Putting it All Together and into Practice

            I really enjoyed all the case studies presented over the past two weeks. It is truly remarkable what students can achieve with assistive technology. I enjoyed learning about all the different scenarios, struggles, and successes presented. This was a great way to put into practice what we have learned throughout the course. I must say this has been one of the most practical courses and projects I have every had to do. In addition, it was nice to learn about how assistive technology works at different grade levels. It is very interesting to me that the iPod and iPad was presented over and over again as being successfully implemented during these case studies; and at all grade levels. I learned about Hyperstudio from Dave and could see myself trying this out in the future…. when it is available in schools. I enjoyed Heather’s implementation of many types of assistive technology, some of which were not even “technology” such as sandpaper and movable blocks. The progress made by Bill’s student with the use of the iPod is really unbelievable. I found Lydia’s story really pulled on the heart strings. She share a very inspiring story. I can not even begin to imagine what it would be like to go through 40 years of your life not being able to read and then learning about the many programs that can support you.

            I think that we all could empathize with Vida when she shared the frustrations they had with access to technology. As well as the program functions that did not work for Connie and Stacey. If we are all to move forward in this field of assistive technology we really need to have it assessable and working or else students will become disengaged.

It was so great to hear these real life stories and learn about how teachers are introducing students to assistive technology. It goes to show how much AT can change independence and output for students with difficulties and challenges.  

Further understandings of Writing

During class 10 we continued learning about and working on our understanding of the writing task analysis. This process is even more complex than the reading process as you need all the tools required in the reading process plus more fine motor skills to pick up, hold, and write with the pencil or pen.  This class was really interesting as we were guided through this process and presented with real examples of students who struggle with reading and writing in school through the viewing of several video clips from MissunderstoodmindesLd. It was really useful to hear both student’s voice as well as the parent’s voice and opinions about school struggles.

            This week we had to write a whole summary with our non-dominate hand. I used a pencil this week instead of a pen and actually found it much easier to write with. This is proof that just changing the writing tool could be a stepping stone to helping students with the writing process.

            We had a discussion about students working with scribes. Students may have the assistance to complete readable work but they do not have their independence when they use a scribe. There are still may barriers in our schools that are preventing students to move from having a scribe to using technology. As well, in my case study you will learn that the student I present about produces the most work with a scribe. I do understand that there are many factors at play here. Is the scribe writing exactly what the student is saying? Is the scribe prompting the student for more detailed answers? Is it the scribe that motivates the student to move on to the next answer? Only with more practice and time with other devices will I learn the answers to these questions. To assist students who have written output difficulties we learned about several voice to text programs. We practiced voice recognition even using our own computers. Unfortunately once again I ran into problems with my old dinosaur of a computer, it would not pick up any voice.  

Writing Task Analysis

This week we have been looking at and experiencing the huge amount of steps it take to write just one letter. It is actually mind boggling to identify everything that needs to be functioning properly and happening all at the same time to pick up a pencil or pen and be able to write. We were asked to write a summary for a video we watch both using pen and paper as well as using a key board. Both methods of writing involve the ability to be able to pay attention to task, access working long and short term memory, and have execuative functioning skills to help you get organized even before you start to write letters or words. The process gets more and more deatiled and complicated as you try to outline what needs to be in place and happeing inorder for your student to write a word, sentence, and move on to a paragrph. Many of the AT programs and Apps that we have learned about so far in this course will not only help sturgging readers but can also be use to help and support strugging writers.

Krazy Kurzweil

Over the past two weeks the focus of the class has been on the introduction and exploration of the Kurzweil program. I had heard of this program before and by request had provided paper copies of tests and exams to our PST for her to put it on Kurzweil. I had never used the program before and had heard frustration with how we only have one computer in our junior high with this program so I was not motivated to learn more about it. Now that I have had two weeks to learn the ins and outs of this program I am fasinated by all the possible uses. However, with this fasination comes once again the frustration that our junior high only has one computer with this program. If I had this program on the computers in my classroom I can think of many ways that it would be useful to all students inaddition to the struggling students.
Our small group task over the past two weeks was to create a blog tutorial for Kurzweil. The exciting part was learning about and using the program. I will be sad when the 30 day trial is finished on my computer. I could invision my students useing this program to find, read, and pick out pertiment information when researching on the internet, with the use of the web button. I could also see students using this program to help with reading articles and handouts and answering quesitons in addition to using it for test and exams. Before I had the opportunity to learn the many functions of this progam I thought it was a program that was only used for testing. I have even used this program to read my own papers to me as a way to proof read. I find it easier to pick out grammar and spelling mistakes when you can listen to your own writting. I have also use the translate button to help me write Christmas cards to my friends in Costa Rica.

