Saturday 3 December 2011
Saturday 19 November 2011
Reflection - DAY FIVE - Reluctant Writers and the Writing Process
We examined the writing process this week by viewing several case study videos that followed the lives of two students -- Nathan and Lauren. Both students had learning difficulties and went to see Dr. Mel Levine who helped to narrow down the specific areas of challenge. Dr. Levine looked at how the brain was affected by learning by administering 33 different tasks to see how the brain was wired. He looked at each individual's strengths and weaknesses as they applied to learning, and zeroed in on the challenges.
As we viewed the videos we stopped to write two summaries. The first summary was written by hand on paper -- the second was a typed summary. As we were writing, we had to think about what was happening as we typed. We performed a task analysis of the writing process. We referred to Barb's graphic of the writing process (see below)
It is amazing just what goes into the writing process!! I feel it is important for teachers to be aware of this so they understand where and how things can break down for students.
We looked at compensatory programs, software, devices that could be used to help support the writing process, at any point along the way. We were introduced to a series of videos that provide information about how to help students overcome developmental disabilities. This series is called Kid Sense Child Development and I have provided the links to those videos on my blog. They discuss many topics, such as handwriting difficulties, organization, and coordination. We also looked at a very interesting video about low tech handwriting tools.
This video is amazing! It offers MANY ideas to support students with fine motor difficulties.
As we viewed the videos we stopped to write two summaries. The first summary was written by hand on paper -- the second was a typed summary. As we were writing, we had to think about what was happening as we typed. We performed a task analysis of the writing process. We referred to Barb's graphic of the writing process (see below)
It is amazing just what goes into the writing process!! I feel it is important for teachers to be aware of this so they understand where and how things can break down for students.
We looked at compensatory programs, software, devices that could be used to help support the writing process, at any point along the way. We were introduced to a series of videos that provide information about how to help students overcome developmental disabilities. This series is called Kid Sense Child Development and I have provided the links to those videos on my blog. They discuss many topics, such as handwriting difficulties, organization, and coordination. We also looked at a very interesting video about low tech handwriting tools.
This video is amazing! It offers MANY ideas to support students with fine motor difficulties.
When looking at the writing process and where and how it can break down, you quickly realize...the WRITING PROCESS IS COMPLICATED!! It is so important to have compensatory strategies and programs for students that support their writing.
One of the most valuable discussions we had during this class was around who would benefit the most from a particular intervention. For example, if you are recommending a keyboard for a student, he/she should have fine motor problems, motor control problems, visual spatial problems, difficulties with self-regulation to hold pencil, emotional/engagement problems, proprioception problems, visual-motor problems, or grapho-motor problems. You need to think about why you are "making the match" to the keyboard -- what evidence do you have?
I also enjoyed discussing whether or not compensatory strategies/programs are considered cheating. I completely agree with my colleagues that those who feel it is "cheating" do not fully understand the program and/or what it does and HOW it supports the student.
As usual, I always enjoy looking at the available programs/AT that is out there to support our students. We looked at WordQ and SpeakQ, Dragon Naturally Speaking, LIPS, KLICK, Kurweil, Co:writer, Tiki notes, Inspiration, Draft Builder Solo, Writing with Symbols, Fusion Keyboard/Writers, Write Out Loud, Handwriting without Tears, Clicker5, Classroom Suite, pencil grips and low tech tools... There are SO many things available!! We need to work at matching the student with the best tool to support his/her learning.
I also enjoyed discussing whether or not compensatory strategies/programs are considered cheating. I completely agree with my colleagues that those who feel it is "cheating" do not fully understand the program and/or what it does and HOW it supports the student.
As usual, I always enjoy looking at the available programs/AT that is out there to support our students. We looked at WordQ and SpeakQ, Dragon Naturally Speaking, LIPS, KLICK, Kurweil, Co:writer, Tiki notes, Inspiration, Draft Builder Solo, Writing with Symbols, Fusion Keyboard/Writers, Write Out Loud, Handwriting without Tears, Clicker5, Classroom Suite, pencil grips and low tech tools... There are SO many things available!! We need to work at matching the student with the best tool to support his/her learning.
Saturday 12 November 2011
10 USEFUL APPS FOR STUDENTS
1. Math Bingo
What is it?
