TRY ME DAY!

I declare this day, Friday, 12-14-12 as TRY ME DAY!

...and No! I do not mean try my patience

...I mean try my articulation cards!

Just this week I have uploaded individual sets of my FAME Articulation Card Decks in my TpT store and think if you try them you'll love them!  So for all of today (12-14-12) you can purchase the individual Articulation Card Decks for as little as $1.50 per sound (that's 50% off it you aren't mathematically inclined)!  

 Here is what the entire 10 deck series looks like, if you bought and printed all 480 cards. But perhaps you don't need every sound deck, in that case, you can simply buy the individual sets!!  You may just want F or K or G or L.  Now you can purchase just one!

Also by purchasing a download, rather than the actual cards, you no long have to worry about losing a card.  If a card gets lost or ragged, no problem, just print what you need and replace it!  Need more than one deck to play your favorite game no problem print two or three decks!

Please note that each sound is color coded, so when you use more than one set in a therapy session sorting them will be quick work!

In each individual sound set you get 24 initial words and 24 final words.  These are sold as individual sound sets but I also offer the entire 10 sound set on CD that I can ship for $22 with FREE shipping.

There are two things I wish to tell you about these cards.

1. 1. All images used in these articulation cards are our original copyrighted artwork. No clip-art was used.
2. 2. Each card clearly states the target word that is illustrated and the sound-position within the word: Fire-F initial

The download will print as 10 pictures to a page as pictured above.  An additional TIP is to print 2 more of the same page for the kid to take home as home work!  They look as good in black and white as they do in color.

Each sound has color coded card backs.  These are optional and when the cards are printed on card stock you can not see through the backs of the cards.  If you have limited ink usage, I would fore go printing the card backs.  The cards have the color coding as a border on the card fronts.

The downloads include the sound label cards and game play cards of Skip, Wild, Reverse, and Old Witch.  I also included 10 poissible games to play with the cards.  Some games are appropriate for pre-K and K while others are better suited to your elementary aged kids.  However, the purpose of the Articulation decks is use as daily speech stimuli!  (You can use them with any of the open ended games.)


So take advantage of this TRY ME sale today and go sample these decks!

Dean

Figurative Language Fun

Every day I continue to be amazed at the explosion of ideas that are now available to all of us.  I think I was born in the wrong era.  When I see all these wonderful things that are out now, I want to be a SLP in today's world.  During my work years, I created materials for my students with little more than scissors, Elmer's glue, and my own ingenuity. Today you have wonderful skill specific materials to buy or make literally at your finger tips!

Browsing Teacher Pay Teachers the other day I came upon this delightful "Flying Pigs Figurative Language Pack"  by Jenn Alcorn. (SLP Gone Wild)  Cute, cute, cute...   I love that it targets not just one of the skills in that area but several: idioms, common proverbs, similes, & metaphors.  It hits your common core standards and is that direct support to the classroom that you've been looking for.

She gives you 32 pages of activities for only $4. Here is what it covers:

•Idioms cue card with definition & example
•15 idioms & definition matching cards
•32 idiom cards
•Proverbs cue card with definition & example
•20 proverbs & definition matching cards
•Student figurative language graphic organizer
•Simile cue card with definition & example
•32 simile cards
•Student worksheet targeting similes
•Metaphor cue card with definition  example
•24 metaphor cards
•Student worksheet targeting metaphors
•8 penalty cards to use with any of the card sets
•Instructions & ideas for game play

Here are some samples of what the pages look like:

 Sample of metaphor cards

Definition of a simile and two examples.

Graphic Organizer 

Idioms

With 32 pages you can see it is packed full of everything you could need to teach figurative language and so visually appealing and fun to boot!  I absolutely LOVE this and I know you will too.

I hope you will go to her TpT store and look at this and all her other fabulous therapy materials.
 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Slp-Gone-Wild

(I have decided that Jenn Alcorn and Jenna Rayburn could fill just about any language need you would have.   I am in awe of those two gals.) 

Have fun with your kids this week!
Dean

A Fun Way to Teach Descriptive Words

Sometimes it is hard to get students to describe an object using words other than size and color.  They seems to always give you the same reply: it's big or it's little; it's blue, black, red or green.  If you point out that you can describe by shape then you get just the shape of the object and usually everything is round or square.  They can't seem to grasp the idea that an object can be described by many qualities.  Thus, SLAP IT was born!

SLAP IT Descriptors Card Game is a receptive game to improve and develop understanding of descriptive words. 

