Journal #9: Assistive Technology

[NETS-T: IV, V]

COMMUNICATION

Augmentative and alternative communication  (AAC) are strategies and hardware/tools invented to assist people with severe communication disabilities to participate more fully in academic, professional, and social environments. 

No/Low Tech Tool:  "Small Talk with Built-In Icon holder". This device allows students with special needs to express themselves with the press of a button. 

20 seconds of a message can be recorded by the teacher and a picture/icon can be placed in the device for a visual. In the classroom these could be very helpful for students social needs. Examples of set messages: "I'm hungry," "I'm thirsty," and "I have to go to the bathroom."

 You could also set them up to express themselves when they come in each morning. (moods: happy sad, angry).

High Tech Tool:  I found out about this device when I attended the AT conference that was held in San Diego this past March. LC Technologies was at the conference demonstrating, “The Eyegaze Edge,” a program giving its users the ability to communicate with the world using only their eyes. I was able to sit and try out the technology. I found it to be a truly amazing way of being able to talk, type and communicate. They had a stack of six books on display, written by people with special needs, using this program.You sit approximately 2 feet from the computer (available in both tablet and desk top format) and allow the EyeGaze technology to scan your eye and pupil. It takes about 30 seconds to adapt to your eye and its outline. Your eyeball then becomes the mouse. This program can be installed on any PC to interact with the internet, programs on the desktop or educational applications so you can surf the web, study, and even do business all with the movement of the eyes. For more information about this product, check out their website: http://www.eyegaze.com/content/assistive-technology.

ACCESSIBILITY

Input devices for students with special needs differ depending on the type of disability. For people with mobility issues, equipment which provides flexibility in the positioning of monitors, keyboards, documentation, and tabletops is useful for many individuals with disabilities.

Hardware option: Wands and sticks— people who don’t have access to movement in their arms or legs can use a wand or stick. There are different options for using this tool:  it can be held in the mouth, attached to a headband wrapped around the head. Wands and sticks give a person access to pressing keys on the keyboard or using a touch screen computer independently. For a person using a mouth stick, they might also be able to control a rolling tracking ball (mouse).  Head wands might help with fatigue when a person becomes tired of holding a mouth stick for a long time.  

Software option: 

“TAP-It” is a device that could be very helpful to students in a classroom setting. It is easiest to describe “Tap-It” as a mega screen measuring about 42 inches and operates on an electronic base with wheels on the bottom for easy movement. The idea behind this is to allow any one, whether a small child in a wheel chair, to a mobile high school student standing at 6 feet tall, to be able to adjust the height to their reach as well as being able to move the Tap-It screen around the room. The variety of programming within the device allows for the teacher to adapt how he/she teaches the lesson. If you have a student who has trouble using a pen and paper you can ask them to instead write their answer on the screen by just lightly pressing with their finger tip, or even using a fuzzy tennis ball. The screen can be set so the teacher only shows the first piece of information on the power point/word document so that students are not distracted by the information underneath. There were big upsides to this product; essentially, this is a big computer and screen that is compatible with many educational programs as well as technology to assist students with varying needs. 

 

Journal #8: "Find the Truth About the Pacific Tree Octopus"

Ferrell, K. (2011). Find the truth about the pacific tree octopus. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(1), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-august-2011.aspx
[NETS-T: IV, V]

It is easy to forgot that NOT EVERYTHING ON THE INTERNET IS TRUE!! There are many inaccuracies posted on the world wide web and this article is a great reminder that we must teach our kids how to intellectually search for information and analyze the results for truth. Mr. Ferrell's lesson is inspiring because he allowed his students to figure this out for themselves. As teachers, its easy to take the shortcut and just point this out. I think the meaning gets lost in this translation and the students do not appreciate and remember the information in the same way. Mr. Ferrell's students needed to learn for themselves how to appreciate the access we have to information, and learn the valuable lesson that just because we can easily access a webpage, does not mean every word on the page is true. Another great addition to this lesson was that he gave them CHOICES! If we thought for a moment about adding in more choices into a lesson I think it would make such a difference for students who feel like they never are very interested in the topics being taught. Some might go with history/Explorers while others go with the environment/Tree Octopus - neither one is wrong. This is key, and I think goes a long way in giving children a subtle and important lesson on making choices and adding in variety...(the spice of life!)

