Another example: Pic Collage for Mobility, Ease and Versatility

In my session on creating "stories" for SLP Summit last week (recording available free until August 15, Register here), I focused on thinking about features of resources that might make a clinician pick one over another. You may pick Pic Collage if you like using your iPad, doing a pass-and-add playlike activity (I learned from the authors of We Thinkers that add-a-thought=play=conversation), or want the versatility of being able to quickly cut around any image. You may have seen in my recent post on Google Slides/Jamboard that this is not always QUITE as easy there. So always be thinking FEATURES.

Pic Collage, free, available for iPad, Android, and runnable on new Macs (M1 chip) allows for the creation of a visual as-you-go, so that student contributions to the context can be instantly reinforceable, and it is easy enough for them to use themselves. The menu allows you to add photos from your library, search the web for photos (a school-clean version of BING), and also add text or doodles (powerful because you can sketch things that may be hard to find photos of, or sketch over a photo)

As I showed in the session, you can start with a setting (story element teaching) and add elements of the setting (descriptive sequence level of narration) or introduce an initiating event, such as the bear! Double tap on any picture you add to be able to "trim" around it.

We also talked briefly about expository vs. story language (a good resource is here) and adding to LISTs-one key informational macrostructure- can also be a playful or academically important task. This was made with Pic Collage with/for a student who was learning about the topic/list of "different ways to pay" during a consumer science class. 

5 Reasons the iPad is Still Relevant to SLPs

When the iPad came out in 2010, I was skeptical. It seemed like a big iPhone and I wasn't sure it would take off. Showing how much I know, it soon became an educational sensation and took off, particularly in the field of speech-language pathology. Before you knew it, there was a surge of interest in my blog, SLP app lists, and professional development sessions on using it as an assessment and therapy tool. The App Store filled with apps designed for SLPs (still relevant also) and schools invested in carts and equipping all their staff with an iPad.

Apple still pumps out new iPads but there is much less talk about them. First of all Chromebooks made accessing the web and Google productivity apps cheap and easy for schools. Secondly, a pandemic pushed everyone into an environment where iPads were less useful (between skittishness about touching shared objects and confusion/limitations about using it in remote teaching), and I believe everyone also got a bit tired of technology, after it became non-optional for so long. In 2022, I think the iPad is still useful as a tool, however, and here are a few reasons why.

1. Lower screens to the table. Raised screens laptop-style promotes faces-in-screens. It's much easier to have a conversation over an iPad or with the use of an Apple TV and reinforce those face to face interactions.

2. Pass-and-play. A form of play and conversation is adding thoughts to a context. This is supremely easy to do with an iPad (and hand sanitizer) and not so much with a laptop. Consider an activity like adding contextual items to a collage (or trimming around them to create a gestalt) with Pic Collage.

3. Price. The newest iPads are relatively inexpensive at $329. There are also still many free and low-cost apps available.

4. Little Hands. Let's face it- it's still not easy for K-3 students at least to log into a Chromebook and handle a mouse. Feeling successful with a tap is more engaging than frustrating clicks and drags.

5. Interactivity and No-BS access. There are few rivals on the web to assets such as Toca Boca and their younger kiddo company, Sago Mini, the apps of which bring visuals and interactivity to countless world contexts, therefore opening the door to speech and language targets. Similarly, many web resources charge subscription fees for full access. By and large when you download an app (avoiding the ones with many in-app purchases), it's yours without more haggling. The integration of camera/photos and drawing/text tools in apps like Book Creator, among other easier-to-use creation tools, is also less seamless on a laptop.

In conclusion, I currently favor having the option of both a full web browser (e.g. laptop) and the iPad at my disposal! If you are interested in hearing about some more examples, be sure to register for SLP Summit (free) where I am presenting alongside some amazing people next week!

If you have more reasons the iPad is still relevant to you (or not), please let us know in the comments!

Getting started with Minecraft

I described in a recent post coming to find some good uses for Minecraft with interested clients and groups. This previous post was about using Education Edition which not all have access to, so I wanted to make sure I described some applications for regular Minecraft. I first of all recommend getting started with the iPad edition, previously called Pocket Edition (there is also an Android tablet edition, both around $7 but then giving you everything you need). There is a lot to Minecraft that I don't even yet fathom but when you think of it as a digital LEGO set, that is a great place to start. Additionally one might add that there is evidence that involving LEGO in therapy improves communication and play skills, and these ideas can translate to Minecraft (I like good old LEGOs too). 

In this post I will briefly describe creating a world and getting started. This has been a great context in groups in the past weeks of simply deciding something to build, using visual supports to preview a "future picture" (see Sarah Ward/Kristen Jacobsen's work and just look up "make a simple ___ in Minecraft" on YouTube, e.g. a swimming pool). In the process group members work on fulfilling a group plan, adding thoughts and play moves in the app, and of course, flexibility and conversation. You can also use Minecraft in straightforward language stimulation activities as it could be used to foster description, concepts and following directions skills (you can even add signs in the world with text on them).

I keep it simple and do a play and pass situation with one iPad, but your kids could tell you there are ways to have people join a world from multiple devices. In our situation, mirroring the iPad to an Apple TV keeps everyone engaged when it isn't their turn. 