It targets these 35 descriptive words:

• Liquid, crunchy, hot, cold, scary, 
• ugly, big, hard, small, smooth, 
• soft, long, tall, round, Rectangular, 
• fuzzy, slimy, salty, prickly, sweet, 
• sour, sharp, leather, glass, paper, 
• plastic, wood, metal, cloth, heavy,
• light, warm, rough, slick, sticky.

The game is easy to play just be the 1st player to get rid of all your cards! You will divide the deck of picture cards among the number of students you have in your group and they place their cards face up so they can see them.  The SLP/teacher has the 7 calling cards which they place face down in front of him/herself.  The SLP draws her first card and reads one of the descriptive words out loud.  All players look at their pictures to find a picture that can be described using that word.  When the player finds a picture he SLAPS IT down in the center of the table.  The SLP and students discuss all the pictures played and determine if it does indeed have that descriptive characteristic. If it does not the player who played the card has to take it back.  All cards played that fit the description are then removed and discarded.  Play continues until one player is out of cards and is declared the winner.

Additional Game Play Ideas:
This game can be adapted to fit your needs.  You may wish to take it further and give 2 descriptors at a time that a picture will have to fit.  Or you may wish to play it as an expressive game requiring the students keep their cards in a stack in front of themselves and require them to give 1, 2 or 3 descriptive words to be able to get rid of their cards. They must keep their card if they cannot do it. First player out of cards wins.

This game is sold as a digital download in my Teacher Pay Teachers Store for $4.50.  Just download the pdf files and make your own.

I am very conscientious of your funds and access to color copiers, ink and paper, which is why my games and activities are created using minimal color and designs, and why my layouts are as efficient as I can make them to use less paper when making the games.

You can get detailed instructions on how to cut the pages into neat same sized cards here

Here's a great idea for carryover!

During the carryover phase of therapy the child learns to transfer that newly learned articulation skill into an automatic speech pattern at the conversational level.  Sounds easy enough but it is not always that easy.  Some children move right along with it while others struggle. I always found it personally frustrating because there really is nothing that I, as a therapist, can do for them at this point in their therapy. They are at the place where they have to be totally responsible for monitoring themselves.  I have taught them to hear the difference in the correct and incorrect sound. I have shown them where to put their tongue to make the sound correctly.  We have drilled on words, phrases, and sentences. We have read passages, but now they walk this final path alone.

I had not found many exciting materials available in the marketplace targeting just conversational speech.  Well that is until now....I want to share something that just hit the marketplace this week!  (It is rather cool to be the first with the latest.)  Finally there is an app specifically for carryover ....and it is only $9.99 for 500 sound specific multiple choice questions!

Multiple Choice Articulation

This was created by a Speech-Language Pathologist, named Erik X. Raj. I got to know Erik through the #SLPeeps on Twitter.  He quickly became a personal friend, which is how I found out his new app launched this week :) I have personally proofread many of the multiple choice questions that are presented so I can testify they are funny and thought provoking.  The questions and answers are loaded with many sound targets but they are not boring! The questions are zany and silly and so kid appropriate.  Although the questions are multiple choice, there is never a right or wrong answer so that stress is removed and they can just talk freely.  These are personal opinion multiple choice. The questions stimulate thought and conversation.  The child progresses until he is talking without thinking about how to say the sound.

As you can see from the picture above it targets S-Z-R-L-Sh-Sh-Th.  There are over 500 exciting questions in this app.  You have the ability to refine the types of questions you ask to elicit specific areas in which you feel they need to practice.

Let's say they need to work more on R medial. You select it and then you will get stimuli such as this.

They can read the question for themselves or they can click on the button "hear the question" in which the question is read aloud with the R words stressed.  They can answer independently or they can click the button "hear an answer" to hear one possible answer. 

If you would like to watch the demo to see how it works. Go here  and I especially encourage to look at the iTunes ad for more detailed information.

If you are still reading my blog you are now in for a special treat.  Erik gave me two promo codes to give away!!  The only way I know how to do this is to say the first two people to comment on this blog will get the codes, which gets them the app for FREE!   Leave an email address in your comment and I'll email you the code. If you don't leave your email address you won't get the code.  On behalf of those two lucky individuals I say thanks Erik!

Have fun with your kids this week!
Dean

EduBlog Nominations

The EduBlog Awards have been around since 2004 but I was unfamiliar with it until last year when I saw that several of the #SLPeeps has received this honor for their blogs.  The purpose of these awards is to show that social media in all its various forms has educational value and relevance.

I almost let this get past me, but I am not too late.  The deadline is not until tomorrow so by the skin of my teeth here are my nominations.

Best Individual Blog- The Lexical Linguist.  Tanya brings the spotlight to social media in a way that we can ALL understand it; novices or savvy techies both gain from reading it.

