I
enjoyed the discussion about our writing task analysis.I never realized the diversity of skills
required for writing—students must be motivated and attend, be capable of
self-talk, formulate ideas from pictures to language, have hand-eye
coordination and fine motor skills, and more.This was very awakening for me because I’ve never had difficulty writing
and the process of putting pencil to paper isn’t discussed at a high school
level, but maybe some of our students are experiencing challenges we’re unaware
of related to writing.
We
watched two videos.One featured an
occupational therapist discussing writing, and two ideas stood out to me.First, some students lack an awareness of the
location and movement of their hand in space, so writing is difficult for
them.As a coping mechanism, they grip
the pencil tightly.Second, some
students don’t have adequate abdominal strength to maintain appropriate posture
for writing, so they wrap their legs around the chair or lean against the
table, but this doesn’t make writing easier.
The
second video showed some simple AT tools that could help students grip a
pencil or attach to the end of their finger so gripping a pencil is
unnecessary.All they need to do is move
their hand in the shapes of the letters to write.Based on what I learned this class, this
would still be challenging for some students.
Finally,
we saw some apps in action to support students with writing challenges.I particularly liked the Clicker Sentences
app.When I teach Science 9 IPP students
who have plans focusing on literacy, I do a low tech version of re-writing
sentences from words provided.However,
on paper things are more difficult to change and students don’t get immediate feedback
on their progress.Further, they have to
be able to read and comprehend the individual words to make a sentence.On an iPad with digital text, they can
manipulate it quickly and Siri or speak selection accessibility options could
help.They could even look up
definitions or pictures for vocabulary.
The Cowriter
Topic Dictionary and word prediction software was also very cool.
The focus for this class was websites,
software, and apps for reading remediation and compensation.
Sidebar 1: We began with a video.
I love beginning with videos! This video had nothing to do with reading
remediation or compensation, but it was very cool. Check it out!
Sidebar 2: We did a UDL PollEv,
responding to the statement, “Share ways you as a teacher can REPRESENT
information to students to reach ALL learners.”
Sidebar
3: This took us to “101
ways to show what you know”, a document that would be very useful to print and
stick to the wall near where you plan instruction and assessment.
Now
back to the main focus.
5 websites
that offer reading remediation:
All the following websites have
interactive tools to support early readers, free of charge!
This website focuses on phonics
development, beginning with letters and sounds and advancing to simple
words.A variety of games and
interactive books are available for learning.The target
audience is pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade.
Videos and slideshows teach
phonics rules using a variety of vocabulary. This is done in a progressive
manner to help learners decode 1200 different words. Students aged 4 to 7 are
the main users of this website.
This website has interactive
games using pictures and the first 55 words a student will learn to read, so is
suited to the beginning reader. These games adhere to the Montessori approach
to education.
This site offers phonics games,
worksheets, and flashcards for learning to read. It also offers worksheets and
projects for a variety of skills and subject areas for pre-kindergarten through
middle school, many of which focus on the vocabulary aspect of reading.
Description: Lexia provides reading skills for students of all
abilities, and delivers performance data and analysis without interrupting the
flow of instruction to administer a test. This technology-based approach
accelerates reading skills development, predicts students'
year-end performance and provides teachers data-driven action plans to
help differentiate instruction. Click to see the Lexia Overview Video!
Benefits:
Lexia benefits all students by providing a personalized reading experience.
This software teaches students an abundance of reading skills: rhyming, word
prediction, letter recognition, sounds, comprehension, etc. This software is
extremely beneficial to educators, because it provides data related to students
strengths and areas for improvement. Furthermore, this software offers strategies
for improving a particular skill associated with a student's reading abilities.
This software is a reflection of Universal Design for Learning because it
addresses the needs of ALL learners.
Description: Simply by teaching the core framework of the Reading Horizons methodology - the 42 Sounds of the Alphabet, 5 Phonetic Skills, and 2 Decoding Skills - students are empowered with skills that allow them to prove they are reading, spelling, and pronouncing the majority of the words in the English language with accuracy. Benefits: Reading Horizons recognizes the necessary decoding
skills involved in the reading process. Dyslexia is associated with
deficits related to understanding the "code" associated with reading.
Therefore, this software is designed for all readers but definitely
supports students with Dyslexia.
