Blog #3- The iPad Revolution!

I’m a very technological person and I love new gadgets. I love getting news phones and customizing them. I currently have the Galaxy S III and I completely customized it by downloading theme apps. I have a MacBook air and I love the ease of use made by all the “corners” options, and the 2, 3, and 4 finger swipe options! However, funny enough, when I got my iPad I wasn’t to impressed. I don’t really use it because I feel like it’s a larger version of my phone. But, I do have a lot of educational experience with it. I personally have used my iPad as an eReader, and I have downloaded textbooks to read on it. I really loved doing that because I didn’t have to carry a large textbook with me wherever I went, and I had access to the material at all times. I also liked that I could look up words I didn’t know, tag pages that I felt were important, and add text boxes for notes. That’s why I really liked subtext, because it has so many of those features. It makes reading easy and accessible.

In the classroom my first experience was with Proloquo2go. I mentioned in one of my posts on edmodo, that I have worked in an ABA school, with children who are non-verbal. Their form of communication device was a very cumbersome DynoVox, which is a huge machine (extremely heavy) that is programmable to press buttons that have pictures and words on them, with voice-overs. Once the iPad came out and Proloquo2go, it was an even better program and a fraction of the size! My students use it with ease, and they can have full conversations because of it! There are other great educational games for my students, and it also serves as a very stronger reinforcer for them to work for!

After playing around with subtext and all the accessibility options that we explored on Monday, I realized how awesome the iPad is. At first it was tricky because I got stuck in voice over (my volume was off) so I didn’t realize I needed to click on the buttons twice and I thought the iPad froze! I also got stuck in the zoom mode because I didn’t realize in order to navigate the screen you had to use 3 or 4 fingers. After I got past that, it’s awesome! I can see that it would definitely take some training to fully utilize the accessibility to it’s maximum potential. I think it’s important to train professionals as well as students. (However, the students usually get it faster than the teachers; go figure!)

When looking at some of the learning profiles I can see how an iPad would be beneficial for these students. For a student like Rebecca, an iPad would be amazing because there are multiple apps that convert audio (such as a teacher speaking) to text. This would truly benefit her because she has trouble following along because of her hearing impairment. She could even have the iPad set up so that it is recording the teacher, and Rebecca could have a set of earphones to help her amplify what is being said. An iPad would also really benefit Sarah who uses Smartscan32 as her communication device. Smartscan32 is very limited, and cannot be continuously added to. Therefore, there are many words and needs that cannot be expressed. Switching to an iPad and using Proloquo2go for example, would give Sarah so many options, and a plethora of vocabulary to help her communication. The options are really endless, and as the iPad becomes more widely used, the more education and assistive applications that are developed!

Blog #2- Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning

These discussions we have been having these past two weeks on UD and UDL, have really made me question my environment and it’s accessibility as well as my classroom, and all the individual learners. When thinking of special education my first thought is IEP (Individualized Education Program), emphasis on Individualized! I think this should be the key term looked at when thinking of UD and UDL. We should ensure, as educators and people, to the best of our ability, that we examine all the individual differences of each and every person, and how we can make places and curricula equally accessible to all!

When looking at my classmates’ posts, it brings to light how many principals of UD are defied in our environment and in our very own homes! Alison and Caitlin pointed out high shelves, which were unreachable! We thought of similar solutions other than step stools and not using the shelf, which does not help us use the principals of UD. We did think of grabbers and gas assisted shelves, which would optimally bring the shelf to eye level, making the items visible and attainable! Judy posted about steep flights of stairs in a friends’ apartment building, which makes it very unfriendly to go up and down. Simple tasks such as doing laundry and grocery shopping will be made more difficult and for individuals with physical disabilities, almost impossible to visit the building at all! An elevator or an electric chair attached to the banister, which acts like a lift, is definitely necessary! Phil pointed out a ramp, which is meant to make a basement accessible, which one would think is in accordance to UD, but it is so steep and has no traction, it might be more dangerous than stairs! We discussed removing the carpet which is put down, and creating a surface that is not as slippery. There are so many places that need to be revamped and there are so many possibilities!

When looking at “The Future is in the Margins” article, they point out some great ideas to promote UDL in the classroom. Rose and Meyer discuss technology as a transformation of work, making it, “more nutritious… more differentiated… engaging… and [a] change [of] our concept of learning and teaching.” I have to completely agree with this idea because technology will help us as educators, implement the principals of UDL: multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement. I read the article keeping in mind a few students from the sample learning profiles. For a student like Michael who likes to perform well and explore his own interests, I think having him use technology to make a presentation might help his inappropriateness when presenting. Because he is visual and has trouble with formal language he can create a very creative and informative power point presentation, which may help him express all his ideas in the most optimal way for him. This will also help Michael create the presentation in a way that he wont need such explicit instructions, and he may need less support. For a student like Rebecca that misses a lot of information on a daily basis because she cannot hear the information and has trouble with language, she can also benefit from multiples modes of representation and expression. Because she is good at presenting I would give her the same recommendation as I did for Michael. I would also present information in charts, webs, and graphic organizers for Rebecca, as well as video clips, and power point slides, so that she can clearly see the information in many forms, and does not have to be limited to listening to the speaker or being overwhelmed by a lot of words. There are so many adaptations that can be made to better our classrooms and help our students, if we keep the principals of UDL prevalent!

