Online Learning - Yet another perk of technology!

I am snowed in! As I sit in my living room on this snowy Saturday morning, I am able to comment on the class we just had......online! How? Blackboard Collaborate! We were able to have an online class where classmates were able to share presentations and we could communicate with each other using chat or voice through the microphone! How cool is that? Thanks Barb...I very much enjoyed being "in class" wearing my pajamas!

Some thoughts for today...

When you think of sign language, what is the first thing that pops into your mind? Personally, when I think of sign language, I think of communication. I imagine a student I taught 3 years ago who is hearing impaired. Let's call him Michael. Michael had an interpreter in class with him at all times, and for the first 6 months of the school year, I communicated with him through this interpreter. It wasn't until his interpreter approached me one day and suggested I try learning some basic sign language so I could communicate with Michael directly. She gave me some flash cards, and with those, I was able to learn how to say"How are you?", "thank you", "your welcome", "Good Job" and "Do you have a question?". With those 5 little phrases, my relationship with Michael improved a lot! He was asking more questions, working better in my class, and also liked staying in my class rather than going to the Learning Center.

I also realized that I did not have to learn sign language to communicate with Michael. I was able to greet him, let him know I was happy to see him, and also say goodbye to him just using universal gestures that he understood. Just a wave and I smile is another way of saying hello and a thumbs up let him know he was doing a good job. I didn't need sign language for that. 

American Sign Language University - This website is an excellent tool to help you learn sign language. In fact, it was the one I used to help me learn the alphabet!

On another note, we have learned about some pretty cool apps today as well.

• iComm - Cheap way for non-verbal learners to communicate. This is a similar idea to Proloquo2go, but not near as advanced. However, if you are on a budget, this is the way to go! It is $6.99 for the full version!
• Signed Stories - a neat app where a person signs a story while the story is being read. The app comes with one book, but you can purchase others from $3.99-$6.99.
• Marlee Signs - Teaches ASL - free lite version, or $1.99 per package
• ASL Coach - Teaches ASL - $0.99 for the pro version

Another task for our online class today was to watch a few webinars that featured some excellent apps for students. I chose my favorite 3 apps from each webinar and give some info about them! Enjoy!

Top Free Apps in Special Education:

Screen shot of Bubble Wrap

BubbleFree: Online bubble wrap...who wouldn't like this app?! I currently have a couple of students in mind that would benefit from this app. They both have ADHD and think would be a great interactive tool to help keep them settled in class. It is also a great app for those students who need calming and for sensory regulation.

Science360 Video Library

Science360: I am a science teacher, so this app appealed to me. It is full of science related videos that are great for visual learners! There is no text with this app, so there is no reading involved. Because of this, it is accessible to many students.

Screen shot of NASA

NASA: This app will read aloud. There is a toolbar that has features which makes it accessible to many learners. This app is filled with information on all planets and also information from various NASA projects. I teach grade 9 science and will be teaching a unit on Space at the end of this year. This app would be beneficial to my students and I can definitely see myself using it. 

Fine Motor Skill Apps:

Fine motor skills are the ability to make precise coordinated movements using the muscles and joints of the fingers, hand and wrist. This makes in-hand manipulation
difficult. Imagine trying to hold a pencil if you could not control the movement of your hands? The following apps help develop fine motor skills, or give alternative ways to communicate.

 

Dexteria home screen

Dexteria: ($4.99) - This is was created by occupational therapists and it consists of therapeutic hand exercises that support and enhance fine motor skills. There are 3 sections to it "Tap It" "Pinch It" and "Write It". Each section targets a different set of skills needed for precise fine motor skills. A stylus can be used for the writing section, which also helps with practicing proper grip with a writing utensil and enhances motivation. Also, it is fun! Great app!  



Juno's Piano screen shot



Juno's Piano: ($0.99) - This app teaches children to play the piano, it is easy, and fun to use! This app specializes in finger isolation and control so students who were struggling with these specific functions could benefit from this app.



Injini screen shot of the different levels



Injini: ($29.99) - Shape tracing app - You get what you pay for! Though this app is a bit more pricey, there is a lot to it. (It does have a lite version) It not only teaches fine motor skills, but also language skills, understanding of cause and effect, spatial awareness, and visual and memory processing. Another great feature is that it teaches children the proper way to write by developing proper writing techniques. Also, within each level, of which there are 9, the difficulty increases as you go along. This increases motivation and engagement. This would be great at the elementary level, but because of the different levels, would also be engaging at the junior high level as well.

Communication Disorders Apps:

Proloquo2go: ($189.99)- I cannot say enough about this app! Check out my second post, which goes into detail about the features of this amazing app! The video below gives a tutorial of how to use this app.

TapSpeak: ($14.99) - This app allows you to design your own single switch device for communication...by the touch of a button! There is an unlimited number of messages and the message length is unlimited. You can record your own voice and adjust the colors to enhance engagement. This allows students to communicate at the touch of a button. Also, there is a 3-step process to create buttons, so it is easy and efficient. This could be used by people with various communication problems, and of all ages!

Sign4Me: ($9.99) - This is a signed English translator. This app is great because you can type in any English word, sentence, or phrase and the character on the screen will sign back the translation. You could also bank phrases that would be used more frequently, so the user could have more efficient communication. This app would be good for a person who is learning to sign. Appropriate for students of all ages. It would be a challenge for students who have problems with spelling, because you have to type in the phrase to have translated.

One of the many exclamations
you can include in your comic strip!

Strip Design: ($2.99) - This is a story creation app that uses comic strips to create stories. I love this app because my students at the junior high level would be excited to use this! Users are able to use their own pictures and also there are built in exclamations to make it look like a comic book format. This is very easy to use, and very fun. This program improves language development and enhances motivation to create stories independently. Another perk? Students without communication challenges will also love this app!