Please explore the Krazy Kurzweil tutorial blog link at the top right of this blog

Web literacy

I have to admit I found last week’s webinar very frustrating. By the time I actually was able to log on the class had already started. I don’t know what was wrong after that but I kept being logged off and the logged back on, several time. I miss the whole discussion about the websites. I spent most of the time playing around on the udltechtoolkit website. This is a great search engine for all grade level teachers. One could spend hours looking at this site alone and find amazing and useful resources, games, and online assists for students. I found there were really good graphic organizers. It was here that I also found the kerpoof.com website. This site is really neat for making stories, movies, and picture presentations. The Starfall website and tumblereadables I found were quite low level for my junior high students and I can not see myself using these.

After class I did some more searching around on the web and I found that just like Apps there are also a gazillion literacy websites out there. After spending over one hour playing around I settled on three great interactive sites. Some of these I could even use with the junior high students. Check them out, I had a lot of fun so I am sure your will too.

Here are just three of the many websites out there:

http://www.theclassroomkit.coml/

All kinds of words games for rhyming words, site words, and word family card games. Is great for lower level not so great for junior/senior high.

http://www.ictgames.com/literacy.html

This website has many literacy games. I had a lot of fun with the dinosaur games. Writing Runway is also a neat way for students to develop their sentence writing. Once again these games are for our students who are still emergent readers and writers. The DJ Cows Crossword games are also a lot of fun and I could use some of the seasonal ones with my junior high students. Check it out the cow does a great dance at the end.

http://www.scholastic.com/esperanza/storybuilder.htm

The Scholastic’s website is full of literacy games and supports. Most of the activities I found there are for elementary. However, the esperanza storybuilder is interesting. I could use this with my grade 9 students to write culture stories.

Becoming a ReelDirector

This week we learned about a new function available on iPods and iPads. There is now a function build into the devise that will read text for the user. This is great for students who may not have a text to speech app on their devise. We also learned about the ReelDirector App. Through using exploratory learning (watching videos on YouTube and learning by doing) we created commercials for different types of assistive technology products. In my group we created an infomercial targeted at junior and senior high students who have difficulty with written output. In our infomercial we highlighted how students can use their iPods for more than just listening to music, checking their e-mail, and facebook. We introduced a few Apps including Dragon Dictate, and Pictello. Sorry! you will not be able to watch our infomercial, I do not feel comfortable having our video on YouTube.
I can see many uses for this App in class. If students have a quick and easy way to create a video they may be more likely to use this method to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding and for creating presentations. It does take a bit of time to create a video, students would need more than one class to complete a project like this, they also would need a place to save their video so others could watch. Students would need to be encouraged to pre plan their video. They could use Apps such as Story Cubes or Story Builder if they need ideas for a video and/or inspiration or iThought to brainstorm video ideas as well as plan out the flow/order for their video. I definitely will suggest this App to my students next time we are working on projects.
This week I also watched 2 webinars, one on Apps for reluctant readers and the other on Apps for reluctant writers. It was very useful to learn about the many Apps available and what they can be used for. I will have to spend the next few days trying out some of these Apps and discover how I could use some of them in my grade 8 and 9 Social Studies classes.  I am excited to experience a webinar in real time next week because I have never been involved in anything like it before. Hopefully I will be able to figure out how it works in time for the class to start.
 

Pictello Play

Wow our fourth class already; we started it by sharing our favourtie apps with the rest of the class. However, I would have to say what I consider my favourite app to be is always changing. It truly is amazing how many apps are out there. One could spend many hours finding and exploring how to use different apps. Tonight we had the opportunity to experiment with Pictello. I had never even heard of this app before this class. I had a lot of fun taking pictures and discovering that I enjoy recording my voice. Myself and Veda created a summary for a novel that students are reading. The best part of this app is that you can include any picture you want in the story or presentation you are making. I can see many possibilities for using this app with my students. It could be use to create a visual as well as audio recording of “how to…..”. For example: How to use an atlas, how to find places on a map using different gird reference systems, how to read a textbook, or even for some students how to and where to sharpen your pencil. This app could also be use for students to create presentations, timelines, and summaries of stories, show their understanding of any topic in a creative way, put images to and define vocabulary words. There are some limitations. This app does not allow you to email or share your creation, it has to be viewed on the devise. This would make it difficult for students to share what they have created, or for a teacher to share their presentations with many students.

