by Helen Wagner | Apr 4, 2019 | Bluebee News |
What is assistive technology? Assistive technology is any device, software or equipment that can help kids with learning and attention issues work around their challenges so that they can learn, communicate and simply function better. These products can make a significant impact on student learning. They can help kids become more successful and productive students, which can help grow their confidence and independence. Ranging in levels of sophistication, assistive technology is an ever-growing and dynamic field.
Types of Assistive Technology:
“No Tech”—These items include pencil grips, post-it notes, slanted work surfaces, paper with raised lines, tactile numbers, letters or objects, magnifying bars, work organizers and weighted pencils.
“Low Tech”—These items include answer buzzers or buttons, talking calculators, microphones, switches, and tap lights.
“High Tech”—These include specialized keyboards, software applications, Text-to-Speech technology, mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, computers, word processors, augmentative communication devices, classroom amplification systems, and computerized testing.
Assistive Technology: Affordable for Home and Classrooms
*Bluebee Pals:
Bluebee Pals are one of our favorite assistive technology learning tools! Bluebee Pals “speak” when connected by Bluetooth to a smartphone or to apps on a tablet. Their mouths open and close and their head turns in a natural speaking position which makes them come to life. They are perfect snuggly study buddies for engaging students in reading practice while reading book apps, practicing skills in educational learning apps, and in practicing and learning social skills. Used with any targeted apps with voice narration, they motivate students to want to interact and learn. They are especially fun to use when recording your child’s own voice! http://bluebeepals.com.
*Robots: Examples: Bee-Bot and Pro-Bot, by Terrapin Software, Cozmo, by Anki & Jimu Robot BuzzBot and MuttBot Kit
Nothing captures a child’s interest quicker than robots! They are very useful, hands-on tools to keep children actively engaged while learning, and can help with teaching a variety of subjects including STEM, motion, directionality, sequencing, estimation, problem solving, programming, and math skills. They also help students practice and build social skills while working in peer groups. You can create and measure angles, learn sight reading words, strengthen coding skills, or just use robots as a fun engagement tool. With robots, children think they are playing but they are actually learning. Robots are available for all ability levels, from beginning coding to advanced. They are particularly suitable for special needs students.
*Audio Recorders and Buttons: Many e-books have audio files and self-recording features (for auditory feedback) and smartphones and tablet computers come with text-to-speech software that can read aloud anything on your child’s screen. If a child struggles with writing or taking notes, an audio recorder can capture what the teacher says in class so your child can listen to it again at home. Fun button recorders allow the user to make choices, practice speech, give messages, practice spelling words, and record short answers. 
*Timers: Wristwatches, hourglass timers, visual timers—these inexpensive devices help kids who have trouble with pacing. Timers can be used as visual aids to show how much time is left to complete an activity. If a child has difficulty transitioning from task to task, timers can help him mentally prepare to make the switch. Fun Time Timer by CodigoDelSur. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fun-time-timer/id652296774?mt=8
*Reading Guides: Reading guides are good tools for kids who have trouble with visual tracking or who need help staying focused on the page. The plastic strip highlights one line of text while blocking out surrounding words that might be distracting. The strip is also easy to move down the page as your child reads.
*Flexible Seating:
For those with attention challenges and/or sitting still, students have the opportunity to wiggle or bounce while still being productive using wobble stools and exercise balls. Inflatable seat cushions are also available to help kids with sensory processing and attention issues. The cushion can provide enough movement and stimulation to help a child maximize his focus.
*Calculators:
Depending on your child’s math issues, it might be appropriate for him to use a basic calculator in class. There are also large-display calculators and even talking calculators. A talking calculator has built-in speech output to reads the numbers, symbols and operation keys aloud. It can help your child confirm that he has pressed the correct keys. Free Talking Calculator by Roundhouse Software LLC. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/free-talking-calculator/id1087367680?mt=8 
Assistive Technology Tips:
*Having the right AT tool can make a huge difference for your child’s education.
*A good way to choose an assistive technology tool is to start with a specific struggle or need that your child has.
