in school or available at home for studying and review. ReadTheWords provides 15 voices to choose from and you can control the pitch and speed of the voices according to your preference. They read English, Spanish and French.

We want to make the information easily available to our students. We don't want them to run a marathon each time they need information. How exhausting and tiring would that be? The Boston Marathon is coming up, by the way. It is a commendable accomplishment, but not something you do on a daily basis!

photo citation: Benimoto

Talking Photos

Convert any photo into a talking character with PQ Talking Photo. Currently it runs on Windows XP/Vista, but a Mac version is expected sometime this year. Here is what it can do:

• Create animated characters from any photo you want.
• Easy to use. With simple mouse clicks, the animation can be generated in a few seconds.
• Only one picture is needed to construct a realistic 3D face for animation
• Animate any human or animal photos, paintings, drawings or even sketchs.
• Automatically match lip movement with voice.
• Support any spoken languges: English, Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, etc.
• Create your talking photo album, live avatars on blogs, funny greeting card, pets talk show, etc.

Note: If you blog about it, they will send you a free copy of the software.

I was pondering the classroom applications of this fun tool before having an adequate dose of morning caffeine when I came across David Muir's post from his EdCompBlog. He has some great ideas:

I think there is great educational potential for animated talking pictures. You could get a picture of an historical character and put pupil generated words in their mouth... Or get pupils to talk in the persona of a fictional character... Or different pupils could record the same message but present it in different ways depending on the emotions shown by the person in the picture - in anger, in sadness, with resignation etc.

Fun With Photos

Winter break is over. It was a time for many of us to connect with families and friends. If you had a camera clicking the whole time, what will you do with all those images? Now you can get creative and have fun with your photos. Check out fd's Flickr Toys for some ways to express yourself and share your pictures.

This photo used the motivational poster feature. I can imagine some great posters for the classroom. At Hosmer School, we are "Respectful, Responsible, Hardworking and Successful". Maybe we will see some posters created by the students that reflect these traits?

Qipit - Camera Click and Share

Take a digital image (from your cellphone camera or digital camera) and turn it into a sharable document.

- Scribbled ideas on napkins
- White board teacher notes
- Handwritten notes from a meeting




Check out qipit...it's free. Their blog provides all sorts of tips and suggestions.

VoiceThread - Create, Comment and Connect!

My New Favorite Tool! Why?
It's Simple (the less clicks it requires, the more we are apt to use it)
It's adaptable (can be used in may different ways)
It's free for everyone (and the Pro version is free for K-12 educators)
It's just plain cool!

VoiceThread is a program to upload images (photos, documents, powerpoints, videos, etc.). But it's better than that. You can add your voice to comment about what is on the screen. Others can add their voices to keep the conversation going. To see a fun example, watch this voice thread of an old family photo.



Browse the examples under presentations, travel, family and classroom. We can use voice threads for social stories, how-to demos, digital story telling, skill practice, monitoring students' reading progress...I could go on and on. Families can document events in their lives and share with relatives and friends.

After showing this to a group of special educators here at Hosmer, I instantly got examples emailed back to me. The creativity is contagious. Go try it!

Work With Wings

The Hosmer student blog, Work With Wings, is a place where students can share their ideas, interests and creations. Take a look at what these kids find interesting as they give their work wings to share with the world.

Please add a comment about their work...they love to read them!

Photo by gadjoboy/scott from flickr

Making a Mouse Manageable

No, I am not talking about the ones eating my son's computer cable at his house in Philly, shared with other City Year volunteers. I'm sure he would appreciate any rodent advice, but I am talking about the mice we use to navigate our computers.

Some of our younger students cannot control the mouse to move around the computer screen. Programs that require a simple click are appropriate to use with these youngsters. This usually requires an adult to physically hold the standard mouse in one spot so the child can respond. Why not encourage independence and adapt the tool instead? Introducing the "Mouse House." A regular mouse is placed inside a small notebook. Pressing on the surface of the notebook activates the mouse button. It works well with cause and effect software or to advance slides in a PowerPoint. This makes the child an active participant rather than a passive observer. How simple can this be to create your own? Check out the directions found on the Simplified Technology website by Linda Burkhart.

Thanks to Linda Einis at the Adaptive Activites Library for passing on this site.

Cool School Tool - Spatial Order Idea

Do you want to limit distractions while maintaining order on your desktop? Craft a desktop easel. We make ours from copy paper boxes...the folds are in the right places! If you have a sheet to study or copy, clip it to your easel. It also folds flat for easy storing. Try it, you might like it.

electronic FLASHCARDS

Index cards are useful, but limited. Create your own flashcards on your computer with this free program. The possibilities are endless...practice spelling words, math facts and vocabulary words. These flashcards are truly multisensory! You can import images, video, change background colors and record sounds. Studycard Studio Lite is free from http://www.digitalmeadow.com/
Check it out!

Cool School Tool - slant board

The muscles of the hand are divided into power muscles and precision muscles. The precision muscles (needed for writing) work better when the wrist is extended. Notice students who write with their wrist bent. They are probably experiencing muscle fatigue. Writing on a slanted surface is a good solution. Architects and artists often use an inclined surface. There are slanted clipboards that provide this function, but let's think along the lines of reinvention and reuse. Any 3-4 inch three ring binder makes a great slanted surface for a student's desk. Try it out!

Cool School Tool - water bottle weights

Weights!

Weights are a great way to build hand and arm strength, but did you realize they also have a calming, organizing effect? Drink your water and then fill up the bottle with sand or kitty litter. Glue on the cap and you have 1 lb. weight. Use these weights to help a student transition to different areas in the school (especially helpful in keeping those waundering hands off walls and other people).

Cool School Tool - the tennis ball

Last month the Boston Globe printed an article on two "do-it-yourself" magazines, Make and Ready Made. These magazines are for people who look at everyday items and think, "How else can I use these objects?" They encourage reinvention and reuse - finding the strange but perfect beauty in everyday things. OTs as a group have embraced this concept in order to adapt items to meet their clients' needs. The next several posts will focus on common place objects that can be used a school tools.

The first featured item is the tennis ball. By now you have seen several classrooms with them on the bottoms of chair legs (not our original idea, but certainly admired by us). They allow the chairs to be pushed in with minimal effort and without a sound...a quiet classroom!

Another use is the hand puppet. Cut a slit for a mouth, draw a face and squeeze to open. Have the student store pennies or other manipulatives in them. At home, stick your child's lunch money in and give them a chance to build their hand strength daily.














Find someone who belongs to a tennis club and give them an empty bag to fill up. Tennis balls lose their bounce and they get thrown away.

Cool School Tools - seat sack

Are you aways waiting for students to find their assignment notebooks at the end of the day, buried in a sea of loose papers in their desk? Well, look to the seat sack for instant organization! The seat sack can hold items that are used frequently during the school day. Available at Therapro (www.theraproducts.com/) and Childcraft (www.childcrafteducation.com/).