Assistive Technology

As I was completing the online module of assistive technology, one point really stuck with me. These tools are being used in order to help make the students more successful. The focus should not be the disability of the student, the focus should be the task to be accomplished or goal to be acquired. We as educators should make use of any and all resources available, and I believe assistive technology to be a wonderful resource. Listed below are ways to use assistive technology with varying groups of students.

Mild disabilities-Mild disabilities may include attention deficits, learning disabilities, and mental retardation. Students with attention deficit disorder are very easily distracted and have a difficult time staying on task and completing assignments. I have had students in my class with attention deficits that struggle reading books or stories to themselves. An assistive technology I would use would include a website that allows students to listen as the story is read to them and the student is able to read along with the website. This helps keep the students engaged. http://www.storylineonline.net/ is free and offers a few online books. www.onemorestory.com has several books, but there is a subscription fee required. I would also encourage the use of word prediction product for students with mild disabilities. These students may have the ability to write an essay, but yet struggle and get discouraged by the size of the task. This program would encourage the student to complete the assignment instead of working against them.

Moderate and severe disabilities-Moderate and severe disabilities can cause problems for students in the regular education classroom if certain accommodations are not made. In these cases, more emphasis is put on learning skills to be used in everyday life such as grocery shopping, money management, and transportation. I would suggest using the iPad app P2K Money. It allows students to enter their income, add items to their wish lists, and keep track of the money they have saved. Depending on the severity of the disability, I would also encourage the use of alternate keyboards for computer use. On this assistive technology, obscure keys that are not needed for specific programs are removed to appear more simple and user friendly.

Physical disabilities-These students struggle with simple daily activities, such as mobility around the classroom and motor skills. An example of assistive technology for these students may include a classroom desk that can be raised or lowered for a student that uses a wheelchair daily. Another assistive technology would be the use of a joystick for computer use instead of a computer mouse which requires those fine motor skills some students with physical disabilities do not have.

Sensory disabilities-This encompasses the visual impaired, hearing impaired, and blind students. For students who are visually impaired, there is an assistive technology program called the optical character recognition software. This software scans the printed material and converts this material to text. The software then reads the text aloud for the student. I have often seen the FM amplification systems in use for hearing impaired students. This piece of hardware can be a small microphone headset worn by the teacher while the student wears a receiver. This assists in focusing the student’s attention on the teacher during class time.

At-risk behavior/situations-These students may not be recognized globally as having a disability. However, their behavior often times causes them to struggle academically. One piece of assistive technology that I use to help my students who struggle with behavior is ClassDoJo. Classdojo.com is a website as well as an app. The teacher can award and take away behavior points for each student and the website keeps track of specific issues the students have trouble with. A “report card” can also be printed out or e-mailed for parents. This can be very motivating for students who are overwhelmed with the thought of their behavior for the whole day. This helps students check their behavior as the day progresses. For struggling students who may not be recognized as having a disability, they may benefit from the use of the website webmath.com. This website allows you to enter numbers or data and will then solve the problem and give an explanation.

Gifts and talents-Assistive technology programs can be used to help maximize the potential of students who are considered gifted and talented. I would encourage my students to research a topic of their choosing and develop a glogster page to showcase their findings and information. glogster.com is an extremely creative way to organize and share information on a given topic. Hoagiesgifted.org is a website created for gifted students, their teachers, and administrators. It has links that includes their favorite apps, software, games, etc. This would be beneficial for students at school as well as at home.

 

Robyler, M.D. & Doering, A.H.(2012). Intergrating educational technology into teaching.

            (6th ed.). Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall.


