university
REMARKABLE IDEAS
Adapted Presentations
Giving a presentation is a great way to share knowledge with a
large group of people. This is also a skill that, through assistive
technology, students of all abilities can participate in. This activity
will demonstrate three ways to assist your students in making and
giving presentations.
This activity addresses:
• Social skills
• Turn taking
• Public speaking
• Alternative methods of access
What you need:
• Jelly Bean switch
About
Remarkable Ideas
Over the course of
almost 30-years, we
have discovered amazing
ways people use AbleNet
products to improve
the quality of life for
individuals with disabilities.
Remarkable Ideas take
these amazing discoveries
and provide activities that
incorporate alternative
methods of access to
ensure each student can
participate, learn important
educational and life skills,
and have fun.
Take a look at our latest
Remarkable Idea or visit
www.ablenetinc.com
to discover additional
Remarkable Ideas.
• Blue2 Bluetooth switch
• Hitch
• BIGKeys keyboard
• Rigid keyguard
• BIGtrack Trackball
• Step-by-Step Communicator
• Switch adapted battery operated scissors
• iPad with SoundingBoard App (download here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/soundingboard/id390532167)
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Preparation:
1. Choose a presentation topic. Topics about what a student activities or about their family can help
engage family members in your student’s education.
2. Choose the appropriate presentation method: Poster, PowerPoint, SoundingBoard (iPad)
What to do:
PowerPoint
1. Assist students to find pictures on the internet, or use pictures provided from home in the presentation
(use a BIGtrack Trackball for students who have difficulty with a standard mouse).
2. Headings and short phrases can be typed into the presentation (use a BIGKeys keyboard with a rigid
guard for students who have difficulty with a standard keyboard).
3. Remember that any effects added to a presentation may require additional mouse or switch clicks.
Too many extra clicks can make a presentation a daunting task for some students.
4. Before presentation time, the student should decide what they want to tell the class. Chosen phrases
or information can be recorded on a Step-by-Step or directly into the PowerPoint presentation (using a
microphone) for presentation time. Playing audio directly from PowerPoint will require additional clicks
and the student must be able to alternate between two switches to effectively give his/her presentation.
5. These PowerPoint directions apply to PowerPoint 2013 - To record directly into PowerPoint click on the
“Insert” tab, and towards the upper right hand corner click audio and select “Record Audio…” in this
box you can name the audio file and record it.
6. Once you have recorded your sound, move the speaker icon out of the middle of the frame so
it doesn’t block the picture. Right-click on the speaker icon, choose style, then select “Play in
background” this will play the sound upon opening the slide in presentation mode so the student does
not have to click the play button.
7. At presentation time plug a Hitch computer switch interface into the computer and set the switch to
the “space bar”, this will allow the switch to advance the slides.
8. In Power Point, launch presentation mode.
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SoundingBoard
1. Assist students to find pictures on the internet, or use pictures provided from home to create a poster
on the chosen topic (Doing this directly on the iPad will save time, but may be more difficult for some
students. Pictures can be found on a computer and emailed to the iPad, or a services like DropBox
can be used to sync pictures with the iPad).
2. Before presentation time, the student should decide what they want to tell the class.
3. Once all the pictures for the student’s presentation have been saved to the iPad and presentation
dialogue has been decided on, open SoundingBoard and click “+ Add Board” in the upper right
hand corner (To make this easy for the students you can have them name each board in their
presentation by number).
4. Name your first board, and select a picture for the board (using numbers for the pictures as well can
make giving the presentation much easier) by clicking “Select Image for Board List”. Choose Pick
from Symbols Library (if using the number system), click “Numbers”, click the image of the “1”, and
click save in the upper right hand corner.
5. You have the option to record a prompt message for your student at this point.
6. Click the arrow in the upper right hand corner to proceed.
7. Click “Add Image”.
8. Click “Add Image” in the upper left hand corner then click “Pick from Photo Library” and add the first
image the student would like to share with the class.
9. Click “Message Name” to give the image a title that other students will see when the image is shown
during the presentation. Click “Save” in the upper right hand corner when finished.
10.Record the first line of presentation dialogue to accompany the picture by clicking “Record Message”
(the iPad will automatically begin recording) press stop when you are finished recording.
11.You have the option to record a prompt message for your student at this point.
12.Click the arrow in the upper right hand corner when finished. At this point you have the option to
add a second picture or save the board. If you add another picture the student will have to choose
between two (or more) pictures while giving the presentation. If this is the best option repeat the
process of adding an image and sound recording. If you want you student to only have one image on
screen at a time you can click the arrow in the upper right hand corner to save the board.
13.At this point your board should be visible in the “User Created Boards” list. To use other images in
the presentation add another board by repeating the process. When ALL your boards are completed
(In “User Created Boards” you will have 1, 2, 3, etc.) you need to click on “Edit Boards” in the upper
left hand corner. Begin with 1, click the arrow in the upper right hand corner (this first screen should
not need editing).
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14.Click the image for the students presentation (not the “Add Image” button) choose Edit on the pop up
menu.
15.Click “Link Message to Another Board” and choose “2” (or whatever you have named the second
board in your presentation).
16.Click the arrow in the upper right hand corner 2 times to bring you back to your main boards screen.
Repeat this process until all your presentation boards are linked.
Poster
1. Assist students to find pictures on the internet, or use pictures provided from home to create a poster
on the chosen topic (use a BIGtrack Trackball for students who have difficulty with a standard mouse).
2. Headings and short phrases can be typed on the computer (use a BIGKeys keyboard with a rigid guard
for students who have difficulty with a standard keyboard).
3. Print out pictures and cut them to size using the battery adapted scissors.
4. Before presentation time, the student should decide what they want to tell the class. Chosen phrases
or information can be recorded on a Step-by-Step for presentation time.
www.ablenetinc.com | 800-322-0956