Reflection #6

Today was our last class. The day was spent listening to all of our case studies.  The presentations were excellent. We were asked to match technologies to a student (or students). There was a really nice range of grade levels and abilities, English programming and French Immersion.  I really enjoyed seeing how other teachers organized their assignments not to mention the students they were discussing. Once again I was impressed with the resources out there and the amazing results that are coming from using them. (After seeing what Kari does with Raz Kids, I really want to try it with my class).  

Many people found great success with Game Goo. I want so much for my student, Nick to use it. It’s interesting how a resource can be successful with some students and not with others. But, I will NOT give up on this one. My stubborn side is not ready to throw in the towel. I’ll give it another try after the holidays.

A point that came across today was the lack of support for assistive technology in our schools. Or maybe I should say there is an inconsistency of access to technology in our schools. Some schools have computer labs while others may not even have computers in their classrooms. Some computers work, some may not.  Many teachers are unaware of what supports are available. And iPads?  In some schools it’s merely on a lengthy wish list.  Many of us recommended that we need more AT support for our students. But, there is also a definite lack of training.  Inservicing and training, training, training!! Where is it? Why do we have to beg for it?

Well, this is my last post. I have really enjoyed this class. I have learned a great deal and am very pleased with the resources I have started to use.  Until next time…

Reflection #5

Today’s class focused on the writing process and students who struggling with writing. Our day consisted of trying different writing assignments each with a different tool. Our first task was to watch a video clip from “Misunderstood Minds”. We watched a little video about Nathan then wrote a short summary (3-4 sentences) of what we watched. We were to use pen and paper for this activity. Then as a small group we were to come up with a writing task analysis (what was happening while we were doing the task). Using pen and paper came quite easily for me as that’s how I roll. I am a pen and paper kind of person. Not so easy for the girls to my side. Lots of searching: for a pen, for paper. One had to use the washroom; one had to blow her nose. So, it took us a bit of time to achieve the attention to task. Then we had to understand what was expected of us. So, there was some discussion as to what were supposed to do. Once the pen was in the hand, many, many things were going on. We had to use our memory to recall and retrieve what we saw on the clip. We had to sequence the parts in order. We had to convert language from what we saw (visual) and heard (auditory). Being teachers and knowing the subject, we were emotionally engaged to the task. We had to use our sensory regulation. We had to concentrate, filtering outside noises and emotionally block out stuff that may be going on at home. This is just scratching the surface. There is tons more that was going on. This is just a brief overview AND I haven’t even got to the actual writing yet. Just picking up the pen involves our core stability. Things like visual motor, sensory perception, pressure control, our vision as well as our posture, to name a few. Then, of course, we have to think about directionality, formation of letters, margins, single space versus double space, capitals, spacing and sound and letter relationships. Again, there is so much more! This activity demonstrated the huge amount of brain power that is involved in attending to such a task not to mention all that is required to do a pencil and paper activity. It is a miracle that students can do it at all!!

So, task #2 was to watch another little video from “Misunderstanding Minds” about a student named Lauren. We were to write a short summary (3-4 sentences) about what we had watched. But instead of pen and paper, we were to use the keyboards on our laptops. Not having to pick up a pen and find paper did eliminate some of the fine motor skills of the previous task. But, we were just using different fine motors skills. Our posture changed, the direction our head was facing changed. But, all the other things that were going on in task #1 were going on in task #2. So, when looking at our students and choosing to have students work on the computer instead of using pencil and paper, we still have to cautious who we are encouraging to do so.