Twitter :
@assistivetek  - blog about assistive technology

Week 7 - Web 2.0

My first web 2.0 experience was with glogster. I have to say that I had a really good time creating this for my class. I plan on using it as an introduction to the rock cycle when we study earth materials. I love that you can embed videos right onto the page. I think kids would love creating their own as well.
RockCycleGlogster

The next web 2.0 resource I'd like to share was created using animoto. This was also fun to create, but I didn't realize how quickly 30 seconds would go by. I had originally been using some video clips instead of images. However, I soon realized that I wouldn't have enough slides, so I had to kind of start from scratch. I would use this as a student example for students to create their own animoto. I would consider giving a tutorial for students first, however.
TypesOfRockAnimoto

My Free Choice resource was to create two games using classtools.net. The homepage layout was a little cluttered. It took me a while to navigate and look at sample games. I would use both of these games as a review in computer lab after we had studied rocks, minerals, their characteristics, and some examples. I think students could also create their own review games using this website.

DustBinRockOrMineral

JigsawPuzzleRockOrMineral

I hope that you enjoy these and will maybe consider using these or sharing these at your school.

Twitter Assignment

The end of the course is upon me, and I have but one regret: I wish I had utilized Twitter more. When all my friends were hopping on the Twitter Train, I abstained with pleasure and pride. I gave myself a pat on the back for not being a follower (no pun intended). When I read that it was a course requirement that I join Twitter, I gave in to defeat. I joined Twitter but I did so with reservations. I had no intentions of updating where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with. I did not realize Twitter was also used professionally. As I completed my weekly searches and tweets out of compliance I would find a website or blog that I found really interesting or helpful. Regardless, I would move along and forget about Twitter until the next weekly assignment.

I would search by hash tags, but found it easier to then browse the tweeters for people to follow. Also, when I would find someone I thought would be helpful to follow, I would see who they followed and add them as well. While searching, I found that @MyWeb4Ed – Carol Mortensen frequently tweeted about a new online sketch pad, Google Map Maker, best image search engines, educational blogs, etc. She posted frequently and the majority of her tweets were technology and teacher related. @mrbyrne – Richard Byrne was another tweeter that I thought was worth following. However, he did include other tweets that were not all professional; some tweets were about his personal life. @librarian_lizzy – Liz Fisanick did not have many current tweets, but I found her older posts to be helpful such as 10 free web2.0 tools to use in your classroom, using board games in class, and best pinterest boards for educators.

A few of the websites that I stumbled upon through Twitter I have actually used in my classroom already. I have found that several people like to tweet about their favorite or most popular apps. I have downloaded several for use in my own classroom. I would love to say that Twitter was easy to get accustomed to and navigate. For me it was not. I must conclude that this contributed to the fact that I was less than enthusiastic about joining and using Twitter. I have no one to blame but myself. I did find Twitter useful when I actually sat down and gave myself time to browse and search, and I predict that I will continue to use Twitter in the future.

Week 6

Week 6 - App-tastic!

I just recently left the blackberry world about a month ago to join the iphone family, and I was given an ipad just a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, I'm a bit new to the whole app idea. However, I'm trying to embrace it whole heartedly! Here are a few of my favorites:

ClassDoJo - This is a really neat classroom management tool. I simply used it on my computer before I knew "there was an app for that" :)  You can give and take away points for each student and the program keeps track of the reason they were awarded points or lost them. You can view a percentage of each student's behavior or the whole class. You can even e-mail a behavior report card to the parents! You've got to check this one out!
About ClassDoJo

BrainPOP Jr. - I downloaded this app days after getting my ipad. The BrainPOP Jr. is for students ages 5-9. I teach 3rd grade, so some of my students were uninterested. However, my lower achieving students really love it! They have a movie of the week that you can access with the free app. After the video, it asks questions for the kids to answer. There is also a BrainPOP for older students.
More on BrainPOP Jr.

Miss Spell's Class - I have not yet downloaded this one, but it looks really neat! It will give you a list of 20 words, and students must tell if the words are spelled correctly or incorrectly. I thought this would be really great for my higher achieving students who may grow tired of the regular spelling lists each week. This would give them something a little more challenging.
Info About Miss Spell's Class

ArithmeTick - This app is pretty simple. It's basic math flashcards, but you can choose the skills and level you want to work on. You are competing against the clock, so you've got to stay sharp!
Info on ArithmeTick

I know a ton of teachers who like Khan Academy. @KhanAcademy recently released a free iphone app!

