Summary of Course

I thouroughly injoyed this course despite the sauna factor in the classroom.  The heat made it hard to get inspired to work or go that extra step sometimes but I learned so much.  I really enjoyed learning about the iPod touch Apps that can be used in schools.  There are so many Apps out there that students could benefit from that I will be definately be suggesting this to parents, students and teachers.

The AAC devices were also new to me, which I was surprized about because of our large learning center in our school.  As said before I will definately have some suggestions for our program services team to look into getting some software or incorporating what we have more to facilitate communication.

I enjoyed the fact that we got to work with case studies and had to use the programs to develop something to fit into their program plan.  This was very realistic and it was great to get to work with individuals who were of like minds.  Sometimes we do not get this opportunities in schools and it was great to see how other people with past experiences approached the topic/case studies we were given.

I really hope the next course (AT- access to Literacy) is going to be offered next summer because I feel I would greatly benefit from learning more about teaching literacy and technology to assist learniers with this.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer and finds fun and enjoyable ways to beat this heat!  (But I hope the nice weather continues :))

Day 12 - Tuesday, July 20 - Hearing Impairments

The task today was to find a inspiring video on a topic assignmed.  My assignment was hearing impairment.  The above video shows two deaf musicians with extrodinary musical talent which has grown even though they cannot hear the music they are playing.  Amazing!

Some technology that is avaliable to assist people with a hearing impairment are listed below with a link to the web page the information s found on:

Infrared systems are often used in the home with TV sets, but, like the FM system, they can also be used in large settings like theaters.


Sound is transmitted using infrared light waves. The TV is set at a volume comfortable for family members. The infrared system transmitter transmits the TV signal to your receiver, which you can adjust to your desired volume. Thus, TV watching as a family becomes pleasurable for all. While it is not too loud for family members with normal hearing, the volume is just right for you because it is adjusted by you through your individual receiver.

http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/treatment/assist_tech.htm

Here is a website that has a list of some assistive technology avaliable for the deaf and hard of hearing.

http://www.listen-up.org/edu/assist.htm

Harris Communications is a company in the United States that has a catalog avaliable on the link below with the products they sell for the deaf and hard of hearing.

http://www.harriscomm.com/

Day 10 - Friday, July 16

Boardmaker Plus! A great tool for a teacher to know but again it takes time to learn how to use it.  I am very lucky that I went to Acadia for my BEd and ave had some experience with similar programs.  Or at least programs that had to link pages together etc.  The basics are not that hard but everybody has their own learning pace.

I think the most difficult thing about this assignment is not knowing the student you are doing the board for.  We have their info but with out really knowing the student it is hard to know how far to go with this dymanic communication device.  We are assuming a lot about this student when we are doing the assignment.  We are trying our hardest to come up with appropriate communication sayings but it is hard when we come down to the specific subjects.  I am just pretending for a few of the subjects about the topic or unit the class is working on and coming up with some key words or phrases or answers to questions that this student may be expected to know or answer for their IPP outcomes.

I think Boardmaker Plus is an extremely useful program and I will be looking into the learning center to see if we have it avaliable.  I was thinking if we did, that some of my students who are good with technology but not so good at organizing or writing, that they may do a project for english where they could create a book about  a topic for the students in the learning center that could be used other years.  Maybe one explaining the Merchant of Venice so the student can be doing the same book as their classmates but at their level.  The student would be showing their understanding of the play by being able to pck out the important parts of the play to put in their book.  So many possibilities!

Day 9 - Thursday, July 15

Switches - who knew they were so complicated!!  Today had me thinking a lot about the students in the learning center at my school and why we are not using these great devices so they can be more in control of their life.  I know, after today, how complicated it can be with teaching and incorporating a switch into a students life but the benefits are so worth it!

Maybe some of the students are not ready to understand the cause and effect relationship that is needed to first to be able to use the switch, which is a device that is used to replace an action they have difficulty with due to no motor ability or control.  I have a feeling it is more that it is not being used frequently enough for this to be established but I am not the one in charge of their programming. I know most of our non verbal students have the consistant controled movement needed to opporate the switch, whether it be gross or fine motor control.  I don't think our board has enough input from OT's to help with this process.

Again I am amazed at how literacy plays such an important role in this AT.  The language you use when asking the student to turn on the switch is so important and would be easy to overlook because a lot of the time we are told to just use simple language because they can only understand direct commands.  Something I have struggled with, being the talker that I am, and I feel like I am talking to this teenager like they are a baby. I realize is a stressful situation whan they are agitated or trying to flee it is omportant to keep it to the basics but in everyday conversation it is important to use all the words needed.