Best Group Blog- Pediastaff Pediatric SLP, OT, and PT Blog.  They deliver the best of individual blogs to focus and broaden our perspective in speech, physical, and occupational therapies.  They share bloggers who stay abreast with the latest research and information needed by therapists as well as techniques to make us better as we work with others.

Best New Blog- Speech Adventures.  Mary Huston focuses public attention to those topics which we all discuss in our private worlds, but which also need addressing in a public forum. She stirs the collective voice that will one day exact change.

Best Student Blog- SLP_Echo.  Katie Millican personalizes her blog with highlights of life as a graduate student in the field of Speech-Language Pathology.  The thing that makes her blog rise above similar blogs of grad students is her insight into working life beyond school.

Best Twitter Hashtag- #SLPeeps.  How a handful of SLPs can increase to 1000 or more frequent uses worldwide, in a couple of years to form a collective body with buttons, tee-shirts and national notoriety, speaks for its self.

Lifetime Achievement-Dr. Caroline Bowen.  Dr. Bowen has spent her life working, instructing, and sharing globally with Speech Therapists.  She has been educating SLPs from around the world via the internet not for profit but from a deep desire that we become better therapists.  

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Thanksgiving kicks off the Holiday Season...or triple threat in calories as I see it! 

Let me kick it off with a little FREE Holiday activity for your Pre-K and K groups!

 
 You can pick this up right now in my TpT store.  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Dean-Trout
 
It also kicks off the shopping season and "the most wonderful time of the year" for saving a little hard earned cash!  Saving a little money is what I want to share with you in this post. Not only can you save a little money but you can do it in your PJs!  Anything I can do in my PJs is my "thing" to do.  I'm also not one for losing sleep just to have things snatched and grabbed out of my hands!  Unfortunately that can go on in the physical world,  I prefer the clicking of a on-screen button.  I don't have to fear for my life, or get up early.

Everyone knows about Black Friday and how internet shopping on Cyber Monday is quickly surpassing the Friday blitz.  What you do not know is that I'm having a sale on the Teachers pay Teachers website on Cyber Monday Nov. 26th and Tuesday the 27th. EVERYTHING in my store will be 20% off plus the TpT site is offering you 8% more so that makes 28% off!  A fantastic deal, right?

Be sure to use the promo code CMT12 to get your discount!!

Oh, you should also know I have permanently reduced the price of the Adventure Pack from $90 to $40! So, if you missed the one day sale last week, you can still get it at an unbelievably low price.  Do I hear a WooHoo?  I know several people from the Perkilou Yahoo Group didn't receive notice in time to take advantage of it :(  so here's your chance!

There are many SLPs creating fabulous materials and opening stores through TpT.  There are more than I can mention, but Jenna Rayburn wrote a blog about it yesterday! http://speechroomnews.blogspot.com/
She says there are at least 50 now and she has links to most, if not all, of them in this blog. Have you seen her things on TpT?  She has tons of things for language and speech already made for you.
 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Jenna-Rayburn-26  All you have to do is download and print them out!

I want to mention Kim Lewis (Activity Tailor) and her store.  We were talking earlier today and she said she's offering 10% off her therapy materials!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Activity-Tailor 
So with the TpT discount that's 18% off... that's a great deal! 

Anyway, hope you'll take advantage of this big sales event, get some fantastic buys and build your therapy bag of tricks!

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!  I'm thanking God for blessing me with all of you.
Dean

A Guidebook on Social Media: Pinterest, Blogs, and Twitter!

I am not going to make this post an "after ASHA wrap up" but I do want to say that it was absolutely wonderful to meet all these SLPs that I've been tweeting with for 2 years!  The #SLPeeps are as delightful in real life as they are online.  If you haven't dove into the world of the twitter #SLPeeps you really are missing out on a fun, supportive, smart group of friends. 

With that said let me share a link where you can get a gist of how to get the most out of social media (Pinterest, Blogs and Twitter) on a professional level.  This was written by four different SLPs from across the country who are active in the #SLPeeps on twitter.  This was a brilliant idea from @Pediastaff  (Love you Heidi). 

http://www.pediastaff.com/blog/cutting-through-the-hype-essential-social-media-tools-for-slps-a-guidebook

You will find the download for this guidebook towards the bottom of that page. 

I hope everyone has a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!
Dean

Just For the ASHAless SLPeeps

Last year I physically grieved as I read all the wonderful things people were doing at ASHA-2011 and determined then that I would be in Atlanta for this year's convention.  I am and I'm not attending, as you read in my last post, but feel very blessed for the limited interaction I do get to have.  I feel for  all the SLPs who can't be here this year which is why I wanted to do something so very special for YOU!

