Today we started the day with finding videos of triumph with children or people and assistive technology. I chose to find a video on a child with Autism.
I chose to share Carly's story. This is an incredible story of a person with Autism who has learned to communicate with a laptop and typing when no one thought she would ever be able to speak or express anything. Many people had written her off as mentally retarded, but she proved them all wrong. She is a bright, intelligent girl with lots to say. Her parents never gave up and they worked tirelessly for years to figure out a way to help their daughter. The video shows a lot of different assistive technologies that they tried over the years. I only wish that all parents were as dedicated to their children like Carly's parents.
I loved using iMovie in class. I can see how students would love to use this in class especially for:
1. A short story narrative
2. To present a project
3. Create a book trailer
4. Create how to videos
5. Explain feelings
My main three takeaways for this course are:
1. Technology is definitely a HUGE benefit to all users, not only those who need them to communicate. It really helps all students communicate and demonstrate their abilities.
2. I have learned NOT to presume competence or lack of competence among all users. Just because someone has difficulty communicating does not mean that they can't.
3. I have learned about MANY apps and programs that I can now incorporate into my classroom and that I cannot wait to try and use come September!
I love presentation day! I find this is very useful to see other ideas and things that I could incorporate into my own classroom.
I love how Joy and Nike made a new to school book. It's a great idea for students who are new to a school (new grade, or recently moved). It is quite amazing! I also loved having the "library" right in Book Creator! Many students read books on their devices now, this is a great way to get them to read something educational :)
John and Laurianne had some great ideas! I really enjoyed the one where you could create a comic book about your everyday life. Who doesn't want to be a superhero?! I also really enjoyed their idea of creating a glossary of new terms. This would be immensely useful in science or math classes where students often encounter new words. And finally you've touched my heart with the Harry Potter reference! I totally want to read a news story with picture and audio now!
Holly and Alecia had a great book! I loved the idea of using the book for Meet the Teacher. Such a neat idea! I love the idea of making a memoir for a portfolio over the course of the year. It is a great way to see a students progress from September to June. I love every different way they talked about using Book Creator. I really enjoyed how they told us about using as a way to see other people's point of view.
Tracy and Joanne definitely brought a different perspective to the Book Creator app. It was awesome! I love how there are so many ways to address the social side of learning. It is really important to develop skills for interviews, creating CVs, references, etc! This is so useful for developing these skills!
Suzanne and Dave presented many great ways to use Book Creator! I loved the idea of making a Yearbook for your class! What a great way to keep a memory! I also love the illustrate your writing idea! I often give my students a picture to use to create a story, or a story and get them to create the picture. Book Creator is a great way for them to represent these various things!
The next group had a great many ideas! I really enjoyed the idea of doing show and tell with an audio video book! The punctuation book is a great way to introduce and present grammar. I am often looking for new ways to do grammar mini lessons and this is a great way to do it! Funny Movie Maker is a great way to incorporate some silliness!
Michelle and Sherry had some fantastic ideas! I love the idea of an interactive cookbooks! The collaborative class trip reflection is a fantastic idea! A great way to keep memories! I never thought of using Book Creator as an exit ticket! What a great idea! I loved the how to video on yoga. It is great for people who are afraid of going to classes or looking silly. It's a great way to get some learning done before class!
Nick and Sue had many great ideas just like the rest of the class. I enjoyed the pattern activity. It is really important to present this to students at a young age. Another great idea is creating a sports broadcast for students who can't participate in P.E. class. A great way to get them involved! I love the drama game idea! This is a great way to get students to do group work and have fun doing it!
The last group had many great ideas for various levels! I loved how so many aspects were included in their book. I love the family tree book! Adding pictures and interviews of family members is genius! I love the sentence starter idea on each page to help with creative writing.
At first I was a bit worried about completing this assignment on time to the quality that I expect of myself, but after finishing the assignment and seeing everyone's presentation I am really pleased with the effort that everyone put in and how many great new ideas we have!
Over the weekend I watched many videos on accessibility options on various devices. I was very impressed with the iPad's accessibility options! I can't believe it even had a switch option. I was also impressed with the number of accessibility options for the android. I have been an Apple girl for many years and watching these videos made me proud to be so :)
I was quite a bit disappointed with the PC's and Chrome Books accessibility options. I had hoped for a little bit more. I did enjoy that there were many add-ons that a person could go through to see what best suited them or the intended user.
