AT in the Classroom - Reflection on the Case Studies and My Final Post

Reflecting on my Classmate's Blogs

I learned so much today, and had my mind opened to many different ways that AT, more specifically the IPAD, could be used in a classroom. We were asked to do a Case Study on a student that we currently teach, and almost every person decided to use an IPad as an appropriate form of assistive technology.

There were some interesting conversations that came out of these case studies. One thing that I found particularly interesting was the fact that only one case study involved a female, where all of the other ones were male. This is an interesting statistic. When I think back over the years that I have been teaching, majority of my students that come to mind that could benefit the most from assistive technology are boys. It would be interesting to do research to see if there are significant differences between the way boys and girls learn.

A challenge that was discussed was the fact that not all schools have the technology, nor can access the technology to support students. There are some schools within our board that have carts of IPads and others that have no IPads at all! How can there be such discrepency between schools in the same school board? I would like to know how to be one of the schools that have access to extra technology!

Many of the apps that were discussed today were apps that we had learned about during this course, and also the last assistive technology course I took from Barb. Here are some of the apps that I could see myself using with the students I currently teach:

• Book Creator - Create books and read them in iBooks. There are no boundaries! Students have the opportunity to tap into their creativity.
• Strip Designer - I used this app with one of my students, and he produced a wonderful, information packed comic strip! This possibilities for use with this app are endless!
• PicCollage - Tell a story with pictures.
• Math Tappers - Great app to allow students to practice basic math skills.
• Relax Melodies - I like this app for me. It is great for students who need some calming strategies.
• Dexteria - Students can practice their fine motor skills with this app!
• Yes/No - This app would be great for the non-verbal learner. Students are able to have a voice by answering "yes" or "no" to questions just by tapping the screen!

My thoughts about Assistive Technology after this course...

• All Positives -  I honestly feel like there are only positives to incorporating assistive technology into the classroom. The IPad is by far the best tool, but there are also other low-high tech solutions that can support student learning. As teachers, we should be doing everything we can to ensure our students are getting the best possible education, and for many students, that means allowing them access to assistive technology!
  
• Saves time - After listening to the case studies, many people reported that their students were able to give more output, faster. Also, it saves time for the teacher because the apps are already created for them! There really is an app for everything!
• Increased motivation/engagement in learning - This is a given! In this age of technology, of course students are going to be more engaged if they are given an opportunity to use their technology, or technology that is provided to them in the classroom.
  
• Money is a problem - AT does not seem to be a priority within our board, yet. There are a few schools that are "technology pilot" schools, and they are benefitting from access to assitive technology, but majority of the schools have no access. I am hoping that these pilot schools are reporting the benefits of having access to IPads so that more schools will be able to gain access.
• There are discrepencies between schools - Some have a lot of access and some have limited access. Also, there are some schools who have access, and because of lack of knowledge, the technology is not being used. How does having IPads locked up in the office benefit the students?
• Have a problem? There's an app for that! - If students have a challenge, there is almost always an app that can support them within the classroom.
• Limited opportunities for professional developement - I am often looking for PD opportunities to learn about the latest technology used in classrooms, and there are rarely opportunities. I usually find myself asking friends who are "tech savvy" to help me out. This course has been extremely helpful, and I feel like I will be a better teacher because I took it! Thank to Barb for sharing your wealth of knowledge, you have helped to make me a better teacher!
  

Another Online Class!

We are having another online class today! Mandy and I are sitting in Second Cup enjoying some delicious lattes during class today....technology is wonderful! :)




Potato Peeler



We spent some time looking at Low Tech Solutions for people with learning disabilities, and it is unbelievable how many tools already exist that could be helpful. We watched a video that showed how a pot, potato peeler and a sock holder could be extra beneficial to a person who struggles with fine motor skills.

The following clip is a video that I found that outlines some low tech solutions to enhance performance for those who struggle with writing. Check it out!

After watching some You Tube that my classmates have shared, I realize that I need to be more creative. There are so many ways that people with learning disabilities can overcome struggles, without spending a lot of money or leaving the house! Below, I am sharing a few videos that I really like that offer creative, inexpensive low tech solutions for people with learning disabilities! Enjoy! :) (And thanks to my classmates for sharing!)

Myself along with Mandy, Steph and Raeann got together to research low, mid and high tech devices that would be beneficial for people with visual impairments. We have summarized our information in a blog, and the link is below! Check it out!

AT for People Who Have Visual Impairments Blog

Last note for today....

Low tech devices found at the Dollar Store!

1. Ruler - For helping students follow along while reading. Hold the ruler under the text you are trying to read, and then just follow down the paper!

2. Magnifying Glass - For helping students with visual impairments read small text!

3. Playdoh - Making pencil grips for students and also for having sensory stimulation!

4. Magnetic White Boards - Students can put these in their lockers to write reminders for materials they need to bring to class. I often have students coming to class unprepared, so a daily reminder would be helpful!

