Draw-A-Stickman: A great therapy/teaching tool!

Guest Blogger: Ashley Robinson

My name is Ashley Robinson and I work on the AT team under Jim's guidance. Jim did not sign on for a brand new clinician, but he has taken me under his wing and is teaching me the ropes. I really couldn't have done it without him and my supervisor Ruth Morgan (check out her blog at http://chapelhillsnippets.blogspot.com/). Jim has graciously welcomed me to guest blog about my experiences with technology as a speech language pathologist and tech specialist. This is my first ever blog entry, but hopefully the start of many more. So here goes...

Jim's youngest son, Ben, showed me the website: www.drawastickman.com

It's a hilarious website that follows a stickman through several trials and tribulations. The user participates in the story by illustrating the necessary tools for the stickman to make it successfully to the end of the story.

There are also FREE Drawastickman apps (one app for each episode). I work in a middle school and high school, and whenever I can incorporate the iPad into therapy – it's usually an instant hit. Many of my students have language problems secondary to a learning disability and several of these kids struggle with reading comprehension. I'm working on teaching these kids to engage in the stories they read, specifically how to connect prior knowledge to make predictions and inferences about what is going to happen in the story. Finally, they need to evaluate their predictions to see if they were correct. For any of you not using Pinterest.com – you should be. I searched “inferencing” and came up with several great resources including:

• an anchor chart describing what inferencing and prediction mean (pulled from the Hall County Schools Literacy Site: http://www.hallco.org/literacy/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=2)

• a website with tons of free worksheets about inferencing (and several other topics): http://havefunteaching.com/worksheets/reading-worksheets/inferences-worksheets/

I chose this worksheet:

During the 45 minute therapy session, my students and I worked together to re-create the inferencing anchor chart. Then we loaded the Drawastickman app Episode 1. We started with the first event (“Can you draw a key in my hand?” seen above). Then we predicted what we thought would happen and what clues we had to indicate this would happen.

Event	What I Think will Happen	Clues from the Story	What Really Happened
1. Stickman gets a key	1. He will open the box and something will jump out and scare him	1. There is a box in front of him. Most stories have a rising action.

Each student in the group took turns illustrating the needed object. Then we watched the action to see what really happened (and to determine if our predictions were correct).

Well, nothing jumped out to scare him – but there is another box to deal with....

Event	What I Think will Happen	Clues from the Story	What Really Happened
1. Stickman gets a key 2. Srickman gets a balloon	1. He will open the box and something will jump out and scare him	1. There is a box in front of him. Most stories have a rising action.	1 Another box floated out of the first one

We continued through all of the events until we got to the end of the episode. The students in my group loved it! Unfortunately, there are only two episodes at this time. Now, that my students have a handle on prediction we can move to using this skill (and graphic organizer) while reading a short story.

Enjoy! Feel free to contact me with any questions: arobinson@chccs.k12.nc.us

iDevices Will Be Stolen. Have a Plan to be Prepared.

If your district has deployed iTouches, either you've had some stolen, or you will soon. iTouches are so small,and slip into a pocket quickly. In addition,they are highly coveted, and easy to resell. In the past few years my district has had a dozen iTouches stolen. Many of the thiefs were quite brazen, quickly walking in and out of a classroom that they did not belong in, and pocketing the device on the way. A few went so far as to enter a teacher's office and took the device straight from the teacher's desk. Most of the devices were not retrieved because we did not have a plan in place

Location on "Find My iPhone"

My office is tracking a stolen device as I type this. I anticipate that we will have both the culprit and the device by tomorrow. At this point, most users are familiar with the "Find My iPhone" app that Apple offers for free. This is the app we use, but it's important to have a plan beyond the app. My understanding is that the app will locate a device within 10-15 feet (when there is wifi present). However, as a school employee I can hardly go to a stranger's home and make accusations. From early on we have conversations with our school police officer about the the tools available to reliably track a iDevice.

Whenever we set up a device for a student or staff, I first assign the device a name such as jtignor @CHS AT001. This includes the user's first initial, and last name, school initials, and asset tag. We use iTunes for this step. Apple kindly engraves asset tags or names on the back of iTouches prior to shipping at no extra cost, and we always get the asset tag. Just ask them about it. Using iPhone Configuration, I record the user name, asset tag, and the serial number is automatically recorded as part of the record.

Now, if a device goes missing, using "Find My iPhone" I can find the device. I can initiate a high pitch, annoying alarm system,that will heard easily from within a locker or backpack. I can also remotely lock the device so it cannot easily be used. I also have the ability to send a message, such as: "this iTouch belongs the CHCCS. Please return it to the school system. Theft will be prosecuted".  Using "iPhone Configuration" I can provide law enforcement with the device's serial number and other pertinent information.

These are the pieces of our plan we put into place to help track down stolen or misplaced devices.

