Day 8

Taking the pencil out of the process:

I have only read the first paragraph of this article and felt the need to stop and right on my blog. Right away the article addresses something that I have been arguing for quite some time now. The reality is that some parents are the ones who want to decide what the children do and do not do. Their schooling is no different. I have argued that some parents do not want their children using iPads and computers so early in their education.  They think their children are already getting enough screen time and that school is a place to develop the reading, writing skills, and social skills. I argue this only because I have encountered some parents who wish this is the case for their children. I do understand the parents desire to shelter their children from the technological world that awaits them. I think this desire comes from parental fear of the unknown. Some parents want their children to learn the same way they did and unfortunately with the way our society is moving their children will not go down the same path. BRB:)

Now that I have read some more of the article I wanted to comment that I learned that individuals with ASD presented with tasks are less likely to be successful because of a lack of resources to the brain (blood and oxygen) and will immediately experience a resource constraint resulting in reduced coordination of the brain. Wow, I am loving the science behind the various disabilities we've been reading about. It's not every day that you get an in-depth explanation as to the neurological factors that contribute to learning disabilities. It is very eye-opening for me. 

I remember watching the ABC nightly news report on Carly Fleischmann and thinking about how great it was this young girl was now able to communicate with her friends and family. I think what struck me the most was that up until the point that she communicated through her laptop most people didn't think she was capable of high level cognitive thinking. It really makes you wonder about the thoughts that are happening in the brains of people with autism and how they are struggling to communicate. 

I think if a teacher is making the transition with a student from using a keyboard as a full-time accessory to writing that it is important to consider whether this is a necessary compensation or if the student would benefit at all from remediation and further development of their writing skills.  

I agree with Broun when she states that hand writing is not essential to literacy and that it is the thought process that is the most important element. If a child can find another means by which they can express themselves and demonstrate comprehension then all the power to them. This is the direction we are moving in and if allowing students to use alternative modes of representation to express their thoughts and understanding reduces stress allowing them to further develop their ideas then isn't this the best case scenario?

Assistive Technology and Writing:

Like some of the other articles, I found the tables in this article useful. I suppose I am someone the benefits from guidelines as displayed in the low tech assistive technology for hand writing assistance table. Anytime the information being presented to me can be broken down into sections I find it very helpful. The breakdown of low-tech solutions, mid-tech solutions, and high-tech solutions provided a great overview of the possibilities available to students. This article has provided me with numerous resources that will assist students with drafting and editing, typing, spelling, and brainstorming. 

I also found the suggestions for portable wordprocessing devices useful. I had never heard of Neo or CalcuScribe. I am also looking to have a class blog with my grade 6 students next year. I had already begun to investigate Kidblog and now, thanks for this article I have another resource  (classchatter.com) to look into. 

Overall I think this article does an excellent job providing evidence that technology has a place in writing. 

Diagnosis and intervention strategies for disorders of written language:

This article wasn't my favourite however it did teach my a lot about a disability I knew little about. 

Compensatory Strategies and ItunesU development

Today's class on when to use compensatory strategies was extremely useful. I have always found it difficult to determine when to initiate the use of a compensatory strategy to help students.

It is important to have the student motivated and engaged for these strategies to be successful. Often, compensatory strategies are introduced between grades 3 and 4, a time where a student might be suffering from low self-esteem after treading through previous grades struggling with reading and writing. Therefore, prior to introducing compensatory assistance, regaining the students confidence and improving the emotions associated with learning is essential. Without this, the students success will be compromised.

Navidys: a web browser that allows a student to make appropriate accommodations to the browser content that allows them to use it successfully.

ClairoPDF, Voice Dream

Ashley and I put in some good time in on our Itunesu project. We found some great material to add to our research materials section.

While searching for information I found David Sousa's blog!!!!  It is called 'How the Brain Works'. He writes all about various functions of the brain in relation to learning. Check it out! Click David's head to be linked to his wordpress.

Today also gave me an idea as to how useful itunesu will be in my career. I can definitely foresee myself using this format as a way to present and share information with students and colleagues. I am still learning how to develop a course but would love to try it with my grade 6's next year.