Q#1: How are other ways we can help our students understand the value of searching for and analyzing truthful information on the internet?

Don't forget about the library! I know every school is different, and some might have limited access to learning materials. No excuse! Ask your students to find books in the library or at home and compare information in the books they collected with information on the internet. This might include making a field trip to the public library if you are looking for specific information but all the more reason it becomes a fun out-of-the-classroom experience. Expand their horizons while teaching them the value of truthful knowledge! Remember to include teaching how to look up information in dictionaries and encyclopedias. Short tutorials on each of these academic resources will be something that students carry with them as they advance their education.

Q#2: How can we as teachers use textbooks in a better way to teach truthful material. I think anytime a student hears the words "take out your textbook and turn to pg. 122..." they fall asleep! (I know I would!)

Textbooks can be a great source for knowledge if used in the correct way. For me, it's all about viewing the textbook as A source, NOT the ONLY source. This ties in with the question above about about using the library and the web. If you are using textbooks in class, breaking into groups and breaking down the material  can be an interactive way to get students motivated about reading the material together. This can be done whether you have access to the material in hardback books or digitally. Take the material from the book and combine it with other sources. Come together as a class activity to make a list like Mr. Ferrell's class did to come up with the best comprehensible summary of the material - weed out what might me inaccurate or unnecessary information. Allow students to use text as a segway into creativity. Give them CHOICES to express what they have learned - some prefer to write, others draw, paint, create a story, etc. You will end up with a classroom of students who are excited about the assignment and understand what information is truthful and accurate.

Journal #7: My Personal Learning Network (PLN)

What is a PLN? To break down the idea of Personal Learning Network I look at it in its simplest form: who we learn from and share professional information with. Your PLN can range from the teacher across the hall, to other educators you email with, to those names you follow on twitter, and other uses on Diigo who have similar interests and link to websites that connect with your specialty in education.  A Personal Learning Network is a way of connecting the dots to people you can share ideas with and learn from because they are studying, teaching and learning material or specialty (ex: special education) that interests you too. The best thing about a PLN is that as a teacher you can never have too many resources but you want to organize them in away that makes sense and is useful. A PLN is a way of organizing the people and networks that you like to connect with and is a way to find updated and new information, ideas, and resources that will help you continue to stay current with your field of education and will give you ideas to keep your classroom and students safe (ex: keeping up to date on privacy issues) and exciting (ex: using your PLN to find new lessons & creative ideas to mix up the same old material.) This is essential whether you are a new teacher (like me!) or a veteran who has been in the classroom for many years. We can all learn from each other's creativity and ideas. Why not share and stay connected?! :)

Here are 5 new people in my Twitter stream:

1. @techieteacher: Jeremy Brown is a special education teacher in MD who teaches children with autism. He is constantly posting new and relevant information regarding technology in education/special ed.  & more often then not moderates the weekly #spedchat on Twitter. I love his mentality when it comes to teaching his students with special needs - he does not look at them as students with disabilities, they are just students, and all students have the right to the best education possible.

2. @tperran: Tom Perran is a special educator for students with special needs in Virginia. [He is] "interested in tools and resources that help increase student curiousity and engagement." I came across Tom Perran on Diigo and started following him both there and on Twitter because I liked his links to articles & posts related to technology in education.

3. @Inclusive_Class: "A teacher who has created a resource of solutions for integrating students with special needs in the classroom. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inclusive-Class/156061461124492"

Love this tweeter for her invaluable resources she provides. Priceless for a new teacher like me! She also moderated the #spedchat I participated re: inclusion.

4. @shannonmmiller: "Teacher Librarian & Technology Specialist at 1:1 school, who loves creating, sharing, books, technology, Web 2.0, reading, change, advocacy, and NOISE. http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/" 

I started following Shannon Miller after reflecting on Journal article #6: "Student Voices for Change."