Task #3 looked at Word Prediction programs. The first programs I had a chance to look were Typ-O ($14.99) and Tiki Notes (Free!). Both are word prediction apps from Apple. Both apps find your word (and the next one) from a bank of common English words and phrases. Typ-O has a text-to speech feature and Tiki Notes has a type & walk feature.  We had a chance to use the apps, create sentences to experience both word prediction programs. Both programs were pretty simple to use. Yet, I did get a bit frustrated with the weird keyboard of the Tiki Notes. It’s divided up in to six sections, which I didn’t like at all. If it had a standard keyboard, I might have liked it a bit more.  And I think my fingers are a bit chunky as I often messed up on typing in the wrong initial letter.  No doubt smaller figures would have no problems with the small letters on the keyboard. Students using these word prediction apps would have to have some knowledge of beginning sounds and they would also have to be able to recognize the words they want to use. We also looked at CoWriter which is a word prediction program. It predicts the right word. You can make your own dictionaries. It will read the word aloud. It can work within a standard application like Microsoft Word. Once you place the end punctuation the written text is sent off. Then the text can be printed off (if you like). This is an awesome word prediction program. Really, really simple to use. (While in class I sent an email off to our Resource teacher to see if we have this at school and to my delight she responded quickly with a “yes!”)  I can see this program being used by a few of my little guys and I can’t wait to test it out. It looks like a fantastic resource for students who have difficulty producing written work.

We then had time to experiment with WordQ3.  This is another word prediction program that works directly within any standard application (like Microsoft Word).  When Word Q is turned on, you begin to type a word and it will predict what it is you're trying to type. Word Q will also read it back for you. I didn’t really like the program. It doesn’t have a spellcheck or a dictionary. The floating window was distracting for me.  On the upside it only costs $149. But, like most things, you get what you pay for. It doesn’t come close to CoWriter (my opinion).

The last part of our day was using text to speech programs. Little did I know I had one right on my little laptop. Once I maneuvered my way around my programs and found it, I had a very hard time getting it to “start listening”. Over and over and yes OVER again I begged. But, the “listening” was intermittent, to say the least. The few minutes I had its attention, trying to speak clear enough to have the microphone pick up my voice was challenging. Having a quiet environment and knowing exactly what to say are really important factors to ensure success.

So, today’s class was once again, jammed pack with loads of really great resources. FYI- I can’t wait to get my hands on CoWriter.

Our Favorite Apps for Reading and Writing

ABC Tracing: Free app

This app is for students who are learning to write and recognize the alphabet. They are able to trace upper and lower case letters with their finger. To erase, you touch the eraser and shake the device. There is an audio component for each letter and object. It’s very simple and goes directly to the app with no distracting homepage. Graphics are clear and not busy or confusing. I would choose this app for one of my students who has difficulty with fine motor skills. He doesn’t know all his letters and often reverses letters (such as b and d).

Colourful Aquarium: Free app

This is an app of a realistic aquarium with beautiful fish. They can feed the fish with food. Students can clean the moss that grows over time. Students can also scare away the fish. The app is meant to make the viewer relax. When I first saw this app I instantly thought of one my students who carries a lot of anger. He will often become very upset, cry and hit himself. He will also use a lot of negative talk. Perhaps this app would lessen or even alleviate the escalation. I think this app would be a gentle distraction for him. It might help calm him down.

ABC Pocket Phonics: Cost $2.99

This app focuses on emergent readers and how they acquire phonics skills. As students learn the letter sounds; the app guides them on how to write each letter. It also teaches letter sounds that come from combining letters together (like ‘ch’ and ‘sh’). The app reinforces letter/sound association. This app would work well with students who are struggling in both reading and writing. Students experiencing auditory processing difficulties would also benefit from this app.

                                                                      

Sentence Builder: $3.99

This app is designed to help students learn how to build grammatically correct sentences. It’s simple to use and has three levels to play. It has encouragement animations and audio clips. The Sentence Builder lets students build sentences by selecting from a group of words. It has images where students must choose the words that match with what they see in the picture. This app would be great for ESL students. It would assist in familiarizing ESL students with the structure of a sentence along with general vocabulary.

Pictello: $14.99

This app enables students to make their own storybooks with pictures imported in or taken with the built in camera. This is a powerful tool in creating meaningful stories. Students can write their personal stories and hear their stories read by a narrator or they can record themselves. It’s easy to use and is designed for all ages and all skill levels. Students who are non-verbal would have a wonderful opportunity to share their stories to the world through their choice of pictures and text. ESL students would also be able to create stories where they could experiment with the English language. If they feel confident enough they can record their own voices, if not the narrator can do it for them. Pictello is not a free app and the price does seem a bit steep. But, I think it’s really worth the price.