To get started, open the app and tap Play, and in the Worlds tab tap Create New. Name the world and change the game mode to Creative. Your students may balk and ask for Survival but I don't want them killing each other or being killed in the game. I wouldn't worry about all the settings but definitely scroll down and turn on Always Day so the screen doesn't maddeningly dim on you when it becomes "night" in your world. I learned that one the hard way. 

The arrows in the lower left allow you to move. Tap and drag your finger to "look around" and change your viewpoint. First step can be finding an open space to build something.

The diamond control on the right allows you to "fly" up or down as another navigation option. Note the bottom squares are your inventory of materials, and start out as empty. Tap the three dots to edit your inventory. 

Items with a + are actually a category of materials. Tap to expand e.g. the blocks. Find something you would like to add to the inventory, tap it, then a square at the bottom to add it.

From here, build! Change your view so you can see a target spot, tap to place a block. Make a mistake, long tap and that breaks (removes the block). It just takes a little practice. Maybe make yourself a summer retreat to start! 

STPC peeps, if you want to see my Jeopardy! episode (or for others, too), it is here!

Sharing your iPad Screen during teletherapy

iPad apps can still be very useful in teletherapy even though you cannot really give cursor control. I discussed one workaround for this in this post using Bluestacks- an option you can experiment with. But since many iPad apps are Fairly Priced, Interactive, Visual, Educationally Relevant and "Speechie" (see my FIVES criteria info), and some of them are your go-to tools, there is still a lot we can do by showing them on screen (with the techniques in the video below, then screenshare in your teleplatform) and having conversations about what is seen, and having students make choices.

A reader and experienced teletherapist, Maureen Harper of GlobalSLPTherapy, put this very well and I am using her quote to me in an email with permission (she also contributed to a resource list I will be writing about tomorrow):

You are correct that using ipad apps limits the client from being able to directly control the app. As I have used ipad apps though, I have found them to be extremely motivating for the client to give me directions on what to do. They love being the "teacher". They have proven to be a great asset in expressive language development.

So, I'm not a great video-maker. I forgot even to shoot this in landscape, but it does the trick in offering a few updated options for showing your iPad screen in teletherapy. Email subscribers, here is the video.
For Mac: use the built-in free QuickTime application
For PC: Look at LonelyScreen, Reflector or AirServer (note these last two also work for Android devices)

Approaching iOS 11...carefully

For those of us that depend on our iPads to any extent in our work, a new operating system brings exciting new features, but some trepidation. As it should. Apple released iOS 11 two weeks ago, and it comes with some cool updates particularly for the iPad. Note also that not all devices currently "out there" will be prompted to install (i.e. "can run") iOS 11. This is just a function of the cycle of upgrading (and on the downside, the march toward obscelence). To see if your device can run iOS 11, check this list. Remember you can always google your device model number (on the back, wicked small) to find out what generation your device is. If you are not able to update, don't stress. This doesn't mean your device is useless at all. You may run into apps that you cannot download due to your use of an earlier operating system, or hear of updates to apps that are similarly not available to your device. Just keep on keepin' on and think about upgrading to a new device eventually. The 5th Generation iPad is quite reasonably priced at $329.

It seems that iOS 11 was a line in the sand Apple needed to draw with developers who have not updated their apps in some time, and they need to update their apps for compatibility or they will simply not launch once you have installed iOS 11. This is the real reason I wanted to write this post, to advise you to wait a bit before updating (a month, maybe?) and check compatibility of your indispensable apps before you update. They've made this really easy to do! THIS POST EXPLAINS HOW.

I went through this list and checked, and for me there was nothing I couldn't live without except the original Toontastic (I'm ok with the new Toontastic 3D, but before updating I need to save some animations I made in the original as I often talk about the applications of these types of apps in workshops).

Unfortunately, if the developer is no longer interested on keeping their app functioning, apps that remain incompatible will just take up space on your iPad. Check out these different ways to delete apps- I particularly like the 2nd way of deleting from Settings.

I look forward to talking about the cool features of iOS 11 in the weeks to come.

Overview of iOS7 for SLPs and Educators

You may have heard that a new version of iOS- iOS7- is available! This gives your iPad operating system a new look and feel and additional features. This new operating system is accessed (for free) in your Settings app under General>Software Update for iPad 2s and later, including the mini. I did my updates after a backup and "over the air" (i.e. through Settings), rather than connecting to iTunes via a computer, and it went smoothly, though it took about an hour, so be sure to allow that time.

You can of course delay updating for some time, and conservatively, this may be a good idea in order to allow developers time to make any necessary updates.

Here are some recommendations on steps to update.

I made a quick-and-dirty video to get this information out there, so forgive the length (there was a lot to show) and a little bit of choppy editing:



The video covers the following:

Look and Feel- the OS has a cleaner, minimalist look, with fewer references to real-world objects such as notepads, torn pages, and leather stitching (skeuomorphism). The icons reflect this, though with a wacky color palette. There are also differences in the animations and gestures used. I left out that iOS7-aligned apps now use a sweep to left to delete. MOST of your apps will behave the same way they did before the update, but look for apps to update to be aligned with iOS7. Not everyone loves the new look and feel, but it does represent steps forward in design and function. Particularly the reduction of skeuomorphism is an effort to advance users from the days of "push here" and "Hey, the app looks like a notebook." Megan Sutton and I were discussing iOS7 and noted that clients and students may need additional training to remember what to do with their fingers, particularly those with language and memory impairments!

