Class Summary

This has been an enjoyable experience for me. I cannot believe how much I have learned in such a short time. My world of assistive technology has been opened up. I know that I can learn much more on this topic, but I think this course has changed the way I think and will do things in the future. I have been able to think about the children I teach and come up with ideas that would certainly improve their performance. I know that this school year has come to a close, but I know with certainty, that I will encounter similar children throughout my career. I feel much more prepared to  incorporate assistive technology in my everyday teaching practice for all children.

This course has helped feed my need for learning and has given me one more thing to aspire to. I now have plans for my classes in the future. I want to have iPads and iPods in use to broaden and extend children's learning on a daily basis. I have so many ideas!

Case study presentations

I really enjoyed listening to the other student’s presentations today. As a class, we had quite a variety of assistive technology and I feel I have learned a lot. As I sat and listened, I considered the ways I could use the apps or technology in my own teaching.

Michelle – Case Study Logan

·         Grade three, 9 yrs.

·         Anxious, obsessive, can become frantic and loud

·         Difficulty with social skills, fine motor

·         Distracted and disorganized – needs routine and struggles to get ideas down

·         Difficulty sleeping

·         A couple teachers have gone on sick leave, so Logan is working with new staff

·         Pencil and paper not working – used pic collage and pocket pond. Pic collage was a great way for student to show what he knows about a topic instead of writing or drawing.

·         Also used pocket pond to calm down when school day was unpredictable. Came and asked to use the app after being shown once. Worked awesome.  

·         Natural with iPad and parents are considering purchasing one.

·         I thought this was a great idea. I have used personal whiteboards and pens with children in the past, when they have refused to write with traditional pencil and paper. I found when children were given the choice they often went for the whiteboards and overall accomplished more writing progress.

Adelle – Case Study “J”

·         Grade5

·         Oppositional, uncommunicative, moody, has poor social skills, can be aggressive, is a flight risk.

·         Low reading/writing, easily frustrated, can work one on one but not in groups, only wants to do high interest activities, not a risk taker

·         Using a computer was becoming a discipline issue – gets sent to play games when he is being disruptive

·         Spends most of his time in learning center

·         Felt iPad would work well because he is good with technology, but perceives computer for just games.

·         Started with games like: rush hour, busy harbor, unblock me – had to demo game and have fun to lure in child and finally he gave it a try.

·         Also used Pic collage, camera and video, book creator, puzzles and photo booth

·         Used tiny steps and gave small instructions in preparation for next day.

·         I thought this was a wonderful way to build communication and social skills with “j.”

Kari –Case study Justin

·         Justin is 10 years old, was born prematurely

·         He is a very anxious – pulls out eyelashes and eyebrow

·         Hard worker  - wants to be part of the group

·         Gets into arguments on the playground – aggressive

·         He has fine motor issue, letter sounds difficult, enjoys using the computer

·         He is working on personal information –using whiteboard app to practice writing name over and over and within a week he had his last name

·         Also used handwriting without tears app – learned 31 new words in two weeks. Awesome progress

·         Great idea! The app is clean, easy to use and children really do love touch screen technology.

Heather – Case Study Ben

·         Ben is a grade five student

·         Great personality, strives on praise, immature at times, cries easily

·         Has an LD – writing and spelling

·         Needs a strategy before moving to middle school so he will cope and not get frustrated.

·         Greatest need is to access writing text

·         Used ipad for text to speech, listens and then copy and paste useful information into notes (pre-writing)

·         Dragon dictation and typ-o : typ-o word prediction app

·         Very effective, was able to get his point across. Need to work with teacher more so she directs him to ipad for work, instead of forgetting about the valuable resource. Teacher needs a bit more training.

Amy – Child “t”

·         5 year, entering school in September

·         Very social, busy, loving, sense of humour

·         Used 3 apps as school preparation – ABC tracing, sound sorting beginning sounds, ABC magic 2

·         Tracing was good but could have a prompt for direction or beginning location.

·         Loved the apps, motivated to do his “homework” mom impressed.

Shauna – student “c”

·         Grade 7, pleasant, quiet, struggles with math and LA

·         Insecure about work, disorganized, misplaces things often

·         Dragon dictation – app on iPhone and iPad- speak into phone and dragon converts to text, can then email to self or teacher.

·         So much more detail using dragon, not as much repetition. Student did have to go back through and edit some of the spelling

·         Hesitant to use it in front of other students but at home, mom loved it because it was free and very helpful for homework.

·         Gets better the more she uses it because the computer remembers her words and voice.

·         I think this would be a great this to encourage the whole class to use, so she doesn’t feel she stands out. Why not give assistance to all children?  

Jeff – Case Study, grade 12 student

·         Lack of writing – much more information can be received verbally.

·         Low self-esteem – disengaged

·         Confident with technology, great verbal expression

·         Extreme difficulty with writing

·         Inspiration program – manage own learning. Visually organize thoughts

·         Prior to inspiration, seemed tired and disengaged.

·         Using inspiration was able to find pictures and make a information web to help organize his thought and ideas.

·         Great for all students not just those with LD. All students struggle to organize thoughts for a research essay.