I think, at my school, we need to see our learning center students out more interacting with students and staff.  If they need a switch to activate the greeting words they are expected to use then they need opportunity to use it to get the timing right.

I think the majority of the students in the learning center who are non verbal are mobile but do have issues with their fine motor movement so they would benefit more from a gross motor switch to activate a device.  They may also benefit from the switch being attached, with a power link, to electrical devices to help with the cooking program.  I am going to look into this into September without getting anyone's nose out of joint.

In watching the videos in class today I was amazed at how switches gave the students control in their environment and how easy it was to include them in activities. I really liked the fan idea with the numbers on it, for math class, as a way for the student to help their peers select the numbers they would use in multiplying.  This could be used is so many ways like selecting vocabulary words for students to practice.  Very exciting!

When we had the opportunity to work with a scanning keyboard.  In watching the videos where we saw people using these I was impressed and amazed but now I am astounded at the ability they have!  It is very hard to use a scanning keyboard!  It would take me at least 10 minutes to type this sentance.

I am totally amazed at the variet of switches there are avaliable.  Whether they are simple touch switches that can be accessed by touching it with your head, knee, elbow, foot, finger with a gross motor movement, or a speciality switch that is activated in a more creative way such as infrared, eyeblink, breath, slight cheek movement, tongue mouse, lazer dot with camera, they are all incredible pieces of technology that allow people to have control over their environment, to communicate, participate in leisure actiities and have access to employment.

Day 7 & 8 Tuesday, July 13 & Wednsday, July 14

Today was learning how to use technology to make Preperation stories.  Preperation stories are a very useful teaching device for students who need to be explicitly taught some social expectations.  They are a tool for teaching social skills to individuals with autism and other disabilities that inhibit people from interacting or noticing the world around them.  They help students who may have difficulty seeing how their actions affect the feelings of others, those students who may have difficulty in perspective taking. 

Preperation stories need to be in first person and model the desired behavior rather then focussing on the undesired actions.  They should have descriptive sentances (the who, What, Where and Why of the situation) and also have some perspective sentances showing how this action affects other people so the student can gain some understanding on the thoughts and emootions of others.  There may also be a Directive sentance that will suggest a response to a particular situation that may happen.

Preperation stories can be used to help ease anxiety in an unfamiliar setting, prepare the student for what may happen in a new situation. They can teach routines, how to do an activity, how to ask for help how to act in a certain situation.  The task you want them to do needs to be broken down by task analysis to make sure you know what the skills sets of the student are and what needs to be explained out.

Preperation stories areusually done in a book format with lots of pictures showing the desired response.  We took the technology a step futher and used video and windows movie maker to make a social story.  We practiced on Wednesday with a situation that was given to use by Barb.  We had fun trying to figure out how to use the program.  I enjoyed it.  It is a very visual program and very easy to use.  We just learned some basic things like how to create a project, incorporate/record audio and put titles and slides in our movie.  I can see now how people are making all the wonderful utube videos that I watch. I really have discovered or reaffirmed that I am a visual learner.  As long as I can see What I am working with (like on the timeline of windows movie maker) I can manipulate it very well.  I am going to introduce my daughtr to this program as she is always doing silly things on video she takes herself, or just walks around and talks about the things around her while recording.  I think she will love being able to do things on this program. I am sure she will teach me a lot more.

On Wednesday, we worked on creating our own preperation story.  We chose a student who had a habit of peaking under the stalls in the washroom.  The real student is a boy but we changed our profile student to a girl so we would not have to film in the boys washroom.  The language we used in the social story was where we spent the most of our time.  We wanted to always use the easy route and say 'don't do this" which is emphasizing the negative where a preperation story should focus on the behaviour you want to see.  Also how to show the perspective of others, to use mad, sad, or angry as the feeling word.  We were not sure how far to go.  When working with children with autism or who have difficulty with perspective taking it is very hard to know what language to use.

In the end we worked it out and finished our video.  It was a very useful experience. I really enjoyed the other preperation stories that were created by my classmates.

Day 6 - Monday, July 12 Assign 3

Assignment 3

Part A – Right off the Shelf
Sacha and I deal with many students who have difficulty with organization and memory. The students who always lose things or spend class time looking for something (Oh I don't have an eraser or a pencil) The student with the book bag that is overflowing with paper stuffed in it and when working on a test say “Oh it is on the tip of my tongue, I just can't remember the details”. They may or may not have an LD. We went into the dollar store with these students in mind.