Today we got the hang of Book Creator. It was a lot easier and a lot more fun than I would have anticipated after Friday. I think we were over thinking a lot of the work that we were doing on Friday and we just needed to take it back and just create the pages that we had envisioned.
We also discovered how to Air Drop pictures from our Macbooks to the iPad, so that sped up the process quite a bit. While one person was working on their page, the other person was finding images and getting ready to create their next page.
I really enjoyed how we stuck to our actual curriculum to tie in things we do in our classes every year. We both worked very hard in order to make sure that it was accessible for the students and that it met their level especially since we both teach older students (high school and post secondary).
Book Creator was one of those apps that I often saw on the iPads at school but I had never really explored them. I am very happy that I had a chance to here because it is definitely something that I am going to incorporate at all levels in all curricula that I teach.
Another thing I was pleasantly surprised about was the fact that it was very easy to develop ideas for math and science. Often as a math/science teacher I struggle to find ways for students to show other ways of representing or demonstrating their understanding. Book Creator offers me this alternative.
Book Creator is one of the most useful tools that I have discovered for me, my classroom, and my students. :O)
After a full nights sleep, I am feeling very much less overwhelmed about all the new things we learned yesterday. I am very much appreciating the plethora of technology that it out there and that is so easy to use!
Today we started using Book Creator to present 20 ideas for our classroom. Book Creator is a great app that can definitely benefit many users and different learners. It is definitely a worthwhile way to including UDL into planning your courses.
When Barb was explaining the activity to us this morning I thought there is no way I can think of that many idea to do in book creator. But once I started thinking the ideas just kept coming! I found it rather easy after that first one to come up with ideas on how I could use Book Creator in my classroom. I feel that I know my curriculum well and it is an easy step to convert some of my class assessments or activities to incorporate Book Creator.
I was quite stressed out after Terry and I spent 2 hours working with the app and had only gotten 6 ideas completed, but talking with Barb at the end of class really helped us understand that we were on the right track and that we understood exactly what we were supposed to do. I must like to feel stressed because I do it quite often :P.
I am sure Monday's class will go much more smoothly and we will be able to complete well within the time limit :)
Today we got to demo a lot of the alternate access technology that we see students using in their everyday life. It was absolutely fantastic to actually try these technologies to see their advantages and their limitations for the various users.
Watching the video this morning really confirmed how you need an entire team to help a student with some challenges. Every person, from the teacher, to the SLP, to the OC, to the EA, and many more, have a key roll to play in every child's well-being and development. It is very important to have these students integrated in the classroom. No matter what is going on in the class, you can always have a role for the person with challenges. They can do something in the class, even if it isn't the same as the other kids as long as they are meeting their own goals set out by the team.
It is good to hear and reinforce how important the role of the classroom teacher is when it comes to the social development of a child with special needs. It is up to the teacher to model the behaviour that is wanted from the child's peers. The social part of kids learning is immense for any child, but it is especially difficult for a child with special needs.
Watching Michael, Todd, Justin, and Joy manage their day to day lives with assistive technology is quite remarkable. I can only imagine how far they would have advanced nowadays with the growing amount of AT that we have. Eye gaze would have been a wonderful tool for Joy. It's incredible to see how students are still using the same technology today that they were using 20-30 years ago.
We chose this video with Mason who is visually impaired. He has a typewriter to write in braille. The technology actually speaks to him when he types so that he know if he chose the correct letter or number. It is really nice to see some AT for those who have visual impairments. Often we think of eye-gaze, or Proloquo2Go to assist students with special needs, not thinking of those who cannot use their eyes.
We chose the next video with Nick because he is an adult with his own lawn care business. He has managed to work around his impairments to drive, to run a successful business, and to live a normal life. He has switch technology in his vehicle on the headrest to help him signal. He seems to be a happy, well-adjusted adult.
Finally we chose Elle. Elle uses eye-gaze and Dynavox to communicate. She has a large vocabulary and is capable of communicative very well. Just because she has Cerebral Palsy, it does not mean that her cognitive abilities are diminished. She loves to write emails, go shopping at the mall, and spend time with friends. It was really amazing to watch her interview!