An APP that helps develop number sense and operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division – through BINGO game play.
Cost?
$0.99
How do you use it?
The goal is to get a pattern of FIVE BINGO bugs in a row by answering math questions correctly. The question is displayed at the top of the screen and you select the correct answer on the BINGO board below. You can choose what operation to focus on (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) and the level of difficulty (easy, medium, hard). It is a timed game – the quicker you solve the problems, the better your score. You can keep track of your high scores through the player profile option.
Who will it benefit?
This APP will benefit students who need extra practice with basic number sense and operational skills. Students who are reluctant to practice math will benefit from the great sound effects, colorful games, individualized profiles/avatars, and BINGO bug rewards! Once a student achieves a high score, he/she will be awarded a BINGO bug. Players collect these bugs and interact with them by making them move around, giggle and jump.
Why we chose it?
We chose this APP because we are math teachers and know the importance of having an understanding of basic number sense and operations. Students need to practice these skills on a regular basis, but often find it tedious. This APP is an exciting way to develop these skills, as well as challenge students. The “hard” level is a nice way to provide enrichment for students in this area.
Check out these Math Bingo videos on YouTube:
2. Word Wizard
What is it?
An APP that helps develop word building and spelling through a movable alphabet.
Cost?
$3.99
How do you use it?
Touch the letters at the bottom of the screen to create words and sentences. You can check the pronunciation of the word as you add or remove letters. The APP reads the letter phonetically or reads the name of the letter. You can choose upper or lower case letters, to adjust the speed and tone of the voice, or to alter the background colors and/or grid. To use this APP for spelling, select the appropriate option from the menu. Choose from 173 pre-made spelling lists, or create your own. The APP reads a word aloud and you spell it using the movable alphabet. If you get stuck, choose the “hint” option at the top of the screen to help you spell the word. Word Wizard keeps track of your spelling quizzes and reports the results, giving you animated rewards to enjoy when you are done.
Who will it benefit?
This APP will benefit students who need support with letter recognition, phonological awareness, and spelling. It gives students the opportunity to self-correct as the APP reads the letters (as written, or phonetically) and the words aloud as they are created. This APP will encourage reluctant writers to create/write words and sentences. This APP also has a spelling component. Students can choose pre-made spelling lists or create their own in an effort to develop their spelling skills.
This APP would also benefit ESL students as they learn the English language. It would help support the proper way to write words, as well as speaking and pronunciation.
Why we chose it?
We chose this APP because of its text-to-speech capability that allows students to play with letter combinations and to practice building meaningful words as they practice their spelling. The result turns any word a student creates into spoken words. This APP is very easy to use and has many helpful options built into the program. The talking and movable alphabet, the spell-checker, the hint button, the included word lists, etc. It is highly motivating and very engaging.
Check out these Word Wizard videos on YouTube:
3. Dexteria
4. iTalk Recorder (Premium)
Check out these iTalk Recorder videos on YouTube:
5. TextKraft English
6. Story Land
Check out these Story Land videos on YouTube:
7. Cram
Check out these Cram videos on YouTube:
8. vBookz
Check out these vBookz videos on YouTube:
9. Evernote
Check out these Evernote videos on YouTube:
10. Algebra Touch
Check out these Algebra Touch videos on YouTube:
What is it?
An APP that helps develop number sense and operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division – through BINGO game play.
Cost?
$0.99
How do you use it?
The goal is to get a pattern of FIVE BINGO bugs in a row by answering math questions correctly. The question is displayed at the top of the screen and you select the correct answer on the BINGO board below. You can choose what operation to focus on (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) and the level of difficulty (easy, medium, hard). It is a timed game – the quicker you solve the problems, the better your score. You can keep track of your high scores through the player profile option.
Who will it benefit?
This APP will benefit students who need extra practice with basic number sense and operational skills. Students who are reluctant to practice math will benefit from the great sound effects, colorful games, individualized profiles/avatars, and BINGO bug rewards! Once a student achieves a high score, he/she will be awarded a BINGO bug. Players collect these bugs and interact with them by making them move around, giggle and jump.
Why we chose it?
We chose this APP because we are math teachers and know the importance of having an understanding of basic number sense and operations. Students need to practice these skills on a regular basis, but often find it tedious. This APP is an exciting way to develop these skills, as well as challenge students. The “hard” level is a nice way to provide enrichment for students in this area.
