As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. If that is true, SLPs and other educators can use a picture in at least a thousand ways. Technology has made it very simple to take photos making it easy to document and share projects. This can be an excellent way to reinforce the learning process.
Working most of my career in special education, I tend to approach the teaching/learning process as spiraling towards mastery of skills, using a variety of evidence based practices. Recently this approach has also worked while with my daughter homeschooling. She typically picks things up very fast, but for some reason she really struggled learning names and values of coins. This is typically taught in kindergarten or first grade in preparation for the 2nd grade Common Core State Standard related to money (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.C.8). After unsuccessfully trying a variety of approaches (handling toy and real coins, instruction in ABC Mouse, and various Boom Cards), I knew I needed to try something else.
I came up with a silly science experiment which I had her document through photographs on her iPad in Google Slides (Can you cut a pickle with a nickel?). This was a fun sensory experience for her. During the experiment, I named and had her name the coins and their values she was using as many times as I could. After we finished, I had her share this presentation with several other family members. That day she mastered naming coins and their values. This was a great homeschooling experience. A few months later in a discussion about what we were going to be doing in school she asked “What if I can’t do it?”. I told her I would help her, and she responded, “Like the coins!”.
When editing a Google Slide presentation from a smart phone or tablet, tap on the plus sign in the top right, image, and then from camera. My linked example presentation is locked, so you will not be able to edit it. You can make a copy of the presentation or create your own to try it out. Double tap a slide or single tap and select “Edit slide” then you can insert a photograph (image). If you still need some support on how to do this, check out this YouTube video.
A similar approach can be used in a variety of areas. SLPs can help a student create a Google Slides presentation on prepositions and share it with the student’s parent. This is a simple way to get parent involvement and reinforce what is being taught. Research has shown that video modeling can be a very effective learning tool, but sometimes the videos themselves are distracting or disruptive to the flow of instruction. I personally prefer (in teletherapy) reading books in Google Slides or even YouTube, over Vooks, because I find it harder to pause for discussion in Vooks. Luckily our ad driven world has gotten kids use to video interruptions, but pausing can still be disruptive. Don’t underestimate the power of a simple photo based “how to manual” in a Google Slides presentation! It is just as easy to share as videos and is a lot easier to find a specific task than hunting for it in the middle of the video.
There are many other great tools for educators related to pictures. Choiceworks and Choiceworks Calendar are excellent tools to use on iPads and iPhones for creating visual schedules. My daughter loves creating her own schedules in Choiceworks (working on her typing/spelling to find drawings or taking/using photos or videos of tasks). Once Upon a Picture has an amazing collection drawing (with question prompts) that can be used by educators for discussions or writing prompts.
Educators Don't Get Apples! 