Blog #8- Planning Ahead

As our semester slowly winds down, I think it was great time for us to discuss how we, as future educators, can plan and organize our lessons using technology. Some of the great points brought up in our discussion in terms of planning were to think critically about our planning: Create a vision for what they do, match it to what we need, think about what software would we use for the student’s learning barriers, as well as what class would it benefit the student in. We have to always consider is our instruction and tool we chose assistive or instructional?

We discussed taking into consideration our students recognition network, when we start planning and organizing our lessons. We need to consider how our students are perceiving and getting information into their senses. Great strategies that we discussed were:

            -Provide multiple examples

            -Highlighting critical features

            -Providing multiple media and formats    

-Supporting background context

We discussed some of the tool we could use for kids who need recognition support:

·      Kurzweil

·      Subtext

·      Smartboard (IWB interactive white board)

·      Bookshare

·      UDL

·      Stixy

·      Voice thread

·      Little bird tale

·      Ipad and assistive apps

·      You tube

·      Vimeo

·      MS Word speech

·      Alternate font and contrast

·      Pictures and movies

·      Digital recordings

·      Circle and highlighting on IWB

We also need to foster the strategic network, which is the “how” and the action we take to help students make connections. We discussed:

            -Providing flexible models off skilled performance

            -Providing opportunities to practice with supports

            -Providing on going feedback to our students

           -Offering flexible opportunities for demonstrating the skill

For kids who need strategic support, we could use:

·      Smartboard- feedback

·      Internet- explore websites- hyperlinks make connections

·      Kurweil bubbles- study skills element

·      Online quizzes

·      Voice thread- having conversations

·      Popplet

·      Prezi- linear or circular.

·      Edmodo

·      Google calendar

·      Inspirtation map

·      Powerpoint/key note

·      Recorded response

·      Blogs and wikis

                       

Most importantly, I think is the consideration of the affective network. This makes us, as educators think to “why am I learning this?” In order to foster this we need to:

            -Offer choices of content and tools

            -Offer adjustable levels of challenge

            -Offer choices of reward

            -Offer choices of learned content

For kids who need affective support we could use:

·      Edmodo surveys

·      Smartboard

·      Non-linear representation so they can choose

·      Graphic organizer (web with pic, word, etc.)

·      Live scribe

·      Interactive quizzes- makes fun and reduces anxiety

·      Proloquo2go

·      Game design

·      Math games

These strategies are most important because they support the concept of self-competency and increase motivation in our students. If our students like what they are doing and they are able to express them selves in the way that best suits them, they will be most successful; UDL!

Other very important discussions we had in class was on the intentional implementation of technology. Technology should be part of the plan not an addition. We want the technology to help the student learn and not get in the way.

When thinking of using technology we have to make the technology work for you, as an educator, and you control it. Use what works for you, what you’re excited about!

One of my biggest take aways is the idea that we need to evaluate and adjust our lessons based on the technology we intend to use. We need to make sure we’re just not throwing in technology, but really thinking about which program we are going to use, and for what purpose. We need to ask ourselves questions such as: Did the student get lost, are you prepped if the technology fails, do you have a back up!? Was the technology use to enhance the lesson and is the lesson interesting, humorous, and fun? Technology can be frustrating, especially if we spend endless hours working to implement the technology in our lesson, and low and behold it doesn’t work! But we need to prepare for these moments and be patient. When it does work, it works! It can be a wonderful engaging and instructional experience for all!

Blog #7- The Power of Assistive/Adaptive Technology

After reading and watching the accompanying video Disabled Bodies, Able Minds: Giving Voice, Movement, and Independence to the Physically Challenged, I just think how incredible it must have been for Adrian to be able to wear a headband that can sense the movement on his eyebrows, which triggers the computer cursor to move to a row or column on the monitor that illustrates what he's trying to express. The computer then utters the words Adrian has chosen, something that must have been so incredibly frustrating for him! Now he has a way to communicate! Niara moves her cheek to communicate using the computer! We’ve come so far! I love how the goal of their district and their teachers is to “design whatever plan is necessary to allow the students to achieve their potential.” This truly means, what ever works for them. I love how they really are willing to include all students with disabilities, and they encourage them to explore their potential, “see what works,” and find a way to be fully included! It’s true the assistive technology does Enable Dreams! “it is a life line… a major foundation of [their] lives.” It was incredible watching Susanna “talk” her answers, and she can write papers, and even call for help! I really agree that the earlier you introduce the technology to the child the better they are at it and then you work on academics. I loved watching all the children in this video use their devices! It really shows that the device was catered to them and their mode of communication. Lukas is amazing at playing his musical instrument that was adapted for him! Watching individuals who have lost their arms play instruments is incredible. It enabled Lucas to use a joy stick to assist him in playing the notes on his horn; outstanding! Assistive technology helps these individuals LIVE!

