Teletherapy: Using a Document Camera--Part 1

Thank you to Chelsea DiMarzio, one of my managers, for
encouraging me to try a document camera and giving me
new ideas for planning telepractice therapy sessions. 

Are you new to or considering using teletherapy to provide speech therapy services? Are you using a platform like Go To Meeting? If so, seriously consider purchasing a document camera. For me, it has been worth every penny. Before purchasing my Ipevo Ziggy HD Plus, I asked what other speech therapists were using on the Teletherapy Materials for Speech-Language Pathologists Facebook group. I searched for and purchased my document camera on Amazon and it arrived in less than a week. I followed the directions for downloading the software, played with it for about an hour, and was ready to use it for therapy the next day. 

Using a document camera to share materials, in my view, feels more like face-to-face therapy than sharing activities pulled up on a computer screen. Although the students don’t get to physically manipulate toys, they are often more compelled to use their oral language skills to verbally direct the SLP on how to engage with the toys. In essence, it feels like a barrier activity. A simple activity is to have a motivational coloring sheet under the camera and have the student instruct the SLP how they want it colored. Although your webcam can easily be used for Show and Tell activities, a document camera provides a way to share the details of objects and photos, even photos from a phone. Another simple low prep activity is to have parents text photos of pets or toys, share them on my screen with my document camera, and use them to engage the child in discussion, similar to face-to-face therapy.