Folders- the amount of apps you can now place in a folder is unlimited, rather than 20 only, so you can combine your categories that have multiple folders of apps.

Spotlight- the app searching feature is now available by sweeping down from about the center of any home page, so you can find apps when you need to, faster.

Control Center- many features can be turned on or off by sweeping up from the bottom of the screen, rather than going into Settings. The video shows how to turn off Control Center within apps so that students do not become confused by activating it within an app.

Multitasking Bar- now provides preview cards of what each app screen currently looks like, and apps are force-quit by a sweep up in the Multitasking Bar. Fun!

Safari- the web browser has been redesigned so that you can search and enter web addresses from the same unified bar, and Shared Links can be viewed if you sign into Twitter in your Settings app.

Siri- for 3rd gen iPads and above, Siri has improved voices including a guy!

Updates- app updates can now be run automatically, but I recommend keeping these manual (in Settings> iTunes and App Store) so you know what the new features are and can pick and choose.

Parallax- kind of a throwaway feature, the apps on your home screens now have a 3D feel when you move your iPad around. This can be turned off if causing students to stim or for those with visual impairments (under Accessibility>Reduce Motion).

Accessibility- see Interactive Accessibility and Luis Perez' YouTube channel for information on new switch access.

For the sake of time, I did not cover the new Camera interface or editing features for photos (filters!) but do check these out.

For more technical notes on iOS7 and education, including the AirDrop file-sharing feature handy for collecting student work in a classroom, click here.

Happy updating!

Interactive Books and More with Collins' Big Cat Series

Harper Collins' "Big Cat" Series of apps for iPad is not to be missed- you should be sure to download all 8 of the apps while they are free! These interactive books are great for your early learners or those working on developmentally lower skills. Each book consists of a short, simple story which can be read to students via audio, or students can read themselves, activating small interactive elements (animations) which boost engagement along the way. The books contain rich illustrations without many words, so that clinicians will have the opportunity to stop and elicit language, which can also be recorded and played back to the student for engagement and auditory feedback.

An illustration from "Playing"- a contextual means to elicit pronouns, verbs, causals, or other targets.

Each book smartly has a contextual language theme or category woven into a story- weather, directionality, etc. The stories themselves have an action sequence narrative structure, and could be used with tools such as Story Grammar Marker® to target narrative elements and retelling of characters, settings and actions.

The BEST part of the "Big Cat" apps is that each is also a creation tool in which you can make your own "books" within the app. Students can arrange backgrounds and visual elements from the story, adding text and audio for a retelling or their own creations. This is truly an awesome feature for a free app! Although these creations cannot be shared outside of the app, this is where screenshots come in handy.

Grab 'em and spread the word!

Note: author has a contractual relationship with Mindwing Concepts, creator of Story Grammar Marker, for creation of blog content.

Appy-Picking Month: Buildo Museum

We clearly love to use Halloween as a topic in October, and so do our kids.  Last year I got into the Buildo "sticker book" types of apps (geared toward adding characters and objects to a scene, like Colorforms) and was a bit confused when they released Buildo Museum in the spring. Museum, huh? Does it involve docents, audio guides, and bored children? Ohhhhh, it turns out it was a haunted museum.  OK.

Buildo Museum ($1.99) has an edge on other sticker book apps (see Clickysticky series, which I also like) because of its panoramic scenes, allowing you to sweep left or right to add more stuff, and also wacky sound effects.

Also see the other Buildo apps- Rescue is a favorite of mine.

Language Lens:

-Sticker book apps are a form of digital storytelling and can therefore be used to target all kinds of story structure, from simple action sequences to more cause-effect chains. At the micro level, you can also develop vocabulary, description, verb and pronoun use.  

-Kids can follow directions to create a scene, or direct each other in a barrier task.

-Screenshot the scene to extend to a writing activity.

Common Core Connection:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Be sure to read Jeremy Legaspi's great post on app-dapting a multitude of Halloween-themed apps toward speech and language interventions.

Appy-Picking Month: Kid's Journal

Whoo! I made it to day 2 of Appy-Picking Month!

Today's pick is Kid's Journal ($1.99), a wonderfully simple creation app from educator Scott Meech's App of Approval.

Kid's Journal was designed as an easy way for kids to "reflect on their day," but it can be re-purposed in many ways for speech-language and special education interventions.

Using Kid's Journal, kids can tap to select their feeling, location, and weather (think categories) for the day, then write (or dictate to you) a sentence or two and take/add a picture.  Journal entries can be easily exported and shared via email.  Journals can be organized by individual students or groups if you like.

Language Lens:

-Kid's Journal can be used for home-school connections with a visual support for students to describe something they did in a session or during the school day. I used it every day with a particular student to place in his home notebook.

-Clinicians can bypass the "What did I do today?" prompt and have students write a sentence or two about just about anything, targeting curriculum vocabulary, sentence structure, categories, or social skills.  

-In addition to using the iPad camera, consider adding a saved image to the journal to support these targets. 

Common Core Connection:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.1e Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home).

October is Appy-Picking Month! (and LeafSnap)

Before I go any further, I must acknowledge that I stole the phrase "Appy-Picking" from the terrific EdCeptional podcast...imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  Have you listened to EdCeptional lately?

