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Word on the street is that Osmo is the latest must-have gadget for every SLP and teacher participating remote/distance learning. So, what’s all the hype about? Is the Osmo Little Genius Kit worth the bucks? Well, here is my honest review about the Osmo as well as a “How-to” setup guide for air playing the Osmo on the Zoom and Google Meet Platform.
Like most people, I originally saw the Osmo being used on social media. Osmo is a set of e-learning games for children that include tactile exploration with innovative technology that can be played on a tablet. Depending on the kit that you purchase, Osmo comes with several toy pieces that are paired with the e-learning games that you can download on the tablet. You can learn more about Osmo and the e-games here.
The Osmo appeared to be such a cool and functional tool that can easily be used during remote learning. I had to find out what all the hype was for myself, so I ended up buying the Osmo – little Genius Start Kit for iPad for $79.99 on Amazon. There are several game kits that differ in price and can be purchased on the Osmo website or on Amazon. Each kit contains different toy pieces that pair with an e-learning Osmo game application. The starter kit contains the tablet base, Osmo camera, and an Osmo play mat which are the essential gadgets that you will need to get started. The tablet is not included in the kits, you will need to utilize your own iPad or fire tablet.
Upon arrival, I immediately opened the box and as advertised, the starter gadgets were included in the box as well as the tangible toy items included in the kit. Setup instructions were included in the box as well and the setup was fairly easy to follow. During the setup, I created an account and downloaded the Osmo Parent App by scanning the QR code that was on the box. Here is what the instructions and computer set up looks like.
Although the Osmo was originally created as a e-learning gadget on iPads for children, I purchased the Osmo as a tool that I can use to airplay books during teletherapy onto my computer, kind of like a document camera. Instructions on air playing the Osmo onto your computer were not included on the box, therefore, I needed to google how to do this. Here is a step-by-step explanation on how to do when using Zoom and Google Meet.
Here are some crucial steps that you will need to check and complete prior to air playing your tablet on any platform.
First, you will need to download the free Osmo Projector application on your tablet. This will allow your tablet to view the items that are directly in front of it and project it onto your computer.
Secondly, ensure that your iPad and computer are connected to the same wifi network.
If you do not have the latest updated version of the iPad or if you have an iPad and a PC computer, you will need to connect your iPad via a Type C hub port directly into your computer. You can purchase one on Amazon. This is the one that I have.
If you are going to use the Google Meet platform during teletherapy or remote teaching, ensure that you have QuickTime Player downloaded onto your computer prior to air playing.
Upon using Osmo on Zoom and Google Meet, I was immediately astonished to see how easily I can air play my therapy books and items onto my tablet. I really like how the image is not flipped and my students can easily see the book or item I am demonstrating on the screen. In addition, some of the e-learning games that come included with the Osmo are great for language therapy and can be used to target a variety of speech/language therapy goals! I definitely would recommend purchasing the Osmo if you are a SLP or teacher and will be participating in remote learning this school year. For me, the $79 was well worth the investment and I will for sure be using the Osmo during all of my teletherapy sessions.
Week 2 in the books for remote learning and I want to thank you for this tutorial. I had an Osmo gifted today me like 4 years ago and never actually used it. Who would’ve thought I needed it now. I just wanted to take the time to thank you for time and knowledge.
Does the type-C hub port allow you to give control of apps to students?
How does this compare to a document camera? I know you have the additional games but as far as mirroring your screen did you find it easier, better, faster, etc?
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Have a client on your caseload that is demonstrating difficulty producing the CH sound? Perhaps you're a parent whose child is in speech therapy working on the CH sound? The CH sound can be a tricky sound to teach because it's hard to visually see what's going on inside the mouth when saying the sound. But no worries, here are some tips to help achieve that tricky CH sound.
Who are we?
Bilingual Speechie LLC. is a small business dedicated to providing inclusive and engaging speech therapy resources and activities for bilingual children, parents, SLPs and educators.
Bilingual Speechie LLC promotes bilingualism and multilingualism by dispelling common myths, providing education on bilingual language development, and promoting heritage language maintenance amongst bilingual families.
About the Owner:
Liliana Diaz-Vazquez is a certified licensed bilingual speech language pathologist (SLP), currently practicing in Chicago, Illinois. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in communication disorders (2012) and her master’s degree in speech language pathology at Saint Xavier University (2014). She is a certified member of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) since 2014, a member of the Illinois Speech and Hearing Association (ISHA) since 2014 and maintains licensure in the state of Illinois.
Liliana is a first-generation Mexican-American Latina, a small business owner, a full-time school-based SLP, & a bilingual parent, who takes pride in her roots, culture, & heritage language. She loves being able to share her experience as a Latina SLP, and a bilingual mom, as well as her culture & heritage language with the educator, SLP, and parent community.
Liliana Diaz-Vazquez has extensive experience working with the bilingual English and Spanish speaking population & multilingual population. She specializes in augmentative/alternative communication (AAC), bilingual language development and language delays/disorders in bilingual/multilingual children. She has also worked in the early intervention setting for several years where she gained vast experience working with interpreters and bilingual/multilingual families.
Liliana began creating digital bilingual resources and activities in 2014 out of need while working full-time in the school setting as a SLP. Liliana worked with many Spanish-speaking families and quickly realized that there were limited Spanish and bilingual speech therapy resources available for her students and their families. In addition, Liliana quickly became aware that there was a need for education about bilingualism and typical bilingual language development as many of the families she worked with had encountered misinformation about bilingualism. Liliana began developing resources and eventually started Bilingual Speechie LLC with the mission to provide education to SLPs and families about bilingualism, as well as provide inclusive and diverse materials for speech therapy in order to help bilingual families and SLPs gain access to appropriate bilingual materials for children with communication disorders.
Today Liliana currently works full-time in the Chicago public school setting as a lead bilingual SLP where she consults and collaborates with SLPs daily to help them understand how to assess and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services for bilingual and/or multilingual students. She also runs her small business, Bilingual Speechie LLC, and is on a mission to expand and grow her business so that all SLPs, educators, and families can have access to inclusive, diverse, and bilingual resources in a variety of languages for speech therapy.
Professional Development:
Liliana has vast experience as a speaker/presenter and has presented at several conferences over the years. You can view all previous conferences and topics that Liliana has presented on here. Liliana is available to present on topics such as best practices when working with multilingual populations, bilingual speech/language assessment and treatment, goal writing with multilingual populations and much more. If you are interested in booking Liliana for a conference or event please don't hesitate to send an email at lilianadiaz@bilingualspeechie.com
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