·         Need to look at validity of other forms of showing what you know – inspiration. Does it really have to be written in sentences to prove what a child knows? I think if they can prove knowledge in any form we, as teachers, should be able to assess.

Rebecca – Case Study, 8 year old boy

·         Autism spectrum – wants to engage but doesn’t know how to interact and does not have the language skills

·         Abc pocketphonics, book creator, visual timer were used

·         Tracing letters, letter sound

·         Personal space – book creator to make a social story with pictures of him

·         Tell me about it – for receptive language,

·         Word bingo – site word recognition, word play, report card feature so teacher can get report. Could read 7 sight words for the whole year and learned five more quickly

·         Great motivator, increased confidence as a learner, decreased teacher time creating resources.

Anne – Case Study, Will

·         Autism – non verbal

·         My brushes, puzzle maker (used own pictures)

·         Encouraging use of iPad to communicate instead of bulky binder PECS system.

·         Will follow up with mom to see how things go and try new apps.

·         I think more training for the mom and child are needed and this situation could really improve.

Alana – Case Study, Rex

·         Grade 4

·         Frustrates easily with commitment and concentrating (socially and academically)

·         Does not like to sit for very long, stands to do work

·         Started medication – concentration pills feel he can concentrate better now

·         Difficulty in visual motor skills

·         Goal to organize, complete class work, focusing

·         Sit and fit cushion – for focusing, rex not a huge fan, doesn’t like to sit for long

·         Fidget toys – constantly moving, loves his “stress balls”

·         Portable laptop – named the laptop , thinks laptop knows what he is thinking – cowriter

·         Into the book – very visual, reads and does examples.

·         Is able to escape and use fidget toys, pillow when he needs.

·         Work level improved, amount increased, better quality

Jenn – Case Study, student “J”

·         Diagnosed with LD

·         Working memory and processing speed difficulties

·         Gives up before he tries

·         Hesitant to use technology

·         Extremely disorganized, not motivated, likes to do well.

·         Google calendar to help j get organized – free, easy to use, multi user accessibility, reminders emailed or text, can access anywhere he has a computer. Found too much going on and difficult to use

·         Soshiku – easier to use, calendar and can be course specific. Free, email, can share by inputting things into calendar by teacher. Got reminders. Helped j hand in more because it was more on his mind.

·         Still a need for j to actually follow through with it.

·         Recommends track class to assist in note taking as well

·         My homework

·         Evernote

·         Egretlist – creates to do lists

·         Ihomework – more advanced for older students

·         Making technology for everyone, not just for AT. Mainstream technology

Jackie – three students

·         tinyEYE – backpack – games. SLP plays with you. Would be good for him to make use of online SLP because he doesn’t get much from school SLP. Students can see SLP see how to form words.

·         Smartboard

·         Pointer – for student b but everyone uses it to point on smart board

·         Tumblereaders – more high interest books, leveled and at the right age. Used a lot of comprehension.  Animation and voice good. Keeps interest.

·         Grade seven, spends most time in LC and extra time in gym, FS and Tech ed

·         Interacts well with others, loves hockey, music

·         The pointer is awesome, because it allows all students to be able to participate in smart board activities. Helps extend the arm.

Janna – Case Study, student k 16 years old

·         ADHD and verbal LD

·         Major anxiety

·         Tools4students – graphic organizers

·         GflashFlashcards and test – making up your own flashcards or download test

·         Taught to use googlemaps so her anxiety of getting lost will get better.

·         Used laptop to write exam, incredible difference between written work and typed work using tools4students. Much of the content is lost when hand writing because too much concentration on forming letters.

Jillian –

·         Developmental delay

·         6 years

·         No concept of words, strings of letters

·         Toca boca  and book creator

·         Taking screen shots on toca boca to use as prompts for her writing.

·         Making own books in her own language. Understanding of print improved hugely. Very good with using technology independently.

·         Could become her journal.

·         I loved this idea. I have only heard of social stories recently, and I can see huge potential and benefit from using them. Using book creator is a great way to encourage students to write as well. Toca Boca was an excellent source of ideas for this child, but having a device that can take pictures, opens up huge potential for generating ideas for struggling writers.

Assistive Tech for Deaf-Blind

Here is a video about one type of assistive tech for Deaf-Blind individuals. When a person cannot interact with the world through sight or sounds, they rely on touch. Braille is an important tool for individuals with vision impairment. Add to the vision impairment, hearing impairment and the world is difficult to navigate. Many people with these impairments rely on tactile signing, but these devices help the individual to become more independent.
This video shows how a deaf-blind individual could know the phone was ringing, by wearing a pager that vibrates when the phone rings, and have a conversation by receiving the message through braille message on the touch screen at the bottom of the device (purple area). 
The simple act of answering a phone is something I am sure we all take for granted. I have never once thought about how would I communicate if I could not see or hear. This braille device allows the person to send and receive messages through touch, allowing communication and independence. 

Adapted Toys for Children with Physical, Sensory or Cognitive Disabilities

We looked at a website today called ableplay.org . The site helps rate toys for usefulness with different disabilities. There is a checklist for what disabilities and or products caregivers are looking for and allows parents to search through useful products. We were then asked to go shopping for our own toy and rate it for different disabilities using Able Play as an example.

