Pictures, Screenshots and Scans- more than just for memories
Use them to help daily life
Contributed by Joan Green, M.A. CCC-SLP, www.innovativespeech.com
For the past few months, I have been taking more and more pictures with my iPad and iPhone to help people learn and function more productively in life. Images can be used to greatly enhance communication and learning- especially when individuals have difficulty with speaking, reading and writing. The use of pictures can also save time and data downloads. I think that many of us tend to focus on using software and apps to help others and often forget about using other functions of devices such as cameras and screenshot capability.
Screenshots on Macs and PCs- It is very easy to take screenshots on computers. This screen capture is often found on computer keyboards in the upper right corner as PRINT SCREEN (or PRTSC or PRTSCN). On my laptops I need to press the function key (fn) at the same time to activate it and the image is saved on the clipboard. To learn more about your particular computer and how to print the screen go to the help menu. Once you select the screen capture, you can paste it into Paint or other drawing program to re-size, rotate and crop it. Text can also be added. It can be very helpful to cut and paste screen shots into practice assignments to show people exactly what you want them to do on the computer.
Tablets/Phones- Built in still and video cameras have become commonplace on new devices and the quality keeps improving. It is now easier to share these images with others and save them for use in apps and communication devices. Sound, text and special effects can be added to create ideal learning and communication tools. Several of my favorites are highlighted below. In addition to using the still and video cameras, it is easy to take a picture of the iDevice screen. To do so, just hold down the home and power button at the same time. You should hear the sound a camera makes and see a bright light as a picture is taken. The picture of the screen is saved to the camera roll album. If you hold the buttons down for too long- the power may try to shut off.
Scanning from an iDevice with a camera- I recently began using a scanning app called Scanner Pro. There are quite a few scanning apps- this is the only one I have tried. The images are very clear. It also saves the image as a pdf rather than a jpeg image. This app also features Evernote/Dropbox integration, a batch option and the ability to control brightness and contrast.
Ideas for using images to enhance communication and learning:
Everyday activities with images:
- take pictures of grocery lists rather than carrying sheets of paper- no more lost lists!
- take pictures of exercises a person should practice- it is often easier to understand the images than descriptive words.
- take still and video images of sign language/gestures a person uses to promote consistency among service providers and family with the prompting of signs for communication.
- GPS/Social map apps such as Waze are great to use!! They provide turn-by-turn, out loud navigation with a social component so that everyone is encouraged to report live traffic conditions. It’s amazing how well it works. The one negative is that this does use data- and data costs money (unless you have unlimited.) To avoid using data- use a map app to navigate the route and take a screen shot of the directions to refer to as needed. There’s no need to print it out- it will just be with all the other pictures.
- Take pictures of items and price tags while out shopping in order to communicate info to others.
- Facetime is another great way to use pictures to communicate- just point the camera to the image to share it with others-in real time. The issues again is that if not in wifi- data will be used. The possibilities of using it are endless- showing a person how to perform a cooking task, etc. It’s great whenever modeling an action is needed.
Enhancing therapy with iDevices
- Many communication apps (proloquo2go, autismate, touchchat and myfirstaac) permit the user to upload personal images for communication apps. I often start with
- pictures of people– family, friends, therapists, teachers
- pictures of important places at home– bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, porch, desk, basement
- pictures of important places in the community– school, grocery store, playground, friend’s house
- pictures of activities at home– getting dressed, taking a bath, eating a meal, doing homework, playing in the backyard
- pictures of activities in the community– taking the bus, swinging on swings, swimming in a pool, eating in a restaurant
- pictures of favorite items/toys and motivating activities
Early learning apps for auditory comprehension, vocabulary development and literacy may also permit the user to upload images for practice. A few great apps with this capability to load your own images include:
- Wordslapps– Teach what you want- nouns, actions, sight words, “where” questions
- Pictello– Create talking photo albums and talking books
- Tapikeo– Add voice to pictures and create memory aids, audio flashcards, storyboards and picture books
- Little Matchups by Grasshopperapps.com Fully customizable
There are several ways that pictures from phones and computers can be transferred to an iPad.
- Connect the iPad to the computer with iTunes and sync the pictures
- Send yourself an email with a picture attached and then open the email using the iPad and download the picture
- Use the iCloud or an online service such as Dropbox or Evernote to upload and download groups of pictures. To do this, create a free account on your computer and put the pictures in the account. Install the free app on the iPad and then just move the pictures into the app. This is probably the quickest and easiest way to move pictures and share groups of pictures with others.
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