Not The End...By a Long Shot!

It was really interesting today to meet all the students in our case studies.  What I found really interesting is that just about all of our case studies involved boys.  I have to stop and think about how that reflects on our education system.  Is our education system simply not meeting the needs of boys?  We all know that males and females learn differently, so what is our system not providing for our boys?  The other notion that stuck in my head during Saturday's presentations is the lack of uniformity not only in our school board, but in our province as well.  I'm talking about access to technology here.  We have some schools in our boards that do not have one iPad, while other schools have charging carts with thirty or more.  How can our school board claim that it is inclusive, when some schools appear completely excluded from the access to this life altering technology?  I would love for someone from our province and school board to explain that one to me.

What I love about taking courses, and technology courses in particular, is that I am always learning something new.  Technology changes at such an alarming rate, that there is always something new to learn.  When I think of how engaged I am when I am using technology makes me want to integrate technology more and more into my grade five classroom.  A student's excitement at being allowed to use an iPad at his desk just doesn't compare to using that same textbook format from one hundred years ago.  With this change in technology there must also be a change in teaching methods and philosophies.  I think it is time our school board looked seriously at the SAMR model and how we can move from the substitution to the redefinition level.  Do I think this is going to happen anytime soon...no.  But I think it could, and should happen.  If more students had access to what they needed and better tools to do what they needed, perhaps the number of students being placed on IPP's would decrease...Just my two cents worth.    

Social Stories & Video Modeling

Social Stories

Social Stories are an effective tool for teaching social skills to children.  A couple of years ago my grade five class had book buddies that were in grade primary.  One of the students in the primary class had autism.  The learning center teacher at the time asked if she could teach my class how to write social stories for the grade primary classroom.  We did.  These stories included everything from what to do when your nose is running, to what to do when there is a substitute teacher.  These stories were not only great for the child who had autism, but for every primary who is new to the social situations that are experienced for the first time when they come to school.  Social stories are great for teaching positive behaviours, skills, and for preparing students for new events.  Pictello is a great app for creating social stories on the iPad.

Video Modeling  

Video modeling involves a student watching a video of a person carrying out a desired

behaviour.  After the student watches the video, the student then imitates this behaviour. It can also be used to demonstrate and teach certain skills to students with autism and to prepare students for new or upcoming events.  

 

 

Low Tech Assistive Tech

Today we looked at some low tech assistive tech.  After all, an iPad can't do everything (yet:)  Great video on some low tech handwriting tools.  I really like the one that looks like the slingshot, it does not require you to grip the writing tool, just rest your fingers on it.  I have to wonder who comes up with this stuff.  I guess necessity really is the mother of invention.

We also created a new blog on visual impairments that contains low, middle, and high tech assistive tech.  Check it out!  

http://tarahnancymaureentiffany.blogspot.ca/

Let's Talk About PECS Baby...

 

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a form of augmentative and alternative communication. It is typically used as an aid in communication for children with autism and other special needs. The system has been used with a variety of ages including preschoolers, adolescents and adults who have a wide array of communicative, cognitive and physical difficulties. PECS has been the subject of academic research.^[1] It was developed in 1985 by Lori Frost, M.S., CCC-SLP and Andy Bondy, Ph.D. 

^{(Wikipedia, 2013)}

PECS is designed to teach functional communication with an initial focus on spontaneity. It has been and continues to be implemented in a variety of settings (home, school, community) so users have the skills to communicate their wants and needs. PECS does not require complex or expensive materials since it uses picture symbols as the modality. PECS is a method to teach young children a way of communicating within a social context. Research has shown that many preschoolers using PECS also begin developing speech.^[2]     

(Wikipedia, 2013)

 

^{PECS is a valuable communication system for beginning AAC users.  It is a low tech AAC device that is inexpensive and can be used at home, school, or in the community.  This low tech AAC communication system would easily lead to the use of higher tech AAC like Proloquo2go.  Once the student is able to use the picture exchange system to communicate, they most likely can easily adapt to touching the screen of an iPad.  PECS would require some time in the beginning to create the communication cards and velcro boards. As students became more adept at using the PECS cards to communicate, the transition to an electronic device may be warranted.}   

February 23rd

It always amazes me that some schools can be so far ahead of other schools in their beliefs.  I need to show my principal the video from Hebbville Elementary.  I just convinced him to buy 5 iPads for our school of 200 students, and that was me pushing him and repeating the same answer every time he asked me what kind of technology I wanted in my classroom.  We have Hebbville Elementary, a rural school in Nova Scotia that has a cart of 20 iPads...and they are working to get more...and my principal is tired of hearing me talk about the benefits of iPads!