I must confess that I am not a big fan of the fall. Many of us seasonal affective disorder (SAD) sufferers view haybales, pumpkins and mums as harbingers of death.  However, I don't want to snow on anyone's fall festival, and figured I should get with the autumnal spirit.

Therefore, I am declaring October "Appy-Picking Month" here on SpeechTechie, and will be featuring 31 (I hope) bite-size posts about apps you can use in your therapy or clinical work, with maybe a more rambly analytical post here and there (consider those the roads between apple fields)!

To start, let's look at Leafsnap, an innovative app developed by a number of educational giants such as Columbia University and the Smithsonian. Leafsnap is an "electronic field guide" to trees that is easily tied to curriculum around plants and seasons. I actually always use this one as an example of a curriculum-related interactive app, which I think are still few and far between. This free app uses technology similar to face recognition techniques to recognize and catalog plant species.  You can actually use this app to scan a leaf you pick up on a "walk" with your students, and the app will attempt to identify it! Leafsnap contains a lot of data about the Northeast U.S., and the plan is to expand that; I'd recommend you try out the app first before using it with students if you are not in the Northeast.

Image via FastCompany

Language Lens:

-Leafsnap can facilitate discussion of sequential differences between seasons, description, comparing/contrasting of leaves, and parts of trees (high-res pictures can be viewed for each species including individual parts- leaves, fruit, bark, etc), and the mapping interface can elicit all kinds of spatial language and relevant connections to students' own neighborhoods.

Common Core Connection:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.3 Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

Flummox and Friends

If you follow my posts here, you know I have a strong interest in social learning, and I am always looking for ways to engage my students in developing social cognition.  Video is definitely an engaging medium to help students discuss social interactions in context. The problem with finding fun, engaging video is, well, finding it and knowing the timing of clips, etc.  The problem with many video modeling products on the market, although there is a good evidence base behind these products, is that they don't engage (especially high-functioning) students very much and....zzzzzzzz.

Enter Flummox and Friends! Flummox and Friends is a video (currently available for free, and hopefully a series, currently there is just the pilot) available on the web and EASILY playable on iPad or other devices, relating the adventures of a group of somewhat socially-challenged scientists and their neighbors, who aren't all that socially adept, either. Notably, the series was created by a parent of a child on the spectrum, Christa Dahlstrom, along with two SLPs, Jordan Sadler and Liesl Wenzke Hartmann, who developed the curriculum addressed in the videos.

The pilot episode involves a party that doesn't quite go as planned, based on various problematic social behaviors involving "Tuning In" to the group.  The episode is well-paced, funny, and subtle enough that you can use it with a group and have them identify exactly what is going wrong, but the episode also features the characters processing (and even singing and dancing about) the target skills and strategies that they will remember to use next time. In addition to the live-action segments, there are several animated components adding additional entertainment value and opportunities for discussion. Think of it as an Electric Company for social interaction. I especially liked the animated segment in which real kids discuss their own challenges with "tuning in" to others in a group.

The creators provide a nice professional guide to Flummox and Friends on their website. Also, as I am trying to coordinate the use of this resource among our staff, I made a quick-and-dirty map of the episode with good stopping points and discussion topics to use with kids. In addition to the suggestions in the guide, this episode presents a great opportunity to develop narrative language and social comprehension with tools such as Story Grammar Marker.

I hope you'll give this resource a look and spread the word, so that the creators will soon give us an episode 2! Check out their Facebook page, Twitter feed or mailing list for updates (links all on site).

Google Earth and Cracking Curriculum Content

It's exciting to have the continued opportunity to contribute to the ASHA Leader for a few of their APP-titudes columns.  It's a different kind of writing, and I have to go back to stuff I did not learn when completing my journalism degree at BU, and that Magazine Journalism class I never took (I never really liked asking people, you know, questions), but it seems to come out ok after editorial assistance.

In my piece that just came out this week, I discuss apps that clinicians can use to facilitate the daunting process of making your therapy educationally relevant, meaning that the context mirrors or parallels what is going on in the classroom setting.  This is a huge passion of mine, though I feel I must clarify two possible misconceptions.  First of all, I am not talking about SLPs being tutors of classroom subjects.  Rather, the classroom content can be used as a context or target to target goals and strategies: e.g. categorization, description, use of graphic organizers, visualization, and so on. Secondly, although this topic is important, I realized as I saw my column in an issue filled with information about Common Core, it wasn't really about Common Core, as (for now) those standards are only in Language Arts and Math.  But the information I shared can be about Common Core, and I decided where possible that I would include a Common Core Connection in my posts to link resources shared here to relevant Common Core standards, as I know many public school SLPs are struggling to integrate those.

In my column, I wrote, "In addition to the built-in maps app, Google Earth, available for iOS, Android, and any desktop or laptop machine, provides an extraordinary view of any geographic region. Google Earth allows clinicians to target spatial concepts, descriptive language, categories, and reading comprehension, all by zooming in on locations and viewing photos in the Panoramio layer. The stunning interactive 3D imagery available on the desktop version will soon be available on mobile devices as well."

These columns are written somewhat ahead of time, and I wanted to let you know (and see) that the free Google Earth app NOW has 3D imagery for select cities (with more to come): Boston (yay), Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, San Francisco, Geneva, and Rome.