Benefits: The Sentence Master is designed for students who are
struggling to learn to read or haven’t responded to a phonics-based approach.
This software supports students with Autism, intellectual and
developmental disabilities, language-learning disorders, and hearing
impairments. Sentence Master is also tailored to meet the needs English
Language Learners (K-6).
Description: Aerobics is a multisensory reading intervention
solution. This software incorporates interactive activities, guided instruction,
students resources, teacher guides, correlations and assessments to enhance
students reading abilities.
Benefits: This software is particularly valuable for at-risk readers
and students who require support to enhance one of the five specific reading
skills: phonics, vocabulary, phonemic awareness, comprehension, and fluency.
Benefits: Over-sized classrooms
are prevalent in today's education system and educators are unable
to provide the one to one reading support necessary to students. This
software is beneficial to all beginning readers and aids in teaching
reading strategies.
5
reading remediation apps in iTunes:
Name of App
Targeted Reading Skill
Cost
Hooked
on Phonics Learn to Read
phonics and decoding
Free
Cimo Spelling (sight words)
learning high frequency sight words
$2.99
Question Builder
reading comprehension—questioning and inference
$5.99
Super Reader
reading comprehension
$1.99
Grammar Jammers
grammar use
Free
For
the rest of the class we heard a presentation about apps that provide
compensatory reading supports.Some of
these were the same as the apps my group described in our “New Apps for
Learning Disabilities” presentation.My
favourites:
Enhanced
textbooks—take notes, write study cards, watch videos, check definitions, link
to pictures, change font size, turn on closed captioning, and more! Best
assistive tech ever! Everything you would ever want from a textbook on one
screen.
ReadIris—take
pictures of handouts, then edit them as needed. NaviDys, which changes font and
spacing between letters and lines to help decoding, could be applied to this
afterwards.
Symbol
Support—this was interesting because I once had a student who carried a picture
book with her for communication…Symbol Support is that book in high tech!
I
also liked Scribd, more for personal use than for anything I would use with
students. Thanks for all the great ideas.
We began class by watching a TED
talk called “The Myth of Average” by Todd Rose.
Essentially, Rose suggests that
an “average” student doesn’t exist. No student is like any other because there
is a great diversity of aptitudes for the numerous factors that contribute to
student success. Rose goes further to state that learning environments created
for the average don’t meet needs: talent is a liability and areas of challenge
prevent achievement. He advocates the use of iPads for flexible learning
environments. Given all the great iPad features I’ve learned about since
starting this class, I would absolutely agree!
We were asked to note our emotions
when watching the video. I felt hopeful and excited and the PollEv we completed
showed that many other students agreed with me.
I look forward to using this
webpage (polleverywhere.com) with a class. It allows anonymous responses so
students shouldn’t be nervous to answer—it could be used for emotional feedback
or you could use it for a quiz. What I like most is that more common responses
appear in larger font, which is similar to the wordle. The only thing I would
do differently is to wait for all students to respond before projecting the
results.
I appreciated our discussion
about the Dracula reading and what must happen in order to read. Sometimes
teachers might forget about important first steps like attending to the task
because these things are second nature for us. Things like vision control and
anxiety probably would not have been the first things to enter my mind if a
student was experiencing difficulty reading, but now it seems so obvious to
start there. And an iPad could help with all these issues.
To end the class, we watched part
of a PBS video called “The Secret Life of the Brain” about the child’s brain.
It discussed reading, dyslexia,
and brain plasticity. Really interesting! I’m planning on watching the teen
brain section of this video.
There are a number of models used
to assess whether individuals with disabilities are using appropriate assistive
technology.I will describe five models
in detail and note the similarities and differences amongst the models.
The HAAT model offers a framework
for understanding AT in the lives of those with disabilities.Components include the human, the activity,
the AT, and the context in which all three exist, all of which must be considered
when matching AT to the user.The activity
could be daily life, work, or leisure, and is determined by the individual’s
life roles.Activities can be broken
down into smaller steps so that the specific part an individual needs help with
can be pinpointed.The human has physical,
cognitive, and affective dimensions, and various skills and abilities of the individual
must be recognized when assessing appropriate AT.The context consists of physical, social,
cultural, and institutional components as outlined on the diagram.When assessing the appropriateness of AT for
a user, all these components must be considered.This framework is not specific to students
like SETT and ETP.It is more general
and could apply to anyone requiring AT for any part of life so is more similar
to MPT in that regard.