Here we explored a variety of switches that students can use for daily activities. Each of these switches operate a bit differently, but a student would need to be able to grip the switch, move their head or limb to access the switch, or have some kind of motor skills to be able to use it. The student needs a cognitive level high enough to be able to understand instructions and situations where they need to use their switch.
Here are 10 activities that students can do with PowerLink and Switches:
1. Turn off or on mixers in Family Studies
2. Use the button to signal for driving
3. Turn on or off their laptop or iPad to control their own use of AT
4. Use it to communicate (i.e. want to go to bathroom, hungry, thirsty, etc.)
5. Control water flow to water plants, or help with cleaning or cooking
6. Use it to activate spinner for math class or art class
7. Use it to control time in a game and sound the buzzer
8. Use it to control the speed of an audio book and to pause it when needed
9. Participate in play (operate electronic toys and video games)
10. Be in charge of the electric pencil sharpener in the class
There are three ways we can use an onscreen keyboard with students who have difficulties:
1. Direct input: Students with some fine motor skills as they are able to use the mouse to find the key they want and click to select that key. It is also nice that the keyboard can be expanded.
2. Hover with trackball: Students with very limited motor skills who have difficulty clicking would prefer this method as they only have to move the trackball or the mouse over the key they want to select. Then they can use the predictive text to type in their words.
3. Scanning through keys: Students with severe physical limitations who cannot move much can use the scanning method where they only need to click the space bar on the appropriate section.
Using bluetooth with the iPad is a great way for students to participate in games. The optimal user would be a person with physical disabilities who has difficulty with their motor skills. They are learning how to hold and let go, and it helps to develop students ease with switch technology. The advantages of offering this on the iPad are many fold: they are portable, they are new technology, and the user would not feel singled out by using this technology.
Here are 12 other switch accessible apps for the iPad:
1. Attainment Switch
2. "Dirty Duds" adapted play book
3. Catch the Cow
4. iSpeak Button
5. "Harry Hurry" adapted play book
6. "E-i-e-i-o" adapted play book
7."Peanut Butter" adapted play book
8. iSpeak sequences
9. Dexteria Fine Motor Skills
10. Learn Muscles Anatomy Reference
11. Naming Therapy: Word-Finding for Aphasia
12. SmallTalk Aphasia
We found it difficult at first to calibrate the system especially without moving our heads. But once you've got it down, it is such an easy thing to use. It gives the user pretty much access to anything that is accessible on a computer. The opportunities are endless! Now that we have access to the internet via a computer, we can allow the user to do anything he or she would want. The supporting team members would be the EA, OT, LC staff, teacher, and parents. They would need some basic training on how to use the technology and what is compatible with the eye gaze tool.
Here are 10 activities a person could do using the eye-gaze technology:
1. Multiple choice assessments
2. Text to speech technology
3. Typing using an onscreen keyboard
4. Play educational games ( online or software loaded on computer)
5. Look to learn
6. Research online
7. Adult colouring book painting on iPad
8. Watching TV and changing the channel
9. Playing music with technology (iPad)
10. Giving directions during an activity with peers
All of these accessibility options are available for students who have various needs and challenges: TalkBack, Switch Access, Captions, Magnification Gestures, large text, high contrast text, auto-rotate screen, speak passwords, touch and hold delay, colour inversion, and colour correction. It's amazing how technology is already on the cutting edge of AT, especially for users who have limited mobility and vision problems.
Here are some apps on Google Play for users with various disabilities:
There are many setting in this Chromebook that can help students access the device such as: large mouse cursor, high contrast mode, sticky keys, ChromeVox (spoken feedback), screen magnifier, onscreen keyboard, and auto click when mouse stops.
I found using the keyboad a bit more difficult because I am not used to using these types of keyboards. But I can definitely see the benefit for students who have difficulty typing because of their fine motor skills.
The R&W extension is great for students who have difficulty typing. They can speak to the app and have the app write for them. They also have a picture dictionary, regular dictionary, predictive text for students who have low cognitive abilities, and an ability to have the webpages read and translate to them.
The presentations from the groups at the Dollar Store were amazing. There are so many things that I learned about today for low tech AT.
The water snakes were amazing! I didn't even see them as the Dollar Store. I can totally see how it could be used as a talking stick, and a great way to curb students with behavioural issues.