A 3D view of Boston you can interact with via touch.  The new Tour Guide feature makes Google Earth even more navigable with "playable" (and pausable) views of landmarks and key geographic features. Panoramio Photos provide you with countless visual stimuli to explore, describe and discuss with students.

The new version also comes with a super-handy tutorial that opens on launch (later it can be re-accessed anytime under the "wrench" icon) that can provide a nice lesson in following directions:

This visual/touch tutorial shows you how to navigate in Google Earth for iPad, and also gives you a good opportunity to target spatial concepts including cardinal directions. Again, bring it up anytime under the "wrench" icon.

I really hope you enjoy this great app.  The only caveats I can share are that the 3D imagery is not available on iPad 1, and that I sometimes get a message that "Google Earth is running low on memory" but the app continues to function.

Common Core Connection
This app can be used, with your verbal prompting and scaffolding, to target standards such as:
SL.3.3. Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

What's new with Apple and what does it mean for SLPs?

As you might have heard inklings of (I myself was glued to Engadget's live blog), Apple is having its Worldwide Developer's Conference in San Francisco this week. Traditionally, the keynote address from this conference brings important product development announcements, and today's conference was no different.  As many people come to this site for information about iPad, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the key points that can affect our work and use of Apple products.

First of all, you MUST MUST MUST click through to see the wonderful video that was shown as part of the keynote address, focusing on how Apple products change lives. It features not only an app that helps people with visual impairments navigate the world in new ways, but also a terrific segment on how Toca Boca apps on iPad (one of my favorite lines) can be used as a tool in speech-language pathology.  Isn't that AMAZING? So few people even know what we do, and to be highlighted in this broad way on an international stage...just wonderful.   It's even better that my colleague and fellow editor of TherapyApp411 Renena Joy is the SLP featured in the film.  Click here for the video, and the segment about speech and language is at 12:45. The video really embodies the exact message and mission of this blog- to paraphrase Renena, what many kids think of as a toy can be to us a powerful tool for shaping speech and language development.  Thank you so much, Renena, for spreading this important message.

OK, so (*wiping tears of verclemptness*), what do you need to know about:

Mountain Lion- the new operating system for Mac (not iPad) will allow you to stream your Mac directly to an Apple TV (opportunities to use a Mac at home and during presentations in new ways) and also integrates with iCloud in more automatic ways. For instance, if you create materials with applications such as Keynote and Pages (Apple's presentation creator and word processor) they will simply show up in the corresponding iPad apps. Mountain Lion will also have Voice Dictation built in, which can be a helpful productivity tool and will also be useful for kids with language and learning disabilities.  They will be able to dictate any text into a Mac running Mountain Lion.  These features will be available in July, when you will be able to purchase Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store for $19.99. A bargain for a new operating system!

iOS 6- iOS 6 is the new operating system for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, and it will be available in the fall. Sadness at having to wait so long, but this is a free update that will be available through Settings if you are currently running iOS5, except...(here's a quick roundup of features):

1. These new features are not going to be available on iPad 1. Here's where you might want to start thinking about whether having this advanced operating system is important to you, and consider selling or handing down your iPad 1 and upgrading. 'Cause Apple is upgrading and leaving it behind, sorry.  I realize this is more than a little frustrating, but it goes with the territory.

2. Siri comes to iPad 3rd generation (only). Apple's voice assistant, Siri, will be coming to "New" iPads with iOS6.  This feature will allow you (and your students) to control the iPad in limited ways with your voice, for purposes of search, adding calendar items and reminders, launching apps, and all sorts of other things. Keep in mind that Siri and other dictation tools don't work well if the student has articulation difficulties.

3. Guided access. In iOS 6, you will be able to put your iPad in "single-app mode." This will allow you to prevent a child from exiting an app by tapping the home button. A great feature for those of us that work with children with special needs, who will benefit from this additional structuring of their iPad use. I imagine this will be very helpful for students running AAC apps on iPad.

4. New 3D Maps- As has long been rumored, Apple is ditching Google Maps and using their own data and programming within the Maps app.  This app will feature 3D buildings, which will be a great way to expose students to visuals about cities and elicit language related to the curriculum.  It will also feature turn-by-turn directions, which can be played as a "virtual field trip" and target sequential language.

5. Sharing- Facebook sharing will be integrated into the operating system for easy sharing of photos and other materials.  I think this is relevant to SLPs as many of us are using Facebook as a professional development and networking tool through our interaction with various speech and language related pages.  You'll also want to be careful about Photostream, itself a little dodgy because if you have it turned on under Settings>iCloud, your photos are automatically shared between devices.  i.e. That cocktail party picture of you on your iPhone would show up on your iPad as well, perhaps providing an unintentional language stimulus during a session.  Anyway, Photostream will now allow you to share photos to friends as you customize it (carefully)

There are a number of additional news-bits, so check out this post if you'd like to hear it all.

iPad Essentials: Use iCloud to Find and (Hopefully Not) Remote Wipe an iPad

In my last post, I mentioned using the Passcode Lock feature to protect data on your iPad, as we do use our device as a clinical tool.  An additional, and hopefully never necessary, safeguard involves the use of iCloud to delete your iPad's data.  iCloud confuses many people and for good reason- there is a lot to it.  Much of what happens with iCloud is actually more for personal than professional use, so I am not going to go into detail about its many features here.  Here is a post about what iCloud does, and here is a link on how to create an account/switch it on.

