Class 4 Post 1

The presentations tonight were excellent! I learned so much about all the different apps that are available for educational (and other) use. I will reflect on each presentation individually below.

Physical Access to Mobile Devices (this was my group's webinar:-))

This Webinar was so full of information that I had to go back and watch it a second time. The apps and devices discussed were helpful for students with some type of physical barrier that makes access to Mobile Devices difficult.

The most important tools discussed were mounting devices. I consider these tools to be most important because without some type of mounting device, use of Mobile Devices is not possible for people in this group. Here are a couple of links to sites with mounting devices:





Here is a picture of a wheelchair mounting device.

Here is a picture of a body mounting device.

There are also desktop and bed mounting devices available. These devices, combined with cases and keyguards make mobile devices much more easily accessible for those with physical challenges.

The mobile device itself comes with many built in accessibility options. The menu is called "Accessibility" and includes options such as: Voice Over, Zoom, Large Text, White on Black, Speak Selection, and Speak Auto-Text.

Some links to videos to help you find these accessibility options:





Apps We Highlighted

Proloquo2Go - An augmentative and alternative communication solution for those who have difficulty speaking or are not able to speak at all.

Attainment Switches - turns your mobile device into a wireless accessibility switch.

TikiNotes - Word prediction app with 6 key input.

Dragon Dictation - Voice recognition app.

Dragon Search - speak your search queries.

Dragon for Email - email dictation application.

Accessible Gaming Apps - there are many of these available. Here is a website with some great Apps available for gamers.

These are apps we found in the iTunes store:

LookTel Money Reader recognizes most of the common currencies and speaks the denomination out loud, enabling people who are blind or visually impaired to identify and count bills.

LookTel Recognizer allows users with visual impairments or blindness to instantly recognize everyday objects such as packaged goods in the pantry, identity cards, soda cans at the grocery store, or CDs in a music collection.

Color ID and Color Identifier - use the smartphone’s camera to identify colors, enabling people with visual impairments to coordinate their wardrobes and interpret the limited light and images they may be able to see.

SoundAMP - amplifies sound and records and replays. Imagine turning your iPhone into a hearing aid!

Tunewiki - a fantastic (and free) app works like closed captioning for radio. When a song plays on the radio, a small box at the bottom of the screen shows the lyrics, line by line.
It also goes to your iTunes library and finds the lyrics of any music that you play.

iASL - translate English to American Sign Language.

I was amazed at how many apps are available for people with physical access issues. The most difficult part of doing this presentation was deciding which information to EXclude. I've posted some links to useful sites in the link list and will make a second post to reflect on the presentations of my classmates.