Touchy feely with the TacScreen.

Hey Tek-Ninjas! Today I want to share with you an accessory a colleague told me about. The TacScreen is a clear lightly textured polymer that adheres to the glass of iPad. It is designed to provide increased tactile feedback over the smooth glass, and is sold specifically for various sized iPads. Likely it would work as well for Android or Windows tablets. Pricing ranges from $17.95 to $19.95, with a price-break for buying multiples.

The idea of learning through multi-sensory modalities is held in many teaching programs including Handwriting Without Tears, and Orton-Gillingham.  On the surface, the idea makes good sense to me.  I was very curious to see what a few specific folks I work with would think about this product.



I asked my coworker, J, an Occupational Therapist who works specifically with pre-k students who present with a wide variety of issues. 

J felt that the TacScreen was a nice additional tactile component to technology, and that her students did not mind it being on (some asked what it was, some didn't seem to notice).  She did comment that the TacScreen makes the screen less clear for some apps, specifically for watching any video. The screen may need to be cut down to work with cases.  J also said that at times she felt like squinting in highly visual apps, however none of her students had this issue.  Finally, J thought it "would be best on an iPad just being used for teaching letter formation or drawing."

Next I sent the TacScreen to a student I used to work with, and her boyfriend. A. is 17, Visually Impaired / Legally blind, with some functional vision. B. is 20, Blind / no vision or light perception. 

I would like to add, the folks at TacScreen NEVER stated that this tool was designed with visually impaired users in mind so I acknowledge that I may have went looking for trouble with this "test".

A. stated "I like it. I think it feels cool."

B. was less enchanted saying "It doesn't help or hinder me".

They both noted that it's possible to do something similar and put Braille letters on the screen where the keyboard pops up, but that it can be tricky to learn keyboarding with Braille, so it would also be useful for people to have extra input/practice.

Finally, I used the TacScreen for a while in my day-to-day practice, as well as to make artwork using photoshop. 


I very much like the tactile feedback. I am an avid user of my iPad, but have always been a little dissatisfied with the slick feel of the glass. This feedback reminds me of the comforting scratching of a sharp pencil on paper. I had no issues with clarity of the screen.  Students that I introduced it to remarked on it's feel, and all indicated that they liked it.

The company notes that the screen is not designed to be taken on and off, as it will lose it's adhesiveness after a few times. So, once installed, it's best to leave it on.

If as a user, you dislike the slickness of the glass (like me) this is a great option, not terribly pricey, and incidentally, while not the intention, offers one more layer of screen protection.

I tend to agree with J, in her assessment that the TacScreen would shine when being used to instruct in letter formation. If you are engaged in teaching letter formation, as well as drawing this tool may make a significant difference for your students.

If you already are using it, I'd love to hear your feedback!

Hajimè!

Tremor Relief

Hey Tek-Ninjas! So here is an amazing bit of technology coming out to help reduce tremors in patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease. I wonder if it might be useful for folks with tremors from other issues? The design is by Haiyan Zhang, an interaction designer, technologist and maker of things. I hope to reach out to Ms. Zhang and see what other applications the device might be useful for. I'll report back if I make any headway!



Hajimé!

The Gift of Water

Hey Tek-Ninjas! Here is a cause worthy of our attention! Water is often taken for granted here in the U.S. But in other parts of the world, it is more precious than gold. People organize their days and weeks around procuring water for drinking and cooking. Think about giving the gift of water this year.

Blood:Water is a non-profit agency based in Nashville, TN, that partners with African grassroots organizations to address the HIV/AIDS and water crises. They do this by identifying Africa’s hidden heroes and coming alongside their vision for change. Through technical, financial, and organizational support, they work to expand the reach and effectiveness of African civil society organizations and the communities they serve.

Since their launch in 2004, Blood:Water has raised over $28 million through the creative efforts of tens of thousands of individuals, and with more than a dozen African organizations brought clean water and HIV/AIDS support to 1 million people in 11 countries.

Videography by my immensely talented nephew, Jeremiah J. Warren.

Hajimé!

AAC Genie Evaluation: eliminating the guess work!

Hey Tel-Ninjas! I have been working with a remarkable app for the past year+, and I want to share it with you.  If you are new to AAC evaluations, or a veteran, this app may really help you understand and document your student's needs.