We decided on an organizer to help keep students vocabulary organized or to store their cognitive cue cards. We found a picture album that would be a great way to store these items. They would no longer have to shuffle through the cards and loose track of where they started, or have one accidentally fall on the floor while using them. They can organize the album into subjects or have one for each subject. Colour is also very important for students who have difficulty with organizing. They have them with more pages as well but we thought the 2 cards per page layout worked well for vocabulary. They can cover up either the word or definition to quiz themselves.

Milieu – They can use it at school or at home.
Personality – Student has trouble keeping track of things and time management, wants to improve habits to be more successful at school. Has used cue cards for studying vocabulary before.
Technology – easily portable, lightweight, does not make student look different from others
Task – organize and help with studying and memory deficits
Time – instead of writing vocabulary onto looseleaf they can do it on cue cards and will spend less time routing through book bag looking for the cards.



Ten other low AT at the dollar store:
1.coloured dividers
2.colored sticky tabs
3.post it notes
4.coloured magnetic clips for organizing locker
5.pencil grips
6.calculator with large buttons
7.magnetic picture frame (could be used on whiteboard to show a picture of lesson topic)
8.roll on glue tape – for students who have a hard time using liquid glue or a roll of tape, this rolls on much like liquid paper
9.balloons for gym class
10.paper clips for students zippers

Task B – Creating your own AT

Keeping the student in task A in mind we went in search of something we could create to help keep them more organized. We came up with a couple of ideas. One was to take dividers and use construction paper to create a pocket to hold the handouts for that subject in it. This way the student does not have to open up the rings on their binder but simply place it in the folder. They can still see the page, can easily flip through to the one the teacher is asking for. This is instead of stuffing it into their book bag at the end of class and getting lost. Then we thought about an even worse habit we would like to help a student with: Coming to class with nothing to write with!! We found a small garden tool belt that we changed by sowing a bit of the strap together so that it would clasp around the front cover of the binder. We then velcroed the pockets shut so nothing would fall out and labeled each pocket. The student will now have all their pencils, pens, highlighters and erasers at their disposal for working in class. It is not easy to lose because it is attached to the binder. It won't make then stand out to other students and it is easy to use.

Melieu: in school, in any class.

Personality: student has difficulty organizing things and is always losing things. Knows they need to have their supplies for class but always seems to come to class unprepared. Has tried other suggestions but they have not seemed to work.

Technology: a device that stays with the binder to hold and organize the supplies needed to be successful in class.

Task: to have all supplies needed for class to do the tasks assigned by the classroom teacher

Time: student will now be able to focus on the task they are assigned instead of looking for something to write with.

Assign 2 - iPod Touch Apps

I must say I am thoroughly loving my iPhone!  It is basically the iPod touch with a phone feature.  All the Apps you can get are amazing!  I have downloaded so many free Apps that are great for my daughter and since taking this course I have found so many that my students at school will find useful.  Our learning center will definately benefit from a lot of these Apps, now we just have to figure out how to get the iTouches.

I work in a academic Resource room.  The majority of my students have an LD whether they are diagnosed or not.  I searched for Apps that will help support LD students.  I started with one particular student in mind.  He has dysgraphia and has been using a laptop in class to take notes and do assignments. If he takes notes by hand he is not able to decipher what he has written, or his parents who are very supportive. He does not put a lot of detail into his written answers. He has tried Dragon Naturally Speaking but found it difficult to go through the training.

 I think he would benefit from the Dragon Dictate Application.  In this free app you can speak into the iPod Touch and what you say is then sent through the internet and then comes back typed on you iPod screen.  For the student to have full access to this they will need to be able to have wirelass access to the internet and be able to get through the firewalls.  If they want to save it they simply copy it to the clipboard and open the e-mail or document they want to put it in and double tap to paste.  The student would probably also benefit from having Documents 2 go App as well to save what he has put into Dragon Dictate.

Another student I thought of has poor working memory and an LD in mathematics.  She uses cognitive cue cards often for tests.  There are a lot of Apps avaliable to help build up basic math skills for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.  The one app that I found useful for building algebra skills is called Diamath.

The Diamath App presents a diamond able to hold 4 numbers.  You have to figure out the 2 numbers on the left and right that will add up to make the bottom number AND multiply to give you the top number.  Two different numbers are given in different spots.  You have to fill in the 2 missing numbers to satisfy the rules mentioned above. It is $0.99.

