Voice Messages on your Blog!

I recently discovered a tool called SpeakPipe which allows readers of your blog to send you a voice message.  Messages will show up in your SpeakPipe account, and you will also receive an email message when you receive a voice message in the email that you set up on your SpeakPipe account. 

The free plan allows you to have 20 messages per month, of a maximum duration of 90 seconds each.

Just embed the code in an HTML widget on your blog and you are good to go.  Directions are here. You will see a tab on the right side of your blog that says, Send Voicemail. Users just click record and send.  Check it out by clicking on the tab to the right, or you can do a test at speakpipe.com.

Digital Storytelling

UDL allows for students to use alternative ways to "write" stories and explain what they know. Using technology to write digital stories, using pictures or voice to text functionality, allows students with reading and writing difficulties to tell their stories.  Plus it's more fun!

Here are some web and iPad apps that I have used, or at least played with:

Web apps:

Meograph – Uses a timeline and maps to create a 4 dimensional story.

Storybird – The site provides beautiful artistic images submitted by artists which you can use to illustrate and spark ideas for a story.  Free for up to 35 students.

Scratch – A simple programming tool that uses blocks that snap together to form scripts (programs) that let you move characters around a stage, import sounds, use speech bubbles or voice recordings to create a story or project, even video games, while learning basic programming lingo. Free.

Simple Booklet – Lets you create digital books by inserting photos, images, videos, and adding text.  You can format the pages like you do a word document. Can be shared with anyone via the internet. Teacher account is $10/yr for 30 students.

simplebooklet.com simplebooklet.com
Click the arrow to change the page, or go to this link:
 http://simplebooklet.com/kenya for a larger view



StoryboardThat lets you customize  cartoon characters by changing physical attributes and then use speech bubbles to create dialog. Can upload or create vector images with paid versions. Up to 15 blocks for paid versions, or 6 for free version.

More Web Apps:

Powtoons Allows you to create animated slideshows by dragging and dropping characters, props and text plus record your voice to narrate the story.

GoAnimate – Another cartoon creation tool which you choose from a cast of characters, scenes, sound effects, and allows recording of speech starting at $99 per year, based on # students.

VoiceThread – A presentation tool that allows you to collaborate, create and share digital stories using imported drawings or presentation slides.

Bitstrips – A comic strip creation tool that allows you to create fully customized characters and add dialog bubbles to create a story.

iPad apps:

Toontastic – Allows you to create animated cartoons on the iPad. $9.99 for school addition, contains all the in-app additions from the free version.

Pictello – An iPad app that lets you import images and text or voice to create a digital talking story. $18.99

Educreations A presentation or storytelling app, allows you to narrate while drawing or inserting images.  This app is free.

iMovie Trailer – Allows you to create a movie trailer type of story using photos taken with your iPad or imported images. Add text and music and create a dramatic “preview” story. iMovie is an app on iPad or Mac.

BookCreator (iPad)  Lets you create iBooks for your iPad by importing pictures, video, sound, and use text, handwriting or voice recording.  Can export and share as well.

30hands – Is an iPad app that lets you easily create narrated stories and presentations using photos, images, and drawings and recording your voice to tell a story.

Do Ink Animation – An iPad app that allows you to create animation paths using your finger, draw your own illustrations or use stock illustrations in the app. 

Sources:

Hughes, A. (2013) Causes of the civil war. Meograph. [Slideshow]. Retrieved from:             http://www.meograph.com/ahughes17/15303/causes-of-the-civil-war

Ray, R. (2013). A midsummer night's dream. StoryboardThat.com. [Storyboard]. Retrieved      from: http://www.storyboardthat.com/userboards/rebeccaray/a-midsummer-nights-dream

Medeiros, C., Koren, N. and Peb08.  (2013). Pass it on, Halloween tale remix. Scratch  Community. [Scratch  programming project]. Retrieved  from:   http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/13875740/

Rueppel, L. (2011). Becasue of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea . [Youtube video]. Retrieved  from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hLAuVHAo8M

Social Media in School?

Many schools struggle with the decision to allow social networking sites in school. I wrote this post on my other blog for a class I am currently taking in technology integration. 

Augmented Reality

I have discovered a new tool called Augmented Reality. There are several apps and websites related to this medium which has many applications for education.  One of the iPad apps I found that illustrates how AR works is AR Flashcards Space.  This app comes with a link to print out the flashcards, which when scanned with the app, reveal a 3 dimensional rotating planet.  When you tap on the planet its name is spoken and tap on the "i" for more information on the planet. The Flashcards Space app costs $3.99.  There is also a free app called AR Flashcards Animal Alphabet, which has a card for each letter with 3D animals. 


