Monday, November 12, 2018

Alphabet Resource

Alphabet is a resource designed for children with Visual Impairments. On the surface it  seems simple, but it can be customized to offer so much more.  





This resource presents three versions:

Version 1 - one letter per page/slide

Version 2 - several letters per page/slide … reflecting the groupings of the traditional 'ABC Alphabet Song'. Touch the letter and the letter name is announced.


Version 3 - several letters per page/slide … reflecting the groupings of the traditional song

      but with illustrated faces that can be easily swapped for photo faces of your students. 
  • Frank's photo face is substituted next to the letter F
  • Assad's photo face is substituted next to the letter A
  • Miriam's photo face is substituted next to the letter M
  • Roger's photo face is substituted next to the letter R
  • Zuni's photo face is substituted next to the letter Z
  • Bethany's photo face is substituted next to the letter B
      To Substitute Faces
      To substitute Frank's photo face for the illustrated face next to the F (right click on the illustrated face … select Change Picture…. navigate to where the substitute face resides on your computer.  Presto! As illustrated below, the illustrated face has been substituted with the photo face of your student.
 
As an aside, all other graphics on the page are programmed with 'silence'. This ensures that touching anywhere else on the page does not prematurely move you to the next page. To move to the next page you must click on/ touch the page arrow. 

You may wish to 'program' the  imported photo face to announce the student's name. 
Touch the letter and it announces the letter name; touch the photo face and it announces the child's name.

You can create audio name files for your students using a free app called Audacity. You can even change your voice recording into a child's voice by changing the pitch level by 15 or 20%. (Effect … Change Pitch). A previous blog post  (http://bit.ly/ASbySs_ChildVoice) provides detailed information for achieving this goal. To import this audio, right click on the photo face … select Action Settings…. select Other Sound (at the bottom of the audio list) and navigate to the new audio file that you wish to import. 

Students sharing the same first letter in their name
If more than one child has a name starting with the same letter, e.g. Frank & Franny, you will need to duplicate the head + body next to the letter, move it, then replace the duplicated photo face with Franny's face. Now you have two children next to the F letter, Franny and Frank. 


Don't forget, this resource can be displayed on the 'big screen' (interactive whiteboard, large screen TV using Apple TV) or the 'small screen' (computer monitor, iPad/Android tablet using the free Microsoft PowerPoint app). 

There is also a Alphabet Vest Display Version! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Song-Vest-Display-VI-4157890 

Please visit the Bloom Where You're Planted Store on the Teachers Pay Teachers site to view these products (use link button in upper right)

…’til the next post …  (new posts every Monday)

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©2018 Carol Goossens’, Ph.D.
Augmentative Communication Consultant
Speech-Language Pathologist
Special Educator