Day 6 - Ipads as Instructional Tools to enhance learning opportunities or students with developmental disabilities: An action research project

This article brings to ahead a question I've been struggling with for the past year. Why is access to technology determined by individual schools and not a matter that is managed by the school board or provincial government? My statement might not be exactly true however, this past year I worked firsthand in a school that had little to no technology available to it's 550 students. Upon taking a job at a new school only 15 minutes away from my previous school I was showered with technologies available to meet for the upcoming year (as mentioned in a previous blog post). Although I'm excited to have the technology for next year I can't help but think about the vast difference between the two schools only 15 minutes apart. Why does one  school have an iPad for every single classroom along with an LCD projector and the other school has two iPads for the entire school? I realize money is coming from outside sources that tend to fund such purchases but to me this does not seem like an equal education. From all of the articles we have read thus far it is becoming more and more clear that the iPad is a universal tool to help students with and without disabilities. Therefore, why is their implementation not being regulated by a larger body that has the best interests of all students in mind?

I realize this wasn't the main point of the article however reading it reminded me of this existing issue in my school board. 

To comment on the PD aspects of the introduction of iPads to the classroom, I would like to say that time and time again I have heard of cases where teachers have access to the technology but choose not to use it. I believe that this is a result of not wanting to take on the unfamiliar. The best part is that iPads are extremely user friendly and if teachers just give them a chance they will realize how they too can learn not only how to use the iPad but how it can also enhance their instruction and assist students who are struggling.

Webinar LD APPS

This webinar really had me thinking about how the iPad is the essential tool for assisting students with LDs. It is the most versatile tool on the market. How is this tool not in every school on a mass scale? Every student should have an iPad. This would be the universal design!

The apps reviewed in the webinar certainly demonstrate a vast range of technologies that are available to help students with reading, writing, and the organization of their ideas. They help to remove barriers and allow a students to complete work, feel successful, and gain confidence.

My top 3 Apps:

I really liked the Shmoop website in combination with Paper Helper. I like that we are seeing an app the is geared towards high school students. As we all know the expectations in high school are largely surrounding by writing papers and presentations. The Paper Helper app would certainly be beneficial to students that need help planning their ideas, organizing their information. This word processor is versatile and user friendly. I like that you are easily share your work, can choose your format, and can  export your work. It also allows you to works in conjunction with apps allowing you to view and use a website such as Shmoop simultaneously. The Shmoop website is awesome. I love how it presents information on texts such as an introduction, summary, Therese, quotes, character information, and analysis. I would have definitely used this when I was in high school.

 To me, the microphone on the iPad is the most useful tool and proves its functionality in almost ever app demonstrated in the webinar. I use the microphone all the time on my iPhone. The ease of speaking into the mic in order to record ideas or to write an assignment removes a lot of barriers even for people who do not have LDs. For me, it allows to me to record my thoughts without having to type. I find this allows me to focus only on my ideas and not on the typing. This reduces the number of neurological steps needed to accomplish the task at hand.

 The Puffin app is something everyone should have as it allows you to use flash based materials on the iPad. Again, this is an app for everyone, not just students with LDs. I will be downloading this app. I will also be downloading what I think was called Read Iris. This is an app that scans your text and reads it out loud to you. This, much like the microphone, would help to reduce the number of processes occurring at once and would allow someone to focus only on listening.

 I also like Prizmo. I had heard about Prizmo but had never experienced it. After having watched the webinar, I feel as though Prizmo is an all encompassing app that would be worth while getting to know. I like its versatility with regards to pulling in text, zooming in and out, speak selection, font selection, and voice recording. I like being able to customize the text to my needs. I almost always enlarge a text I am reading and struggle with small print paper articles so much that if the print is too small, I just don't read the article because of the struggle to keep my place on the page and see the text. Prizmo would have greatly change my university experience as I often missed information because of the format it was presented in. Prizmo would be beneficial to many students with or without visual or auditory problems.

Webinar for Executive Function

Here are my Highlights and Takeaways from the Executive Function Webinar:

I learned what executive function is! It is frontal lobe that is responsible for behaviour regulation and time management. Immediately I started to think about how issues with executive function could really affect a person in their learning environment as both behaviour and time management are very important in the learning process.

I like the analogies used to describe EF - the CEO or conductor of an orchestra. The CEO or conductor decides what to attempt and what to complete. If this person walked away, a problem would incur.

The Think, Decide, Act slide also helped me to better understand EF. Without the ability to think decide, and act, a person would certainly have a difficult time accomplishing a task. I learned that someone with EF problems has a hard time think about the task, deciding where to begin or what to do next, and has difficulty managing time to complete the task.

The frontal lobe executive function is affected by every psychiatric disorder (ADHD, ODD,CD,ASD).

I also learned that students that have problems with EF can follow a well structured lesson where the teacher is deliberate with information and presents it in a easy to follow layout. However, once that student is alone and left to do a task, they struggle. Examples of these types of situations are tests, long term projects, or answering questions in class.Whenever that student experiences problems with EF they disengage and begin a downward spiral to an ineffective state which may trigger behaviour problems. This makes the student inconsistent with their performance and they may therefore underachieve. Problems with executive function tend to impact a student’s school performance the most.