The hand soap use is amazing. I never would have thought about how difficult it would be to tear the toilet paper off the roll if you only have one hand. This was an amazing idea!
I really loved the squishy tube especially for the fact that it can be suctioned to a surface for any use. Another find that I didn't see!
Pool Noodle tag looks like an amazingly fun game even without any developmental deficiencies. I love how it makes the game much more inclusive for those who may not be as adept at moving quickly!
I would never have thought to use sandpaper for students who have sensory or visual issues. It is a great way to get them to feel a story and be able to make something up that goes with the image!
I love how you can cut and reuse tennis balls for multiple things. I would totally cut them in half for putting over your ears if things get too noisy, or putting them on the feet or chairs or tables to reduce the awful scraping noise!
I loved the little bell idea for a student to get the teachers attention. Especially when they are nonverbal. Sometimes in a busy class it is easy to miss a hand raised, but a bell can definitely signal the teacher that the student has a question or a need.
I remember looking at the scarf holder and having no idea how I could possibly use it in the classroom setting. Using at a sorting machine, a pattern machine or any type of math application is brilliant!
The pool noodle finger protector is so cool. I would have never considered using it in a kitchen setting.
I am still blown away by all the ways a person can use a pool noodle. I loved playing cards with my grandma! I know that my grandmother later in her life had a hard time holding them after a stroke and this would would have definitely helped her continue to beat me in crib.
Magnetic letters on a cookie sheet. Another brilliant idea! What a great way to practice your letters and get people to write who have difficulty using a pen or pencil!
Feeling of the day:
Here is my word cloud for the Microsoft Web Store:
The majority of the apps that I found were very similar to Proloquo2Go. Some were much cheaper and it would be interesting to explore them deeper to see how close they are to the one we've already explored! I was a little disappointed in the lack of variety that the Microsoft Web Store offered. I feel that there are so many possibilities out there, but they either haven't been developed, or they have been developed unsuccessfully.
Today was a day where we talked a lot about inclusive societies, anti-bullying approaches, and accepting newcomers (refugees or otherwise) to our school system.
Our first presenter today talked to us about inclusion around the world. It was very eye opening for me that there are many countries in this world who believe that certain disabilities do not exist in their country (i.e. China does not have people with Down Syndrome, The Democratic Republic of Congo does not have Autism). It was also surprising that the UN also does not have a definition for the word "disability".
We watched a very evocative video where they were showing how children with disabilities are poorly treated and essentially left to die. I guess living in Canada we don't see this as much because we have a broader definition of disability and systems in place to care for them, but there are so many people around the world who do not have the quality of life they deserve.
I also found it interesting to look at the landscape and the geography of an area through the eyes of a disabled person. I had never really thought about it before. But I will certainly do so now. I feel that I have new lenses for my glasses and will see the school in a very different manner.
I guess what I've taken away from this lecture is that though we have a long way to go here in Canada, we are miles ahead and we should be happy with the amount of work we've done.
Our second presenter today talked today about anti-bullying. It was amazing to see how many educators have been bullied or participated in bullying.
The first resource we received is the link to PREVnet. This is a great resource for students and teachers to empower everyone who want or need to report bullying but don't feel safe or comfortable to do so. Its a good website to give people tools to feel able to do something.
It is not enough to punish bullying. We need to develop strategies and skills for these students to be able to cope with what is going on in their life. It is often said that people hurt because they hurt and this rings very true. The provincial code of conduct is more than punishing, it is about teaching. I feel that is is really important to incorporate these proactive and progressive to change behaviour. Changing the behaviour is more important than punishing. Punishing is not going to fix anything. We need to sake a step back and change the conversation on how we are going to best support these red zone students.
Another great website that was shared with us is CPSC Atlantic. It is a great site for resources on how to best select an anti-bullying program. Dr. John LeBlanc and his team look closely at anti-bullying programs and evaluates them for what is best for the students and the school community.
We have to create intentional learning opportunities for students to develop their social and emotional learning. Kids are not born with the ability for empathy, they need to be taught. When Ms. Syms told us this, it was like a lightbulb lighting up in my head. It explains so much in what I see in students in everyday life. I had never really thought of it this way. It is amazing how as a teacher we forget these things.