My son is in grade three and last week he had to do a project on his heritage.  There was a large written component to this project, and then he had to present it in some way.  The teacher actually suggested using a cassette tape!  I couldn't believe it!  A cassette tape!  I decided to download the Pictello app and I helped him to create his project presentation.  It was pretty simple, he is only in grade three, but I thought it looked great and he didn't have to do another "good" written copy to pass in, which would have been brutal for me and him to write out again.  So he presented his work on his iPad, unfortunately I didn't have a connector for him to connect to the LCD (and neither does the school), but he was still able to show it.

Ruben R. Puentedura's Blog

One of the presenter's at FETC discussed the SAMR model, so I was a little familiar with the concept as I began to read Ruben's blog and watch his videos.  In terms of technology use, there are four stages:  The bottom stage being Substitution, where the technology simply does the same task, The next stage up from that is Augmentation, where the technology acts as a direct tool substitute, with functional improvement, both of these stages are considered enhancement.  The next two stages are considered transformation because the tasks are not being tackled in a traditional way.  Modification  of technology allows for significant task redesign, and Redefinition of technology allows for the creation of new tasks, that were previously inconceivable.

Right now I would say that most classrooms are still at the substitution and augmentation levels of the SAMR design.  What do we have to do as  classroom teachers, school boards, and the department of education to move from the enhancement levels to the transformation levels?  The department of education needs to come on board and purchase technology for the schools that makes it easy to implement technology transformation.  The school boards need to provide training for teachers and time to play and use the technology so that teachers are not afraid of it.  Teachers need to be willing to try out new technology and find ways to integrate that technology into their traditional teaching methods.  There are a few things that need to be in place for all of this to happen, but it could!  

Pic Collage

Time to think outside the box!  Check out all the ways to use Pic Collage in your classroom...Pic Collage is only as limited as your imagination!

 

1.  Money Matters-  we took picture of the manipulatives so that they 
could be copied and pasted and used in a variety of ways.  Students could 
develop math stories that involve money and show it with pictures.

2.  Base 10 Materials- we took pictures of units, rods and flats and copied 
and pasted a bunch.  Students can use the base ten to represent numbers in a variety 
of ways.  Manipulatives are always in scarce supply so this solves that 
problem as you can copy and paste as many as you want!

3.  Ten Frames - we took a picture of a ten frame and then split the screen into two colors.  We copied and pasted some star stickers so students could make ten, or see how many more stickers they needed to make ten.

4.  Addition with Counters - we took a picture of red and yellow sided 
counters, copied and pasted a bunch of them on the page, they can be 
used to represent addition sentences.

5. Journal Entry - we searched for pictures on the Internet, saved them, 
and added them to our text to make a picture journal entry.

6.  100's Chart - we took a picture of the 100's chart, set it as our 
background and we copied and pasted a bunch of hearts from the 
stickers option.  They can be placed over the numbers to skip 
count or highlight patterns.
   

7. Venn Diagram - we searched the Internet and copied a venn diagram for  
our background and then copied pictures from the internet to make an animal sort.

 

 

 

 

 

Online Collaboration February 9th

I thoroughly enjoyed Saturday's online class using Blackboard Collaborate.  It was so nice to be able to attend class while I sat with my computer, in the comfort of my bed, while still in my pjs, drinking a cup of hot tea.  I vote for holding our last three classes online as well.  Saturday's class was the first time I have had to present something using that kind of online forum.  On the one hand it was great, no standing in front of people and feeling nervous and on display.  However, presenting online felt a little bit odd as well.  I was somewhat relaxed because I was in my pajamas in bed, but when I was actually talking and presenting it felt weird not to have voices interacting with me.  I didn't know when to pause and it was hard to tell if I was going too fast.  It felt odd to be talking and at the same time trying to read what people were writing on the screen.  But all in all, it was a pretty nifty experience.  What's kind of funny actually is that I posted on facebook that I had attended class on "Stormy Saturday" and people were shocked, thinking I had to go out to class somewhere.  People ended up being more shocked that we held the class online, many commenting at how cool that was.