What I am offering you ASHAless SLPeeps at home to make you feel a part of all the excitement is STUPENDOUS.  We all love to purchase new things when we attend conferences and really like getting a discount, so  what I am offering you is an INCREDIBLE deal!!

~For 1 DAY ONLY~

ASHA SPECIAL

Friday, Nov. 16th 2012 

 from 12:01 AM -11:59 PM

 ADVENTURE PACK SOFTWARE 

for only   $30

when purchased through my TpT store

This offer is only good for 1 day so don't put this off.  You need to buy it NOW!  Here's the direct link to it!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adventure-Pack-Software


Cheers!
Dean  

I'll be at ASHA 2012!.....sorta

When you start reading all the tweets and chatter about ASHA you can actually feel the EXCITEMENT in the wording!  There are literally "squeals" of excitement expressed (and no,  not all of them are from me) 

I've titled this blog post "I'll be at ASHA 2012....sorta" because my involvement is... well, complicated.

I'll be in Atlanta, YES!

I'll be at the #SLPeeps Meet and Greet for dinner and drinks on Wed. night,  YES!

I'll be in the Exhibit Hall, YES, uh NO, uh YES, ok this is where it gets complicated.  Let me explain.

As you know, I am retired and have let my license to practice as a speech-language pathologist expire, so I don't need the CEU hours.  Therefore I will not be attending ASHA.   BUT, I am still very involved in our field creating little games and things for you who are still working.   I have enthusiastically joined the #SLPeeps on Twitter and have found my place among them. I have made so many delightful cyber friendships that I hope to turn into real life friends on that Wed. night. I have also made a major discovery.  Most of the small business SLPs on there are not competitive but cooperative in attitude and spirit.  We all help and support each other.   This spirit of cooperation and  helpfulness was extended to me by Kim Lewis, owner of Activity Tailor.  http://www.activitytailor.com/  She offered to sell my FAME cds at her booth at ASHA.  Now I ask you, is that not the nicest thing one small business person could do for another?  See there really are nice SLP business owners out there!

So here is where I need to tell you that her booth is #840 in the Exhibit Hall and to be sure to make your way there during your ASHA experience this year! 

I mentioned the cooperative and supportive spirit of the #SLPeeps so I need to also share that that has even extended to the small businesses that are going to be a ASHA this year!  They, and when I say they I really mean http://www.lessonpix.com/, have created for you a system whereby you can identify and locate them easily.  Just look for these signs among the exhibitors:

This "tweety" bird has affectionately been dubbed Julio.  So watch for Julio and support these vendors:

@LessonPix
@Pediastaff
@AshleyLesleySD (SuperDuper)
@ActivityTailor
@TactusTherapy
@ReadingWithTLC
@All4MyChild
@SaltilloCorp
@LittleBeeSpeech 

@TalkingTiles
@NSSLHA
@MobileEdStore
@SmartyEarsApps
@TammyBasel (Autism Language Learning)
@ProxTalker
@PluralPub
@MHS_Inc
@ESailers 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Have a great experience at ASHA 2012!

Dean

ASHA 2012 in Atlanta, GA

Just in case there may be someone who does not know, Atlanta, GA is also referred to as "Hotlanta" because it is the place to be, and this November it certainly is as it is hosting ASHA 2012.  In today's post I want to share with you some information to help you get the most bang for your buck while you are there.  Not going? Well you won't have to feel left out as there are some delightful things going on for the ones left at home that I'll be sharing in a another post.

ASHA has always been deemed as the cream of the crop for conferences and no one has ever returned from one without being totally impressed with all the courses they could attend. This year the conference has been elevated to a level that surpasses anything you've experienced in the past.  Beyond the highly regarded professional development courses and trainings that is offered, SLPs will now experience social media's influence.  This will be brought to you by Pediastaff, (http://www.pediastaff.com/) a national staffing company that specializes in placements for pediatric therapists. This company has brought and is bringing social media to therapists and directly impacting the delivery of our therapy.  Heidi and the staff have started a tsunami of helpful ideas on Pinterest, and have contributed in a massive way on twitter by keeping us informed with the latest information through articles and blogs.

Let me tell you what they are doing at ASHA!  They are staffing a booth (#1823) in the Career Fair area of the Exhibit Hall. You will not want to miss going by there because of all you can learn and experience while you are there. The booth is titled The Pediastaff Social Media Learning Center Featuring SLPeeps  let me list some of the "goings on" at their booth.

They are offering rotating sessions on Twitter, Pinterest, Blogs and more.  Here is the schedule for those. 