 



StoryBuilder for iPad  5.99

Story Builder is designed to help children improve paragraph formation and to integration of ideas. Extensive use of audio clips promotes improved auditory processing for special needs children with autism spectrum disorders or sensory processing disorders. It provides a fun way for students to create a writing narrative. It also allows students to record their own voice reading the narrative. There are 50 story lines to choose from and once complete stories can be saved and emailed. I would use this for at risk writers in the elementary or junior high level.

Social Skills   $3.99

Social Skills offers parents and educators the ability to interact with six social narratives (broken into 2 levels which give a total possible of 12 social narratives) designed to help individuals improve their social ability. The stories contain targeted instruction in the following core areas: Joint Attention; Non-Verbal Communication; Greetings; Structured game play; Turn Taking; Classroom rules; and Imitation.The other great part is users can create their own stories by adding different photos, text, as well as audio. The end results allows for the individual to look at a social photo, touch the picture for audio, and continue onto the next page!

Sight Words List - Learn to Read Flash Cards & Games -  Free!

Sight Words, also known as the Dolch List are an integral part in learning how to read. The Dolch Word list contains 315 words that are broken down into appropriate age groups. It is important for young readers to be able to instantly recognize these high frequency words in order to be proficient and fluent readers.  As a bonus you can also create your own personalized word list. I would use this for any age student who is having trouble with reading or writing especially have difficulty remembering their high frequency words.

Storycubes- $1.99

For this app they give your around 6 cubes that are like dice and you give them a shake. On the cubes are pictures such as a sunshine or and animal. You have to take the cubes and be able to tell a story using all of the cubes.  This would be reat for story starters, reluctant writers, speaking and listening, creative writing.  Love them

 

Tumblebooks: $5.99

Those of you that have used Tumblebooks online will already be familiar with it. Now they are available as an app and include animations. You can purchase many of your favorite children's author books in packs of six. Great for reluctant readers and young grades for read alouds and reading responses. 

 



Reflection #4

Well, due to circumstances beyond our control, our class was changed from its original format. We didn’t have access to the internet, so in true “teacher fashion” we improvised and changed things up a bit. We ended up having a very productive class. In a small group we (Kari, Adele and me) developed a one minute commercial trying to sell the ReelDirector app. This is a video editing app. We had to learn how to use the app, come up with an idea, plan it, create a script and then do the actual commercial. I certainly have a new respect for video/movie editors. Once you have the idea and script, it’s the editing that is by far the most time consuming. We were given a one minute time frame and that was tough to keep to. We just made the 60 second mark. Looking at this activity you can see students could be exposed to quite an array of skills. Literacy skills (and outcomes) they may use:

1. Discussing thoughts and feelings and considering others’ ideas.

2. Expressing and explaining opinions.

3. Adapting volume, projection, facial expression, gestures and tone of voice to the speaking occasion.

4. Engaging in a variety of oral presentations and other texts.

5. Making personal connections to texts and respond personally to a range of texts.

6. Using writing and other forms of representation to organize language and ideas.

7. Experimenting with technology in writing and other forms.

8. Using strategies needed to solve a variety of problems.

9. Ability to communicate ideas, perceptions and feelings.

10. Student collaboration

11. Sharing ideas through communication.

12. Script writing

13. Researching and exploration of ideas.

Reflection #3

The first part of our day consisted of groups presenting their findings on MyStudyBar, Kurzweil, WYNN, Natural Reader and TextHelp. The presentations were really informative. It was exciting to see what supports are available out there. All the programs had similarities in some areas, mainly the text-to-speech component. The biggest difference in them could possibly be the price tag. The prices range from free to $1500. Who doesn’t love free? And yet, like many things, you get what you pay for. When examining the features of the most expensive program, Kurzweil, I can’t help but be blown away with the possibilities it creates for all students. It’s important to identify the right tool that fits each student. It has endless elements that would support struggling students (for instance, students who are having difficulties in reading or writing, students with visual impairments). But, this program could be used by all students. I could see my strong, self-motivated students thriving with this program as well. I would love to have this program at my school (who wouldn’t??) The software is super easy (even for people like me) and there are loads of ways to use it effectively in the classroom. It’s a shame when price is the only negative.