Options from within "Find My iPhone"

1. Maintain ONE "Find My iPhone" database that you load all your devices on, BEFORE they are assigned. We have roughly 60 iPads, and over 100 iTouches. The password should be shared with only a few select individuals. My colleague on the Assistive Technology team can access the information.

2. Make sure a responsible adult who works with the student has your contact information, and knows to contact you as soon as they know a device is missing. Time is a huge factor.

3. Maintain an up to date data base of the asset tag, the serial number, user name, and school site, which you can provide to the police. We use "iPhone Configuration" which is free from Apple.

4. Do not retrieve the item yourself. Collaborate with your school officer.

Now the hope is, as word gets out that we track stolen devices, students will not think of them as easy targets. Consequently, we will have less theft.  One final note, I use the plan for my family member's iDevices as well, as some folks are notorious for losing their iTouch.  Nothing like the ability to sound an alarm remotely to help end a lousy game of hide and seek.

Happy Therapy!

Visual Timer

If you have worked in Special Education, you've most likely used a visual timer. Chances are you purchased one similar to the photo above. It is a fantastic tool to show a student how much time is left on a task. Our students with Autism often respond well to such cues. The clocks are easy to use, and durable.

 The short coming of these clocks is that they generally cost $30 or more. Not a tremendous amount of money, but, still plenty for a clock when your in education! Further more the clocks are too big to fit in one's pocket.

There is a great app that offers an elegant solution to the cost and the size of the clock. Visual Timer, made by SnapTap retails for $1.99, and it runs on iTouches, iPads, and iPhones. Which means you are unlikely to bring one to a work site. 


Per the iTunes page for Visual Timer, "Visual Timer is a 60 minute timer with a graphical display that's also incredibly easy to use. To get started, just touch and drag the meter to the desired time and hit the Start button" 


In addition, "the timer now continues to run in the background when you quit Visual Timer. A notification will be displayed when the timer expires. Double tap the dial to toggle a text display of the current timer value. When the timer expires, a reset button appears". And finally, updated graphics for the retina color display. 

Visual Timer is a great response to an already terrific product.  It's easy to bring everywhere you go, lunch room, playground, work-site, and or course the classroom.  In addition, it's a great tool to recommend for families, so they can carry over techniques that are proven effective in the classroom. 

Happy therapy!

A favorite app: iWrite Words

A favorite app: iWrite Words

There are a lot of great apps which help kids learn and practice letter and number formation. However, like most Occupational Therapists, I am particular about how students form their letters and numbers.  Many apps form letters haphazardly, or at least not consistently from the top down.  iWrite Words starts letters just like a Miata... Top down baby! 

Compatible on all iDevices, iWrite Words is 81.1 MB. The app retails for $2.99, and there is a lite version which is free.                 

iWrite Words dovetails nicely with the handwriting work I do with my students. The graphics and sound effects are engaging and playful. I have used it in sessions with a single student, and I've used it in groups of up to four students (each student using a iPad or iTouch). 

Upon opening the app the user is presented with options to trace upper-case, and lower-case letters, short words, and numbers.  The user drags a crab along the character outline.  If the user's finger deviates from the proper course, they hear a "boing", and start the character over. After tracing the character successfully, the user must drag the character into a spinning star shaped hole.

If the student is stuck, he can click on the play icon and see the character traced in animation. In addition, there are a number of ways a therapist/teacher/parent can custom tailor the app to the users needs. Customization includes many options, but to name just a few, the adult can change difficulty (tracing path size), and handed-ness.  In addition, the app allows for changing letter formation style. Without naming some of the more popular teaching methods, to the discerning eye, it becomes evident what they are offering. One can also change the gender of the voice that offers directions and affirmations.  

A final nice touch is the alphabet song which sings out with each tap on the screen.

Overall iWrite Words is a terrific app. It's appealing to my students, and an excellent tool to augment my handwriting work.

Happy therapy!

AAC Apps – Speaking APPropriately | The Spectronics Blog

AAC Apps – Speaking APPropriately | The Spectronics Blog


This article is by Jane Farrall. Read more from and learn about Jane at her website www.janefarrall.com . This is good stuff!

HOW MANY IPADS DO YOU NEED TO BREAK?

For our Assistive Technology team the number was three. In the month of December we had three iPad-2’s break. All of our iPads were in thin protective cases. Really, just a credit-card thick plastic shell over the back of the device.

The first iPad broke when one of our students with Autism discovered the video camera, and how much fun it was to look at the iPad view of the room as he ran circles around the room. The last video is of him running, and a teacher in the background hollering “Joe! Joe! Quit running, you will break the iPad!”. This was followed by a thrill-cam view of the room, and than a black screen. (the student’s name was changed to protect the guilty). The result: shattered glass.