This booth will be staffed by Pediastaff and SLPeeps volunteers.  They need more volunteers so if you want to get in on that contact Heidi @pediastaff on twitter.     These sessions are appropriate for EVERYONE.  If you are totally a beginner using the computer they can tell you more about it.  If you are tech savvy they can talk shop with you too! So don't let that keep you away.

They have also scheduled 3 Tweet & Greet, in which you can go by the booth and record a video message for your SLP friends at home that don't get to attend this year.  They will also be posting these on You Tube :)  What fun!

If you want to be able to quickly identify your SLPeeps be sure to go by Pediastaff's booth (#1823) and get a button.  Once you start wearing your button complete strangers will start speaking, then after you say hello you won't be strangers any more! You can put a real life face with that twitter avatar you've been chatting with for months!!
HINT: I'd go early on in the conference as they go quickly! 

Another fabulous idea that came about from the SLPeeps and executed by Heidi at Pediastaff was the creation of our very own SLPeeps tee shirts and hoodies.  Even though I won't be actually attending ASHA this year I did purchase a hoodie to wear this winter.  You can order one before you go to wear while you're there or like me you can just get one to wear.

Here's the link: http://slpeeps.spreadshirt.com/

The ASHA convention this year is gonna be GREAT!  I'll be in Atlanta only for the Wed. night meet and greet and am so looking forward to meeting YOU!

Dean

November Free Game for YOU

What a week of weather it was.  We have gone from beautiful 80 degree days early in the week, with foliage so intense in it's beauty that it almost hurt your eyes, to the leaves dropping off overnight as the temps dropped into the 30's. Now today we are in a winter weather advisory and there is snow on the mountain tops. Our local forecast calls for snow today and tomorrow so I fear the kids will be Trick or Treating in the snow.  I love living where I can enjoy all four seasons....I just don't like going from summer to winter overnight.

Sorry, I just had to share that with you, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with this post.  Today's post is all about the 2 FUN games for November.  It is a generic game like  I typically make. It is open-ended and can be used with any task you are doing...speech or language. You select the task for the day and I supply the the FUN.  One is FREE, and the other is for sale at a very, very reasonable price.  Both of these games can be found at my TpT store.

 Here's a sample of the FREEBIE Gathering Nuts ... In this quick play card game you are gathering nuts.   You can download it for free here:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gathering-Nuts-Game

 

The next little game that I have put up for sale is "It's Turkey Time!"  A seasonal quick play game for motivation and maintaining interest in therapy. Players collect cards to be the first to gather everything they need to have their Thanksgiving feast!   It is $2, that's all just $2 and here's a sample of it.  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Its-Turkey-Time-Card-Game

 

I would love for you to leave a comment. Just as I share with you I hope you will share with me and others! Besides you know I love to hear from you guys :)

Use these to put FUN in your therapy this week!
Dean

NEW Stores

I am so excited to announce this morning that I have just opened a new store                                          

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Dean-Trout

Here you can buy most of the wonderful products we sold as 2 Gals Speech Products.   Leah will have her store up and open soon too!  I'll announce her launch when she gets it going. 

I have opened my store through Teachers Pay Teachers.   Let me just briefly tell you about TpT.  It is an open marketplace where teachers buy, sell, and share their created teaching materials and ideas.  Speech Therapist have started getting in on this brilliant venue for marketing their wares, too! Your original ideas can be sold as digital downloads or as hard copies.  There are 3 levels at which you can participate:

• a FREE membership where you can make purchases
• a BASIC membership where you can buy or sell your own original ideas
• a PREMIUM membership where you can buy or sell but receive a greater return

Want to know more?  My friend, Mary Huston, will be posting an informative blog all about TpT  and SLPs who have stores there on her blogsite,  http://speechadventures.com/ very soon.

I will be adding new items as I create them, as well as, bringing back some items we had previously eliminated from the 2 Gals store, like Spinner Games and Seasonal Games.    

But to get you started today, go to my store and download a very fun HALLOWEEN Card Game for FREE.  

I hope to have a free game each month so be sure to follow me there and you'll receive a monthly notification!  You'll never miss a timely game.

Have a great week!
Dean 

Copyrights: A Word to the Wise

Hello, Hello!  Have I been gone long enough for you to miss me?  Well, I sure have missed you guys! I said in a previous post that I would pop in from time to time with a new post.  Guess what?  Today is one of those days.

