App Review: Processing Pow-Wow by Pocket SLP

I'm excited to bring you an app review today! Processing Pow-Wow is a speech-language app developed by Pocket SLP to target skills including auditory processing, auditory recall, following directions and object functions. It is appropriate for children ages 5 and older. It could also be used with teens and adults, if you turn off the reinforcement option- which is great!

This app was provided to me for review, no other compensation was given. The opinions are mine only.

The app includes four different activities (word, phrase, sentence, and function) to target auditory processing and recall, along with a barrier game which addresses processing and following directions.

Before you begin, you can change the settings- which includes the type of prompt (voice or sound) you would like to use before the stimulus is stated (basically to get the student's attention) and coins for reinforcement. You are able choose how many questions the student has to answer correctly before receiving a coin (3, 5, 10, 15, or none).  I definitely like to use the prompt before the picture comes up and I also like to use 3 correct answers before getting a coin.

Before selecting an activity, enter the names of the students and choose which students will be participating. Then select which level you'd like to use. At the word level there are three options- one, two or three words. If you choose one word, the prompt will first sound, followed by a verbally presented word. There will then be a 3 second wait time for the student to process the information, and then two pictures will come up for the student to choose what they heard. You may also choose to have background noise with any of the activities- wich is great!

Same goes for the options of two or three words. The prompt will sound, two words will be stated, followed by a 3 second wait time, then there will be three pictures for the student to choose from. For three words- the student will have four pictures to choose from.

The phrase and sentence levels are much like the word level. For the phrase level- a two word phrase will be stated (for example- little robot), and the student has to choose from three pictures. For the sentence level- a sentence will be stated (The girl is reading a book), and the student chooses from three pictures. 

With the fourth option, or Function level, a question will be stated- "What do you do with this?", along with a picture of the item.  After the wait time, the student has to choose which picture demonstrates the use of the item. 

With any of the activities (besides the barrier game), you may include a reinforcement. The student gets a coin to put in a piggy bank for a certain amount of correct answers. This option is great, because it helps to keep students motivated! 

The Barrier Game targets following directions.  It includes three different scenes to choose from- beach, farm, and shelf. The student has to listen to a direction (it can not be repeated) and move an item to the location that was described. You are able to click "correct" or "incorrect" as the student completes each direction. Once the student is finished, you may choose to compare their picture to the barrier picture.

Once you are finished with any activity, there is the option to view a report. The report breaks it down by student and activity, which is really helpful, and can be printed or emailed. 

Pros: 

I really like using this app and think it's a wonderful way to address auditory processing, recall, and following directions. Using apps is a GREAT motivator for students!  It's also helpful that it's able to be used for group therapy, as it allows you to choose more than one student, it keeps track of data and reinforcers for each student (and uses different colors for each!), and the reports are broken down by individual students. The app has different levels to meet the needs of a variety of students, and it allows you to move up or down levels as you are working. I love that!  I also really like that it addresses other goals including following directions, object functions, and verbs! In addition, the tutorial was a good way to learn how to use the app quickly :)

Ways To Improve:
-The pictures are randomized, so while there are many stimulus pictures, there are times when you see the same picture after you just completed it (I noticed this in the object function activity).
-You have to make sure to choose the prompts (voice or sound prompt, amount of correct answers per coin) that you want before you begin, otherwise you have to end your session and start over.
- It would be great to have the option to get more coins to put in the piggy bank at one time vs. one coin for every 3 correct answers. Especially for students who require more reinforcement to stay motivated.

All in all, I think that this is a great app to use to target auditory processing and recall. It is a fun way to target these goals and the app makes it much more enjoyable for students! You can get this app on iTunes HERE.

What's in Your Cart? Linky Party!

TWO linky parties in one day!?  There is so much going on right now and I LOVE it!

Today, I'm linking up with Jenna, from Speech Room News (for the FIRST time!) to tell you about the products that I'll be purchasing during the sitewide TpT sale. You can get up to 28% off, so don't miss out!! I'm so excited to grab some things that I've been scoping out for a bit.

First off, I wanted to show you two new products in my store that are worth checking out :)

My Winter Print and Go Language Pack is filled with tons and tons of NO PREP pages!! It targets following directions, pronouns, prepositions, categories, compare/contrast, synonyms, antonyms, multiple meaning words, and it includes a bingo game for students to guess the object that's described.

