Technology is helping survivors stay connected .
(As posted on Scoop.it – OT mTool Kit)
Publisher of special-interest content to the world’s leading media brands.
Mobile technology, apps and electronics help stroke patients recover in the rehab setting. This article provides ways electronics can improve function for stroke patients.
Carol
See on theraconteur.co.uk
Visual timer apps are a staple in my mTool kit. Here are a couple that are free today:
Timer + Touch HD (iPad). This app changes orientation on the iPad (which is annoying when it doesn’t like the one I use!).
Timer app (iPhone/iPad) – Your standard egg timer app.
Visual timers are good for many situations and age groups (how often do you set a timer for yourself? It work!). Check them out – free is good (unless you already have too many apps!).
Carol
There are many Free App Friday apps to check out today. With an early start (and no immediate reports to write this morning) here are a few apps I thought would be great in a teacher’s, OT’s or parents iTool Kit for young students (yes mostly iDevice apps…):
Montessori Blocks (iPad) – a color and number pattern match game.
Patterns by EdNinja (iPad) – Complete patterns and learn early math skills.
Color Dots by Ellie’s Games (iPhone/iPad) – A visual tracking activity of capturing colored dots.
Little ABC Writer HD (iPad)- Practice drawing letters out of sequence.
Check out these apps and share if you have or will use these in your mTool Kit!
Carol
Voice Dream Reader is a robust reading app with text to speech capabilities for PDF, web-based text, Word documents, ePub books both on-line and offline for the iPad and iPhone (9.99). A Voice Dream Reader lite version is available which reads a couple of lines at a time but is fully featured.
Created by Winston Chen while living for a year on a small island in the Arctic Circle, Voice Dream Reader App has continued to evolve according to users needs and requests. Winston Chen has been a responsive developer committed to improving his app to needs of his users.
When Voice Dream Reader app first debuted, providing him a few suggestions found him responsive and eager to improve his app based on special needs users with print disabilities. His committment of improving this app for those with learning challenges has been remarkable with continual improvements made in his app allowing additional formats and features to make this app versatile for those with a print disability.
Features of the app include:
62 different voices and languages
Winston’s development of Voice Dream Reader started with his journey to Rødøy, a small granite island jutting from the Norwegian Sea north of the Arctic Circle. He and his wife took a mid-life retirement year on this remote island. As a software developer, he developed Voice Dream Reader app, providing text to speech capabilities. He continues to develop the app as he returns from his retirement to his work life in Boston. Seeing the (Northern) Light: A Temporary Arctic Retirement on NPR provides the account of Winston’s sabbatical and app development’s. It’s an inspiring story of this developer who continues to listen and improve this app for individuals with special needs.
For more information visit Voice Dream Reader’s website or down load his Voice Dream Reader Lite to trial. This is a flexible app for individuals needing text to speech capabilities for a variety of formats and with many helpful features.
A great app for your teaching, OT, rehab mTool Kit!
Carol
Another “Get Moving ” app featured at yourtherapysource.blogspot.com
(As scooped on Scoop.it – OT mTool Kit )
Your Therapy Resource provides another “Get Moving” for fostering physical movement for your students.
Check it out!
Carol
Here are a two apps gone free for young learners that if you don’t have in your Teacher, OT or family iPad – you might want to consider:
4 KidCal – A visual calendar for elementary aged students.
123 Color HD Premium; Talking – An electronic coloring book.
More for you OT mTool Kit.
Carol
See on osxdaily.com
(As scooped from Scoop.it – OT mTool Kit )
Stylize Contacts & Names on the iPhone By Adding Emoji Characters
Here is a tip and trick for iOS phones that could help individuals with significant literacy challenges identify names in their phone contacts. Read more form OSX Daily.com
Carol
See on osxdaily.com
AudioNote Notepad-Voice Recorder app
AudioNote – Notepad and Voice Recorder app for iPhone/ iPad and AudioNote Notepad Android
Here is a view of the features of the AudioNote Notepad app for the iPhone:
Note taking while recording is easy to do using the keyboard or pencil tool to draw or write. Highlighting and drawing tool bar is available. You can easily listen and edit within the app. A send/email icon is easily available within the note to forward the email as a PDF file (without audio) or as an AudioNote with voice recording.