And now... For My Top Ten Apps

All the following Apps are Free-

Apps, Apps, and More Apps

Tonight’s class stared with the sharing of classmates Reading Task Analysis. As I mentioned in my last weeks blog, it is amazing how different the design and flow of each task analysis is. However, when you look closely at each representation of the reading process there are similar processes that can be found. Everyone identified the processes that must take place in the brain and the importance of eye and ear function. The importance of executive functioning, memory, decoding, and comprehension could also be found on all reading task analysis.

            After the presentations play time began and we all had the opportunity to be introduced to iPod touches and had time to play with some of the games and educational programs that the Assistive Tech center had pre loaded on to the devices. The quality and quantity of games, educational assists, podcasts, lectures and information that can be found on iTunes and used with these devices is just awesome. I did not know that iTunesU even existed before tonight. This weekend I look forward to testing out various Apps and by class next week should have some posted for you to try out.

            Next week we will use online Blackboard, which is something I know nothing about, to learn about reading remediation and strategies for reluctant readers. It should be a great learning opportunity.  

Testing My Organizational Brain

Despite the crazy rain storm happening outside we all met again today for our second class. We started this class by watching a video called The Challenge of Reading. This video focused on explaining the very complex process of reading. There are many processes that happen simultaneously to allow us to read. These processes start in the brain. Last class we had a very brief introduction to a task analysis for reading but this class we had time to really ponder and work though all processes and factors that need to be functioning and in place for someone to be a successful reader. Reading is a skill that must be explicitly taught. After considering how detailed this task is I am glad that I am not a grade primary or grade one teacher responsible for teaching a whole class to read.  Just how complex this reading process is was made even clearer to me while creating a reading task analysis. Reading is more than just letter naming, word decoding, and comprehension. It was very thought provoking for me to realize the many parts of the reading task that I take for granted; as I am someone who enjoys reading and considers curling up with a book a great way to relax. I never really stopped to think about all the prior knowledge, executive function skills, or the fine and gross motor skills required; to name a few parts in this complex process.
            I must admit that I found working on the reading task analysis very frustrating. This was the first time that I have ever used Inspiration 9 and at one point found it easier to use pencil and paper to plan out the sequences required. I am not strong in the visual or spatial multiple intelligence and am stronger in language and kinesthetic which may explain why I found the computer program more frustrating to use than writing out the process on paper. However, once I had something down on paper I did find it easier to add details to different parts of the process using this computer program. Maybe next time I need to use the outline option or start with a template. I could however, see this program being useful for students who have writing difficulties and find looking at a blank page daunting. They could use it for brainstorming, outlining a story, and even to take information and convert it into a graphic organizer, such as a cause and effect chart.   

See the image below to gain an appreciation of just how detailed this reading processes is. We spent a few hours working on this task analysis. Please feel free to comment if you notice a process, step, or detail that we have missed. I also look forward to viewing my classmate’s task analysis.

I look forward to next week’s class and to learning more about the iPod Touch. I have an iPod touch but do not really know its capabilities. Actually one of its only uses for me is as a very fancy alarm clock.

First Night- What is and is not AT????

After a long day at school I started another course tonight, Assistive Technology. I found it very interesting to learn what is and is not Assistive Technology (AT). Before I came to this class I had thought that assistive technology is only computer programs or electronic technology that can help student increase their independence in school. It became very clear to me that AT it not IT.  Tonight I learned, instead, that AT is the use of any service and/or supports that increases each individual student's ability to access information and tasks independently that they otherwise would not be able to do or access. It increases their inclusion and performance in school and extra curricular activities. It now makes senses to me how even a weighted pencil or a fidget toy can be considered a type of assistive technology for some students. I also learned how important it is to assess student's use of AT as it changes over time due to curriculum changes, student development and changes in technology itself.

During this class I also learned what a task analysis is and can honestly say that I had never really thought about all the steps that are really taking place for a student to be able to read. I had studied science in my undergrad so I was aware of what your body has to do scientifically to be able to read, but never before had I actually made the connection to putting this whole process together. I have to admit that as a junior high teacher I had always taken for granted that a student would know which way to hold the book. As our classrooms become places where together many students with diverse needs are learning, I see the importance of  knowing how detailed a task analysis is. It has also been reinforced to me how important it is, as a teacher, to review my lessons and what it is I am asking students to do. I really need to know my students and create a classroom environment that is built around reasonable learning expectations.    

I am eager to learn about several forms of assistive technology and how they can be use by the students in my classroom. I fine it frustration that the classroom teacher does not always get trained on the types AT and how it is used by students in the classroom. I am confident that this course will give me the background I need to be more comfortable using AT in my classroom.

My First YouTube posting

Here is a video explaining what At is...