All-Turn-It Spinner: Assistive Technology On the Spot!
The All-Turn-It Spinner is an assistive technology device that provides accessibility whenever you have an activity or a game involving randomization or chance. First, watch the video for an overview of the basics.
Getting Started
Implementation Ideas and Strategies
The All-Turn-It Spinner is available for purchase from AbleNet, and (surprisingly!) the downloadable PDF product manual actually has wonderful ideas for implementing the Spinner with many of the most popular board games, including Candyland and Twister (for these you’ll also need the downloadable PDF color overlay template). There are also dice games, matching games, number games, trivia games, and strategies for birthday parties, taking turns, helping, and choices. This is a product manual worth keeping! AbleNet also has a resource page that includes activities and project ideas using the Spinner and other accessibility products.
From the Pacer Center, EZ AT—Assistive Technology (AT) Activities for Children Ages 3-8 with Disabilities: A Guide for Professionals and Parents is a 56-page downloadable PDF that includes several easy (or EZ, I suppose!) to implement activities. Color Bug Sorting, A Zoo for You!, I’m Some Body, and Choo-Choo! all incorporate the All-Turn-It Spinner.
From Communication AACtualized, this downloadable PDF includes a color-coded template and multiple implementation ideas using basic randomization and chance games such as B-I-N-G-O, Spin to get Matching Sets, Collect-Them-All Game, Collect-Them-All...Build a Picture, Move Around the Board. and Collect the Most in order to teach core academic subjects such as ELA and math.
Everyday Speech explains how to incorporate the All Turn-It Spinner into speech therapy. “I used the spinner to involve the students in a game of Bingo. This was a fun activity to target social skills, language, and participation.”
This article from Closing the Gap, “10 Things I Can Do for Myself and Then Some…” explains how you can use the All-Turn-It Spinner, along with a Little or Big Step-by-Step Communicator, a switch-adapted pourer, and a Powerlink, to create functional activities for children with severe disabilities.
From Spectronics, these are a few FUNctional ideas from their users such as “Create an overlay with descriptors to form student groups during activities. For example, give directions to dismiss students from morning group, indicating students “with sneakers,” “wearing something red” or “with names that have an ‘A’ in them.”
Special Education Technology British Columbia (SET-BC) created a downloadable PDF full of easy to implement ideas such as, “Place action directions around the outside During gym class the student spins and a classmate or the teacher reads out the directions that are selected (such as “boys take a baby step forward“ or “girls take 3 giant steps back”). First team to cross the finish line wins! Have the student direct the actions (such as “pat your head” “spin around”) for Simon Says” They have also put together a Class Leader Kit that includes the All-Turn-It Spinner, a GoTalk 4+, a BINGO cage and balls, and a Jelly Bean Twist Switch. Included is an printable overlay,
Of course, Glenda's Assistive Technology Information and more... provides her take on incorporating the All-Turn-It Spinner into regular classroom activities throughout the day. One idea, “Put the student's schedule on the spinner and let them spin to see what activity/task should be done next. Remove each one once it is complete.”
FREE Alternatives
No Money, No Problem! There are some free online alternatives if the All-Turn-It Spinner just isn’t in the budget yet.
First, Wheel of Names is exactly as the name implies. This free, open source website allows you to enter whatever words or names you want and shuffle, sort, or spin them to get a random selection. Even better, you can use pictures!
Linda Burkhart also recommends this free PowerPoint spinner adapted by Flo Quinn. In order to use this spinner, download the file, open in PowerPoint, and play the presentation. Since this is a PowerPoint file, the spinner can be edited.
Little Spinner is a free app for iPhones an iPads that provides spinners for letters, colors, shapes, and more. Also, you can make your own custom spinner, including your own pictures!
If you use Clicker 7, this is a downloadable spinner for that program (not sure if it will work with Clicker 8).
Another option is Classroom Screen. This free website includes widgets such as timer, sound level indicator, and traffic light visual included to help any teacher. For randomization, there is also a name chooser and a dice roller (1, 2, or 3 dice). In order to make these programs switch accessible from a desktop of laptop—just like the All-Turn-It Spinner—just use the any switch with a switch interface, such as a Swifty. check out the videos below to learn more about Wheel of Names and Classroom Screen:
Low-Cost DIY Options
And for all the creative and handy AT Makers out there, you can build your own spinner! From Awakening Technologies of the Pacific are detailed instructions for how to turn a little USB fan into a spinner, complete with downloadable templates!
Another idea for a DIY Switch Adapted Spinner comes from Adapting Creatively. This feat of ingenuity takes a paint spinner craft toy and with nothing more than a plastic straw, a paperclip, and some cardboard, turns it into a usable spinner! Wow!
Keep Learning
You spin me right round, baby
Right round like a record, baby
Right round round round
Tutorials about the All-Turn-It Spinner:
Webinars about using AT, like the All-Turn-It Spinner, for fun and leisure!
Get the QR Code
AT4Kids's "Assistive Technology On the Spot!" is a series of quick tutorials that you can access by scanning a QR code on your device. The videos will go over the basics of getting started and then find comprehensive implementation resources for your child or student on our website.
If you don’t already have our QR code on your All-Turn-It Spinner, please download and print this QR code and tape it to your device. This way, anyone who works with your student or child will be able to scan the code with their phone and know how to use the device.