Our last presenter of the day talked to us about newcomer experiences (especially Syrian families) in Nova Scotia. I really enjoyed the fact that she debunked many myths that people have about refugees and newcomers. Personally, I live and work in a community where there were many newcomers, especially Syrian refugees, and I felt that a lot of the information that was presented this afternoon was not new to me.
I definitely appreciated the presentation. I feel that it is very important for teachers, who are front line people for these new students, to understand what these people are going through and how they may react or act when faced with new situations.
All three presenters brought a great and unique perspective to things I had seen, but never really considered. It was quite interesting to listen to each and every person speak.
Today Suzanne and I spent an hour and a half in the New Minas Dollar Store wandering the isles and looking at pretty much every single article that was for sale trying to come up with low tech alternatives for each and every single one. I confess that this assignment definitely put me outside of my comfort zone and at the beginning I found it rather difficult to think outside the box with the items that we picked up. At first I only looked at things that would help those who have difficulties with fine and/or gross motor skills. Towards the end of our shopping trip I was getting a bit more confident in using articles in alternate formats. I am still not the most adept, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing what the other students have discovered! Hopefully by reading everyones blog and seeing the presentations in class I will become more confident in identifying low tech alternatives!
We found many more than twenty, and I will include all of those that we found!
Item number 1: Mini salt and pepper shakers.
This item could be very useful for a student who has difficulty with fine motor skills. These could be filled with various art supplies (glitter, paint, glue, etc.) and used to create wonderful pieces of art.
Item number 2: Cutlery set.
This item could be very useful for students with low cognitive levels who have difficulty with difficulty in executive functions. We could use these for sorting or matching activities or for short term memory recall ( how many forks and were there, place them in the correct order, etc.)
Item number 3: Textured rubber bear.
This item could be very useful for a student who has an attention deficit disorder and needs something to fidget with. Students can be stimulated by the texture of the bear and the fact that it is very squishy.
Item number 4: floor mats.
This item is very useful for autistic children who may need a delimited space. We can set these up on the ground so that they have a safe space, or so that they know where to go given a specific task.
Item number 5: weight.
This item is very useful for students who have issues with gross or fine motor skills. Students can practice picking it up and putting it down in various locations. Students can also appreciate the weight behind it and some students may need more weight than others, so you could have multiple weights available for various tasks and student needs.
Item 6: Stretch band.
This item is very useful for students who have attention deficit disorders. It can be stretched around the legs of the students desk or chair and they can use their feet to work out any pent up energy.
Item 7: Can or cup cozy.
This is a great item for any student who has difficulty gripping and holding things. This could be put on any drink or any cylindrical object that the student needs or wants to hold. Plus it is very fun, festive, and patriotic!
Item 8: A pool noodle.
I will never look at a pool noodle the same way again. This is the point in our shopping trip that I really started to see things differently. This could be used as a protection device for any student who has mobility issues (involuntary or otherwise). It can be wrapped around desks, chairs, walls, etc. to help a student feel safe and/or to help them navigate better.
Item 9: A strainer.
This item is very useful for any student who has trouble with their gross motor skills. We could use this in an art class by placing any of the art supplies inside to create a very beautiful painting or art project. It is easy to hold with two handles and this item really appreciates being shaken!
Item 10: Eye and nose goggles.
This item was inspired by the shark hat we saw in class. What student wouldn't want to have their face or hair washed while pretending to be under water! This is great for students who have sensory issues.
Item 11: Swim ring.
This item is a cheap way to replace a seat cushion for those students who need to fidget. Typically it is a student who has an attention deficit issue and can use the cushion to help them keep on track while wiggling in their seat.
Item 12: A cup with a straw.
This is a great item for students who have difficulty with fine motor skills or who don't use their hands. This way they can get their liquids without making a mess, or you could take the straw out and use it as a pointing device for someone who uses their mouth.
Item 13: A bug looker-at-er!
Okay I don't know the real name of this item, but it is a great item, not looking for bugs, but for popping off the top and using it as a magnifying glass for students who have difficulty seeing or those students who need limitation in their tasks (only looking at a few words at a time to read).
Item 14: BBQ scrubbing brush.
This is a great item for students who have difficulty with fine or gross motor skills. It is something that can be used as a cleaning device, to erase a chalkboard, to paint with, and many other things.
Item 15: Fly swatter.
