How to: Use ShowMe with Speech and Language Learners [Part 2]

Yesterday’s post about using ShowMe with speech and language learners is actually part of a longer series of How-tos I’m going to write. Of all the ways we imagined people using ShowMe, hearing about how it has helped students with learning and speech differences is the most powerful and moving to me. I think for educators in this field there is something awesome about ShowMe because it allows for personalized lessons that foster independence and reflection. For students who don’t have these resources at their fingertips, I’m proud that many of these lessons have been uploaded to the community for anyone to learn from!

This how-to idea comes directing from Gailyn Ryan in Minnesota. Gailyn works in an elementary school and is always coming up with new innovative ways for special education teachers to help students. Every year incoming students focus a good chunk of time learning how to write their name. However, with many students in a class it can be hard to differentiate for every one, which is where ShowMe comes to the rescue! This is how Gailyn changed the way the lesson was taught:

  1. Create a new ShowMe
  2. Tap record, pick your pen color and start writing the name of the student across the screen.
  3. While you are writing each letter, explain how you are doing it (“A” start at the top and make a line to the bottom…”) Make sure to pause after each letter to say it out loud. Depending on the abilities of your students you might want to say the sound the letter makes too.
  4. When you are done writing, say the whole name out loud and then hit stop. Save your ShowMe and upload it.
  5. Have your student sit in front of the iPad or the computer with a paper and pen. Push play on the video player
  6. While your student is watching, they should be following along on their paper mirroring what you are doing in the ShowMe. They can stop, pause, rewind or re-play as many times as they’d like until they are confident in their new skill.
As with yesterday’s ShowMe, its important to have this ShowMe readily available on the internet for your student to watch at home or share with others! This lesson can definitely be adapted for many other writing lessons–names are just the start!