If you like that app, there are several other apps and web tools you can use to create your own AR auras.  One that I have played with is called Aurasma, which is both an iPad app and a website (with even more features).  You can have a picture on a bulletin board trigger a video or link to a website - which means lots of educational applications.  Using the app, kids could do video book reports and then attach them to a picture of the book so that others can get a preview of the book in the library.  A teacher could record an explanation of how to solve an advanced math problem and use a trigger image, the problem, to start the video.  You can also link to websites with a tap on the image or video.  This great 3-minute video was created by a high school student from Burlington, MA, and it shows how simple it is to create your own AR aura using Aurasma.

 

Aurasma Tutorial by Mira Mehdi, BHS

Other AR applications include LayAR which can be used to add multimedia information to printed magazines and much more. ColAR is an app that brings children's coloring pages to life (link to free pages included, additional pages are in app purchase) and Spacecraft 3D by JPL (free) allows you to "play" with NASA's robotic spacecraft. Daqri is another AR creation app.

There are also AR apps for android devices, including Google Skymap, which tells you which stars you are looking at when pointed at the night sky.  You can read about more Andriod (and iOS) AR apps (some for general info) in this Digital Trends article.

Check out AR, it is amazing, your students will love it!

ColAR coloring app

My Diigo Tools Links (weekly)

• Rewordify.com: Understand what you read

  Helps with difficult reading. Highlighting of difficult words with synonyms

  tags: AT reading literacy Vocabulary tools English

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Using Bluetooth to Access the iPad via a Switch

There are several switch interfaces to use to access the iPad with a switch, but I am going to focus on the Blue2 switch interface from AbleNet, because that is the one that we have in the technology room at school. Other suppliers that sell switch interfaces include RJ Cooper and Inclusive Technologies. A switch interface uses bluetooth technology, which is built into the iPad, to wirelessly use a switch to access the iPad. This is convenient for users who do not have the fine motor ability to isolate their touch on the exact area of the iPad to select their choice.  This method only works with switch enabled apps, a few of which I have linked below. The Blue2 interface uses the scanning function that is also used for the VoiceOver accessibility function on the iPad, the user can select the highlighted choice using a switch.


Here is what the Blue2 switch interface looks like:

To use a switch to access an app, you must set up the Blue2 and then open the app.  Follow these steps to get started:

• Turn Blue2 on
• Go to Settings>Bluetooth on the iPad.  
• Click on the Blue2 option when it comes up.
• Make sure that Mode 5 is selected on the Blue2 
• Connect your own switch(es) or use the built in switch(es). 

Set up the app by tapping play and then setting the switch options, then tap the X

Users press the switch to initiate the action at the right moment, like jumping over obstacles:

To use SoundingBoard, a communication app from AbleNet, follow the steps above and then wait for the iPad to start scanning the choices.  Select the desired board or phrase when it is highlighted.  You can set timing options on SoundingBoard under settings.

Settings:                              Board List:                 Speech choices:

Switch enabled apps:

 Memory Pairs

ChooseIt! Maker

Smarty Pants

Proloquo2Go

There are many more. Click on the following links for a list of switch accessible apps apps:

List of switch enabled apps from Jane Farrel

Inclusive Technology (Help Kidz Learn) apps

AT - Using Head Movements to Access the iPad

Picture from: http://www.technorms.com/

iOS 7 has a new feature that allows users to use head movements to operate the iPad.  It is under the accessibility settings (go to Settings > Accessibility > Switch Control).  This is a really nice feature for people who cannot access the iPad with their hands or their voice. It uses scanning technology, when the desired app or choice is highlighted you use your switch control settings to select the choice.  And it even works on some apps that are not "switch accessible".

You can set up switch control to choose from 4 switches - turning head left and turning head right (uses the internal camera), an external Bluetooth switch, or touching anywhere on the screen (for those who cannot isolate and target one spot).  Note: using the full screen makes it hard to turn off switch control with touch.  If this happens turn on Siri request it to activate assistive touch.  This turns off switch control. 

Each of these methods can be set up to do a variety of actions, such as select (tap), go to Home screen, increasing or decreasing volume, activating Siri, etc.  All of these options are listed under each switch set-up in the Settings app. 

Another feature is Point Scanning which is using cross hairs to pick a specific screen location. A popup menu appears at the pinpointed location for more choices.  One drawback, the iPad has to be positioned carefully to ensure the camera can see your face, or you will get a message at the top of the screen saying that it cannot.  Just adjust the angle a bit and it should work. Mounting or having a stand to keep it steady is recommended.

For more information go here.