As a school librarian and technology specialist she is always tweeting and writing on her blog about how we as educators can make a significant positive impact on our students with books and technology. I want to be as knowledgeable as her one day!

5. @nmoore13: Natalie Moore is another student in our ED422 class. I originally started following her to connect with other students in our class and was delighted to read on her twitter profile that she also wants to be a special education teacher. I think its great to network and connect with other new teachers in our field and be able to bounce ideas off each other. It makes us better teachers to have that connection!

Today, August 2nd, 2011 I participated in the Tweetchat: #spedchat moderated by @Inclusive_Class. This week's topic on Inclusion lasted for an hour from 5:30-6:30pm. Some of the questions included: What tools do you use regarding Inclusion & where do you find resources to help you with this topic? What works re: Inclusion? What is challenging about Inclusion? There were posts from parents who posted experiences with their kids before and after inclusion as well as one tweeter who came from the perspective of braving his way through school pre/post inclusion. (He is now 39). He seemed the most negative of any responder and was against advocating for or against inclusion (from the view point of a teacher in an IEP meeting). As I reflect on this afternoon's chat I realize the biggest thing I took from this topic is that inclusion works or does not work on an individual basis. Inclusion is not for every student and the teacher must work with the data she collects: knowing the student, the parents, and environment to give the parents all possible knowledge to make a decision regarding inclusion for their child. As special education teachers, we must also find ways to bridge the delicate gap between general and special education students and find positive ways to teach our children that everyone is different but we are all in the classroom as equal peers and should be treated as such. This can be difficult to teach as some students lack pertinent social skills needed to work as a community in the classroom. I came away with a lot of "food for thought" and new resources to investigate (ex: BoardMaker, http://www.inclusiveclass.blogspot.com/). It was a lot to take in, but I valued the content of this chat and look forward to following along with #spedchat in the coming months as I start the special ed. credential program in the fall at San Marcos.

Diigo: This is a program that I am SLOWLY learning to use (and maybe even like!) :) I keep telling myself to be patient with this resource and try to use it daily to get used to all it has to offer. I think time and persistence will go hand in hand as I learn to navigate and appreciate the networking opportunities that Diigo offers. So far I am following Jeffery Heil (our Ed422 teacher) for all things related to technology in Education; Shannon Miller (who I also follow on Twitter) for her valuable links to incorporating books/literacy and technology into classroom learning. I also joined the group: Special Education Technology Integration because it has so many great links to articles and sites relating to incorporating technology in special education. This is a group that I am continuing to explore little by little. So far I have tagged these sites as PLN - they mostly reflect sources from our DIIGO class assignment but are great to come back to as future references in my classroom: NEA.org, TeachingTolerance.Org, StopCyberBulling.org, DiscoveryEducation.com, shannonmmiller.com, For me, Diigo has been an exciting tool to discover and a source of frustration, but I keep coming back because I know it will make me a better teacher as I connect with other users in the Diigo-verse to discover the most current and best of what there is to offer in education/technology/specialeducation. Hopefully they will help me create lessons that will combine academic content (within the standards) with higher-level thinking by my students!

Digital Discussion Forum (NING):

I joined Classroom 2.0 (see badge on my blog) and immediately started roaming through the blog posts listed on this site. There were quite a few titles that caught my eye but this article pulled me in & I knew I had to read it: "My 3 Biggest Mistakes and 3 Biggest Successes as a First-Year Teacher" by Janet Abercrombie. Of her 3 biggest mistakes this was my favorite: "Taking Criticism Too Personally." Its true, as a new teacher, I am constantly worrying how my classroom will look, will my kids succeed, and how I will find connections with my students parents, as well as the other teachers/faculty at the school. Its so important to remember that feedback/constructive criticism is a part of the basis for how we can improve. Teachers are constantly learning and tweaking their lessons to meet the needs of their students, and never more so than in the first year of teaching. I am at heart a sensitive person so I fear this is something I will not always handle well, but its nice to see another teacher have this same problem, and learn from it. I need to remember this mantra as I go through the credential program and into my first professional year! I think it will save me a lot of potential anxiety/heartache in those moments when I feel like I am failing. Instead, focusing on the ways I can improve and see success in my students will bring forth far more bright days in the classroom!  The best of Janet's 3 Biggest Successes was: "I managed my classroom well." Yes! This was a big topic in many of my undergraduate courses. Behavior Management! How do we structure rules so that our students respect each other, respect the teacher, and respect the school environment. This is a topic that fears me and excites me all at the same time. I know realistically it will take time to teach my students to act in the classroom (and this can be more difficult in special education) but if you acknowledge that it takes time and effort to implement the appropriate strategies for good classroom management, it will go a long way in the long run towards helping our students reach social and academic success.