So after the online portion of our Saturday class I tucked in and began to watch Barb's Webinars.  The first one I watched was on using the iPod, iPad, and iPhone to enhance fine motor skills.  I found this webinar especially interesting because of my background in elementary school.  As a former primary teacher I know how important it is for students to be able to form letters properly and as the mother of three young children, one of who is 3 1/2, I am ever conscious of which of his hands is becoming dominant and how he is holding his pencils and crayons.  As a grade five teacher, I have seen those students who have poor penmanship and I have given up at that point in thinking I could change their writing style.  The webinar confirmed that for me when the presenters said that by grade four and five remedial handwriting is not appropriate, as a student's writing format has become too ingrained and is very difficult to change.  So at the grade four or five level, as teachers we should not be looking at remedial action for these students, but we should be looking at compensatory methods (keyboarding).  I also found it interesting when the presenters clarified that the use of an iPad for a fine motor skills remedial program is only ONE part of the program, it is not the be all and end all.  We still need to ask ourselves, "What is the goal for this student?"

Of the apps that were demonstrated during this webinar, these are my top 3 picks:

Bugs and Buttons

This was a great app for learning how to pinch the index finger and the thumb together.  An important skill for creating the proper pencil grip.  I am sure the kids would love the bug aspect of this app, as a grown up it kind of grossed me out.  That is always a good indicator of whether or not kids will like it.  I think that the fact that there are different levels to the game is important as well.  The levels will keep kids entertained and challenged.  The app moves from bugs that stay still, to bugs that are on the move.

Touch and Write 

I loved this app!  I liked how you could customize it and add the student's name.  I also loved how you could change the type of substance the dtudent wrote with and the sound effects that the different products made.  I have downloaded this app for my three year old to use to practice his name and alphabet.

 WritePad

The third app that blew my mind was WritePad.  Being able to write on the iPad screen with your finger or stylus and have it converted into typed text!  How cool is that!  I immediately thought of all those kids in elementary school who have slow keyboarding skills or fine motor issues!  And to boot, the handwriting doesn't have to be all that neat!    

 

The second webinar I chose to watch was the top free apps for education.  It still astonishes me at how many apps there are out there that are so great and free, free, free!  The iPad itself has great accessibilty options that come pre-loaded, as well as many other apps like Notes.  I had the opportunity to use the Notes app for the first time when I attended the FETC conference a couple of weeks ago.  I usually take my MacBook with me, but I decided to just take my husband's iPad.  It was a good opportunity for me to really explore what the iPad is capable of!  I was not disappointed!  Even though I can use his iPad whenever I want...I now kind of want my own...sssshhhh!  I would love to have one in my classroom.  My principal keeps asking me what technology I would like in my classroom and I keep saying...an iPad...but he has yet to deliver.  I'm still hopeful.  Take a look at the top three apps I chose from this webinar and you will see why you want an iPad in your classroom too!

Dragon Dictation

If you haven't heard of this one, you must have been in cave for a while!  This is a great app that lets you speak to your iPad and the iPad converts what you say to text.  Great for those students for those students who have written output issues, but have their executive functioning intact and are articulate.  The app will read aloud what you have written and you can then email what you have written.  This app allows the user to bypass the use of a keyboard.

 

Science 360

After viewing this app in the webinar I can't wait to download it and try it out in my classroom.  This app has a bank of science videos on a  variety of topics.  You can simply use your finger to scroll through the videos until you come across one that matches your needs.  This app allows the student to learn non fiction material without relying on their reading skills to be able to access the information.  This app would be highly motivational and would also be good for those students who need enrichment.

Math Tappers  

 

This app has a game called Find Sums that is designed to help learners make sense of addition (and subtraction as a related operation), and then to support them in developing accuracy and improving their speed.  Great use of ten frames which relates to how the students are learning in the classroom.  Other math strands covered by this app include Fraction Estimation and Clock Master.  Highly motivational and relates well to the classroom. 