Not only is this a great item for killing pesky flies, it is a great item for students who have difficulties with their fine motor skills. They can use this to point out or to indicate many things, especially on the white board.
Item 16: Seat cushion.
This is a great item for students who have behavioural issues. We can use this as a special seat where a student or students need to sit to avoid any or all conflicts that may arise in a classroom situation.
Item 17: Garden tool.
What a great item for students who have mobility issues or issues with fine motor skills. This handy thing is able to pick up many things of various size and weights and distribute it where it needs or where the student wants it to be.
Item 18: Organizational boxes.
These items are fantastic for students who have executive function issues. Students who need help with organization, with multi step problems, or with anything pertaining to order. Having them colour coded is an added bonus for those students as well.
Item 19: Foam tubes.
This is a great item to use as pencil grips for students who have issues with fine motor skills. They can be cut down to size, any size that is appropriate for a particular student, and in the student's favourite colour!
Item 20: Colourful letters.
This item is great for students who have cognitive delays. They are a high interest letter practice. We chose to take a picture of the pink type, but there were many other kinds that are less busy for some students who have difficulty with this.
Item 21: Floor mat.
This item is great for any student who suffers from obesity or early onset arthritis. A student whose joints ache all day long will have difficulty concentrating and completing tasks. This way the students can concentrate more and be more productive in class.
Item 22: Dry-erase board.
This item is a bit more on the nose, but it is a great tool for students who have cognitive delays, anxiety, or an LD. The students can use this board to work through a problem especially if they are prone to making mistakes or to give answers if they are afraid of speaking up in class (each student would have one and they would hold them up to give their answer).
Item 23: Large button calculator.
This item is great for students with difficulties with their fine motor skills, but it is also good for students to indicate the time, a quantity of some sort, or anything else that involves numbers.
Item 24: Neck pillow.
This item is great for students who have sensory issues. You can replace the fluffy stuff inside with heavier grains for compression therapy.
Item 25: Loofas and bath mittens.
These items are great for students with fine or gross motor skill issues. It is a great way for students to express creativity with the various size and shapes of the objects. They would be great is arts and crafts.
Item 26: Rubber ring on baby toy.
This item would be dismantled for its rubber ring. This ring could be attached to a lanyard or a string around the neck of a student who has an oral fixation and needs to fidget. It is easy to clean and easy to conceal under a t-shirt.
Item 27: Hanging shoe organizer.
This is a great item for a student who has an executive disfunction. You can either get a clear one, or attach pictures on the outside so that the student know what it inside the pocket. It can be used as an organizational piece or a communication tool.
Item 28: Clothes pins.
What a great item for students who have low cognitive abilities and need help with task sequencing. You could have a timeline set up where the students either place or remove the clothespins as tasks are completed.
Item 29: Gripper pads.
This item is great for students who have uncontrolled movements and need objects on desks or any other surface to stay in place. It is also a convenient size for students who have fine motor skill issues. They can use these in the palm of their hands to grip anything they are using.
Item 30: Rubber gloves.
These are a great item for any student who has sensory issues. Some students may not like to touch certain textures or have extreme reactions to hot or cold. They can wear the gloves to complete the tasks they need or want to complete.
Today I saw so many amazing activities for learners. I know that these were geared towards learners with AT, but I can definitely see how it could work in regular classrooms even without students who have differentiated learning. I truly appreciate all the work that my classmates put in to this assignment. The activities are all well thought out, and very central to the needs and abilities of the students.
I can't help but think back to all the students that I saw when I was a young learner. I feel that had we access to all of this technology, maybe these students would be better accepted in the classroom and the school society. I know that students were often not inclusive of these kids because they didn't understand how they were different or how to communicate with them.
Something that I have struggled with these past couple days is the fact that all this technology and all these resources exist, and yet I have never seen any of it in my schools. Granted, I do teach immersion classes at the high school level and these typically do not come with a lot of high needs students, but I feel that there are a lot of other learners in my school. I few years ago I did have a student who was on the Autism spectrum, but he definitely did not have access to any of this technology. He was able to speak a bit, but not in complete sentences, and definitely not always able to. I feel that had he had access to these tools, especially Proloquo2go, he would have been able to communicate much more effectively. (Maybe he did have access to all of this technology, but there was no evidence of it.) I also feel that my school board is woefully behind the times when it comes to AT and AAC. But again, I don't work often in the resource room, or the learning centre and may not see everything that does happen.