In a recent conversation with another SLP,  I was once again reminded that not all SLPs understand copyright law and at best simply have the wrong understanding of how far they can go without infringing upon someone's copyright.  In recent months, I've had someone pass off one of our games as their own and publicly accept compliments for the "wonderful idea!"  In talking with this other SLP I learned the same scenario had happened to her, but from a different individual. So that is what brings about today's post on copyrights.  I fear this same scenario will play out many times as we begin to incorporate technology into our daily lives.

I will begin by sharing with you the site where you can read all about copyright law for yourself http://www.copyright.gov/title17/  Please read the information there before even thinking of "reusing" ideas from someone else.   For my purpose in today's blog I will only be highlighting a couple of points for you.  It is my hope that these two points alone will help you gain a better understanding and keep you from getting in trouble simply from ignorance of the law.


First, what is a copyright? Here is how Wikipedia defines it:

"A copyright is a law that gives the owner of a written document, musical composition, book, picture, or other creative work, the right to decide what other people can do with it. Copyright laws make it easier for authors to make money by selling their works. Because of copyright, a work can only be copied if the owner of the copyright gives permission.
People who copy or edit a work that is protected under copyright without permission can be punished by the law, usually with a fine. In other, more serious cases, a person who copies a work that is protected under copyright could be arrested and go to prison."

The owner(s) of a copyright has exclusive rights to the following: or to put this in a way that you will understand it better let's say YOU the SLP DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO THE FOLLOWING: (taken from the US Copyright Office Title 17 Sections 105 & 106 but paraphrased by me.

You do NOT have the right

1. to reproduce the copyrighted material 
2. to create other works based upon the copyrighted material
3. to distribute copies of the work to the public by sales or rental, lease, transfer of ownership, or lending
4. to perform the copyrighted work publicly
5. to display it publicly

I am sorry but as innocent as you may think what you are doing is you cannot simply "adapt" someone else's copyrighted material.  (referring to item #2 up there) Nor can you use parts of it in a newly created work of your own.  And let me point out that using it in a blog post without permission or credit is illegal. (item #5 and #3)

I think there is a gross misunderstanding by many that as long as you aren't selling it you aren't breaking the copyright law.  Go back and read that DO NOT list again. You can not take another person's copyrighted material and give it away as your own either.

Let me also caution you that just because you find something on Pinterest or anywhere you may find it on the internet, that does not give you the legal right to reproduce or edit it.  Just because something is displayed publicly on the internet does not make copyright law null and void, nor does it make it fair game for your use.  Be careful of what you are doing.  As the use of technology increases in our daily lives we are going to have to become more knowledgeable about copyright law. 

How long does a copy right last? (taken from US Copyright Office Title 17 Section 302)

"Copyright in a work created on or after January 1, 1978, subsists from its creation and endures for a term consisting of the life of the author and 70 years after the author's death.  In the case of a joint work prepared by two or more authors who did not work for hire, the copyright endures for a term consisting of the life of the last surviving author and 70 years after such last surviving author's death."

I want to make sure everyone understands that just because 2 Gals Speech Products is no longer a functioning business does not mean the copyrights we hold are no longer effective.  Leah and I own the copyrights and they will remain in effect for 70 years after we die or we sell them.  

It is important to note that if you are the author of a work it does not have to be registered with the US Copyright Office for copyright law to be upheld.  You only have to prove that you created the work first.

So please be very care with what you are posting in your blogs and the materials you are creating.  And by all means, if you are going to use something that belongs to someone else, cite your source and when people thank you for that "wonderful idea" don't take credit for it.  Give credit to the author.

One more thought, when the owner of a copyright updates the copyrighted item that certainly does not make the original version fair game for copying.

Hope this helps you stay out of trouble! 

Dean





 

Our Final Hours as a Company

Today begins our final hours as 2 Gals Speech Products, LLC and as you would imagine, it is a sad day.  We will officially no longer exist as a company at midnight Sunday night.  If you want to order any of our delightful games, software, or FAME workbooks on CD you had better do so quickly as we are in our final hours of operation as a company!

http://www.2galsspeechproducts.com/

May God always BLESS YOU as you give so much of yourselves to improve the lives of others!

Leah and Dean

Adventure Pack- Jungle Adventure

Today we wrap up this series highlighting our Adventure Pack software.  Our focus is on the Jungle Adventure game.

Of course to get started in this game you must set it up with the stimuli that your client needs to practice.  Here is a brief explanation of how to do that:

Once you have the software installed you will see the following, which we call the "teacher interface" or the screen where you select what you want your student/child to practice that day. This is totally customizable for each individual child.

 We get calls frequently from SLPs who are unsure what to do here, so let me take you through it step-by-step. It is as simple as 1-2-3!

1. Practice Level: select either word, phrase or sentence depending on where they are in their individual therapy.  You will click on the word, phrase, or sentence button and it will be highlighted. As you can see here sentence has been selected.