Education
Tech Points (ETP) Framework
This model focuses on planning
and providing technology services to meet the special education needs of
children with disabilities.It is based
on six tech points to ensure effective service delivery:
1.Referral—identifying
students who may need services
2.Evaluation—considers
if and when student needs AT
3.Extended
assessment—a trial period with one or more AT devices
4.Plan
development—considering when AT is required and how the student fared while
using the AT during the extended assessment
5.Implementation—student
training, staff training, and equipment management are all important components
of this tech point
6.Periodic
review—team reviews information from implementation and decides if changes are
required
This framework is specific to the
school setting and would be used by a program planning team.
This model asserts that the
student, environment, and task should be investigated before tools are selected,
as the combination of these factors will impact an individual’s ability to effectively
use tools.The linked video describes details of the SETT framework.
This is a bit different from the
HAAT model because it recognizes that one could consider any component as
isolated from the context, but when performance is of interest, all the
components overlap and student abilities and disabilities, the task to be
performed, and the tools available must be considered in the particular
environment the task is to be performed.These factors parallel human, activity, AT, and context from the HAAT
framework.This framework is also
designed specifically for students.
Matching
Person and Technology (MPT) Framework
This framework is based on a
series of worksheet/checklist instruments that assess the anticipated purpose
for the technology, the environment in which the person will use the
technology, the person’s preferences and needs, and the functions and features
of the technology.Each of these
components can positively or negatively impact technology use, so the goal is
to ensure positive influences that result in an appropriate technology match
with the person, allowing the AT to be used successfully.This framework requires input from both the
user and the provider of the AT, whereas in HAAT and SETT frameworks, this
requirement does not seem to be as explicit.This framework is focused on adults, but there is an instrument specific
for students.
Lifespace
Access Profile (LAP) Framework
This framework is designed for individuals
with severe disabilities.Assessment for
the LAP considers individual ability in five areas.The physical resources section considers
health and mobility, and the cognitive resources evaluate an individual’s
ability to understand cause-and-effect as well as communication skills.The emotional resources part identifies
distractors, positive reinforces, and tolerance for change.Support resources notes if caregivers have
the time and skill to effectively use the AT.The environmental analysis recognizes whether the individual can use the
AT in multiple environments.This
framework would not apply to a great number of students.The fact that this framework considers the individual
in their environment as well as the human supports that are in place is good.
My group began the class with our
presentation about apps for LD students, and then Barb gave her presentation
about matching AT to the user.It turns
out that Angela inadvertently did a great job of linking the two topics by showing
the interview with student-athlete who uses his iPad.Because he is often away from school for sporting
competitions, he uses the technology to help keep up with schoolwork.That’s a good example of matching the student
with the right device!
The discussion focused on the
idea that “everything changes”, including the student, milieu, task, and
technology, means we need to always be checking and ensuring that the
technology is best serving our students.Something that was effective in January might need to be changed to work
best in April.It also means we need to
accept that the way of past should not necessarily be the way of the
future.For example, rather than
outlawing mobile devices during class time, teachers should embrace them and
teach students to use them appropriately as assistive devices for
learning.BYOD for a better
education.Alexander Graham Bell and Steve
Jobs would be happy to see people looking forward to new possibilities rather
than wishing to continue past practices.
Finally, I found the cost comparison
of all the individual pieces of technology used to support students in the past
with the iPad to be a great argument for making more use of the mobile device
in schools!
This presentation reviewed
iBooks, Paperport notes, and Book Creator.Several screen shots were added, which were helpful for my understanding
because I don’t have an iPad.I
appreciated the Book Creator section most because the presenters gave the
example of creating digital portfolios…this made me realize that I could use
this app in a high school science lesson for students to explain and/or show processes
in a journaling activity.On reflection,
Paperport notes might also be quite useful for a mathematics lesson.Now the trick is getting iPads in my
classroom!
An interesting comment was
made at the end of the presentation encouraging BYOD (bring your own
device).While I like the idea in theory
and this might be the way of the future, I question its practicality in schools
right now.Costs and accessibility for
all students would be issues at my school.