The second iPad became the object of tug-o-war between two high-school students. Evidently, one student unexpectedly let go, and the other caught off guard, accidentally let go as well. The iPad shattered on the ground.

The last broken iPad was my fault. Always wanting to be a good role model, and knowing the staff felt badly about allowing the ipads to be broken, I guess I felt I needed to contribute to the situation. I put my iPad in the backseat of my truck, and upon arriving at a school, opened the door to discover that the iPad had shifted on the seat. When the door opened the iPad was released to the perils of gravity. When the glass shattered on the third iPad I knew something needed to change.

Apple generously replaced the broken devices for $294.58 each. Certainly less than a new iPad, but still painful. It was time to look for some serious protection for our iPads. There are a number of offerings out there, but anything that seemed to provide real protection started at $60 and quickly went up. Now, I’m not saying it’s not worth the price, because $60 is definitely less than $294.58. However, we would need to outfit roughly 60 iPads. I needed to find a less expensive solution.

After searching the web I found a solution. It’s perfect, albeit not exactly elegant. Big Grips made by KEM seem to be made from the same rubber as Crocs. They are easy to grab, and provide a tremendous amount of protection. Everyone who sees them is intrigued, and likes the cartoon-like look. Most importantly, they offer great protection. All of our breaks occurred when the iPads fell to the ground and landed on their edges. Big Grips must have at least an inch of squishy rubber all around, like a picture frame. They come in different colors, including grey, pink, and green.

The Big Grip with a stand retails for $49.95 a piece. I emailed the company to get a quote, and all my correspondences were answered by Kirk Mills, the president of KEM. That’s a nice touch, though it may not last when the company grows. I originally felt the stands would be unnecessary, and asked Kirk to sell me just the frames without the stands. He gave me a volume discount price without the stands which was half the cost of the cheapest Otter Box, and then he threw in the stands for free. Once I saw students and staff use the stands, I realized that we wouldn’t want to go without! They are stable, and easy to use, allowing kids to use either hand to interact with the iPad.

There are just a few complaints, and they are minor. The first, takes care of itself with a little bit of time. When 60 cases and stands arrived in my office the rubber smell was very strong. I could barely stand to be in my room. After several days the smell had dissipated, or I’d become immune. When I sent them out, no one complained, so I think it was the newness and the pure numbers which overwhelmed me. I would add that Kirk confirmed to me that Big Grips are made of non-toxic materials, and as a product intended for children Big Grips are required by law to pass independent lab testing confirming this fact.

The other complaint is a bit more pragmatic. Accessing the charging port, headphones jack, and the volume, and on/off controls is difficult through the small holes with adult size fingers. It’s doable, but sometimes awkward.

Students and staff seem to really like Big Grips. We have them on our iPads, iPad-2’s, and when we upgrade to the new iPad, we will stick with this terrific product.

Happy therapy!

I-Pad-2 magnets potentially reprogramming programmable shunts

I recently received an email from a Speech Pathologist who works with my school district. She was concerned about something she’d read in an ASHA blog.  Here it is:

“In light of the concerning information on the I-Pad-2 magnets potentially reprogramming programmable shunts,  what evidence is known about the I-Pad 2’s magnetism and potential for adverse reaction for students with vagus nerve stimulators who are swiped with a magnet for cessation of seizure?  I don’t know the mechanics of the VNS, but am concerned that there could be similar disruption of their proper settings. Thank you for any information you may have.”

I contacted my Sales Rep from Apple, and he directed me to Sarah Herrlinger who is an “Accessibility Specialist” with the company.  Here is her response:

“A quick Google search brings up this:

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/health/ipad2-hydrocephalus-brain-shunt-jan-31-2012 The two things of note in here are: 1) The iPad needs to be directly adjacent to the valve to be a problem and they say that “a distance of 2 inches is probably safe enough and 6 inches is certainly safe.” 2) They also state that the same is true of “all other sources of magnetic fields which includes most other electronic devices and household magnets as well.” They also say that they believe the device is “probably more beneficial from its academic and developmental benefit standpoint and we would prefer that the child still use it rather than be kept at a large distance from it.” This was also going around the internet from Medtronic in late February: Hi Jonathan:

Per our conversation this morning, I am writing to confirm that we did discuss the magnetic strength of the IPad 2.  As I mentioned, the information noted below was a preliminary notice we did send out to the field.  Since that time, we have quantified the safety distance needed for the iPad 2.  That is, as long as the iPad 2 is kept a minimum of 2” from the valve it will not interfere with the valve setting.

We are currently updating our patient information.  This information is forthcoming and you will be able to download the file from the Medtronic website at www.medtronic.com.
As we discussed, it will be a couple of weeks before the final copy is ready, so please look for it then. “

So, the bottom line would seem to be: keep the iPad-2 two to six inches away from a shunt. Don’t leave a student unattended with the iPad-2 if they cannot understand that rule.