INTRODUCTION INTO THE WORLD OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

My goal for this class: To learn and share newly learned assistive tech with the students I teach in Social Communications class and the students who I program for in the learning center. To support these students so they may become more confident and independent in life.

I certainly had to take a long deep breath after leaving class on Saturday. Even though I am really excited about seeing where this Assistive Technology class takes me I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of new and different applications we learned. I'm a novice at using a mac, so that in itself is a challenge, just as so many other teachers find, I'm sure in our school system. Macs are not the computer of choice in our work environment although Ipads and Ipods and now being used.

I'm also thrilled that I'm going to be learning how to create a blog as I've never done that before either (blogger.com). This all plays in nicely for creating a travel blog in the future so that I may stay connected and share my experiences with my family when I go abroad for a year. Luckily, my learning experiences also become teachable moments in the classes I teach. The students are always interested hearing and exploring the new devices/apps that I have learn.

After inhaling deeply, once, maybe several times and letting things absorb after our first class, I hit the trails to try out my newly downloaded app; ToonCarmera. I spent the morning exploring the woods and taking photos with my iPhone.

Williams Lake

This was a fantastic app for us wannabe artists. I shared this app with a number of people and they were amazed at the quality and effect. It takes digital photography to a whole new exciting level. So when an app such as this is developed, is it an artist who takes on the task of wanting to create a similar effect to watercolors or is it a person who wants to paint like the Emily Carrs, Susan Tookes of the world? When I introduced this app at school I was surprised that the students did not know of it, but they loved it. It'll definitely add to the student's confidence and creativity in their projects.

Assistive Technology:  Enhancing the performance of an individual with a disability.

The next app that I thought the students would really enjoy was the cloudart and visual poetry. I'm all about being able to provide the students with interesting ways to express themselves and their knowledge. This app will be used as an introductory task for my Social Communications class (an IPP class designed for students with Autism and students who require some assistance with communication) on Monday. I know they'll love it. I just have to find enough IPads now so the students can experiment with this tool.

Also included is the direct link to this youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWpMB6gmBYA

As well as experimenting with Visual Poetry and Cloudart I explored Wordle as an alternative format on the laptop. Below is a Visual poetry example I experimented with this afternoon. This visual poetry was created by inserting words, drawing a picture and taking a photo for the background.

One of the factors I came across when teaching students who have challenges communicating is finding the right balance of when to introduce assistive tools and when to teach specific strategies. As noted in the article from EDUCATION WEEK SPOTLIGHT on Autism, the author discusses how "some experts warn against relying too heavily on technology to help students succeed in school." I have to admit sometimes, I see some of the students glued to their IPads, relying on them to much and they need to have direct instructions and strategies for developing their communication abilities. It really is about finding the right balance when using AT for teachers and students. Below is the link to the article.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/marketplace/products/spotlight-autism.html

UDL: Universal Design for Learning- is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs. http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html

Not all devices are suitable for everyone. One size does not fit all. It's finding the perfect fit for each individual so that they may be able to function to their fullest potential. I look forward to the coming weeks, in enhancing my repertoire of tech abilities and app usage.

Trouble shooting using blogger.com: Although these links worked when I saved them in my original post, they did not work in preview. I spent many hours trying to figure this out, by goggling, you tubing,  asking people, etc. It wasn't until much later that it was suggested that I should just publish it and see what happens. Of course that's what worked. I can just imagine how students with disabilities or students who take longer to process information feel when they want to accomplish something but they are unable to.