*Check out the Bluebee Pals Website for additional resources.https://www.bluebeepals.com/apps-bluebee-pals/
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by Helen Wagner | Mar 12, 2019 | Bluebee News |
Personalized learning refers to efforts to tailor education to meet the different needs of students. It involves “instruction in which the pace of learning and the instructional approach are optimized for the needs of each learner. Learning objectives, instructional approaches, and instructional content (and its sequencing) may all vary based on learner needs. In addition, learning activities are meaningful and relevant to learners, driven by their interests, and often self-initiated” (The United States National Education Technology Plan 2017). To put it simply, personalized learning is a learning experience designed for each student with their specific needs in mind. Typically, technology is utilized to facilitate personalized learning environments.
Resources Available to Address Personalized Learning
Splash Math Grade K-5 Math Learning Games by StudyPad, Inc.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/grade-k-5-math-learning-games/id672658828?mt=8
This math learning app features interactive content, personalized/adaptive learning, games, progress reports, a scratch pad for rough work and more. In the adaptive learning feature, topics start easy and build based on the user’s progress. Medium and hard levels are unlocked based on performance. For even more engagement, connect your Bluebee Pal to narrate and provide feedback!
Bitsboard Flashcards & Games by Happy Moose Apps
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bitsboard-flashcards-games/id516842210?mt=8
This app offers a variety of learning tools and games in hundreds of topics. Users can learn a language, master vocabulary words, learn to read, improve spelling and more. It’s customizable and tracks answers so users can easily see what they’ve mastered so far and what they need to work on more. Bitsboard personalizes games based on the individual player’s skill and knows when the user is ready to move on to the next challenge. Bitsboard games are fun to play with Bluebee Pals!
Brain Pop Jr. https://jr.brainpop.com/
Ideal for students in kindergarten through 3rd grade, BrainPOP Jr. offers standards-aligned movies, quizzes, games, and activities covering Science, Reading & Writing, Math, Health, Social Studies, and Arts & Technology. It encourages young learners to ask questions and form their own ideas. All text is read aloud to facilitate comprehension. Bluebee Pals are great friends to help you work and learn!
Articulation Station Pro by Little Bee Speech
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/articulation-station-pro/id491998279?mt=8
Articulation Station Pro provides students with the opportunity to record and listen to their own voices as they practice pronunciation of sounds and words in conjunction with a narrator who speaks them. Designed by a certified speech-language pathologist, the app lets students play with letter sounds through word games, sentences, and stories. Through these activities, students can build self-awareness, correct pronunciation and letter and word recognition. Activities can be tailored to meet individual student articulation needs. Your Bluebee Pal easily connects to the app and helps students listen and practice. Record student productions within the app and your Bluebee will speak in your students’ own voices. They will be captivated!
Explain EDU by Explain Everything
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/explain-edu/id431493086?mt=8
Explain Everything is an interactive whiteboard that allows you to instruct in real time through interactive learning and lets students demonstrate knowledge by becoming the teacher (the best way to know if you know something is to explain it to someone else). It is an excellent tool for creating and designing presentations, forcing students to articulate their understanding, and collaborating with their peers.
Educreations by Educreations, Inc
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/educreations/id478617061?mt=8
This is an interactive whiteboard and screencasting tool you can use to teach/explain any concept. Screencasts allow teachers to duplicate and provide each student with his or her own teacher-created personalized video lesson. Each student controls the lesson and can work independently. They can pause, rewind, and listen to their teacher again. Additionally, those who miss class no longer lack the instruction, instead receiving the same lesson presented to their classmates.
Seesaw: The Learning Journal by Seesaw Learning, Inc.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/seesaw-the-learning-journal/id930565184?mt=8
Seesaw is a student-driven, digital student portfolio that inspires students to take ownership of and do their best work. Students are able to express themselves and reflect on their learning. Teachers find or create activities to share with students. Students take pictures, draw, record videos and more to capture learning in a portfolio. Parents and teachers see their child’s work and leave comments and encouragement.