Check out these Math Bingo videos on YouTube:
2. Word Wizard
What is it?
An APP that helps develop word building and spelling through a movable alphabet.
Cost?
$3.99
How do you use it?
Touch the letters at the bottom of the screen to create words and sentences. You can check the pronunciation of the word as you add or remove letters. The APP reads the letter phonetically or reads the name of the letter. You can choose upper or lower case letters, to adjust the speed and tone of the voice, or to alter the background colors and/or grid. To use this APP for spelling, select the appropriate option from the menu. Choose from 173 pre-made spelling lists, or create your own. The APP reads a word aloud and you spell it using the movable alphabet. If you get stuck, choose the “hint” option at the top of the screen to help you spell the word. Word Wizard keeps track of your spelling quizzes and reports the results, giving you animated rewards to enjoy when you are done.
Who will it benefit?
This APP will benefit students who need support with letter recognition, phonological awareness, and spelling. It gives students the opportunity to self-correct as the APP reads the letters (as written, or phonetically) and the words aloud as they are created. This APP will encourage reluctant writers to create/write words and sentences. This APP also has a spelling component. Students can choose pre-made spelling lists or create their own in an effort to develop their spelling skills.
This APP would also benefit ESL students as they learn the English language. It would help support the proper way to write words, as well as speaking and pronunciation.
Why we chose it?
We chose this APP because of its text-to-speech capability that allows students to play with letter combinations and to practice building meaningful words as they practice their spelling. The result turns any word a student creates into spoken words. This APP is very easy to use and has many helpful options built into the program. The talking and movable alphabet, the spell-checker, the hint button, the included word lists, etc. It is highly motivating and very engaging.
Check out these Word Wizard videos on YouTube:
3. Dexteria
An APP that works as a therapeutic tool to help develop fine motor skills through unique hand and finger exercises.
Cost?
$4.99
How do you use it?
There are three different exercises to help build strength, control, and dexterity. The first one is “TAP IT”. The goal is to practice finger dexterity and isolation. You place your hand on the screen and the APP recognizes the placement of your hand. It then places various colored dots on the screen for you to “tap” thus promoting hand manipulation. You can use either hand to perform this exercise. As the difficulty increases with each level mastered, the colored dots are displayed at an increased rate and are increasingly smaller in size (less surface area to “tap”).
The second exercise is “PINCH IT”. The goal is to develop pincer grasp skills. Crab icons appear on the screen and you have to pinch the “crabs” to make them disappear. This is a timed activity. As the difficulty increases, the crabs start to move around the screen, making it more difficult to track and “pinch”.
The third exercise is the “WRITE IT” activity. This is a tracing exercise to help students learn how to print letters. The goal is to trace the indicated letter using your finger, as you connect the dots along the proper path. You can choose to trace lower or upper case letters. The difficulty increases as you challenge yourself to trace the letters at an increasing rate of speed.
Who will it benefit?
Students who will benefit from this APP are those who need support to help increase their coordination and fine motor control. This APP was developed with assistance from occupational therapists to support their work in developing skills involved in fine motor integration, fine motor precision, hand exercises, handwriting, and writing speed. It is a useful APP to support recovery from injuries that have left people struggling with fine motor strength and coordination.
Why we chose it?
We chose this APP because of its effectiveness for a wide range of people and situations. It is very motivating and appealing. The exercises are fun yet challenging. We really liked the tracking and reporting feature that makes it easy for teachers and/or support people see an individual’s progress and time spent exercising. These reports can even be emailed to the teacher/support person. It is an inexpensive therapeutic tool that is portable, convenient, and stimulating.
Check out these Dexteria videos on YouTube:
4. iTalk Recorder (Premium)
What is it?
An APP that helps you quickly and easily record important sounds for later reference.
Cost?
FREE – for the Lite version
$1.99 – for the Premium version
How do you use it?
This APP is very easy and intuitive to use. Once you have launched the APP, press the big red button to record sound and press it again to stop and/or pause recording. You can name/title the recording, as well as add text notes. You can also select the quality of the recordings created – good, better, best. The quality and length of recording determines the size of the file created. You can access previous recordings with the touch of a button. You can also email your recordings through iTalk, direct file share via iTunes, and/or share your recordings via iTalk Sync (free download) for drag and drop file transfers.