So, I’ve been looking forward to this class right from the start. As I say time and time again, technology is not my strongest suit. But, I couldn’t wait to get a chance to play and explore the capabilities and possibilities the iPod Touch has for my struggling learners. I have heard so many great things about it. I was really curious about all the excitement. So, today was the day and well, it didn’t take me long to see that the iPod Touch doesn’t disappoint.

Pictello is a really neat app and super easy to use. It creates talking photo albums and talking books. I could really see this program being used with all students. It could be used with all ages and all skill levels. Students could use Pictello to organize Science experiments. They could take pictures of each step and accompany it with a simple sentence. A non-verbal student could use Pictello to log their interests and news. A student who may be going away on a family vacation could create a journal/diary of events to share when they have returned. Pictello may be used with students who have Autism. It could be used for schedules or task instructions. Students could use Pictello for research projects. I get my students to do a little research project on endangered species. They could easily use it to organize their pictures and facts then present it to the class. You could use Pictello on a field trip. You could take loads of pictures. Once returned back to school, students could go through pictures and compose captions for the photos. You could use Pictello in Math too. I was thinking that students that may be struggling with a concept like subtracting larger numbers, you could make a little story around the concept, breaking it down into smaller steps. They could take pictures of each step with a short explanation to go with it. Then they could refer to the “story” when experiencing difficulties.

So, I noticed that Scholastic has an iPad in the Teacher’s store section. Guess who’s saving her book order money? Hey, no harm in dreaming…

PS We had a spectacular view of the harbour today.

Reflection #2 continued

Another website which I really liked was udl tech toolkit. This is a really nice website for all teachers. I've actually suggested it to a few people on staff. It's really clear and easy to use, not at all complicated. I think it's a valuable tool for teachers. I like that it's free (ya!) and it's often updated. I love the little blurbs written about each site, saving time that is so precious. The sites are fun and engaging and are accessible to all students. The site includes Literacy and Math tools. But, it also has audio books and graphic organizers (plus other great stuff too!)
Well, I finally got some new earphones, soooo happy!

Reading Task Analysis

Reflection #2

Today’s class began with my team (Adele and me) finishing up our task analysis on the reading process. Using the Kidspiration program to complete the assignment was a great way to get a feel for the program. It was also a wonderful way to illustrate just how involved the reading process is. After our assignments were ready, all of us presented what we came up with. I really enjoyed how everyone tackled the assignment. It was very obvious by observing all the presentations just at how complex the reading process is and how it’s all interconnected. There is a lot going on when you crack open a book! (Lots of arrows working back and forth!)
We then looked at websites that support reluctant and struggling readers. This was great because I have several students that fit both descriptions. My students are very familiar and really enjoy StarFall. It was nice to have the opportunity to find more resources to broaden my repertoire. I rarely have the time during the day to look at sites. So, just given time was a real gift.
One of the sites I really liked was called Into the Book. This site is very inviting and has a magical feel to it. I like that it focuses on the comprehension piece. It looks at areas such as making connections and questioning. Its very user friendly, even for someone old school like me. There’s a nice mix between neat visuals and unique audio clips. I have some very capable readers in my Grade Two class. This site would be great for them. They see themselves as readers and are confident with print. But, I think this resource could be a little challenging for my hesitant readers. The passages are a bit long and the language is a bit sophisticated for them. They might be a bit intimidated and shut down. The one thing I would like to see with this site is perhaps more Canadian content. It’s not a criticism; it would be just a suggestion to make it even better.
Another website I liked was Earobics- Game Goo. This resource would be great for many of my Grade Twos. The graphics are fun and silly and would grab the attention of any 6-8 year old. Many of my students have difficulties with simple directions that include more than one step. I love the little game called Tina’s World Buggy Tails where they have to remember 3 steps in order (very challenging for some). Tina’s World Sassy Seals is little game focusing on initial sounds. All games have charming characters with wonderful voices/sounds. My students would love Game Goo. I found myself giggling to myself. Oh and earphones are a must!

Reflection #1

So, here we are, first day.... So far so good! My anxiety about technology is at a manageable level. I am still finding myself using the old fashioned, always dependable pen to scribble my notes.
Note to self... AT is NOT IT! AT is providing access to task and improving performance.