While reading the Dr. Keller and Dr. Pawelski transcript, I love the points that Dr. Keller makes, he has redefined the way I think of disabilities. He put it very well, that we need to really think of the ways people think about disabilities; there are fifteen or eighteen different paradigms to describe disability. I love the point that was made, that special education and the medical field is reactive instead of proactive. We need a shift of mind, which I think is slowly happening, to be proactive and develop with the use of UDL. It’s so interesting, to look at it all from a business perspective, it’s all about money, and how much people are willing to “invest.” I like how Dr. Pawelski gears the conversation in the “jargon” or technology: assistive or adaptive. I love how Dr. Keller puts it, “assistive technology, this technology is going to somehow make you more whole, fix you, make you more complete. Whereas, adaptive technology… I’m going to adapt the technology so that it works for this specific person. I'm going to change the technology not the person.” I think this is the most important idea I took away, because it sums up the purpose of IDEA and IEPs, that no two individuals, even with the same disability, are in fact the same. We need to look at the person and how the technology, and whatever else, affects them. It really also put into perspective the idea of technology and how adaptive it can be if it takes months to learn how to use something “helpful.” It concerns me…

The first thing that grabbed my attention while watching this video, is that students are excluded if they have a disability, they are not fully included. Rich was not allowed to attend gym, he had to go have physical therapy. At his new school he is able to be apart of all types of sports; from his wheelchair! Excluding Rich is appalling! It upsets me the most because I think in many cases its just easier to exclude these students than taking the time to fully understand their needs and make sure the proper adaptations are made so they can be fully included. Any participation makes a difference. It’s so upsetting to hear that students were excluded from field trips and their parents weren’t even consulted with, they just automatically assumed the student would not be able to participate. Again, no adaptations were being made! Even partial participation makes a difference! I love how its pointed out, that you need to focus on what the student CAN do and not what they CAN’T do! Any little feeling of inclusion, makes a difference! Low tech is better than high tech and small things like giving a student a switch to set off ribbons during a reading makes a difference! It’s also important to take into consideration the classroom configuration and making it accessible to students in wheelchairs. However, it’s unfortunate that school designers don’t always take into consideration these adaptations; maybe it’s to much for them. I love the academic programs that were demonstrated for students who cannot write or type; they are activated by scanning, and have audio feedback. As educators we affect success! In the end I loved the conversation with the girl who drives with a V-grip and her feet, to start the car and change the radio, amazing!! 

Helpful Apps

I found this webpage that has numerous apps for all ages, aiding in organizational skills, time management, prioritizing, etc. for adults with ADHD. But. these could definitely be used for the unorganized college student! 

check it out: http://www.udotherest.com/?MID=V012164&SID=1120763&PID=84745438&wt.mc_id=1120763

Blog #6- SMARTboard

Technology becomes more and more prevalent in our lives daily! It really revolutionizes the idea of UDL! After Monday's demonstration of the multiple uses of the SMARTboard, I wonder why it's not being used more in classrooms. I know that many schools don't have the funding to have SMARTboards in their classrooms, therefore, when classes do have a SMARTboard I think it's such a waiste if it is not used to its full potential. I have only observed the SMARTboard being used minimally: as a projector when used with the ELMO, and to display headings and topics for students to copy from. There have a been a few instances that students watch video demonstrations from Brain Pop, and math websites, but again very limited usage.

I wonder if it has to do with a lack of training. I mean, I know if I didn't have the full demonstration we had in class, I wouldn't have any idea of the potential SMARTboard has! I think every teacher, or anyone for that matter, that has the chance to use a SMARTboard, should be fully aware of all its features. If they can't attend  training, we have discovered that in Smart Notebook there is a tutorial. I'm also sure that there are you tube videos; what ever the mode, training/tutorial is a must!

I was really blown away by what the SMARTboard has to offer. I immediately thought to all my students. typically developing and those with special needs, and the concept of UDL. First of all, lets talk about engagement! Teachers can keep their students attention by all of the "tricks" they can incorporate in their lessons. I'm still blown away by the "tunnel" trick, and being able to link objects to the internet or other pages within the presentation. All of these features help differentiate for different types of learners; it caters to everyone's learning style. A lesson can incorporate visual text which the teacher or the students can write in. It can incorporate video clips, and interactive websites. It can include online games as a review. It can also offer read-alouds, and even voice recordings. Different colors can be used, which is visually stimulating, and helps teachers organize different concepts within a lesson. Being able to have a screen shade helps build anticipation, but also helps students focus on one concept at a time. It really helps incorporate creativity into lessons, which I find is really lacking in many classrooms.