The toy I looked at is a children's computer made by Leapfrog. The toy is called Leaptop and is meant to be a child's first laptop. This toy comes from a company with a good reputation for educational, durable toys. The Leaptop is no exception. At only $29.97 at Walmart, the Leaptop has a wide variety of educational activities for children.

Evaluator names:    Amy Strong

Store:     Walmart

Disability Category:              Rating:  **** or * stars

Physical                                   ***

Sensory                                   ***

Communicative                       ****

Cognitive                                *****

Toy Company:                      Leapfrog

Price:                                       $29.97

Box Age Range:                     2-4 Years

# Pieces:                                  1

Washability:                            Wipeable

Storability:                              Small, fold up

Play Locations:                       Portable

Adjustability:                          Can personalize

Levels of Play:                        Can personalize

Batteries:                                 3AA

Description general:

This toy allows children to choose and download songs, make custom play lists, email and receive personalized emails from parents. Children can explore letters; participate in pretend play, music and animal activities,

APPLICATIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Physical          Rating: ***

Description	This toy encourages the pushing of buttons. The children using the toy will have to be able to push the appropriate keys and isolate a finger in order to get the desired response. One of the games also incorporates music, so gross motor skills will be developed when the child moves to the music.
Skills	Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination will be developed. Children can dance to the music or move to the beat to develop gross motor skills.
Play Ideas	Dance to music Make rhythms/beats Select correct responses to games
Adaptation Ideas	Child make need parent support at first. May need someone to demonstrate and experience the cause and effect relationship between pushing the buttons and the toy making sound.

Sensory           Rating: ***

Description	This toy is attractive to the eye with bright colours and images. The toy comes in two colour schemes so children can get the one they find most attractive. The toy has six games for children to play, that include music, animals, letters, email, etc.
Skills	The visual attraction of pictures and colours. Children can have personalized music downloaded from parent or Internet. Many listen and respond activities
Play Ideas	Sing along Clap to the beat Matching animals to sounds Recognizing letters.
Adaptation Ideas	Have a parent demonstrate and talk through activities with child. Give children choices – does the cow or the cat say moo.

Communicative         Rating: ****

Description	This toy has six activity stations and they all work on aspects of communication. Letters, words, sounds, etc.
Skills	Identify, match, say, read letters Sing along to songs Sending and receiving email Animal sounds and labels
Play Ideas	Identify, match, say, read letters Sing along to songs Sending and receiving email Animal sounds and labels
Adaptation Ideas	Have a parent demonstrate and talk through activities with child. Give children choices – does the cow or the cat say moo.

Cognitive        Rating: *****

Description	This toy has many different activities to work on children’s cognitive skills. Many letter recognition activities, starting with the letters in the child’s name. Personalized emails can be received from parents and children can respond. Music plays a big role in making this toy fun and educational for children. This toy introduces them to keyboards and computers.
Skills	Recognize letters, especially letters in name Act out different experiences and roles Making and listening to music Attend to different sounds and rhythms Identify animals and sounds they make Become familiar with keyboard Learn common computer terms and interactions
Play Ideas	Identify, match, say, read letters Music - Sing along to songs Sending and receiving email Animal sounds and labels Clap to the beat Role play Mobile – can take in car
Adaptation Ideas	Personalize email for your child. Help child focus on name letters first

FEATURES AND BENEFITS       CHECK IF APPROPRIATE

X	Durable
X	High Contrasting Colours
X	Tactilely Stimulating
X	Visually Stimulating
	Wide Age Range
	Inviting Due to Uniqueness
X	Open-ended
X	Innovative
X	High quality
X	Detailed
X	Hands on Approach to learning
X	Easy to grasp/hold
X	One-piece unit
X	Upright position for play
	Other:

DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESSES PROMOTED

X	Visual attention
X	Visual tracking
X	Visual processing
X	Memory and recall
X	Cause and effect
	Action concepts: in/out, push/pull, on/off, go/stop
X	Fine motor
X	Eye-hand coordination
X	Problem solving
X	Finger and hand control and dexterity
	Physical range of motion
X	Deliberate finger movements
X	Precision
	Directionality
	Wrist rotation
	Hand and finger grasp
X	Pointing, one isolated finger
X	Motor planning
X	Self esteem
	Manual dexterity
	Sequential thought
X	Reaching
	Strategic thinking
X	Turn taking
X	Patience
	Spatial relationships – over, under, on, off
	Reaching/arm extension
	Functional finger movement and exploration
X	Coordinated movement
X	Sorting and classification
X	Early Literacy
	Texture Discrimination
	Object Permanence
	Tactile Discrimination
	Problem Solving
	Directionality
	Cooperative Hand Movement
X	Letter Recognition
	Life Skills
X	Pre-Literacy
X	Social Interaction
	Foot Placement
	Weight Shifting
	Core Strengthening – Trunk Strengthening
X	Colour Recognition and Identification
X	Word Recognition
X	Number concepts
X	Visual Acuity