5. Fluorescent Large Print Measuring Tape - For students with visual impairments, this could be used as a ruler, or used for many different measuring activities in math class!

Exploring PECS, PicCollage and Book Creator

Something to ponder...What would you prefer as a classroom teacher? An IPad or Kurzweil as a text to speech device? Here is some information before you make your decision.

               

                                              IPad                                                 Kurzweil

Price:                              $329.99 - $729.99                             $1200 - $1500  

Time to Convert:              2 minutes                                    Could take up to 1 hour

Where?                           In the classroom                         Out of the classroom (usually)

Accessibility?          Easy student access/efficient          Training required/less efficient

I know which choice I would make! With the IPad, you are able to snap a picture of a text document, use an App (ReadIris $40) to convert it to a PDF document, then have it read aloud. This can all be done in the classroom, so a student would not have to leave the room! With Kurzweil, you have to find the computer that Kurzweil is on, and it has to be connected to the scanner. Then, you have to manually scan the document. Then you need to find the scanned document for the student, then you can work with it. It is more timely and inefficient for a student to access information using Kurzweil. Often times, Kurzweil is not installed on a classroom computer, so the student would have to leave the room to receive the information. While Kurzweil is a great program, the IPad is more accessible. Accessibility is key!

Below is a demo on how to use Readiris...very easy!

Exploring PECS

Before continuing, it may be helpful to follow the link below to learn more about Picture Exchange Communication Systems. This website gives a comprehensive overview includes a couple of videos!
PECS - Picture Exchange Communication Systems

We have spent some time working with Proloquo2go, which I feel is the most accessible PECS. It is so easy to use, and can be formatted to any student! Many schools are still using BoardMaker, which is a very time consuming for both the student and the person creating the cards. The link above shows how to create story boards using BoardMaker.

Exploring PicCollage Even Further

Ideas on how to use PicCollage in the classroom:





Upload a picture of any item and have students label it. I uploaded a picture of an animal cell, and included a word bank for students to label it. For some students, they would need the word bank, but you could also just upload the picture and have students label it without giving them the text. This activity would be used in a grade 8 or grade 9 classroom where the specialize in working with the cell and cell functions.



 Upload a picture of a balance scale and multiple images of alge-tiles (variables and numbers). Using those tiles, you can move the tiles and show how you can solve any equation. The equations can be adapted to your students! You can modify this to include one balance scale, or up to 4 or 5 balance scales, depending on the difficulty of the equation! This could be used as a way to introduced solving equations in the grade 9 math classroom.




Upload a picture of a Cartesian grid. Create ordered pairs just using the add text feature. Have the students drag the ordered pairs to the correct spot on the grid! It can get a bit messy, so it would be important to make sure the ordered pairs that the students are plotting are spaced out nicely. I also included a dot before each ordered pair, so the student can place it exactly where the lines of the grid meet. This could be used in any junior high classroom, even elementary. It would need to be adapted for elementary (remove the negatives). I do this activity with my grade 9 students before we start our linear equations unit!



You could upload a graphic organizer for this next activity, or just insert a line down the screen by taking a picture of one and bringing it in, or by searching the internet for one. For this activity, we looked at the Grade 7 math geometry outcomes where you have to be able to distinguiosg between nets of different 3-D shapes. Students could classify them by dragging the different nets into the appropriate column.

As a teacher, often times I find myself grouping my students for different reasons. They could be working through stations, working on a project together or I may just want them to move around to sit with different people in the classroom. Using the following set up in PicCollage, we imported a chart and included the names of some people in our class. You are able to move the names around into different groups. This is used as an organizational tool by the teacher.  

One more very exciting app...

Another really great app we explored today was Book Creator. This is an inexpensive app ($4.99) that gives the user creative freedom to create a book and share it with friends! You are able to import your own photos and videos, and also can record your own voice! These books can be published to iBooks to be shared with others. Here are some creative ways you could use Book Creator in your classroom:

• Social Stories
• Biographies
• Dictionaries for any subject
• Personal Encyclopedias
• Study notes
• Journalling
• Plus much, much more!

Anything that a student would want to create a book about, you can do that using Book Creator. It is just much more engaging using technology!

  

One last note for today....

Dr. Ruben Puentedura is the Founder and President of Hippasus, a consulting firm based in Western Massachusetts, focusing on transformative applications of information technologies to education. If you have some time, check out the following link.

Ruben Puentedura's Weblog 

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!

The Importance of Having a Voice

Communication is so important. The ability to communicate starts as soon as a child enters the world. I have a 13 month old little boy at home, and let me tell you, he sure has his ways of telling me what he wants. He only has 3 words that he uses right now, but through his gestures, tones, and behavior, he can communicate what his wants and needs are.