I really like that the SMARTboard is not only an instructional tool, but also an adaptive tool. It really helps include all students in lessons, regardless of their ability. Students who have fine motor issues can benefit from simple clicks, drag and drop features, and even using a tennis ball, or even their head, in place of a pen! This technology would be great for a student like Sarah who has Ataxic Cerebral Palsy, and uses a wheelchair. She can interact in classroom activities by coming up to the board and answering questions with ease. The screen that the students are working on can be lowered so all the students, despite if they are in a wheelchair or just not as tall as other students, can have access to the board. For a student like Jack who has fine motor issues this would be great also! It's also engaging technology, which he enjoys, and interactive graphic organizers can created for him, that the entire class can benefit from, and can create collaboratively. Audible explanations can even be added in as links for him incase he needs a reminder when reviewing on his own. The best part is any presentation can be saved and looked back at, which is a great teaching tool!

Blog # 5- Web 2.0 Tools

In the classroom I am teaching in now, I have only experienced using a Smart board and an ELMO. These have been very useful technological tools to project worksheets on the board, create power points, and display pictures and videos to my students.

After exploring this weeks tools, I am glad that I have been introduced to all that is available for me a my students. Each of the tools that I explored has potential to be a great resource in my classroom. I also identified a few students in our Student Profiles that would greatly benefit from these tools.

I liked Diigo because you can create documents and students can post on it and you can post back. You and your students can add sticky notes and highlights. The main components are "Bookmark, highlight, sticky note, share." It makes reading interactive and you can work on it with your students. You can add questions inline in the work and it becomes a sticky note with a question and students can answer in line. I think this would be great for a student like Rebecca, who has constant trouble with organization. Diigo allows for constant back and forth conversation, in one place, which makes it easy to organize thoughts and answer questions. It has great study tools, and organization tools such as highlighters, and sticky notes.

I liked Little Bird Tales for younger learners because you can "capture the voice of childhood." It's a great tool because it's very creative, fun, interactive, and motivating. Classes can create online books with artwork, photos, and voice. Stories can be personally narrated by the teacher or students! Online books can be created by using digital pictures or scans, and even an art pad for digital drawings. The work you create is clearly displayed in slideshow format, and it's a great way to get students to show off their work!

I liked Titan Pad alot, and it was actually what my group chose as our tool for this weeks challenge. It's a great collaborative tool. It looks a lot like google docs, which I have always had success with! You can see the history of the document, there are colors to differentiate users, you can see each others edits and you can work together. I thought personally as a teacher, this is a great tool, especially if I am teaching in a CTT classroom. It really allow for collaboration. The document can be edited at the same time, so there is no conflict. Each persons idea is highlighted in a color specific to them, so the document is organized and concise. It's a great way to also keep track of lessons week by week. It can be added too and because of the "history tool" you can see the changes that have been made, and go back if something is not working.

Voicethread looks like an awesome interactive webinar tool. It would be a great resource for online classes. It is a cloud based application that allows you to upload many different types of media, and it stays on the internet. It works like a slideshow. It's great because others can join in and make comments through microphone, webcam, text, phone, or by uploading audio files, which all users have access to! It's a great multi-modal format for critiques, reflection, collaborations, discussions etc.

Popplet is place for you ideas. It looks like a web graphic organizer, where students can post their thoughts and random ideas about a certain topic. This is a great way to incorporate unique thoughts and ideas through personalized thought bubbles, and to brainstorm across any subject. It's also great for behavior management, because students can keep their thoughts in a cohesive location (thought bubbles) and they can be creative when expressing themselves, so they do not act out in class. You can share it with friends and it can be edited in "real time" on your computer or iPad! This could be great for someone like Michael who likes to explore his own interests, he can write down his questions and comments without calling out, so he gets his questions down on "paper," but does not interrupt the class, and he can use visual representation with this tool.

Stixy is a tool a lot like popplet, but using sticky notes. It looks like the “dash board” on a mac computer, where you can add in all your ideas. I had mixed feelings about it. I liked that you have the abilty to share with other members, and you can upload documents, photos, and sticky notes. However, it can be cumbersome and overwhelming in presentation and appears somewhat difficult to navigate.