What I want to focus on in this post is iCloud's ability to help you find and/or "remote wipe" (which does exactly what it sounds like) your iPad. After setting up iCloud on your device, you can, as it mentions in the above post, download the Find my iPhone app.  This app also locates iPad, but further confuses people because if your iPad were lost, what good would it be to have an app on that missing device to find it? That sentence made me feel like a tree fell on me in the forest with no one around to hear it.

Presumably the Find my iPhone app would be helpful if you have multiple devices, but the whole function is also accessed another way.  If you have turned on the Find My iPad function in Settings>iCloud, as is shown in the picture from the above post:

Find My iPad=ON

You can also find your iDevices by logging into iCloud.com on a computer with the Apple ID (iCloud) login and password that you have used on your devices.  You can then select Find My iPhone (I know, it works for your iPad also), and your devices will be located, as long as they are online somehow.  Check it out, all of my devices are at home:

Click to enlarge

Perhaps I have an Apple Problem.

From here, you can Remote Lock or Remote Wipe (Erase) your iPad, thus protecting your student data. You can also play a sound that may help you locate your device, or send a "this device is being tracked" message that sometimes gives you a better chance of having a thief abandon your device (or you can freak out your teenager this way).

I hope you never have to use these steps, but it's really helpful to know about iCloud.com!

iPad Essentials: Use a Passcode

For this post in my series on iPad essentials, I wanted to discuss the use of passcodes, which is important as a confidentiality measure. Many of us have our iPad set to unlock immediately when you perform the "slide to unlock":

As you might know, your iPad goes into this state when you push the "Lock" button at the top of the iPad, officially known as the Sleep/Wake Button:

Image from official iPad User Guide

The iPad also goes to sleep and is locked when you close a Smart Cover on it or a preset time has elapsed (to change that time setting, open Settings, select General, then Auto-Lock and select the time period of inactivity after which your iPad will go to sleep/lock).

There are several reasons why SLPs might want to be using a passcode instead of allowing anyone to unlock our iPads with a simple swipe.

1. Confidentiality/HIPAA- I don't want to get too much into this, because being in a public school, we aren't as well versed in HIPAA. I need to catch up. But part of my understanding of HIPAA is that it is  not based in technology but behavior. What procedures do you follow that protect patient/client information?  If you keep any client information e.g. reports, emails, full names, identifying info, or other data on your iPad, you should be using a Passcode Lock.  ESPECIALLY if you remove the device from your workspace. 'Nuff said. 

2. Kids- you probably occasionally leave your iPad in reach of kids.  Said kids then go immediately to the iPad, swipe to unlock and begin to explore/play, resulting in a transition issue that you have to deal with. Adding a Passcode Lock solves this problem. AWWW, you can't get in, kiddo.  Now let's work with my agenda. :-)

Here's how you set a Passcode Lock.

1. Open the Settings app, and select General

2. On this screen you will see Passcode Lock, and it will be set to On or Off. Tap that field to go to the Passcode Lock screen.

3. On this screen you have a choice of entering a "simple" passcode (4-digits) or a longer one such as an alphanumeric (letter and number) sequence.  Make sure you remember it, and it is probably a good idea to turn off the "Erase Data" setting, because that is totally scary.

Note: if you saw my previous post about projecting iPad to a group, it's important to know that Passcodes and locking in general play into this process.  If your iPad goes to sleep/is locked while connected to a projector, it sometimes will then not be "found" by the projector when you wake it up/unlock.  Best bet is to turn off your passcode lock and set Auto-Lock to Never when you are projecting to a group or giving a presentation. You can then easily return to your protected setting when you are done.

Happy Locking!

iPad Essentials: Sharing your iPad screen as a Visual/Interactive Context with a Group

For another iPad Essentials post, I wanted to address a very frequently asked question about connecting iPad to LCD projectors, interactive whiteboards such as a Smartboard, TVs, and laptops. SLPs and special educators may be interested in displaying an iPad to a group in order to present info visually, or allow the group to experience an app; the iPad is an amazing teaching tool!

This is such a divergent process (you can do it so many ways!) that I thought it would be best to make a video.  This video goes through 6 different ways to share your iPad on a bigger screen, and they are all a lot easier than you think.  Because we are talking about 6 different ways, the vid is a tad long.  Feel free to skip to what you want to see and ignore my babbling.  Also, keep in mind I am not a videographer or producer, so I did the best I could shooting and editing this (with iMovie) on my iPad, and I don't know why I didn't get rid of the pen behind my ear, haha.  You may want to watch the video on a computer rather than iPad or mobile device, as I added annotations via YouTube that are only visible on the full web.



Note: Since I made this video, I learned about AirServer- an app for PC that reportedly serves the same purpose as Reflection for Mac, i.e. it allows you to mirror or show your iPad on your PC screen.

Here are some supporting links that are also in the annotations:
Apple iPad to VGA Converter
MacReach Episode on using Apple TV in Educational Settings
How to Activate AirPlay on iPad to stream to Apple TV connected to HDTV or LCD Projector
Adapter Required to connect Apple TV to LCD Projector
A Helpful Video on iPad and Apple TV in the Classroom (with SmartBoard)
Reflection App used to Mirror iPad on Mac Screen

Overall, this was fun to make and taught me about video editing on iPad and YouTube annotations...always good to have a context to learn!