Journal #6: "Student Voices for Change"

Miller, S. (2011). Student voices for change. Learning & Leading with Technology, 38(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2011.aspx

[NETS 1, II, III]

The best part of this article was reading about how young students affected and changed the minds of older, established, political figures. Through the use of technology they made an impact on the state legislature of Iowa. I loved how the adults were so impressed by the learning accomplishments of these elementary and junior high students that they were motivated to help them continue to expand on what they were already studying, learning, and creating at Van Meter. My optimistic thinking is that if this type of successful innovative learning can happen at one school, why can't that motivation to incorporate technology be spread in schools throughout our country? I would think a part of why this teaching hasn't spread is the teacher/faculty resistence to technology and learning new programs that might appear intimidating or feel "un-learnable" at first. (I feel this way about perfecting Prezi!) but I know that will time, effort, and persistence we can all learn to be teachers who influence and incorporate our children's learning using technology so they can become better students (and as we can see in the "Stuent Voices for Change" article, allow the student to become the teacher.)

Q#1: As a "new-to-technology" teacher, how can I find workshops and resources to learn the programs I want to incorporate in my classroom? I need to be knowledgable about programs like Skype, Prezi, and PhotoShop before I can add these tools into my lesson plans. 

Answer:Just like the children learned to navigate technology, we adults and teachers hopefully have the same passion. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to start from scratch when learning something new. Being pro-active and enthusiastic about learning is a great place to start. Be on the look out via internet for local technology workshops. Many times you can find helpful workshops at community colleges or continuing education schools. If you are working at a school, check out the faculty bulletin board for any postings about upcoming workshops or ask the principal if they know of any. There also seems to be a tutorial made by somebody for almost anything on the internet! Try starting with YouTube and seeing if there are any beginner "how-to" tutorials for the program you want to learn. If you have access to the world wide web, you are only seconds away from learning!  Its always a good idea to have a good layout of a program and how it works before introducing it to your students but remember, its ok not to everythiing. If your students have a question you can't answer, let them be the student and the teacher. Ask them to see if they can look up their question on the internet or work with other students to figure it out. Then allow them to help the rest of the class. That's what I consider quality learning!

Q#2: How can we convince teachers/faculty who are unenthusiastic about incorporating technology into classroom education that it can make a positive impact? 

Answer: Many times teacher's use the excuse that they don't have time...time to learn the program,or time to add into the curriculum. That's really false though, because there are many simple ways to incorporate technology into our daily classroom learning. If faculty were supportive of teachers learning new technology in the summer that would be a great way to start the learning process without feeling pressure of having to incorporate it right away. For example, if a teacher wanted to learn Prezi and Photoshop they could begin to have lessons or take workshops after school let out in June. Slowly over 3 months they could get a really good grasp of the basics and be ready to start trying out in the classroom in September. Its always good to remember baby steps...it doesn't have to be overwhelming changes from one day to the next. Small inclusions over time will add up to big improvements in the long run. And remember to remind those teachers who are less then enthusiastic: Be patient, and keep trying. It will have positive impact!

Survey ~ About Me

Journal #4: "One Size Never Fits All"

Courduff, J. (2011). One size never fits all. Learning & Leading with Technology, 38(8), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20110607?pg=18&pm=2&fs=1#pg18

[NETS 1, II, IV, V]

I was blown away from this article because of its message and overall outcome. As a future special education, myself and all other educators have the same goal. To find alternative ways of getting our students to succeed in spite of challenges they face in the academic setting. As a new teacher this lofty goal seems overwhelming at times. I loved reading the short anecdotes of students who suddenly flourished once they were introduced to assistive technology and found creative ways to release their creativity. It inspired me to know that it is possible to positively change the academic lives of our students and give them the confidence to continue to learn that all children should have.