Nearpod by Nearpod
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nearpod/id523540409?mt=8
Nearpod is a classroom tool for teachers to engage students with interactive lessons & assessments that students can access on any device. Teachers control the lesson, pushing content to student devices, which students complete at their own pace. Nearpod increases student engagement with lessons that require their interaction. Use Nearpod to collect and deliver video, web content, images, slides, PDF’s and assessments to your students in an single, organized collection for the lesson.
ClassDojo by ClassDojo, Inc.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/classdojo/id552602056?mt=8
Students need personalized learning when it comes to classroom management in addition to instruction. Class Dojo provides teachers with a platform to track student behavior and assign positive and negative remarks. In addition, teachers can send instant messages to specific parents and share photos from the class. Students can choose their own avatar.
Google Classroom: A member of the Google Apps for Education suite of services that helps teachers create and organize assignments quickly, provide feedback efficiently, and easily communicate with their classes.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-classroom/mfhehppjhmmnlfbbopchdfldgimhfhfk?hl=en
Bluebee Pals are fun, motivating and engaging and can be easily integrated with any app above featuring narration!
http://bluebeepals.com. https://www.bluebeepals.com/inclusive-curriculum/
by Helen Wagner | Feb 2, 2019 | Bluebee News |
Do you want to add a lot of excitement into your Circle Time?
Bluebee Pals are uniquely suited for use during group circle time reading practice! Children love reading buddies, and Bluebee Pals make awesomely perfect reading friends! It’s easy to do without spending a lot of extra time! Just connect your Bluebee Pal via Bluetooth (android or iOS) to your favorite storybook apps; make your own classroom books using a story creator app; carry-on a conversation, type in text of your own book, or make-up your own stories by using a text-to-speech app; or utilize narrated YouTube book videos! https://www.bluebeepals.com/apps-bluebee-pals/
Here are a Ideas to get you started. Have fun!
Connect your Bluebee Pal to any of your storybook apps to make storytelling come to life! Your Bluebee Pal will “read” any story, with natural head and mouth movements! Children will become immediately more engaged and attentive! Pause the app at any time to discuss the book and ask questions with your students! Some book apps allow the user to record/retell the story with their own voice! http://bluebeepals.com
Bluebee Pals : A Few Favorite Book Apps
Even Monsters Are Shy by Busy Bee Studios: Ben helps his new monster friend overcome his shyness.
https://youtu.be/LuHshs0hhcM
Three Little Pigs vs The Wolf by Irene Deev: A classic fairy tale comes to life
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/three-little-pigs-vs-the-wolf/id1152205182?mt=8
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/youtellmestories/id1449179080
Bluebee Pals: Create Stories Apps
My Story School eBook Maker by Bright Bot, Inc.-Create and share ebooks and movies using your own voice, drawings, stickers, and photos!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-story-school-ebook-maker/id449232368?mt=8
Book Creator for iPad by Red Jumper Limited: Easily create your own books! Add music, narration, video, text! Share with family and friends.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/book-creator-for-ipad/id442378070?mt=8
Bluebee Pals Text to Speech
Talk For Me – Text to Speech by Darrin Altman
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talk-for-me-text-to-speech/id975096888?mt=8
Interact with your Bluebee Pal by typing in text for your Bluebee to speak! Ask and answer questions, carry-on a real time conversation! Make up your own stories or type in the text of books for your Bluebee Pal to read.
Bluebee Pals: Connect to YouTube Videos:
Do a simple search for your favorite book by name, or search for children’s read aloud books. Here are a few to get you started.