Prezi looks a tool useful for presentations. It looks a lot like PowerPoint. However, I think that it is a tool that I would have to really explore, and get  comfortable with all the options it offers. I do like how it is very flexible, and has a freestyle option for adding text and images. This makes it very easy to add in all types of files that I would like to incorporate into a powerpoint, with out much limitation.

These are all awesome tools, that I will try to incorporate into my classroom!

Blog #4- Kurzweil and Bookshare!

After exploring Kurzweil, watching the video demonstrations, and doing some research, I really think it’s an amazing device! I love the text-to-speech option! It’s really great for students with reading difficulties, and students with blindness and visual impairments, which is so important! It really helps hold true that all students should have equal access to the material! Similarly Bookshare has a braille feature which is amazing and an enlarging tool to make text easier to read!

Kurzweil is incredible for English language learners, students with learning disabilities, and visually and/or physically impaired students. I loved that the two applications we are exploring, Bookshare and Kurweil, can be used together! Books can be downloaded into Kurzweil from Bookshare! Students can have access to those books, as well as text files, worksheets, quizzes, and so much more! The material can be read in different languages, different sizes, and fonts. There are dictionaries and thesauruses available for students, including a bilingual dictionary for those English language learners who may be reading a book in their native language. The Internet is available through Kurzweil, so as you type in your search and find information, Kurzweil reads it back to you!

These technological tools are great for students who not only have trouble reading by also writing. Students many times have great ideas and they can express themselves orally, but when it comes to writing it down it may not be legible. I think its amazing that students can type of their work or even scan it in, and they can hear what they are writing as they are writing it, so they can identify their mistakes.

These applications really promote instruction differentiation! It really helps the statement “Learning has no boundaries,” hold true! Kurzweil can help students take a test. It’s easy for teachers to use; they can upload a document students can access it, complete it, and they can submit it back. It’s very user friendly and makes the material accessible to all! It’s also a great study tool because you can highlight key concepts in different colors and create tabs for them. I really like the word prediction because I think it is useful for students who have trouble spelling, they can check for words they may be unsure of and have it spelled correctly. However, I know sometimes I get frustrated with word predictions, because it gives me options that are no where near what I want to spell! This could be confusing if the student doesn’t know which word they wan to use. I do love that the spell check doesn’t just change the word for you but sounds out how you spelled it incorrectly and then after it corrects it reads it the proper way!

In Bookshare my favorite feature besides the braille option is the multi-modal reading option because students read the words and hear what is being read simultaneously! This helps students who are lower readers, readers with visual impairments, and those with dyslexia! Decoding can be very hard and both of these programs make it easier and great practice! What a way to learn! These programs really promote instruction differentiation.

Unfortunately, the PC version offers more, which is upsetting because most computers given by the DOE are MACs, and I personally own a MAC. But it says coming soon, hopefully very soon!

I think Kurzweil would really help someone like Luke. Kurzweil has access to digital books, worksheets, study guides, assignments and quizzes. Having everything in one place enables students to have easy access to them and stay organized; a file can't get lost! For a student like Luke, who has executive functioning difficulties, all of these organization features would be great for him. He can mark off where his class is in their reading so he never feels left behind, and he can work on assignments and save it and go back to it, all in one place so he won’t loose them. His teacher can highlight key points that he should focus on when reading directions to help him with his decoding issues. There is a dictionary feature so he can look up things he is unclear about since he feels uncomfortable asking for help. Kurzweil will also help with his dyslexia because it highlights words as they are read out loud, so he can see the word and hear it simultaneously, helping him with reading and decoding words. It is also great because it can do the same for his writing. All of these features will help ensure that his disability will not prevent him from accessing the material!

            Kurzweil would also be amazing for a student like Sam. He has trouble with long-term memory and will often loose skills that he has learned. I think having Kurzweil by his side, he will be more successful! He can take notes, highlight key terms, make a tab of information on a skill, and the best part is that he can save it! Having all your notes in one place and being able to go back and look it at, will be greatly beneficial for Sam to review, and recall the information, so he will not forget it so readily. Sam can outline information using Kurzweil’s option of using pre-made graphic organizers to help jog his memory. Since Sam’s written expressive language is both below grade level and far below his own oral expressive language in sentence structure, composition structure, word choice, and explanation, Kurzweil is incredible for him. It has a brainstorm tool where he can write down ideas and outline his written work. Because Kurzweil has a text-to-speech function, he can hear what he is writing as he writes it, which can help him since he has a higher oral expressive language, he can compare it to how he would express his work. Sam could also use the teacher-guided checklist to review his work and have it as a guideline to know what he needs to complete.