Watching the video on Aided Language made me realize that teaching and working with students who use AAC is very similar to teaching students in an immersion program or a second language program. For anyone who has taught Core French, you definitely understand how important it is to use visual aids to form those neurological pathways in the brain. Our primary goal is to operate in that second language always and to build an innate/natural vocabulary. I can directly associate this to what the video was talking about. It is important to always work in that second language, just like it is important to always work with the pictures and/or the technology.
As I have been going through this class, I can't help but reflect on the first time I had encountered someone on the Autism Spectrum. Sadly it wasn't in person, but it was in a book written by a teenager with Aspergers. I definitely recommend this book to anyone! It's a really interesting insight into his mind and how he thinks and processes things. He has a great style for writing and investigative mind :)
My three main takeaways for today:
1. All the activities presented today are very much inclusive and can be presented in a variety of classrooms and at a variety of levels. It is good to see that students who use AAC can very much be included in activities. The inclusion model definitely works like this. I feel that if all school boards and districts were up to par and up to date with AAC there would be much less discussion and comments about how "inclusion doesn't work".
2. A student who uses AAC and AT should be treated similarly to students who are learning a second language. Immersion into the program/language, pictures to show understanding and building vocabulary are all very important components to competencies and abilities.
3. After the first week of classes, I have realized that it is important to me to learn more about AAC and AT, especially in my school and my school board. It is truly amazing how much I don't know and how much I have to learn. I am a person who likes to be prepared, and taking this class has shown me that there is a lot to learn, and a lot more questions to ask. I am looking forward to learning more over the next couple weeks!
Day three went by extremely fast! I didn't think we would need the entire class to set up our activity and organize our boards with Proloquo. Boy was I mistaken. This process is so much more involved that I had ever thought. There are a lot of different things you need to consider and so many little things that we forget. I really tried to put myself in a nonverbal persons shoes. How would I communicate via Proloquo? What words would I be looking for? Is my board easy to navigate or does it not make sense? Even within the folders, which order of words makes the most sense? I feel that I have left this activity with more questions than answers.
Something that I did appreciate within the app is all the folders and icons that are already created. We soon discovered that we were able to link to the 'storage' pretty easily which saved us a lot of time. The task seemed pretty daunting in the beginning thinking that we would have to create every single vocabulary word we would need. But there are a lot of things already created that we can use and modify to suit our needs. Initially I thought that it would take a lot of time as a teacher to set up these activities for our students, especially since we took three hours today and have not yet completed our activity. But once you get to know the program, I can see the relative ease of creating activities in a timely manner.
My stress and excitement level from yesterday has decreased, but I am still looking forward to completing the activity and seeing what the other groups have come up with!
At the beginning of class we talked about myths of AAC. I found that I recognized my past self in some of these myths - thinking the same way - and now, after 2 classes, I have completely changed my mindset and attitude towards AT. The myth that you need to start low tech before heading to high tech is one of the ones that I feel was what I expected. You should start simple before going to something more complex. For AT, this is a totally false. We need to remember that students are much more capable and adaptable than we give them credit.
My three main takeaways today:
1. We need to remember that as teachers our primary goal is not to pass down knowledge, but to prepare students to become independent, productive, community members.
2. Proloquo is a fantastic and user friendly tool that can greatly improve the student's life.
3. It is important to debunk myths surround students AT. People (school communities, and outside) need to understand the benefits of AT for people with needs and people without needs.
Today was another eye-opener day. We started the day watching a phenomenal video of Tyler Roy going through school. His story is very inspiring and makes me realize the following three things:
1. Support systems are essential. You need a family who will advocate for the child. This is really the first step. Parents/Guardians are the first intervention for children with different learning abilities. Other key players to help a child are circle of friends, OT, the school community, AT specialists, TA, SLP, and many many more. As a teacher I am very impressed with the supports in place, the ease of everyone to go from one thing to another, and understanding the technology.
2. Assistive technology is paramount to a students learning and ability to demonstrate their understanding. AT opened up so many venues for his life, not just academic, but games, and fun. It was really impressive to see the AT evolve with him as he grew up and learning what worked for him. It was also very nice to see that his AT evolved with the times. As more technology became readily available, having the team work with Tyler and the OT to make his life easier and to make his ability to complete a task much more efficient.