The Rainbow Fish https://youtu.be/QFORvXhub28
No, David! https://youtu.be/5XTb_Vi2VFU
Go Away Big Green Monster https://youtu.be/c5aBlzg0548
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle https://youtu.be/KbtBoNE3vRw
Learn More About Bluebee Pals:
http://bluebeepals.com
by Helen Wagner | Nov 5, 2018 | Bluebee News, Helen's Corner |
Bluebee Pals Learning Companions: Who are these huggable interactive animals tech companions that provide parents an opportunity to re-enforce learning and social skills in home settings. These exciting NEW learning buddies with FREE Life/Skill Companion App are a wonderful holiday gift for any child ages 3-8.https://www.bluebeepals.com
Helen Wagner( Speech Therapist): I often use our classroom Bluebee Pals during therapy to work on reading, talking and playing skills! My students really relate to their Bluebee therapy friends, and look forward to learning with them! Teaching and learning begin at home. Parents are the first and most important teachers in the early, developmental years. Young children learn essential, foundational speech, receptive and expressive language, social, pre-reading, cognitive, numeracy and communication skills necessary for future academic success through meaningful play and lots of language-rich learning opportunities.
PARENTS REMEMBER HOW YOUR STUFFED ANIMAL WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND!
Read, Read, Read!
Read to your child daily. Reading helps develop vocabulary, attending, sentence construction, grammar, pronoun usage, social-skills, turn-taking, imagination, creativity, sequential thought, emotions, wh-questions, comprehension, receptive/expressive language skills, critical thinking and problem solving, and so much more! Reading daily to young children is one of the most language rich and meaningful learning opportunities that parents can give their children. Parents provide many natural educational interactions while reading, talking about the subject matter and elements of the story, questioning about the story, and practicing story retelling.
Talk, Talk, Talk!
Parents need to talk to their children! Talking and commenting on the world around them is a great, natural way to teach children. Examples: In the grocery store: “How many yellow fruits do you see? How many green vegetables? Let’s buy three red apples”. In the car: “Let’s see how many blue cars we can count” or “How many things can people ride in to go somewhere”? “Let’s look for things that are orange”. “Can you find a stop sign? What colors are in a traffic light”? At home during interactive play: “Oh, wow, I see that you are racing your red car and your blue car. Which one do you think will go faster”? Simple commenting and talking about what you and your child are doing and seeing and asking questions is a powerful educational tool. Commenting on the world around them will build and reinforce basic concepts, numeracy, turn-taking, pragmatic skills, receptive and expressive language, critical thinking and reasoning skills, problem solving, grammar, and more.
Play, Play, Play!
Play with your children! Lots and lots of learning takes place during play! Play dolls, play trucks, play games, play marbles, play pretend! Provide opportunities for 
you preschoolers to interact with peers! Beginning games such as Candy Land, Spot It, Pop the Pig, I Spy, Zingo and more are great for practicing social skills, turn-taking, sharing, numbers, colors, matching and categorization skills. Playing and learning through songs and finger-plays such as “Itty Bitty Spider, 5 Little Ducks, etc, is a great way to teach rhyming, sequencing, memory and basic concept skills. Learning through play provides powerful opportunities for cognitive growth. **Helen Wagner is a Speech Language Pathologist at Saxs Elementary in Anniston, Alabama. Since 2015, Helen has been integrating Bluebee Pals in her speech therapy classroom at school for the past 2 years.
by Helen Wagner | Sep 16, 2017 | Bluebee News |
Summertime is over! Kids are back in school! Gather your Bluebee Pals and children and get ready to learn! Here are some favorite apps from our classroom to help you get back in the “groove”!
Children are back to school continuing their learning path and ready to learn new academic skills. At home, parents are the first and most important teachers in the early, developmental years. Young children learn essential, foundational speech, receptive and expressive language, social, pre-reading, cognitive, numeracy and communication skills necessary for future academic success through meaningful play and lots of language rich learning opportunities. **Bluebee Pal Teacher Ambassador Helen Wagner
Zap Zap Kindergarten Math
This app features colorful intergalactic mini-math games targeting foundational math skills such as developing number sense, counting to 100, addition and subtraction to 20, making comparisons, shapes and measurements, 2 and 3 dimensional shapes, and more. It uses an adaptive learning function that challenges while adjusting the difficulty level of each game to meet learner needs. Children have so much fun flying their spaceship in outer space, earning jigsaw puzzle pieces, and unlocking new spaceships!