The other useful App is Flashcards.  In this App students can build their own flashcards to quiz themselves.  you can put things on the front and back of a cue card. There are a number of different ways you can access the cards, randomly, in order, you can tell which ones you get right and then it will only use the ones you had difficulty with.  If you are doing a lot of typing there is an option to do the cards on a computer in a spreadsheet and then uploading the to your iPod.  I believe this would also be a good app to make the cognitive credit cards to use for tests. A study tool and an adaptation in one. It is $3.99.

Some other applications I thoght would be useful are the dictionary App for those students who find using a paper dictionary cumbersome, the amount of info overwhelmes them.  They can simply type in the word or part of the word as it has a prediction feature, to find a definition that matches the use of the word.

I am very excited about the new technology that I have access to.  I am currently using the iRewards App with my daughter to encourage some more positive behaviours and help around the house.  She loves telling Mama when she gets a star.

Day 4 Thursday, July 8

Today was a fun, hands on day.  We had the opportunity to develop a dynamic, communication board in Proloquo 2 Go for a fictional student.  This is a lot more complicated then it looks.  The planning that goes into developing the communication peice is immense.  What the student may want or need to say in all the different environments they interact socially in is huge.  Of course you start off with more generic messages to see how the student handles the AT and then you would add on.  My group dealt with Sally and how she would communicate with her friends.  We found a lot of crossover with some of the communication and how to categorize it with simple titles for the student to understand.  it would be important to have similar categoreies in each environment for consistancy (all greetings  and answer to greetings would be under HI/Bye)  The biggest issue I found was with the needs and wants category, to have sentance starters that were generic enough that could be used with a variety of endings.  At first I had the urge to just have one word answers and question (instead of saying I want water please, have the student just push water).  This does not develop literacy skills of the student and other students at this age would not be using one word to ask a question.

Using the technology was very simple.  I find the technology now is very visual which makes it easier to use.

Day 3 - Wednesday, July 7

This class started off by talking about the assessment process for assistive technology. We learned about 4 different models that professional use to figure out if it is the right technology for the purpose.


HAAT model - Human Activity Assistive Technology Model – looks at what the activity is, think about the person doing the activity and where the activity is being done.

MPT (TT) – this is the model the South Shore School Board uses, following the model described by Dr. Marcia Scherer.. In this model you take a look at the environment (milieu) the technology will be used in, the personality of the student who will be using it (motivated etc) and the technology itself. Time and Task have been added when discussed in class because these are also important to consider when thinking about AT integration into a student's program.

WATI - The Wisconson Assistive Technology Initiative is a manual created by this organization outlining the steps that need to be condidered when using AT with checklists and questions to consider when looking at AT.

SETT Framework – takes into consideration the Student, the Environment, the Tasks and the Tools

Basically all the models get you to look at the learner, their personality and experience with the technology, the place where and how the technology will be used. There are checklists to use with all the models that help you go through questions you need to think about to see what AT will be appropriate for the stage the student is at.

Next in the class we were given time to use an AAC device to use for the scenario we talked about yesterday on how a person who is non verbal will communicate their message. I really enjoyed on learning how to use the Go Talk! I can see the disadvantages on having to carry the device around to communicate but for a person just learning how to communicate I cannot believe how this would open up their world. I can also see how it would be easy to just have them communicate with one word. It would be easy to slip into this habit but it is important to develop literacy skills at all times and encourage the use of proper sentences.

Now for the really exciting part of the class Proloquo 2 go. Wow, what an amazing tool for a student who is non verbal and used to dynamic technology. It is very easy to use and would be exciting for a student who is interested in technology even a little bit. For those of you who are reading this who are not in this class, Proloquo 2 Go is an Application for an iPod touch that is a communication device where you can use folders to organize what level or topic the communication is about (like the sheet or level in the go talk) and then have specific icons that say what you want it to say. See the link on the side for a demo from u tube. I am very excited to go back and share this with my Program Support team in September.

Day 2 - Tuesday, July 6

Well I have been quite lax in keeping up with my blog.  I find after 7 hours at school, coming home and being mom, by the time I actually get to sit down and think about my day I am exhausted.  I am the type of person who has a difficult time starting something and then come back to it piece by piece.  I have to do it all while I am in that frame of mind because if I come back to it I will be in a different frame of mind and my writing does not flow.  That is my excuse and I am sticking to it :)

On this day we talked about Communication, learned about some Augumentative and Alternative Commuication (AAC) Tools and saw how the ipod touch is such a powerful tool for communication.