3. My biggest takeaway of all of this is that there are no such things as limitations. If you have the right support group in place and the right AT, the right tools, and the right motivation you can accomplish any goal you set. Perceived limitations are no longer limitations.
Reflecting on my own practice I am glad that I have made the switch to Google Classroom. I now post all worksheets, all notes, all assignments, and all discussions on the classroom. When Barb said that digitizing texts makes
it immediately accessible to all students will various types of learning, I realized that I have started to give access to all students no matter their learning abilities or adaptations.
If you haven't set up your GNSPES account I definitely recommend it. It has completely transformed how I teach and I have barely scratched the surface. It's super easy to log in -- just go here and use your same username and password that you would for Outlook Email.
Go here if you want to watch an excellent tutorial on how to set up and use Google Classroom: Tutorial Video
Here are 15 ways to communicate:
1. Speaking
2. Pictures
3. Writing
4. Gestures
5. Facial gestures
6. Pointing
7. Eye contact
8. Reading
9. Listening
10. Touch
11. Sounds (not speaking)
12. Symbols
13. Manipulatives (blocs, etc.)
14. Technology (AT)
15. Music or song
We've started looking at Proloquo in class today and it is an amazing tool to help students of various cognitive levels communicate. I am very much looking forward to developing this activity for our student! It was amazing to watch Enrique, Nick, and Ruby learn to communicate with people around them. The testimonies from families and support workers (SLP, Teachers, etc.) was very inspiring.
My current level of excitement!!
My three main takeaways for the day:
1. Communication is key. Communicating is the most important step in the education of a child. It is also important to know that all people will not communicate in traditional ways, especially when students are non verbal, or if they have any other type of disability.
2. With the right supports, tools, and motivation there is no such thing as a limitation. Anyone can do anything they set their mind to.
3. So far Proloquo seems to be an amazing tool for communication and has enhanced the lives dramatically of the three children I saw on the website (Enrique, Nick, and Ruby).
First class is over! It's been a while since I've been a student and it is a nice feeling. Looking at assistive technology in the classroom is something that I find a daunting task as I don't often encounter these types of students in my day to day work life. For me, I took this class as a way to challenge myself and my teaching.
The first video that we watched was truly inspiring. It made me feel that no physical or cognitive limitation should stop someone from accomplishing great tasks. I found myself thinking that this person is doing something that I could never do... Mostly because I am terrified of heights! This person has kind of inspired me to try new things, and maybe my limitations will not stop me from accomplishing anything I set my mind to. I may try to conquer my fear of heights the next time the fair is in town!
I definitely enjoyed using the PollEv in class. I can definitely see myself using it as a way to start or conclude conversations in my own classroom. I am teaching ELA for the first time this year, and it will definitely be a useful tool for brainstorming and getting student opinions.
Our first activity of the day was defining a term (Disruptive Technology) and explaining it using the Chomp App. Chomp is a very fun and engaging app. There are many options for students to use various ways to represent many topics and concepts. I am still struggling to see how I could use this in my math and science classes, but it is definitely something I will be getting students to use in ELA and Social Studies.
And now for your viewing pleasure... Our video!!
For me, the biggest takeaway of this class was all the new apps that we've discovered. I am new to teaching languages, and I can totally see myself using many of these apps to help students augment their learning, or to even redefine the way we learn. Giving the students a more collaborative model where we could work with other classes in the building, or even in other schools and school districts.
I really appreciated Timeline and Adobe Spark. I am very much a slave to PowerPoint Presentations. My very linear thinking and analytical mind likes having these things organized in a orderly and efficient way. With these programs I can continue to teach using the methods I enjoy, but add a bit of spice and variety for the students in my classroom.
I feel that it is very important to always be on top of new technologies because my students are very much up to date and ahead of everything I know. They drink up and thrive on technology.
In summary my three takeaways are:
1. Limitations should not stop anyone from accomplishing great things and any goal that we set ourselves.
2. PollEv is a great way for students to brainstorm, to communicate, to indicate things they know or need to learn.
3. The new apps that I can now use in various settings of my classroom to help engage students and diversify their learnings.