Hideout: Early Reading
Grab your favorite Bluebee Pal for this fun, interactive early reading app! Featuring 9 totally engaging mini-games, your child will practice blending sounds into words with the following phonics patterns: -AP, -OP, -IT, -ET, -EN, -AG, -UB, -IP, -OCK. Each pattern is presented with sound blending practice to make words, a fun mini-game, and a short read aloud using words from the game. Activities are lively and students love to play over and over. A great beginning app for struggling or beginning readers!
Avokiddo ABC Ride – Fun Alphabet and Spelling Games
ABC Ride is one of our favorites! Hop on your bike and go on an alphabet adventure! Ride to each letter of the alphabet for fun play in each of 26 activity scenes. Solve puzzles, find hidden letters, and practice spelling skills. You can ride to each letter scene in order, or choose to visit letters randomly. Jump and jiggle on the jelly for J, Cram the candy into Clyde, Bop the balloons to break them, or change Dotty’s dirty diaper (this one always elicits lots of giggles)! With your Bluebee Pal, learning the alphabet is fun! My students love the zany, interactive activities!
Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
I love teaching through books! Lots of my students lack exposure to some of the “classics”! This is the traditional story of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, with a twist. As you read the story, there are on- screen questions and comments to get your child thinking and to stimulate conversation, vocabulary, and language. The app also offers a read and record feature where your child can record themselves retelling the story! This is a fun app for language development, sequencing, and vocabulary. It is especially fun to read along with your favorite Bluebee Pal! My kids have a blast when their Bluebee Pal reads the story back to them in their own voice! You Tell Me Stories, Inc. offer lots of interactive books, check them out!
by Helen Wagner | Sep 15, 2017 | Helen's Corner |
Summertime is over! Kids are back in school! Gather your Bluebee Pals and children and get ready to learn! Here are some favorite apps from our classroom to help you get back in the “groove”!Zap Zap Kindergarten Math
This app features colorful intergalactic mini-math games targeting foundational math skills such as developing number sense, counting to 100, addition and subtraction to 20, making comparisons, shapes and measurements, 2 and 3-dimensional shapes, and more. It uses an adaptive learning function that challenges while adjusting the difficulty level of each game to meet learner needs. Children have so much fun flying their spaceship in outer space, earning jigsaw puzzle pieces, and unlocking new spaceships!
Hideout: Early Reading
Grab your favorite Bluebee Pal for this fun, interactive early reading app! Featuring 9 totally engaging mini-games, your child will practice blending sounds into words with the following phonics patterns: -AP, -OP, -IT, -ET, -EN, -AG, -UB, -IP, -OCK. Each pattern is presented with sound blending practice to make words, a fun mini-game, and a short read aloud using words from the game. Activities are lively and students love to play over and over. A great beginning app for struggling or beginning readers!
Avokiddo ABC Ride – Fun Alphabet and Spelling Games
ABC Ride is one of our favorites! Hop on your bike and go on an alphabet adventure! Ride to each letter of the alphabet for fun play in each of 26 activity scenes. Solve puzzles, find hidden letters, and practice spelling skills. You can ride to each letter scene in order, or choose to visit letters randomly. Jump and jiggle on the jelly for J, Cram the candy into Clyde, Bop the balloons to break them, or change Dotty’s dirty diaper (this one always elicits lots of giggles)! With your Bluebee Pal, learning the alphabet is fun! My students love the zany, interactive activities!
Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
I love teaching through books! Lots of my students lack exposure to some of the “classics”! This is the traditional story of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, with a twist. As you read the story, there are on-screen questions and comments to get your child thinking and to stimulate conversation, vocabulary, and language. The app also offers a read and record feature where your child can record themselves retelling the story! This is a fun app for language development, sequencing, and vocabulary. It is especially fun to read along with your favorite Bluebee Pal! My kids have a blast when their Bluebee Pal reads the story back to them in their own voice! You Tell Me Stories, Inc. offer lots of interactive books, check them out!