A question to consider: Is having the ability to communicate the same as having a voice? While my little boy can communicate what he wants and needs without having a voice (well, he can scream pretty well, but doesn't have many words), would he have his needs met more efficiently if he could speak? Can you learn better if you have a voice? I don't know the answer to this question, but a solution for students who are non-verbal is the Ipod/IPad app Proloquo2go. This program has the ability to give a child a voice.
Check out the following link which speaks to giving children a voice:
Proloquo2Go App Gives Children With Speech Impairments a Voice

Proloquo2go is an amazing IPad/IPod app. It is extremely user friendly and because of that, makes it very appealing. It is unbelievable what this program can do for the non-verbal learner. Below are some of the features of this program:

Screen shot of Proloquo2go:
This is a 6x6 grid

• full feature Augmentative and Alternative Communication Device 
• natural sounding Text to Speech voice
• 14 000 symbols
• advanced word prediction
• ability to fully customize vocabularies for varied abilities

Selection sets: When programming for a student using proloquo2go, creating an appropriate selection set is of utmost importance. You have to ensure that the communication device is efficient so the person accessing the device can communicate effectively. Some things to consider when creating a selection set are: 

physical abilities, sensory/perceptual abilities, linguistic abilities, and cognitive abilities. You must really know your student, so am important step in creating a set for your student is to have a meeting with the child's parents, all teachers and other support personal who know the students strengths and weaknesses.

We spent time creating a new profile for a fictional student on Saturday. We were given a profile of the student, and were asked to create a 4 category profile that would help her communicate effectively. We were working in a group of 3, and we found it difficult coming up with appropriate cells. The program itself is very easy to use, but the hard part was coming up with sentence starters and responses.  We had a hard time deciding on cells to create for use at home, so it would be important to include parents in the planning process. Also, all teachers should be involved so there could be cells that could be specific to class work. Administration should also be on board for the planning, and support personnel. It is important that the student will have an appropriate and effective way to communicate with anyone she may have to interact with in the run of a day.

For the creation of our students profile, here are some things we considered:

• Our student didn't have any visual impairments, so we took advantage of different colors to make the grid look more appealing. (We assumed her favorite colors were pink and purple, so we used those colors). 
• Also, our student primarily used one hand, so we suggested she should have access to an IPod rather than and IPad for ease of use. Also during transport, carrying the IPod and tapping the screen would be more efficient.
• She was used to working with a 20 grid, so we decided that a 3x3 format would work well for her
• There were some specific activities that she enjoyed, so we made specific buttons for those tasks
• She has emergent literacy skills, so we created buttons that were sentence starters

This program can be used for any student with any level of ability!

Day 1: IPads are Awesome and iMovie Rocks!

Time for another Assistive Technology blog! I am almost finished my MEd in Inclusive Education, and I am currently enrolled in an Assistive Technology course that focuses on learning and leisure. Last summer, I took an Assistive Technology course that focused on literacy, which was full of invaluable information and resources. If you would like insight into what I learned in my previous Assistive Tech course, check out the blog I created: www.laceyteach.blogspot.com

It is day 1, so I wasn't very excited travelling to class today; however, it didn't take too long to get excited about using Ipads as an assistive technology tool, again! For our first hands-on activity, we looked at an app called iMovie. This is an app that allows students to create a movie trailers....and as a teacher, the possibilities for using this app are endless! The following is a video that shows you how to use this app: it is so easy!

We had an opportunity to explore this app in class today, and we were able to complete a full movie trailer in less than 30 minutes!

While I was creating this trailer, I was constantly leaving the app to search the internet for pictures and videos that I could use in my trailer. I also wanted to take a look through my camera roll on my IPad to include some personal pictures into my trailer! There was a video that I wanted to include that was on my husband's iPhone, so I emailed him to ask him to send me the video...talk about convergence of technology.

Convergence of Technologies
This phrase, "convergence of technologies", was introduced to us today, and it refers to many tasks coming together on one mobile device. I was able to use information from multiple sources to create my trailer...just think of how this can benefit students!

Think about this...
As you sit here, reading through this blog, you are receiving information that I am communicating to you. Communication; have you ever thought about what is involved with communicating? I thought about that today, and decided that to communicate something means to share ideas, express yourself, and provide information. I was a bit narrow minded, as I only thought about one side! To have effective communication, there are 3 key things that you need:

1. Common language

2. A communication partner

3. Joint attention

This makes me think about myself as a teacher. I know there are times where I am standing at the front of the class, trying to provide information to eager learners, and some of that information does not reach my students. Why? Well, maybe the language I use is not common? Maybe I don't have their attention? Communication is a very key part of being a teacher, so it is interesting that I have never thought about what communication means. Something to ponder.




One more thing...

Take a look at the following story....if you are not convinced that assistive technology is a wonderful thing, I am sure this story will change your mind. Giving people a voice is a powerful gift.