Special
Education by Mary, Courtney, and Amy
This group shared data gathered
from a fluid survey and gave a great graphic to summarize the information.I was surprised that 82% of teachers had
experience with iPads—higher than I thought but this is good news!Four free apps were reviewed, including
Science 360, TikiNotes, Pocket Pond, and Dragon Dictation.What I found most interesting is that Pocket
Pond is used as a calming tool… I never thought of apps in terms of behavioural
control, but I have noticed that particular students are calmer and more
focused when they use technology.I do
question if using this app will teach self-regulation skills or whether it will
simply make the student dependent on an iPad when he/she becomes agitated.
Autism
by Evan, Maralyn, Kevin, and Nicole
This presentation was based on
the book Self-Help Skills for People with
Autism—I really like the “self” part of self-help.It goes back to the idea of technology
building independent learners.This
group reviewed many apps focused on developing behavioural regulation,
attention to task, communication, imitation, and modelling skills.
The presentation challenged my
notions of behavioural regulation.I
never imagined using mobile devices for such a task, but breaking the discussion
into apps used for proactive and reactive regulation helped me to understand
how technology could help.I like the
proactive idea of giving a timed transition between activities, but feel concerned
about an over-reliance on technology.However,
given the number of hours that students pass in front of a screen each day,
perhaps this is simply the new reality.I
would like to see these behaviour apps in action in the classroom, as well as
know how frequently teachers use tech in this way.I appreciated the video modelling discussion,
especially because it is more socially engaging than the behavioural apps and
if another person isn’t available in the classroom setting, students can still
be learning.
The other big idea that resonated with me is from the survey: teachers don’t think they know
enough about apps and think the devices aren’t being used to their potential. I would totally agree.More professional development time is crucial
if teachers are to effectively use mobile devices to support UDL principles.
LD
by Jeremy, Clarissa, Joseph, and Michelle
“For people without disabilities,
technology makes things easier.For
people with disabilities, technology makes things possible.”Great quotation!
This group reviewed apps as well,
but the most interesting part of the presentation for me was the survey results
about how technology is used in schools.The discussion of a rural New Brunswick school lacking mobile devices
and an assistive technology consultant was lamentable. Another group member has plenty of technology
available and even a tech PLC so it is nearly the opposite situation.At other times this evening, people have
discussed the BYOD or one-to-one iPad scenarios in their schools.It is interesting that there are such great
differences among boards and provinces in their respective stages of technology
integration.Of course, we must remember
that obtaining the devices is only a small part of the cost.Tech staff must be hired and teachers must
receive professional development if mobile devices are to be effectively used
because, as Barb says, “It won’t happen without the training.”
Executive
function by Victor, Janice, and Sheri
The presentation began with a
great explanation of what executive function is, and strategies that are
commonly used in the classroom to help students with executive function
issues.Apps were divided by
skill/ability: thinking, doing, emotional control, etc. I especially like timers, calendars, and reminders
for organizational purposes, enhanced books for reading support, and the paper
shredder and sock puppets for emotional practice.The great thing about the iPads is that all
these features are found on a single mobile device, eliminating the need for a
stopwatch, calendar, agenda, textbook, video, etc.—it’s the convergence of
technologies we discussed in the first class!
LOL!!! Great video!
LD by Dawn
Dawn showed a great video for
anyone who questions the need for AT in the classroom.Listen as Piper Otterbein discusses
overcoming dyslexia.This serves as a
great reminder that we need to carefully consider both the technology and the
learner to make sure there’s an appropriate match.
Several apps were overviewed in
the presentation, Dawn’s school situation was discussed, and at the end she
questioned equity issues, which I really appreciated because this is one of my
burning issues when it comes to technology use in schools, at home, and for
BYOD. Let us not forget social justice
as we educate!
Finally,
we saw some apps in action to support students with writing challenges. I particularly liked the Clicker Sentences
app. When I teach Science 9 IPP students
who have plans focusing on literacy, I do a low tech version of re-writing
sentences from words provided. However,
on paper things are more difficult to change and students don’t get immediate feedback
on their progress. Further, they have to
be able to read and comprehend the individual words to make a sentence. On an iPad with digital text, they can
manipulate it quickly and Siri or speak selection accessibility options could
help. They could even look up
definitions or pictures for vocabulary.
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