The AAC Evaluation Genie app is designed for your iPad, and IMHO is more expository than diagnostic. The app won't tell you which device to use/buy, but it will guide you in making an optimum setup for whatever intervention you go with.

The AAC Evaluation Genie sells for $11.99.

There are 14 subtests which can be administered with multiple settings to get to the information you need.

Visual Identification
This activity evaluates the user’s ability to visually track and identify a single icon from 5" to 1" in size.

Visual Discrimination
This activity evaluates the user’s ability to visually track and discriminate a single icon from 5" to 1" in size.

Noun Vocabulary
This activity evaluates the user’s ability to identify common noun vocabulary.

Function Vocabulary
This activity evaluates the user’s ability to identify common noun vocabulary by stated function.

Verb Vocabulary

This activity evaluates the user’s ability to identify common verb (action word) vocabulary.

Category Recognition
This activity evaluates the user’s ability to identify common noun vocabulary by category group inclusion.

Word Association
This activity evaluates the user’s ability to identify a noun by associated feature or function.

Category Inclusion
This activity evaluates the user’s ability to identify common noun vocabulary by category inclusion.

Category Exclusion
This activity evaluates the user’s ability to identify common noun vocabulary by category exclusion.

Data

Pixon Core Vocabulary
This activity evaluates the recognition and identification of common core vocabulary words not easily represented with pictures using Pixon® symbols.

Unity Core Vocabulary
This activity evaluates the identification of common core vocabulary words not easily represented with pictures using Minspeak Unity® symbols.

Unity Icon Patterns
This activity evaluates the identification of vocabulary organized by Minspeak Unity® semantic / linguistic patterns.

Picture Description
This activity evaluates the user’s ability to describe basic pictures using a simulated AAC display.

Word Prediction
This activity evaluates the user’s ability to read text and select a target word from a list of four choices.

Hajimé!

Symbols Software...again.

Hey Tek-Ninjas! A while back I wrote with great enthusiasm about a shared platform called Pogo Boards. Over the summer I was working to get our school district signed up, but alas I could not get a hold of the folks at the company. That should have been a red flag, but, admittedly my summers are my own, and I don't work much.

In August I finally got a phone call from one of the company owners who regretfully informed me that they were closing their doors due to a host of unfortunate issues. I was so glad that I'd not actually sent them money, as they may not have been in a position to refund!

So, I spent several days frantically looking for a viable replacement option.

I needed access to symbol software which works across platforms (Chrome, Windows, and Mac), it needed to be intuitive, robust, and affordable. Boardmaker nails the first two criteria, but for our district, the price was higher than my director would support.

Enter Symbol Stix Prime from the good folks at News2You.

SymbolStix PRIME is a web-based symbol search engine and materials creation platform.  It is designed and developed by n2y, SymbolStix PRIME includes depictions of people, events, and activities with personally relevant stick figures appropriate for all ages.

The shared platform allows users to create symbol-based language and learning materials for printing or speaking aloud online.  There are over 30,000 symbols in the library and 500 new symbols added each month!

I have been very pleased with Symbol Stix Prime. You can give it a test run with a free 30 day trial.  Individual pricing is $79 annually. With higher numbers, you can earn a discount. Users can log into their account on any computer platform from any location. If you are looking for symbol support, I recommend you take a close look at this offering from News 2 You!

Hajimè!

Image to text reader

Greetings Tek-Ninjas! Hope you are surviving the election well enough.

I wanted to share with you all a Google extension which I stumbled upon recently. The extension is called Project Naptha. Project Naptha is a screen reader, which works in your Chrome Browser, regardless of computer platform. It is unique for two reasons.
1. It's free.
2. It is designed to convert any text image into digital text with an OCR converter, thus allowing your native screen reader to read the text to you.

I've found it to be immensely useful, however, the quality of the image does have a direct impact on how well the image inverts to text.

Happy therapy!

Shameless Self Promotion

Hey Tek-Ninjas! I'm sharing my latest endeavor in the arts. It is a collection of some of my digital art. It can be viewed for free, here on my site, or by going straight to issuu. Thanks for looking. I'll be blogging again, soon!