Some ways to communicate are: spoken language, written language, static artwork (drawings, paintings), body language, facial expression, sign language, touch, video, animation.  Communication depends on the reciever as well as the sender.  The reciever must have prior knowledge of the way of communications.  The three important elements of communication are: 1. there must be communication partners, 2. there must be joint attention and 3. there must be a common language.
Communication has always been difficult for me.  Don't get me wrong I like to talk but I have a hard time getting to the point when I have the full attention of the people I am communicating to.  I see everyone looking at me and I tend to babble.  I should clarify who my communication partners are when I mostly start babbling, adults.  When teaching I have thought about what points I want to get across and feel confident in talking about it.  When having a conversation, especially when I have to give my opinion and I do not know my audience well and what they will think of me I forget my point and babble.

Having worked with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for two years I also have a good understanding of some of the nuances in communication.  It is amazing having to take someone else's words and try to explain them to someone who has not heard them.  ASL is more like making a picture of  the concept that is trying to be explained rather then the word for word signing. And watching that picture from someone else and then trying to communicate that into an english sentance is very challanging as well.  It really makes you think about the way you explain things and the order you explain it in.  That experience has really helped me to try to become a more visual explainer about concepts I am trying to explain.

The activity we did this day was also interesting to try to problem solve on how a person who cannot communicate through talking will get their message across.  It would take a lot of pre-planning and thought to communicate your wants and needs and sometimes people who are non verbal may not have the cognitive ability to organize and pre-plan which is where teachers, aides and parents need to step in and help.

When thinking about communication as part of a students IPP goals or in assessing a student for an assistive technology (AT) device you need to think about the goal of the communication.  Are they just learning to communicate their basic wants and needs and build from there or are they able to handle a more dynamic way of communicating.  .  How predicable is the communication going to be (is it just a simple communication of a want or a need or is there going to be more of a transfer of information).  It is a lot to think about.

Day 1 of Assistive Technology

Wow What an intense day! I am so overwhelmed with technology right now but I am excited about learning more and hopefully actually being able to access it. I have so many new user names and passwords I hope I remember them all!

Despite the small room, not enough hook ups and some technology glitches I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and discussion that followed, it really made me think about some of my own views on people with a "disability".

The most important thing I took from today's class was how the behaviour and mannerisms and physical features really influence people's (including my own) view on intelligence. Looking at Susie, with her interesting quirks and habits, one would think she was cognitively challenged. This is definately not the case. She just needed a way to communicate her thoughts and ideas. It makes me think of students I have worked with and students at my school who we have not tapped into their potential. One thought that does cross my mind is the time and energy this takes and the resources (both material and human) to do this. It can be so overwhelming that it would be so easy to take the simple road and not try to tap into their potential.

Communication is such an important means of assessing intelligence. If you cannot communicate what you know, in a traditional way, then we assume someone does not understand what has happened. This is the case for so many individuals, they are trapped inside their own minds and just need a way to show what they know.

Another thought is when do you know you have tried to tap into their potential and have exposed them to the right resources to try to get them to communicate what they know? Is it just luck, like with Susie, who had someone who knew about a new technology to try out, or is there a way to determine the best way for that individual to communicate? When is enough, enough? All the assistive technology available takes time to train on and they need to be exposed to it for a long time for it to actually be useful. When we learn to talk (the first traditional way we learn to communicate) we are exposed to language from the moment we are born. This takes about 1.5 years for this to start coming out of a child in speech. The neural pathways need to develop. This may be the case for non verbal students as well. Exposing them to the technology 1-2 times a day is like talking to/interacting with a child 1-2 times a day. Nothing will get accomplished. When do you say as a team that this is not the appropriate way for them to communicate? It would be easy to just say it is not working, but you would really have to question if it is being taught properly, exposed enough etc. There are so many factors here it makes my head ache. More dimensions of this scenario keep popping up. We often prioritize with students what is the best skills for them to be taught in school, and at a certain point the focus gets put on life skills and less on the communcation component of their lives. Are we really doing what is right? We need to think about if what they should know when they leave high school is appropriate. If Susie had not started using that communication device her life path would have been extremely different, similar to many students in out schools. Learning life skills and in a group home setting, not going to college and living on her own with assistance.

As discussed in class, you really do have to presume competency with students who are non verbal and look past some of the behaviours that interfere with your view of the student. Communication is one of the main ways we measure intelligence and if someone has difficulty communicating we assume they will not comprehend what is being presented. We need to start thinking outside the box and come up with ways for non verbal students to communicate to show us what they know.

I am looking forward to finding new ways to do this. :)

Test

Hello! Just testing this Blog thing out :) More to follow once I get into this course.