UD Challenge: Phase II

What Can I do to Implement UD in my Kitchen?

Before...

This is my kitchen cabinet now... I can't reach what's up there!

When thinking about my kitchen cabinet I thought of many of the UD principals that I need to try and adhere to when thinking of the most optimal high cabinet solution. I need to adhere to: “Equitable Use” because I want my cabinets to be appealing to all users and provide the same opportunity of use for everyone; “Tolerance for Error,” because I want to eliminate isolation of the items up there, and find a safe way to access them without having to think twice about how I am going to do that; “Low Physical Effort,” so that everything can be accessed easily as if it was on the bottom shelf, not needing a step stool or standing on my tippy toes (hoping nothing falls on you while you are grabbing something): and most importantly the “Size and Space for Approach and Use,” which provides a clear line of sight and makes reaching accessible for any seated or standing user.

Therefore, I thought of these possible solutions:

1. Don’t use it! (not a plausible option).

2. Use a step stool, which is not applicable to everyone, and a real hassle.

3. Changing my cabinets so that they’re glass and I can see what’s up there.

4. Using a “Pick up reaching tool,” which is long enough for someone to use if they use a wheel chair. It looks like a long arm that has a trigger you can squeeze, which activates an open and close motion on a grip at the end (much like a large hand).

5. Slide out shelves to use grabber more efficiently. This is an in expensive solution that you can attach to your cabinets that are already there and a tray on wheels pulls out. (this makes the grabber easier to use as well).

6. The best idea I think personally is the electric cabinet that comes down also! This is a cabinet that is specially designed to have shelves that have a gas assisted lifting and lowering mechanism. (You press a button and your bottom shelf comes down 10 inches!). This can be found at Home Depot!

After...

"Pick Up Reaching Tool" This acts like an extended arm. It helps reaching items that are high up. ($14.99 on Amazon)

This is a pull out cabinet drawer. I think this is a great and in expensive solution, which can even be combined with the reaching tool! This makes seeing what is in your cabinet much easier, and makes those items more attainable! ($49 at Bed Bath and Beyond)

My favorite, and what I believe to be the ultimate solution is call the "Rev-A-Shelf 36 in. Pull-Down Shelf" from Home Depot. It's $200, but it brings the shelf to you! With a push of a button, the shelf, which is a gas assisted lifting and lowering mechanism, lowers 10 inches! This makes the shelf come down to you, so you can see and REACH everything that is on the shelf. Genius!

See How it Works!

My Reflection on Universal Design...

The idea of universal design stems from the basis of architecture and the structure of our environment being physically accessible and free of barriers, for EVERYONE to be able to utilize and navigate. In class we mentioned the idea of many places in our proximal environment not being universally designed, from high closets and cabinets, to buildings with no elevators, stairs with no ramps, and subway stations with 4 flight climbs. It may seem unimportant to many people’s everyday lives, and many are unaware of the universal design that does exist, but many people with disabilities are affected by the lack of universal design.

In many of my classmates blogs, pictures of schools were posted that were not universally designed, that do not have ramps and elevators, and which would be inaccessible to the students’ profiles we discussed in class, such as Sarah who uses a wheelchair to get around. For a student like Emma, which we discussed in class a lot of universal design is needed to help her access and feel more comfortable in her environment. For example, Emma would benefit from an indicator that a fire drill is going to occur, and an easily organized space that will aid her in keeping her papers in order. Universal design can be very simple modifications in the environment that aid students in being able to be fully integrated in any setting, such as wider aisles for Sarah’s wheel chair to move freely through, and clearly color coded and open spaces or shelves for Emma to be more organized.

In the article “The Future is in the Margins:
The role of technology and disability in education reform” and in the UDL module, universal design for learning is looked at in the classroom and the inaccessibility issues of students with disabilities, to their school work as well as physical environment. This articles mentions technological advances that can aid students with motor disabilities, which may not be able to manipulate a pencil, keyboard, or mouse. There are now expanded keyboards, single switch devices, speech recognition software and word prediction available. As well as, refreshable Braille devices, screen readers, screen enlargers for individuals who are visually impaired. These technologies not only help the student but also help the teacher see the student’s true potential. Just because a student cannot speak, does not mean the student has nothing to say! The student might have not been able to communicate, and with new technology they can! I think this is very important because the same concept is used here: make the information and most importantly the ACCESS of the information available to EVERY student equally!