       

The third webinar that I viewed was called Apps in Action for Communication Disorders.  In this webinar apps for complex communication issues were explained and reviewed, apps for articulation and speech were reviewed, and apps for receptive language were reviewed.  This webinar really connected me to vaailbale technology for those students who have complex communication disorders.  This webinar would go along quite well with Linda J. Burkhart's article on Key Concepts of Complex Communication Disorders.  An interesting activity would be to match apps to the ideas she presents in her article, keeping in mind that communication is about the individual, not the tool or technology.  The top three apps I chose from this webinar are detailed below. 

The first app I chose was Pictello.  Pictello is an app that is somewhat similar to a power point.  It could be used to create social stories that could be used by an individual or the whole class.  This app would be especially useful for those students who are diagnosed ASD.  When I think of whole class application I am thinking of those primary students for who school is a completely new experience.  Actual pictures of places around the school could be imported and stories could include:  What happens during a fire drill, How do I get to music class, What happens during lunch, My teacher is absent, and the list could go on and on.  Students could view these on an LCD or individuals could review these stories in preparation for the upcoming event.  

 

The second app I chose is Proloquo2go.  At almost $200 I am sure you are thinking that is an expensive app, but when we look at what the app can do and look at other devices that we can  compare it too, Proloquo2go is well worth the cost.  The app has built in images that the user can tap.  Once tapped, the word or sentence will appear at the top of the screen and the iPad can then read the word or sentence aloud.  You can build individualized layered boards to meet the communication needs of the user.  It is a portable and affordable AAC device.

 

The third app that I chose is called Speech Tutor.  As a classroom teacher I would probably not use this app, but I am sure a speech language pathologist would get great use out of it.  I might even use it with my daughter who is having some difficulty shaping her mouth appropriately in order to articulate some words correctly.  Speech Tutor shows how your mouth moves when you say specific sounds in 3D!  You can look at a front or side view of the mouth and you can set the speaking rate for slow, medium, or fast.  It has good quality sound and you can also see the air flow that comes from your mouth when you speak specific words.  It's only $9.99 - not bad for an app this cool!

 

 

 

Articles, Articles, Articles...

Dilemmas, Challenges, and Opportunities

This article had me thinking about a lot of things concerning assistive tech devices that I had not considered or thought of before.  I had not thought of the users of the devices abandoning them.  I naively thought that if you were lucky enough to have access to some assistive technology then you would use it.  The option of abandoning a device just didn't factor into my understanding of assistive technology, but after reading the article I can see why some people do abandon their assistive technology.  The author goes into more detail about why individuals abandon their technology, but in a nutshell, people abandon their devices because they either do not meet the individual's needs, wants or expectations.

I agree with the author that it is necessary to match an individual with assistive technology that will enhance the individual's capabilities and quality of life.  So therefore, if a device is well matched to the user, the better chance there is that the device will be used successfully and not abandoned.  The author suggests that the three factors that will influence the success of assistive technology are the Milieu(environment/settings), Personality, and the Technology itself. 

When I first started this assistive technology journey my outlook was one of, "Oh wow!  Isn't that great!  Isn't that neat!  How cool is that?"  I was looking at it from non-disabled point of view without imagining what life can be like to have to rely on a piece of technology for everyday activities.  I did not think how using a piece of assistive technology would point out to the world that you are different.  This would be harder for those people who have had life altering accidents or illnesses and end up with their "two lives" as the author describes, what life was like before the life altering event and what life is after the event.
What I've learned from this article is that before matching assistive technology to an individual we need to ask the right questions and remember the MPT model.         

"So Much Potential in Reading!"  

 Developing Meaningful Literacy Routines for Students With Multiple Disorders

I think sometimes we forget how big a part literacy plays in our lives and how much literacy matters.  It should not matter any less to those who have multiple disabilities.  One only has to stop and think for a minute about all that literacy allows individuals access to, like:  speech, language, communication, accessing information from the world, access to independence and employment, and access to leisure.  