Who will it benefit?
This APP will benefit many students, especially those who are auditory learners and have difficulty taking notes/writing, or are reluctant writers. Students could record important information during class, during extra help sessions, etc. and listen to it at a later time. The ease of use would benefit many students as many could pick iTalk up and operate immediately, even early elementary-aged children. Due to its quality sound output, it is useful for a wide range of individuals, including business professional, musicians, etc. Teachers could use this APP to record information for students that could be emailed out to them.
Why we chose it?
We chose this APP because it was easy to use, the price was great, and the quality of sound was quite good. The ability to adjust the recordable sound quality was appealing and the capacity to add text notes was beneficial. It is a convenient way to record sound that can be enjoyed by a wide variety of people.
5. TextKraft English
What is it?
An APP that functions as an iPad word processor that allows users to write, correct, research, and share text.
Cost?
$5.99
How do you use it?
This APP has many useful features, such as the ability to find the correct word, check spelling, research, refine/edit your text, and share text via several options. TextKraft English instantly allows you to type into five different documents, continue to work exactly where you left off, correct/edit your text using numerous suggested words/phrases/synonyms/follow-up words, and research text via several online dictionaries.
As you begin typing each word, you have access to additional supports that are designed to improve your writing. Below the word you have typed will be various words in boxes of different colours. Words in green are ones that the dictionary has recognized as being correct. Words in red are ones the dictionary is not familiar with. Words in grey are ones you have already used and have exchanged out of the text. Words in yellow are ones that are synonyms or other related words. Words in purple are words that are close to the spelling of the given word. Words in blue are word extensions. Every word you type creates its own extensive list of options and suggestions.
If you tap on a particular word you have access to various online dictionaries (Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Oxford Dictionaries, Online Etymology Dictionary). With just a tap, you can move from one resource to another. One more tap takes you back to the document screen. This APP also contains features such as word count, number of characters, date and time created, how long you worked on the piece of writing, and the ability to put into “reading mode” to prevent accidental keyboard additions to the text. You can also export your text to email or other word processors such as Pages, as well as to DropBox or share via iTunes.
Who will it benefit?
This APP will benefit students who need extra support when writing with skills such as spelling, grammar, research, word prediction, and vocabulary enrichment. It would definitely benefit reluctant writers and students with dyslexia. It would give students greater independence when writing, as all of the necessary tools (dictionary, spelling and grammar check, word prediction, vocabulary support, thesaurus) are readily available with just a tap. The colour-coded word supports are also a benefit for students as it helps students who struggle with writing to identify the best, most appropriate word. The text prediction feature would benefit students with dyslexia and phonological awareness difficulties.
Why we chose it?
We chose this APP because of the numerous features listed above. The ability of this APP to provide word prediction, vocabulary support, research capabilities, spelling and grammar support, and self-correction was fantastic. It is a great APP to help you coordinate your writing and research as it allows you to work on five documents at once. It was easy to use as all features are merely a tap away. The benefits to the classroom and individual were remarkable. The TextKraft English APP is an engaging and motivating way to improve writing.
Check out these TextKraft English videos on YouTube:
6. Story Land
What is it?
This app allows you to create and build a story using characters, accessories, backgrounds, etc.
Cost?
$2.99
How do you use it?
To use this app you will go through a series of tool bars and boxes that give you options for your story. You can add people, animals, aliens, accessories, food, furniture, buildings, dinosaurs, etc. You can move them around, put one in front/back of the other, turn them, and resize them. You can choose the background you want and also change the colours in the backgrounds. You can change the weather from snow to rain to wind, or even add a tornado. You can also choose music to go along with your story.
Each scene of your story can be printed, as well! You just have to take a screenshot of each scene and then print it.
Who will it benefit?
Many students who have trouble expressing themselves verbally and/or in writing would benefit from this app. The stories can help with building imagination, learning things like big/little, colours, alike/different, etc. This app could also help with getting ideas for stories, then writing the text to go along with them. It is a great app for preschool and elementary school aged children to help develop storytelling skills.
Why we chose it?