I also have a Snowmen All Year Book Companion that is perfect for this time of year.  It includes both colored pages to be laminated and several no prep pages to just print and go! Concepts included are: wh questions, pronouns, opposites, yes/no questions, prepositions, following directions, categories, compare/contrast, past tense verbs, writing pages, articulation pages, roll and cover sheets and a generic game board to be used with any therapy activity. 

And now for the fun part! Here's what I'll be purchasing during the sale:

No Print Snowman Language: Receptive and Expressive by The Speech Owl

This no print pack looks AMAZING!  It targets so many skills, I'll be able to use it with the majority of the students on my caseload. I can't wait to try it out!!

Christmas Expressive Language by Speech is Sweet

I love all of the great activities in this product!  I also love that it includes both colored materials and several no-prep materials. Fun for everyone!! :)

Interactive Vocabulary Books: Winter by Jenna Rayburn

There are a few little ones of mine that are going to LOVE these books!  These interactive books address vocabulary and actions (so many of my students are working on action words) and have pages to send home as well!  

I don't know if I can contain my cart to just three items, but I'm going to try!! There are SO many more fabulous products that I might just scoop up during this sale while I can ;)

Make sure to check out Jenna's linky party to get even more ideas! 

Happy shopping!!

Why SLPs Need TpT Linky Party!

Hi friends!  I am so excited to be linking up with Speech Time Fun for the first time EVER :) This is a great linky party discussing why all SLPs need Teachers Pay Teachers in their lives. Check out some other blogs in this linky to see why TpT is so amazing!

Just around this time last year, I stumbled across Teachers Pay Teachers while frantically searching for some new materials to use with middle school students (there are never enough activities for that age group!). Little did I know what a FABULOUS resource TpT was. I quickly realized that this was my new go-to for therapy materials. Only because there are SO MANY WONDERFUL things!

TpT has helped me to become a much better SLP all around.  For one, I have learned a ton about what other therapists do, how they address different goals, and have found so many great ideas to add to my repertoire. Two, I have built a huge collection of a variety of awesome materials to use throughout the year, without spending too much money (because, let's face it- we don't want to spend all of our HARD earned money on materials). And three, I have learned how to make my own activities to use and to be able to share with others. All in all, TpT is a fantastic resource to find materials you need quickly, created by SLPs, at a GREAT price!

Here are some wonderful SLP sellers and resources that I have found:

Curriculum Based Language Assessments by Nicole Allison

These language assessments have been so helpful!  I use these when I need to do a quick check of language abilities in preparation for a student's Annual Review.  They provide much needed information in order to update my student's goals and they give me an idea of where that student is performing in relation to the level they need to be at for their grade (which is wonderful information when working in a school).

Speech Tube- A YouTube Speech & Language Companion Packet by Jenna Rayburn

This packet has been extremely motivating for my older students (even with middle schoolers last year, who weren't a big fan of speech!). You can address a variety of goals and it's great for mixed groups- which is awesome!

Here are some of my other favorite SLP sellers and bloggers to follow (who I have purchased products from and/or plan to purchase some items from VERY soon!): Miss Speechie, Speech is Sweet, The Speech Owl, Mia McDaniel, Speechasaurus, The Pedi Speechie, Speech to the Core, The Speech Space, The Speechstress, Natalie Snyders, Gold Country SLP, Small Talk SLP, and Mrs. Jones Speech Room.  There are so many more!! I can't possibly list all the great SLP bloggers and stores- but go check out Teachers Pay Teachers and see how it will change your world! :)

5-Star Ideas for SLPs: The Village Tree eBook and Companion Activities by Gold Country SLP

Some of my fellow SLP blogger friends and I got together to review several products. At the end of this post, you will find a link to 9 other blogs that discuss product reviews. Make sure to check them out because they are all fabulous!!!

I don't know about all of you, but I just LOVE book companions to use in therapy! Using books is one of my favorite activities because you are able to target so many different goals at one time. This makes group therapy SO much easier.  And what's better than a book companion? Well, an eBook plus a book companion all in one!! Lucky for me, I had the pleasure of reviewing The Village Tree eBook and Companion Activities by Gold Country SLP. (This product was provided to me for review and the opinions are all mine).

I am so excited to start using winter and Christmas activities, I just had to break this out during one of my sessions this past week.  Can I just say that Tracy MADE this eBook- how awesome is that?!!  I was able to download and save it on my iPad, but you could also print it out and laminate and use it that way as well.  My students love reading books on the iPad- so it was perfect.