Click here to see other entries in the iPad Essentials for SLPs series.

Bag Game

Bag Game is an interactive app for iPad and other iDevices (iPhone, iPod) that brings the game of "20 Questions" to the iPad format. Using Bag Game (the folks at all4mychild emphasize that it is a social game that can't be played alone) children can choose an object from various categories, hide it "in a bag" and engage in a clue-giving/guessing process with another child or you as the therapist. Question prompts are provided (e.g. "Is it in the ___ group?") that also function as a question/clue tally and gear the game toward the use of Yes/No questions. However, this activity can easily be modified to target use of key semantic attributes, with the "hider" providing clues about category, function, location, associations, and appearance to a communication partner. Guessing games of this type address a number of objectives, including semantics, listening, question formation, turn-taking and other social-pragmatic skills.

I really can't think of anything but positive things to say about this app! It's simple, yet addresses a complex and key skill that students need repeated practice with.  I have used it with kids at various grade levels and they love it, from the selection of the adorable illustrations to "bag," to the "pinching" effect that "opens the bag." The categories and category items are generous, such that the app could be used to target basic categories (included: animals and food, in various subcategories, sports equipment, appliances, instruments, tools, vehicles). Most of all, I am not a "stuff guy" and I would likely never endeavor to play a real "bag" game, with the exception of the activities that come with the Talkies program, so this app caters to my need for simplicity.  Speaking of Talkies, this app, with its hidden object  context, could also be used to target visualization as a language strategy.

Bag Game is also featured as part of all4mychild's terrific Social Adventures app, an e-guide to targeting social interactions through fun games, activities, catch phrases and visual cue cards, but as a stand-alone, the price is totally right at $1.99.

iPad Essentials: Gauge your Space

I thought it might be helpful over the next few months to share some iPad tips here, not necessarily the basics like turning on and off the device, but functions that can be viewed through an SLP lens as to how they affect our work!

The arrival of the "New iPad" (3rd Generation) and its "retina" display, which is Apple's way of saying the screen is as HD as your eye (what about people who wear glasses? is this term "lens-ist?") has raised concerns regarding how much space or memory one should have on his or her iPad. Apps that are "optimized" for the retina display tend to be bigger in size. For example, the Keynote presentation app almost tripled in size when becoming beautifully HD, growing from 115MB to 327MB. As a result, you may feel a lot less comfy with a 16G iPad, and my recommendation at this point is to consider the 32G for a new purchase. BUT, don't panic if you've got the little one, there are a few steps you can take to avoid the dreaded "your iPad is full" message.

1. Be aware of your available memory.

Many are afraid of the Settings app, but getting comfortable with navigating it is really essential to using your iPad well.  Don't go in and change things randomly, but also don't fear that you will activate a self-destruct sequence somehow and soon be sitting with a fiery iPad. In the Settings app, under General (where many of the important settings are), you can tap on Usage. This brings up this screen (note, the storage list takes a few moments to load).  Here you can see which apps are taking up the most space; this is determined not only by the app itself but also the data you have stored with it- created projects and such.

You can tap on the words Show All Apps and this is really the only place on the iPad itself that you can see a full list of apps installed on your iPad (organized in descending order of memory hoggage).

Here's where you can make some tough decisions. If you have a 16G iPad at near capacity (note the numbers right under the word Storage- they tell you how much space you have available), do you need your rarely used Where's Waldo? app, which eats half a gig? Hold that thought a minute.

From this screen, you have another function you can perform-tapping on an app in the list here brings up a means to delete it right away (knowing that you can re-install at any time):

2. Delete what you don't need (keeping in mind you can reinstall, and with a caveat)

As SLPs, we are seasonal folks. We don't keep the scarecrow hanging up all year, and similarly, you can take all those Halloween apps off your iPad as well, and put them back when you need them again.  Follow the steps above to delete apps, or, from the home screen:
1. Find the app icon
2. Tap and hold on the app until it "jiggles" and you see an X in the corner of the icon.
3. Tap the X and hit Delete on the warning message to delete the app.

The caveat here is that when you delete apps, you can always reinstall them.  They are "in the cloud" and attached to your iTunes account.  More on that in a minute. However, if you have saved projects or data, these will be deleted as well. So, don't go whimsically deleting Articulate It or Language Adventures (especially don't delete Language Adventures, because I will be sad), as you will lose your student reports.

3. Bringing apps "down from the cloud" after deletion

Apps you have deleted (or have installed on another device with the same iTunes account) can be brought back to your iPad very easily.  Simply open the App Store app and tap on the Purchased tab at the bottom.  You can then select the Not on This iPad tab at the top of the screen, and scroll through the apps or use the Search field. Note that this Search field will only bring up apps you have purchased, not new ones- tap the Top Charts or Categories tabs at the bottom to search for new apps.

That's it for now! Happy Deleting!