As I mentioned about, time management is also affected by EF such that students have a difficult time deciding what activity to do first, in what order, and what to complete first. They find is hard to look at the long term picture and goal.

I enjoyed learning about the various apps that can assist  with planning, working memory, time management, organization, and metacognition.

My favourites were:

1) Take A Chill : I like this app because it reminds me of the principles of yoga such as being in the moment, checking in with your whole body one part at a time, taking deep breaths, and grounded yourself. I can see this being very useful and engaging for a student who has anxiety or has trouble self regulating. I think I would use this on my own anytime I find my mind racing and wanted to slow things down and reground myself.

2) Tools for Students: I really liked the graphic organizers available in this app. I immediately thought about ways you could use this app to plot out ideas. I also like that you can use the mic to record ideas to be inserted into the organizers. This is a versatile app that can be used to do many things that could assist someone with their organizational skills. I will definitely be purchasing this app and would love to have access in order to share this on the LCD projector screen with the whole class.

3) Waitstrip: Though simple, I see many uses for this app in the lower elementary classroom. I could have used this app many times over in my classroom this past year. I like how this app allows you to choose how many tasks you are going to complete. I like the tactile aspect of touching the screen, the change in colour, and the sounds of reward. I think this would give a student a sense of satisfaction for having completed the tasks they set out for themselves.

I also liked the social story apps as I feel they could be extremely useful in lower elementary. I would love to find some in french.

Day 5-Learning for Text

I think this article resonates with many teachers as we have all experienced the effects of a one-size-fits-all curriculum. The time, conditions, and achievement associated with the curriculum is not achievable by every student. This however, is not new knowledge to us. It has been a topic discussed time and time again and yet we fail to make the appropriate changes.

I found the article comments about curriculum files cumulating a child's failures somewhat amusing. Why do we collect all this information without making appropriate predictions for the future in order to assist the child? Instead we keep a record of all of their failures for teachers to examine each year. 

The article also clarified for me the difference between remediation and compensation. At this point in the article the comment is made "how much failure data do we need before we have enough evidence that the child can't perform the task?" At what point do we introduce assistive technology? What guidelines do we follow? As a teacher, I rely on my professional judgment to make decisions about my students learning. This is not to say that these decisions are easily made or that I know the appropriate solution. In these situations I find myself relying heavily on our school planning team. I think this is an invaluable resource to all teachers. To be able to have a group of professionals with whom you can discuss concerns about students and seek advice is a great resource to teachers. Unfortunately, in my experience there has been limited access to assistive technologies therefore limiting what was available to help students. 

I like Dyck and Pemberton's advanced model for making decisions about text adaptations 1) bypass reading, 2) decrease reading, 3) support reading, 4) organize reading graphic organizers, 5) guide reading. I think the table provided to help during the decision making process could be very useful:

This article has been one of my favorites. The ideas, resources, and tables provided are useful and the issues discussed are issues experienced by every teacher. 

The Writing Process Part 2

We had an interesting discussion about the very first things we must do in order to prepare for reading. We need to emotionally prepare ourselves to read. It is important to consider the how we must clear our minds, block out distractive sounds, and settle our bodies before we can even begin to read.

Once you have establish your readiness to read, we use our orientation skills and long term memory of where to start to locate the top left hand corner of the page.

From here, we begin to identify the letters on the first word.  We decode the letters by applying our background knowledge of the letters, their sounds, and how they blend together with other letters. After we read a word, she try to apply meaning to it if we have memory of that word. If not, we are left trying to apply meaning, which may not happened as prior knowledge may not exist.

Below is the chart Ashley and I started yesterday. After Barbara's 36 step explanation of the reading process we realize that we missed a lot if steps!

Taking a look at the individual brain functions really showed me how many steps are necessary to do simple tasks and how there is so much room for error that may result in a difficulty. We assume that people are capable of the simplest task when in fact, someone might suffer from a small disfunction that might not allow them to see a small spot on a page, rendering them incapable of see all of the words on a page and unable to read successfully. The smallest disruption in a particular brain function can change the outcome of reading even if all other functions work properly.

This is certainly something to consider when teaching students to read. I can't help but reflect on my grade 1 students from this past year. Every time they made a small mistake ( saying 'le' instead of 'la') I would assume they weren't paying close enough attention to the letters. Wrong! There are probably numerous reasons as to why my students commonly made this error and upon reflection on the process of reading I can't help but think that maybe it was an engagement problem.