The app on the iPad provides the same options with additional features to organize separate recorded notes. The notes are easy to name upon creating or after completed for organization an.d later review by title
A desktop component, AudioNote for Windows or MAC computers is available for free online. The desktop version below allows you to review of the notes and the audio recording on PC or MAC computers. Importing pictures or camera shots is also an option within the mobile device software, making it possible to take notes, record audio and also take a screen shot of diagrams or illustrations presented on the board or from a website within your notes. An option of importing PDF files is also available.
The desktop versions and instructions for use are available at Luminant Software.com and was easy to use after emailing, downloading to my computer. This software is easy to use and can provide Universal Design for Learning opportunities for students or anyone needing multi-modal method of learning or access.
AudioNote Notepad – Voice Recorder app provides easy access or production of notes for individuals with writing or reading challenges using voice recording, pictures, drawing or word processing.
This is in my AT and OT mTool Kit as a great option students and adults with learning challenges.
More for your teaching, AT, OT mobile Tool Kit!
Carol
AppWriter Cloud for Google Docs has been out for a few months within the Chrome Store for educational institutions. LingApps, developer of AppWriter Cloud currently has a private edition for Google Chrome available through their LingApps website at a cost of USD 19.99. A visit to their website offers a month trial for free!
What features does AppWriter Cloud provide?
AppWriter Cloud is one of the only Google word prediction apps that I am aware of for Google Docs. Trial of AppWriter Cloud provided support for students needing word prediction to support their writing tasks.
Interested in more information? Visit the LingApps website for costs and more details on their Appwriter Cloud apps for Google Chrome for schools and the Private Edition. Also check out their iPad app AppWriter with OCR scanning capabilities, word prediction and text to speech. Updates to their current version of AppWriter provides a great method of scanning in text with accurate OCR conversion from within their app along with text to speech, change of background and highlighted text color options and high quality voices. Many improvements have been made to their app.
Having worked with all of the apps, including Google Chrome AppWriter, all apps work solidly and provide tools that are easy to use for students of all ages. I love the fact that the Google AppWriter Cloud, when installed at school is available to students through their school account at home when Chrome is on their home computer! Now if AppWriter Cloud could be integrated into Gmail, on the Google Browser or Presentation wouldn’t we be excited?
Regarding the folks at Ling Apps – I can also attest that the folks at LingApps are highly responsive, patient and helpful with all kinds of questions! After riddling them with questions about installation into Google at school, they still answered by questions and responded promptly to me! I really appreciated their support with getting the app going in our schools with our tech department.
Using these apps at school has provided additional tools for students at home, at school within Google Chrome and on demand on mobile devices such as the iPad.
Carol
Let’s Trace app is a visual motor integration app for the iPad (.99) that presents simple strokes and shape drawing in a developmental progression.
Let’s Tracing app provides visual motor practice for 2-5 year olds learning to trace within lines and draw shapes. Each shape or stimulus provides provides at least 6 practices of drawing the shape in different sizes and orientation. After the user draws, a cat, dog or other creature follows the line from beginning to end providing visual attention to the line of the shape. Applauding is provided as a reward for accurate completion. If accuracy when drawing the lines is not achieved another trial is provided. Tolerance for going off of the tracing line is somewhat limited, however the lines are approximately 3/8″ width to draw on providing a fairly large path to stay within.
The app provides the 8 different shapes as shown above with each shape having several trials to practice the task. A back button on the screens allow the user to go back to end the app or try another shape at any time.
No settings or options are provided in this app. Music plays during the app, however if unwanted. Turning the sound off is an option.
As a basic drawing app, I liked the numerous trials with slight variations provided in each shape drawing practice. A draw back of the app is some of the feedback in the app is provided in writing (Good!! Try again! which is not typically able not fully close. A gap for the circle, square, triangle remains once drawn which provides a poor model of the shape for some of our concrete and visual learners.
At .99, this app provides visual motor practice and some feedback for accuracy with staying on the line. Although this is featured for 2-5 year olds, this could be appropriate for students in kindergarten or first grade who are working on pre-writing skills.
Let’s Tracing is also reviewed by Angelia Woods, OTR at Advance for Occupational Therapy Practitioners. Check out Angelia Wood’s review her review for more information.
More for your OT mTool Kit!
Carol
The OT eTool Kit resource - review of apps and other technologies for OT's working with children and adults.
The OT eTool Kit resource - review of apps and other technologies for OT's working with children and adults.
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The OT eTool Kit resource - review of apps and other technologies for OT's working with children and adults.
The OT eTool Kit resource - review of apps and other technologies for OT's working with children and adults.
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