Animonths: Use Splashtop Remote to Access Flash Animation

There are a lot of great interactive animated activities online that were created using Adobe Flash, the multimedia platform that was once the medium of choice to add interactivity to webpages. When iPhone and, subsequently, iPad came on the scene, there was quite a lot of hubbub about Apple's decision to not support Flash on these devices.  It turns out that inclusion of Flash really drained the devices' batteries, among other problems. Adobe eventually admitted to this when they stated they wouldn't be developing Flash for even Android devices anymore. In the future, web interactivity is likely to be fostered using web standards such as HTML5, which iDevices are all A-OK with (just try running this HTML5-based activity on your iPad in Safari).

Beyond this history of web drama, I have a point.  These Flash resources are still out there on the web and sure would be great to be able to access on your iPad.  Take the BBC's Science Clips.  This is one of my favorite resources ever, as it provides interactive animations and a context for categorization, cause-effect, and following directions, all in the context of key science concepts relating to what is being taught in the classroom:

The "Helping Plants Grow Well" activity, in which you add water and heat at the appropriate time to help the plant grow to its full height.

When used on a computer, these activities are pretty engaging, but for younger kids, it's really hard to do the click-and-drag necessary to complete it, especially if you are using a newer Mac with a multitouch trackpad (that doesn't have a button).  Note that Science Clips activities all come with language-based contextual worksheets, such as this one that goes with the above activity.

Enter Splashtop Remote Desktop ($4.99, iPad only).  This app allows you to control your computer screen from your iPad, thereby making previously inaccessible flash-based activities function as apps. 

Here it is in action, with a student of mine easily interacting with the Flash-based Crayola Create & Color website.

Here's how it works.  Purchase the app from the iTunes store (see link above). After installation, you will be given instructions on how to install a program called Splashtop Streamer on your computer- this will allow the app to control your computer. You will setup the app with a passcode that allows you to connect to your computer as well. After that, anytime you open the app, it will "find" your computer and let you connect and control the screen! To return your computer to its normal state, simply exit the app.

I have found this app very useful despite a few caveats I need to offer here, so proceed using your own judgment.

1. You need to have your iPad and computer on the same wireless network for the connection to function.  If this is not possible at your workplace, don't purchase the app.

2. I have found on large networks with lots of traffic (e.g. hotel conference centers) where I am trying to demonstrate this to people, it never works. It works well at my school and private practice.

3. Consistently, it takes me like 3 tries of putting in my password to connect successfully. I don't know why.

I realize that those caveats may turn you off this new-ish app, but just to show another use for Splashtop Remote Desktop:

That's Splashtop connected to my computer, which is running Intellitools Classroom Suite, effectively making the iPad into an Intellikeys keyboard! I don't know if they even make Intellikeys anymore (the website says "out of stock"), and I could never get the darn things to work, but I have always liked this software and the Intellitools Activity Exchange.  I have a few kiddos who can really benefit from activities such as this "Easy Writing" one, but wouldn't really engage as well with a computer as they would with the iPad.  Splashtop to the rescue!

Animonths- Explaining + Animation = Explanimation

When interactive whiteboards (IWBs) first arrived on the scene with their accompanying software, one of the best aspects was teachers' easy access to recording features so that they could preserve each lesson as a video file and share it later via their webpages or other means.  This assisted students who needed information repeated, and also made really good use of the visual teaching capabilities of IWBs.  It also is extremely motivating for students to be able to use this technology themselves in order to explain or apply a curriculum concept, and then hear/see their work and evaluate how well they did!

This kind of "screen recording," or "Explanimation" technology is now available through a number of easy-to-use apps.  In this post, I am going to highlight two I really like, though there are others that are popular and well-reviewed.  I was excited to see this technology applied in a very user-friendly app geared toward use with younger children, Doodlecast for Kids ($1.99, iPad only). In the words of Tickle Tap Apps "Doodlecast combines your drawing and voice to create short videos."  Check it out in action here:




Applying a language lens, this app has many potential uses:
-My graduate student intern and I have found that this app has been very motivating to several articulation students working at the sentence and carryover levels.  We use it in combination with articulation word lists and have the students make up sentences and stories using their target sounds.
-I have also found this to be a really useful tool when working with targets such as multiple meaning words, figurative language and vocabulary.
-The app has a built-in lens on setting and emotions, as the home screen allows you to pick settings such as "water" or "sky" such that those are pre-drawn on the screen, and you can add to them.  These aspects contribute to the app's usefulness as a narrative development tool.

There is now an older brother of Doodlecast For Kids, Doodlecast Pro ($3.99, iPad only) Though Doodlecast for Kids is recommended for ages 3-5, it's applicable for much older kids, and I have used it with middle school students. expands the functionality of Explanimation technology greatly by allowing you to insert images into the animation and adding more customizable tools.  As a result, you can take an image on any topic (see our Essential Tech Skill Tip regarding using Google Images on iPad) and draw and speak about it.



Both Doodlecast for Kids and Doodlecast Pro let you save the video to the iPad (it will be in the Photos app/Camera Roll, not the Videos app) for easy review/sharing at a later time. Videos can be uploaded to YouTube directly from the Doodlecast Pro app, or within the Photos app for videos created with Doodlecast for kids.

For a free app that is similar to Doodlecast Pro, try ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard or Educreations Interactive Whiteboard.  I do like that Doodlecast lets you save to your iPad where ShowMe, for example, only lets you export to their website.

So, readers, what do you think of Explanimation? What other uses do you see for this technology in Speech-Language Pathology?  Let us know in the comments.