The Village Tree is a sweet little story about animals that come together to decorate a tree in the village for Christmas. The companion activities target sequencing (at different levels), matching, prepositions, pronouns, and yes/no questions. It also includes a generic game to use with any therapy activity and story props!

This pack is perfect for my younger students (pre-k - 2nd grade) and it's so much more motivating when they are able to use the iPad and fun activities to target these goals.  I really enjoyed using this and plan to use it much more during the month of December!!

If you'd like to purchase this product, you can find it HERE. To receive updates from Gold Country SLP, make sure to click next to the green star to follow her on TpT. The set is currently $8.00 which is a great price for a book and companion set all in one! You can also find Gold Country SLP on facebook or visit her blog- Gold Country SLP.

Check out these other great ideas and products from my fellow SLP friends:

Speech to the Core

Speechasaurus

Gold Country SLP

The Speech Space

The Speechstress

The Speech Owl

Mrs. Jones Speech Room

The Pedi Speechie

Small Talk SLP

This Week In Speech

                        

We had a great time in my speech room this week.  I love using holiday themed materials and craftivities in therapy- it always makes things more exciting!  Today I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five For Friday and also with Old School Speech for the Week in Review, to talk about my week (sorry it's a day late- but better late than never, right!?)

We've been reading Bear Says Thanks, by Karma Wilson, all week and have been using the book companion that I made to go along with it. You can grab it in my TpT shop here. 

The kiddos made turkeys!  I found this craftivity on Pinterest (I adapted it a little to make it easier)- it was very simple. I ONLY do simple crafts since we have so many other things to focus on in speech. I pre-cut everything to have it all ready- strips of brown paper that we glued into a ring shape (so the turkey could stand on it's own), a variety of colored feathers, small white circles for eyes and small orange triangles for the beak. Articulation students wrote two words on each feather, fluency students wrote what they are thankful for (and we practiced saying each by using easy onsets), and language kiddos wrote synonyms/antonyms/multiple meaning words on their feathers.  It was a hit!

The turkey above is my absolute FAVE!! This student is the sweetest thing ever- he's thankful for so many great things, including speech and me!! Precious :)

I just finished up a winter themed book companion to go along with the book, Snowmen All Year, by Caralyn Buehner.  I'm so excited to start using this in therapy soon! Winter themed activities are almost as fun (if not more fun!!!) than fall themed activities. You can find it in my TpT shop here. 

I was able to use and review some great speech-language materials this week. The reviews will be out on those soon!!

Speech Made Simple hit a mini-milestone this week on TpT.  100 followers- yay!  When I first began this whole process of making materials, blogging, social media, etc. I was extremely nervous and unsure as to where it would go.  So far, it has been a great adventure, and I'm loving every minute of it!  It is awesome to be able to create materials to use in my own speech room and to be able to share with others, and I am so grateful for everyone who has been following Speech Made Simple on this journey. :)

That's it for this week! Be sure and check out Doodle Bugs Teaching and Old School Speech for other great weekly reviews!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your break- I know I will!!!! 

Wild About Books Wednesday Linky- Snowmen All Year Book Companion

I'm back to link up with Scarlett, from Speech is Sweet, for her Wild About Books Wednesday Linky Party!!  If you are a blogger, consider joining in on the fun and sharing some book ideas :)

This week I'll be talking about the book, Snowmen All Year, by Caralyn Buehner. This is such a sweet book about a boy who would love to have his snowman with him all year.  He talks about all the fun things he would teach and do with the snowman throughout the year, like flying a kite, swimming, and trick-or-treating.

I really really like this book, so I decided to put together a book companion to go with it- yay!!  The companion targets a variety of different goals and includes activities for both language and articulation.  Here's what's included, and some sample pages to get a better looksie :)

WH questions- what, where and who

Yes/no questions

Pronouns- she, he, they

Antonyms/opposites

'Go again' and 'Lose a turn' cards to use with any of the above cards as a game

Build a snowman- to address prepositions and/or following directions

Generic board game to use with any therapy activity

No prep pages to address prepositions or following directions

No prep- categories

Compare/contrast

Writing pages- 1 with wide lines, one with more lines, and a drawing page for younger students

Past tense verbs- regular and irregular

Several articulation coloring worksheets, and blank worksheets to write in words of your choice

Roll and cover sheets

The book companion can be found in my TpT shop here. 

Be sure to check out Speech is Sweet to get some other fun book ideas to use in therapy. Thanks for stopping by!