Adding Choice-Making to Priory Woods Switch Videos

I am sure by now you are all fans of the (free) Priory Woods Music Videos designed to be used with a switch and/or touch screen. I have one student in particular who loves them. He generally accesses the computer by using a touch window. He cannot visually locate target on the screen to use a touch window by looking at it, but he has memorized where on the screen to touch to make certain things happen in certain programs. I wanted to find a way for him to be able to choose which Priory Woods Music Video he sees/hears.

I did this using Jim Luther's free special needs application Launcher 6. Launcher 6 is designed to be used by special needs students to more independently access a computer. It offers a choice of six on screen buttons each of which can launch a program or Priory Woods video. Launcher 6 blocks the student from getting in to things he or she should not (although I would still take the keyboard away, my student did manage to find his way in). Programming Launcher 6 is simple. You assign each square a program or video to open and then assign it a corresponding picture. In my case the pictures are more for my benefit, but my student can already find, by screen location, the Grease video and what he calls, "A bird!", which is a touchscreen game with nature noises called Touch Circles. If you wish your student to have more than six programs or videos to launch you can link different launcher boards together. If using Priory Woods videos you will need to choose videos that are switch only, unless your student can navigate the selection method page using his or her selection method.

You will also need to either set up another switch programmed to act as the "esc" button, which minimizes the videos allowing the student to get back to launcher (no need to close the video, just escape to minimize and touch/click on Launcher 6 in the background to bring it forward), or you will need to keep an eye out and periodically walk by and hit escape to minimize the videos. I strongly recommend headphones, unless you are more tolerant than I am of "the bird!" and the Grease song playing over and over and over and over... .

Launcher 6 will also scan for use with one or two switches and can be used with a mouse or mouse emulator, or intellikeys as well as the touchwindow. There are options to use recorded sounds, including recording a voice, to make it an audible scan, if needed.

Comment or e-mail with questions.