Communication apps for students who are deaf or hard of hearing

As we know students who are deaf or hard of hearing communicate in a variety of ways: verbally, use of sign language (cued speech, ASL, manual), lip reading, and writing. Below are some apps that can be used on the iPad to help students develop or maintain their communication skills in and out of the classroom. 

App name	Website	Description	Cost
IP - Relay	http://itunes.apple.com/app/ip-relay/id351385414?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&mt=8	IP-Relay allows individuals to use their device to call people who are able to hear. It acts like an instant message system.  The individual who is deaf or hard of hearing type out their message and IP relay operator speaks the message to the individual who is hearing. Then relays what the individual who could hear says to the individual who is deaf through text.	Free
Dragon Dictation	http://itunes.apple.com/app/dragon-dictation/id341446764?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&mt=8	Dragon dictation allows users to speak directly into the microphone, the words that they spoke appear in text on the screen.	Free
Face Time	Pre-downloaded on device	FaceTime is a phone calling app that features video and works through a Wi-Fi internet connection. It is very similar to Skype as it uses video to relay messages. FaceTime is ideal for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing because a user can easily observe facial expressions, gesture, and communicate using American Sign Language or lip reading.	Pre-downloaded on device
Signing time Lite ASL	http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/signing-time-lite-asl-sign/id306355760?mt=8	The lite version includes six flash cards and three shortened music videos.	Free but full version is $2.99
ABA Flash Cards & Games - Emotions	http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aba-flash-cards-games-emotions/id446105144?mt=8	Identifying, understanding, and responding appropriately to emotions.	Free **All ABA apps are free during the month of April!!**
Baby sign and sing	http://www.babysignandlearn.com/baby-sign-and-learn-asl-for-iphone-and-ipad	Learn sign language to a children's song. Great for young learners.	Free but you can buy additional songs
PCS Sign language flash cards	http://www.mayer-johnson.com/pcs-sign-language-flash-cards/	Learn signs, picture representations, and text all in the same app!	Free
ASL Dictionary for iPad	http://www.asl-dictionary.com/	A great reference for signs and phrases	$6.49
My Smarty hands	http://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id366804871?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4	Learn and practice 300 ASL signs	Lite - free full is $4.99
SparkleFish	http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sparklefish/id432462341?mt=8&ls=1	This app allows users to record word in their voice. It is similar to madlibs and comes with four free stories.	Free
Splingo's Language Universe	http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/splingos-language-universe/id457526530?mt=8&ls=J	Helps students learn and practice listening skills	$2.99
Learn American Sign Language	http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/learn-american-sign-language/id435624458?mt=8	Learn American Sign Language is a simple and fun way to learn signing, covering such useful topics as Greetings, Emergency Situations and more.	$2.99

iPad adaptations for students who are deaf or hard of hearing

First thing is first, lets look at some ways to make our iPad more user friendly for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The iPad has many adaptations that can be made to make it easier for students who are deaf and hard of hearing to access the device. 

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Face Time

FaceTime is a phone calling app that features video and works through Wi-Fi internet connection. It is very similar to Skype as it uses video to relay messages. FaceTime is ideal for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing because a user can easily observe facial expressions, gesture, and communicate using American Sign Language or lip reading.  FaceTime can also be used to make and receive video relay and text relay calls. Below is a tutorial on how to set up face time on your iPad.

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Volume adjustments

Users are able to adjust the volume  on an iPad. To do so follow the steps below:

1. Touch settings icon on Home screen
2. Click general settings tap sounds
3. Drag the slider bar to the right to increase the volume and to left to lower it 
4. Touch home button to close settings
5. 

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Notes

Notes is an app that comes standard on your iPad. It can be used to type and record notes in class. Create new notes, review notes previously created, search for notes, save notes, delete them, and email them! Teachers can use this app to document instructions or directs for students to complete. Click create new note and the on screen keyboard will pop up. Compose your note and save it! The video posted below is an app tutorial. 

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Closed Captioning - The iPad  supports the playback of open captions, closed captions, and subtitling. The captions appear onscreen, just like on TV. 

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Visual Alerts

Some apps such as mail, app store, and skype on the iPad have visual alerts for the user. Visual alerts are also appear with time, date, wi-fi function, and battery life.

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Mono Audio

To improve your listening experience when using headphones, turn on Mono Audio. When Mono Audio is turned on, iPad plays all sounds in both ears.

1. Click on the Settings icon
2. Navigate to  General settings
   Click Accessibility.
3. Click the Mono Audio On/Off button to turn on the feature.
   
   Mono Audio is turned on.
4.  Touch on  the Home button to close Settings.

Guest Post: Elaine Hirsch: How iPad Textbooks can be Used in Schools

Guest Post by Elaine Hirsch

Thank you Elaine for developing another blog post about a critical piece in our educational system.

How iPad Textbooks can be Used in Schools

As technological innovation continues in our modern society, changes in the delivery of content are now foremost. Desktop and laptop computers quickly became more commonplace after their initial appearance, and it will be the same in the case of e-readers and tablet computers. While many think the novelty of the iPad will be short-lived, a strong camp of thinkers is promoting iPads as the next classroom revolution.

iPads are at this point still the most technologically innovative and user-friendly tablets available. The iPad offers mobile multimedia options, thus kicking learning up a notch as an entertaining way to engage students in a slim, portable package. Many teachers from elementary schools to master's degree programs realize the future of textbooks will be digital, both to save paper and energy, and for easier distribution.

Therefore, the logical step is to use the latest innovation in personal computing tools to be able to access these textbooks. Schools in 600 districts across the nation are already supplying their students with new iPads.

George Fox University in Oregon has attracted students by giving out laptops to incoming freshmen since 1991. This has always been an expensive program, and officials have considered dropping it. However, offering iPads might prove just as attractive to prospective students for half the cost of the laptops they've been offering.

The principal at Burlington High School in suburban Boston sees the iPad as a more cost-efficient alternative to textbooks. The iPad's $500 price tag seems like an intensive budget drain, but in the long term the savings are significant. Multiple textbooks (and buying new editions) per student easily exceed this amount every year. On the other hand, digital textbooks can be updated by the publishers with ease and at somewhat reduced cost.

Even schools with smaller budgets are purchasing the tablets. Woodford County High School in Kentucky is the first public school in the state to give every single one of its 1,250 students a new iPad. The school is using the iPads for digital textbooks, and for the many subject-specific learning apps, such as Star Walk for astronomy, Molecules for biology, iTranslate for language courses, and many more.

The iPad is front and center in the future of education. By engaging students through multimedia, this isn't just an entertaining tech gadget; it's a novel educational device.