SNEAK's Peeks #4: Hands-on Interactive Play with Sifteo Cubes

 Sifteo Interactive Game Cubes were one of the coolest tools I saw at ATIA 2012 this past weekend! Check out this quick demo  the rep from EnableMart gave me of this awesome new learning modality!
  


These high-tech "manipulatives" interact with desktop software on your computer to display and play fun and educational games! You can create your own games using the Sifteo Creativity Kit, or play a variety of games from the Sifteo Game Studios, suited for a variety of ages and interests!
I had a blast playing with the cubes and saw so much potential for use with kids with special needs. The cubes have a high color display, are extremely lightweight and easy to push along th table or grasp, and easily connect and interact with each other to give feedback to the player.  What a fun way to incorporate manipulatives into simple counting, math, colors, or matching game!  The rep assured me that they re pretty durable too. Can't wait to see where this technology goes!  Check out Sifteo Interactive Game Cubes on Amazon!

SNEAK's Peeks #3: Using DrawCast to Create High Contrast Picture Symbols

Here is a quick demo of how to use a free App, DrawCast, to create easy, high-contrast picture symbols that you can load into other apps (e.g., AAC Apps, flashcard Apps), or use in print materials for children with visual impairment.  The use of high contrast when creating visual materials for children with visual impairments is an adaptation that helps make pictures and text more accessible to children with special visual needs.  There are a few Apps on the market that sell you high contrast picture sets as flashcards (e.g., Baby Symboizer, iLook) but I find these somewhat limited for the cost, at least when it comes to working with kids with visual impairment and CVI to build attention, vocabulary, and a picture communication system.  Consult with your child's vision therapist or other vision specialist about which vision adaptations (e.g., color combinations, size of pictures, line thickness, etc...) would be best for his needs.  With some guidance and a little creativity, you can use this simple App to create a library of accessible picture symbols for your child that helps build vocabulary and communication skills!

SNEAK's Peeks #2: The AAC Apps Assistant by AAC Tech Connect

As promised, here is a peek at the AAC Apps Assistant, a web-based service (available for free trial until January 15, 2012) at AAC Tech Connect!  This is the first program that I know of to allow you to search for AAC Apps that run on multiple mobile platforms based on relevant criteria individual to different types of AAC users.  Check out the video demo below and go AAC Tech Connect to login for your free trial! :)

SNEAK's Peeks #1: " I Like Books" by Grasshopper Apps

 

I Like Books

I Like Books (developed by Grasshopper Apps)includes 37 picture books for kids (in 1App!) with high quality, colorful photos, simple embedded text, and voice output!  Many elements of the stories are also fully customizable so you can change the voice output, change the story text, and even create photo "hot spots" that speak when they are touched! 

Check out our SNEAK's Peeks video demo below (or click here to view on YouTube) for a quick introduction to this really cool storybook App!

I really like the simplicity of this App and the photos are great!  I would like to see the ability to use your own photos added to future upgrades.  This feature would expand this App's potential as a platform for creating adapted stories and social stories for children with special needs.  For children with higher level language skills, I think this App is a great way to elicit simple narratives based on the pictures provided in each story.  The kids can even record their story retell or spontaneous narrative as they look at the pictures and then have the App read their own story back to them! 

Introducing "SNEAK's Peeks"!

SNEAK’s Peeks is a weekly video feature on SNEAK Outside the Box where we showcase a video demo of a new App each week!  Check out our first episode, a video demo and commentary of the new App from Grasshopper Apps, “I Like Books”. 

Check back weekly for new peeks! 

Have an App you’d like us to demo before you buy? Comment here and let us know!