 2. Sound Choice: here is where you will select the sound you are targeting.  The software comes with these speech sounds: F-V-K-G-R-S-L-CH-SH-TH. Not all sounds are visible within the bar so you must click on the arrows on either end of the sound choice bar to scroll through the sounds. The sounds are listed alphabetically. The sound selection will glow green to show you which sound you are targeting.  In this picture the S is selected.

3. Placement in Word: you have the option here to select whether you wish to practice the sound in the initial or final position of the word/stimuli that is to be practiced.  It is very important to tell you that yes you do indeed need to click on  the green "GO" button to complete the setup and tell the computer which stimuli to load.  Although this may read like a lengthy process, in actuality it takes only seconds to set up a game.  We have found the students learn quickly and will often set it up themselves. ;)

That's all it takes to customize and set up the program for use.  Once you click on the GO button you will see this screen where you or the student can select the game to be played.

Now let me tell you about the Jungle Adventure.  This is the most difficult of the four games because it  requires the use of all 4 arrow keys on the keyboard and has several different perils one must work through to get to the end of the game.  Your older students 4th-8th graders will enjoy this one.  As I have said before the difficulty level of these games really is subjective because it all depends on an individual's own level of computer skills.  I'm not a gamer so I find it a challenging game.


The goal of the game is to get through the jungle and arrive at the Safe Hut without losing your life and make as high as score as you can.

As you work your way through the jungle you will encounter perils which will also bring up your speech prompts.  You MUST find the speech prompts and say them or you will not be able to progress in the game.  Your little man will simply stand on the side of the screen walking but getting nowhere!  Once you do your speech prompts the game continues.

Here is a list of the obstacles you will find along the way:

1- Pits- Don't fall in or you will lose one of your four lives;

2- Ledges and walls- you will need to climb up and over them gathering pineapples for extra points;




3- Quick Sand- If you fall in it you will lose a life so grab the monkey's hand and swing over it;
                               


4- Bushes-conceals your speech bubble so use your machete and chop the bush down;

                                                                                                  

5. Snakes- big and small they will bite and you will die.  You can either jump over them or kill them with your machete.

6. Cliffs- If you jump up and over into mid air where the speech bubble is suspended, you will activate a bridge where you can safely cross;

7. Head Hunters- they will kill you with their spears so walk back 2 or 3 steps and when the screen says JUMP do so and you will safely jump over their poisonous spears;

8. Giant Mosquitoes- Stay out of the way until a speech bubble comes your way then jump into the speech bubble.

 One really fabulous feature of this particular game is that it is not a stagnant game in that the obstacles will appear at random each time the game is played so the child can not memorize or "learn" the game sequence.  It is new, different and challenging each time they play!

So have we convinced you that the Adventure Pack software is sooo worth the money?  Do you want to buy it now.  If you do don't forget you need to purchase before 9-30-2012!
http://www.2galsspeechproducts.com/index.php?id=9

Leah and Dean

Adventure Pack- Ski Doodle

We're going to tell you about the SKI DOODLE game which is the 3rd game on our Adventure Pack CD.

As I have mentioned in the previous posts in this series you will need to read the first blog-post to understand how to customize the the game to load your preferences for your student to practice. ( http://2galsspeechproducts.blogspot.com/2012/08/adventure-pack-software-what-its-all.html )  This game is what we call a moderately difficult game to play as it requires the use of all 4 arrow keys on the keypad.  It is really subjective regarding the difficulty level.  Leah thinks this is an easy game to play and I find it difficult :) Let me explain how the game is played.

You will find yourself on a jet ski in this water race game.

The object of the game is to get through the course without "wiping out."

 You have 4 lives that can be lost by running into crabs, sharks, or rocks.  You get points just for staying in the race and not wrecking or losing lives. To add to the excitement in this game you are times and must make it through the course before the time runs out.  The timer is the green bar at the top left of your screen.

You will steer your jet ski with the arrow keys on your keypad like this:

• Right Arrow will steer to the right;
• Left Arrow will steer to the left;
• Up Arrow will increase your speed;
• Down Arrow will decrease your speed.

You must hit the ramp to activate the speech prompt.

Once you go over the ramp your speech bubble will be visible and your jet ski will automatically go into it and your stimulus will be pop up!

Your total points will be doubled each time you run over a flag up to a total of X16!  You can really get some high scores!

Your game will be over when you lose all your lives or your time runs out.  At that point you may enter your initials inn the "HIGH SCORES" box.  If you did not score a high enough score the high scores box will not appear.  The game determines if you scored high enough to get to enter your initials, so you will not make that determination.