Q: What do we do with students who challenge the authority to try traditional methods such as writing with pen and paper?

A: A hybrid technique is a must in this situation. I refer back to the article when I answer this question and the example of Shannon. The teacher first allowed her to get her thoughts into story and narration format on the computer. Then using this tool as support she was able to go back and write the story long hand to continue to practice her writing skills. The difference was that she now felt confident enough to try to his without feeling the anxiety and frustration she must have experienced before using this technique. It is our obligation as teacher’s to find ways for our students to complete their assignments that meet the standards necessary in order to succeed and continue to grow as a student. I like to look at it this way: we are teaching the traditional methods of learning with a new “twist” on the method. Technology takes us away from traditional a – b- c method which can be a change that is uncomfortable for some teachers, but if it helps our students, why not give it a try?

Q: How do we find ways to bring this technology to all classrooms?

It is obvious to me that the wish all teachers have to bring creativity and technology to all classrooms should be a given, in reality it is never that easy. It starts from the top – and unfortunately the “top” is usually where they are cutting programs and funding for education rather then finding ways to keep it and increase it. Instead, it really falls into the hands of each individual teacher. Technology can be simple and it can be complicated. We may not all have the funding for some of the more complicated or expensive tech gadgets, but if a teacher has access to a computer that she can share with her students, she can start to make a difference. Some forms of assistive technology (AT) don’t even require a computer. For some students, it might mean letting them illustrate their story first instead of writing it. Once they have the pictures in a storybook format, they can go back and write captions to accompany them. Its all about finding the “twist” that I wrote about above that leads to the same outcome – a student accomplishes the assignment successfully.

Journal #3: Abracadabra–It's Augmented Reality!

Raphael, R. (2011). Abracadabra-it's augmented reality!. Learning & Leading with Technology,38(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2011.aspx

[NETS 1, II, III]

Journal #3: “Abracadabra—It’s Augmented Reality”

The funny is, when I started reading this article I was clueless what the term “augmented reality,” meant. I quickly realized though, as the author Raphael started pointing out examples, that I did know what AR is, and I had seen examples of it in real life. Most notably, that pesky “yellow line” that appears on the screen during football games. The idea of incorporating AR into the classroom setting with my future students is an exciting prospect, if not a little overwhelming to think about. One of the best features of this article is the in-depth look at Zooburst that Raphael treats the reader too. He makes it sound so easy to use, but my brain immediately starts to think, is this really doable for a novice tech teacher? I assume like anything else, if I can  find the time to learn  the program, it would go a long way in enhancing the way any student, but especially students in special education learn.

Q: What do you think about the fine line between access and privacy as related to the portion of the article entitled “Social Networks?” 

A: Another interesting topic of interest related to this article corresponds with topic of social networks. Soon, if not already, Raphael points out that with the flick of a wrist, we will be able to point our phones at another human being and pull up their FB status, recent tweets, etc. I always feel like this type of access is a catch 22. We want to be able to connect with the human race at the touch of a button, but more important to me is the privacy we lose from this simple action. I like the idea of being able to keep this information public for professional reasons, such as connecting electronically with other schools and classrooms, but it also makes me think my students as well as my own personal accounts and how we lose our privacy if anyone can just look us up by walking by. There has to be a balance, more like settings, that keep the students safe, while gaining knowledge from these tools.

Q: How would this technology help students in special education?

I see this being a tool that bridges the gap for students who have a hard time sitting and putting pen to paper day after day as they learn to build on writing and storytelling. It could be motivation to start the writing process by mapping out their thoughts and then transferring and molding their story using the techniques accessed in Zooburst. Once a teacher is proficient in the material, the prospect of using this type of technology could go hand in hand with the daily learning calendar and be a true education changer in the way students in special education process and retain what they are learning, as well as their interactions in a classroom setting.