TalkingTiles by Mozzaz Corporation
I am very excited to share this great FREE application! TalkingTiles is an Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) application that can be used on the iPad, a desktop, android, etc...
I think I am a bit biased because the set up of this application reminds me a lot of a SpringBoard Lite, (one of the first AAC devices that I programmed).
Logistics and Pro's
The basic function of this AAC device is that it allows for the patient to touch a tile, a voice over of that tile occurs and the picture also occurs in a running sentence strip at the top allowing for communication.
This device allows for multiple pages (24) to be created. Now on each page you have 24 tiles where you can create a message or even a link to a website. So for example your home page tiles could consist for major topics such as:
- About Me
- How I Feel
- Food/Drinks/Snacks
- Activities
- School
Once you press a tile it can then link to a new page for further expansion such as after you touch About Me then a new page would open up with various tiles stating your name, age, etc..
This app is very versatile it allows for you to choose 3 sets of picture libraries SymbolStix, Pictograms, and Bliss. You can also upload your own photographs. It has 4 text to speech options with choices between male or female, and various language options. You can also do your own voice over if preferred.
The tiles can be edited so the background can be a different color, so for example maybe you are working on expanding your patients Mean Length of Utterance (sentence length) so you can then change the color of an important word or phrase you want your patient to start using. You can also change the color to highlight power words.
The part of this application that I am really excited about is the Public Share option! There are pages that have already been created that are public that you can download onto your own device that the application is functioning on. You also have the capability (of what I understand) to have a private shared option between the pages you create for your patients device. So they can download a page that you may have created! Sure beats having to take their device home to program it!
For more in-depth information on the functions and programming of this application check out the videos http://www.mozzaz.com/index.php/videos here.
Con's
It does not appear that you can increase or reduce the amount of tile options available, but if a tile is white and blank then if your patient accidentally touches it, nothing will happen-unless you program it to do so.
It appears that this application is free for professionals though if you are a patient or parent then you will have to buy a plan for technical support and the library, http://www.mozzaz.com/index.php/mozzaz-cloud-subscription. There is a 15 day trial period for parents so what I would suggest is to plan-plan-plan! When you have those 15 days really work extensively with the family to get as much bang for your buck! I would also suggest training the patients parents on the device prior to activating their subscription.
Final Thoughts
I am really excited to see this application available. Currently I am using it with one of my adult patients and I have a few of my pediatric patients in mind that I would like to use this application with. Below are some pictures of the application, it's a free download so check it out! Also I want to appologize again, as soon as my desktop is working I will come back through and edit the pictures so they will look nicer!
I also want to say that I am not receiving financial or any other benefits from any company for this review.
If you have worked with this application let me know what you think!!! Pro's, con's, etc!
I think I am a bit biased because the set up of this application reminds me a lot of a SpringBoard Lite, (one of the first AAC devices that I programmed).
Logistics and Pro's
The basic function of this AAC device is that it allows for the patient to touch a tile, a voice over of that tile occurs and the picture also occurs in a running sentence strip at the top allowing for communication.
This device allows for multiple pages (24) to be created. Now on each page you have 24 tiles where you can create a message or even a link to a website. So for example your home page tiles could consist for major topics such as:
- About Me
- How I Feel
- Food/Drinks/Snacks
- Activities
- School
Once you press a tile it can then link to a new page for further expansion such as after you touch About Me then a new page would open up with various tiles stating your name, age, etc..
This app is very versatile it allows for you to choose 3 sets of picture libraries SymbolStix, Pictograms, and Bliss. You can also upload your own photographs. It has 4 text to speech options with choices between male or female, and various language options. You can also do your own voice over if preferred.
The tiles can be edited so the background can be a different color, so for example maybe you are working on expanding your patients Mean Length of Utterance (sentence length) so you can then change the color of an important word or phrase you want your patient to start using. You can also change the color to highlight power words.
The part of this application that I am really excited about is the Public Share option! There are pages that have already been created that are public that you can download onto your own device that the application is functioning on. You also have the capability (of what I understand) to have a private shared option between the pages you create for your patients device. So they can download a page that you may have created! Sure beats having to take their device home to program it!
For more in-depth information on the functions and programming of this application check out the videos http://www.mozzaz.com/index.php/videos here.
Con's
It does not appear that you can increase or reduce the amount of tile options available, but if a tile is white and blank then if your patient accidentally touches it, nothing will happen-unless you program it to do so.
It appears that this application is free for professionals though if you are a patient or parent then you will have to buy a plan for technical support and the library, http://www.mozzaz.com/index.php/mozzaz-cloud-subscription. There is a 15 day trial period for parents so what I would suggest is to plan-plan-plan! When you have those 15 days really work extensively with the family to get as much bang for your buck! I would also suggest training the patients parents on the device prior to activating their subscription.
Final Thoughts
I am really excited to see this application available. Currently I am using it with one of my adult patients and I have a few of my pediatric patients in mind that I would like to use this application with. Below are some pictures of the application, it's a free download so check it out! Also I want to appologize again, as soon as my desktop is working I will come back through and edit the pictures so they will look nicer!
I also want to say that I am not receiving financial or any other benefits from any company for this review.
If you have worked with this application let me know what you think!!! Pro's, con's, etc!
Hi Mallory,
ReplyDeleteI hope you've been enjoying TalkingTILES! I read through you post and just wanted to give you a quick update...We've recently released TalkingTILES in the Windows 8 store, which means that people can now use their Windows devices :)
Additionally, we are working on a version 2.0 which will include the ability to both adjust the grid size, and to adjust the number of tiles that appear in your grid. Judging from your post, I figured you might like this!
We've got a press release on our site about the Windows 8 App launch, http://www.mozzaz.com/index.php/about/press-releases.
If you have any questions about TalkingTILES, please feel free to reach out,
Melissa - Marketing & Research, Mozzaz
Melissa (at) mozzaz (dot) com
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the update! I think the TalkingTiles product is fabulous and these improvements will really create a wow factor!
Mallory