What a FUN game this is!  We know $99.99 may seem like a high price to pay for this software, but we hope you are starting to see that you are getting 4 customizable real video games that have been developed by Speech Pathologist just like you! This is unlike anything else that is currently on the market for drill and practice.  Children BEG to "play these games" in therapy and at home!

Next week we will tell you about the last of the four games on this CD!  Enjoy your therapy this week.

Leah and Dean
www.2galsspeechproducts.com

You can order the game here: http://www.2galsspeechproducts.com/index.php?id=9
REMEMBER WE WILL BE GOING OUT OF BUSINESS 9-30-12

Adventure Pack--Mountain Adventure

Part 3 of our series in which we give you in-depth information on our Adventure Pack games will focus on the MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE.  Our previous two posts have explained how to use the teacher interface to customize the games for individual needs,  answered some frequently asked questions about the games and introduced the Swamp Adventure game.  If you have not read those please go back and read them to have the basic information of the games.

The difficulty level of this particular game is based upon the computer gaming skills of the student.  We consider this to be a moderately difficult game because it does require use of all four arrow keys on the key pad.

Here is the opening screen of the Mountain Adventure game.  As I explained in the Swamp Adventure post you can click on PLAY to play the game or BACK to go back to the teacher interface to customize the game for your student.  The High Scores! section was explained there too, so I won't bore you by repeating all that information.  However, since I'm just the nicest person you'll ever meet here are links to those posts in case you have not read those.  http://2galsspeechproducts.blogspot.com/2012/08/adventure-pack-software-what-its-all.html
http://2galsspeechproducts.blogspot.com/2012/08/adventure-pack-swamp-adventure.html

In this game you are a mountain climber and must climb to the top of the mountain to win. You move your climber by using the arrow keys on your keypad. REMEMBER the mouse does not control the characters in the game. You can move the climber UP by pressing the up arrow or DOWN with the down arrow and of course LEFT or RIGHT with the left and right arrows.  You can also move him DIAGONALLY by holding the up arrow simultaneously with the left or right arrows. You can also move downward in a diagonal direction by holding the down arrow simultaneously with the left or right arrows.  The diagonal moves will help you greatly when you are dodging falling rocks and icicles.   In this game there are obstacles and perils: falling rocks, icicles, and mountain goats that will butt you off the mountain.  Each time you are hit by one of them you will lose a life.  Note the colored squares up in the right hand corner of the screen which shows how many lives you have left.  You have four lives in this game.

Do you see the crevice in the mountain (that black jagged image under the mountain ledge)?  You will also notice there is a cloud beside the ledge.  You can climb no higher than that  cloud until you do your speech task. There is no way to move forward in the game until the speech component has been attempted.  Although this is a very fun game to play the purpose of the game is to practice your speech, so the game ensures the kid isn't just playing and not practicing.

You must move your climber over to touch the crevice to bring up the speech bubble and then maneuver over to touch the speech bubble to activate your stimulus picture pop up.  Yes, that is a lot of climbing and dodging obstacles!

 

When you finally reach the speech bubble and touch it a stimulus picture such as this pops up with the audio stimuli (word, phrase, or sentence) for the child to repeat.  In this particular picture it is R initial word "wrist".  After the speech task has been completed (repeated as many times as you require him to say it) remove the picture stimulus by hitting the space bar* to resume the game. (Note that if you are using a headset with a mic, speaking removes the stimuli.)  The cloud will be gone and you will then be able to climb up to the next level on the mountain, touching crevices to bring up speech bubbles and touching speech bubbles to activate the speech stimulus pop up.  There will be falling rocks, icicles, and mountain goats all along your way up the mountain.

The faster you move up the mountain the more points you will end up with that will qualify you to enter your initials in the High Scores ranking on the opening game screen.  You will not need to make that determination as the computer will automatically present you with a blank line and a blinking cursor to enter your initials if you qualify.  NOTE: you will at this point need to use the mouse to click on the line to write your initials.  (Yes, someone called with that question once.)

GAME CHEATS:  If you see small rocks falling, that signals that a large boulder is coming from that direction and you need to move out of the way.  The icicles will make a tinkling sound right before they fall signaling that are getting ready to fall.  You can use your climber's hand set the icicles off  to get them to fall so that you can move. Just be sure to move out of the way quickly.  The mountain goat will only head butt you, so you can move behind him.


So there you have it, the ins and outs of Mountain Adventure or should I say the ups and downs :)
Next week we will tell you about the Ski Doodle Adventure, so stay tuned!

Leah and Dean
www.2galsspeechproducts.com