Week 5 - Instructional Software

Drill and practice-
ixl.com
This website allows students to practice math skills and concepts. You can specify the grade level and actual skill you want students to practice. Students can earn awards for completing problems correctly.


Tutorial-
http://www.khanacademy.org/
This website uses videos to teach the lessons chosen. Students may then practice the skills learned. The computer will offer hints if needed and has the students repeat the lesson if they answer a certain number of questions incorrectly.


Simulation-
http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/flash/v4/index.htm
This website is a simulation of an owl pellet dissection. It is fabulous! It lets students read about information regarding owl pellets, how to dissect owl pellets, and then provides a virtual dissection. We dissect owl pellets in 3rd grade, but I'm going to use this as a before activity.


Instructional games-
http://people.uncw.edu/ertzbergerj/ppt_games.html
This website has SEVERAL instructional games to use in your classroom to help make practice more fun for your students. I have used Big Wheel, Sunken Treasure, and Allign the Stars. They're great because you don't have to type in the template. I use them for vocabulary practice.


Problem solving-
http://www.kidsmathgamesonline.com/problemsolving.html
This website has some fabulous problem solving activities. I tried some myself and had some difficulty. I had to play them a couple of times to be successful. I'm very interested to see how my students do.


Integrated learning systems-
http://www.classworks.com/
This website allows students take a diagnostic test and an individualized learning path is assigned based on those test results. Lessons and practice are given based on the student's needs. Teachers may adjust those paths as needed. There is a cost for this learning system.

Twitter reference

tweeted by @pbskids:
Have fun practicing addition skills in SPACESHIP POWER-UP, a new @Cyberchase game! http://to.pbs.org/SqMgZs #games #math

The website has some neat games for students. I played some math and problem solving games. I think my 3rd graders will really enjoy this!

Week 4

HOORAY!

My school has been purchasing ipads a few at a time since August. Today was my lucky day! I have a brand new ipad for my classroom and I have no idea where to start. It's all a little overwhelming. While I was searching for ideas I came across several videos of classrooms that were supplied with multiple ipads. Students used them for a listening station, flashcard practice, QR code activities, brainstorming/organizing, and journaling. I feel my options are not as broad with one classroom ipad. However, I did find a couple of resources that would help get me started.

There are several apps that I have found that are, sadly, not free. I have yet to purchase those. Here are a couple that are free:

Free Apps

Brain Pop and Brain Pop Jr. - it has a video of the day and related quiz
Math Evolve - you choose to play as a game or simply practice facts. It allows you to choose what operation to practice as well as the speed and level of difficulty.

Video

You can view a video of math evolve here:

Twitter

@JasonSmithCSBO My ten favorite… #ipad #apps #classroom

ED 505 Week 3

Welcome!

My favorite pieces of technology are my Smartboard and data projector. The data projector is great for short stories or poems that you want the whole class to read. I can't begin to count the number of copies I have saved by projecting something instead of passing out 22 copies. It's also fabulous for picture book read alouds. By using the data projector, I won't have to worry about everyone being able to see the illustrations. The Smartboard is the best way to engage students before, during, and after a lesson. It can be used for small groups or whole group. I especially like having my students play review games. I often use it as a quick assessment. Special needs students really benefit from using this technology. I have a student that has a real difficulty writing, but really thrives on being able to use the Smartboard (Roblyer & Doering, 2012 pg. 18).  My kids love the Smartboard even more than I do!

References:

Robyler, M.D. & Doering, A.H.(2012). Intergrating educational technology into teaching. (6th ed.). Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Video

A video for new Smartboard users:

 

Link

A great site with lots of resources:

Smartboard lessons

 

Twitter

Follow me on twitter!
@cprice038