I agree with the authors of this article who state that although some people with multiple disabilities may not become proficient readers it is our duty as educators to provide the necessary instruction so that those with multiple disabilities can reach the highest level they can achieve.  As a former Reading Recovery teacher I am familiar with the assessments used to determine what literacy level a student is at.  Looking at those assessments now through an assistive technology lense, I can see how those tests would need to be modified to allow access to those with multiple disabilities.  

I liked how the authors included their web resources.  I am familiar with tumblebooks, the other resources were new to me.  Another web resource that I have tried for creating your own stories is called storybird.com.  I also found it useful that the authors included three literacy lesson plans for three individuals with differing needs.  Sometimes having an example to follow is just what you need to get you started.  I think the BIG thing we need to remember as educators is not to assume what a student can or cannot do.  Regardless of disability, we need to find out all that our students actually do know and teach accordingly.

www.ablenetinc.com

www.tumblebooks.com

www.mayer-johnson.com

www.setbc.org

www.tarheelreader.org     

Pardon the Interruption

Enhancing Communication Skills for Students With Intellectual Disability

Now that I have read the article, I get the title!  This article spoke about using a student's natural motivation and rewards to boost necessary communication skills using a method known as BCIS (Behaviour Chain Interruption Strategy).  BCIS is basically taking a task that is very routine for a student and interrupting that task so that the student is forced to put their wants or needs into words and to communicate their wants and needs.  It turns out the natural desire a person has to complete a routine task is highly motivational to the individual.  When their routine is interrupted, the mild distress that is caused by the interruption motivates the person to ask for what they need or to ask for help.  Some of the benefits of BCIS is that it can take place anywhere, in the home, school, or community.  

When the article talked about breaking down the task analysis of a routine task it reminded me of the task analysis' that we learned about in the summer.  While the task analysis that we discussed and attempted had to do with executive functioning, the task analysis required for BCIS, would be a little bit easier I think.  Instead of trying to list all the things your brain has to do to complete a task with executive functioning, when doing a task analysis, one is looking at the steps to complete a simple task, like the steps it takes to pour juice or make a peanut butter and jam sandwich.  The article made me think of the first video in my Tango blog.  The video shows a boy eating ice cream and the parents will not give him more ice cream until he uses his Tango (AAC device) to ask for more ice cream.  

BCIS requires the teacher to use prompts at the moment of disruption in the task routine to get the student to illicit the previously decided upon appropriate communication goal for the student.   As with any prompting strategy, the goal is for the student to eventually use  the desired form of communication without the prompt and to use the desired communication goal in other situations.   I think BCIS  is  user friendly and environment friendly when trying to teach and improve communication skills with students who have  range of disabilities.   Come to think of it, I have even used a very basic model of BCIS with my own children at home!  With holding something until they said please! 

Key Concepts 

for Using Augmentative Communication 

with Children Who Have 

Complex Communication Needs

What I really liked about this article was its ease of reading.  The author, Linda J. Burkhart, uses sub-headings and bullets to make her article very reader friendly.  This article hit close to home.  I have a nephew who was born in 1989, and is now 24.  When he was about 18 months old, my sister was noticing that he was different, especially how he communicated.  The next 3 years consisted of many trips to the developmental clinic at the IWK and eventually placement in a daycare that specialized in children with developmental delays.  Many years later, when he was in late elementary he was finally diagnosed with ASD, (Asperger's).  

When my nephew was between the ages of 18 months and 4 he communicated through gestures and screaming.  It was a challenging time for our family, especially my sister, because we knew he was trying to communicate, but we didn't share the same language.  Due to the fact that it took so long to get a diagnosis, he did not receive any additional support, aside from resource, when he was in school.  Twenty-four years later, with the prevalence of ASD in our society, children are apt to get diagnosed earlier and have a better chance of getting support or at least augmentative communication in the public school system.  

Burkhart, in her article details how we can support students with complex communication needs.  I think her article should be a must read for teachers.  My nephew received augmentative communication when he was in daycare, and by the time he reached grade primary he could speak.  However, he still experienced other complex communication issues and it was a lot of trial and error for his teachers each year to understand how best to communicate with him.  I wonder now what his public school experience would have been like if he had had access to augmentative communication.