We chose this app because we feel it is a great tool for students who are reluctant writers and/or for those who are just starting to develop their writing skills. It is an app that helps motivate students, encourages them to use their imagination, and have fun creating interesting pieces of writing.Check out these Story Land videos on YouTube:
7. Cram
What is it?
This is an app that allows you to create study flashcards and practice tests to help you “cram” for your tests and exams.
Cost?
$3.99
How do you use it?
There are three main areas of Cram: flash cards, multiple choice tests, and pictures. You can create your tests by adding each question and possible answers. You check off the correct answer, which will determine whether you get the question correct when you complete the test. Flash cards are formed for you with the same questions you are using to create your tests. You can set a time to complete your tests (i.e. 20 minutes) and it will run for that amount of time. Cram will record the average scores of your tests and your highest scores. It will also give you the date of the last time you completed the test. A great feature of Cram is being able to apply pictures to your tests and flash cards. The picture is related to a question (i.e. a diagram of the stages of mitosis when the question is about mitosis). The picture is linked to that question and is used as a hint. You just need to click on the picture button to bring it up.
Who will it benefit?
All students would benefit from Cram. It helps students study and review concepts. It is great for students who need extra reinforcement of concepts. For teachers, it is a nice tool to use for review before tests and exams.
Why we chose it?
We chose this app because it allows students to review concepts that they may be struggling with. It also gives teachers an excellent way to review with a whole class (i.e. on a smart board) that is interactive with flash cards and pictures.
Check out these Cram videos on YouTube:
8. vBookz
What is it?
This is an app that reads books out loud.
Cost?
$3.99
How do you use it?
There are over 30,000 books to download, free of charge! To select a book in your collection, you just tap on the book in your “bookcase” and it will read it for you. You can bookmark the page you left off the last time you read. You can also manually move the magnifying glass to the last word you read, or move it to wherever you want on the page. You can follow along when the book is being read to you by following the magnifying glass through the sentences. You can flip through the pages by doing a finger swipe. The speed and voices can be adjusted to your preference. If you want to search and download new books, you just tap on “New Book”. vBookz supports 15 languages: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. You have to purchase the in-App language, if it is not English, after you have placed a book and pressed the “Play” button. The price for a language add-on is $4.99. Here is a list of the books that are included with vBookz:
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
Gulliver's travel by Jonathan Swift
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Mark Twain's Burlesque Autobiography by Mark Twain
Mexico by C. Reginald Enoch
Moby Dick, or, the whale by Herman Melville
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Poems by Emily Dickinson
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas Pere
The Deluge by David Graham Phillips
The Divine Comedy by Dante
The Double Spy by Dan T. Moore
The Green Helmet and Other Poems by W. B. Yeats
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Wonderful wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas père
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
Theodore Roosevelt an Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
Ulysses by James Joyce
There are also samples of:
20000 Lieues Sous Les Mers by Jules Verne | French
Don Qijote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | Spanish
Don Quichot by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | Dutch
Romeo und Julia by William Shakespeare | German
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
Gulliver's travel by Jonathan Swift
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Mark Twain's Burlesque Autobiography by Mark Twain
Mexico by C. Reginald Enoch
Moby Dick, or, the whale by Herman Melville
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Poems by Emily Dickinson
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas Pere
The Deluge by David Graham Phillips
The Divine Comedy by Dante
The Double Spy by Dan T. Moore
The Green Helmet and Other Poems by W. B. Yeats
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Wonderful wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas père
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
Theodore Roosevelt an Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
Ulysses by James Joyce
There are also samples of:
20000 Lieues Sous Les Mers by Jules Verne | French
Don Qijote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | Spanish
Don Quichot by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | Dutch
Romeo und Julia by William Shakespeare | German
Who will it benefit?
This app will benefit many students who struggle with reading and decoding. You can follow along, which helps with decoding and fluency of reading. It is also a wonderful idea for anyone who does not have time to read, or does not want to carry a book around with them (i.e. waiting in the doctor’s office – you have a book with you when you carry your iPod with you). It can benefit teachers, as well. If students missed the story that was read in class, they can listen to it at home (i.e. if the student is sick).
Why we chose it?
We chose this app because it is a great way to have books electronically without having to pay an additional cost for an e-reader. It is beneficial to students who struggle with reading. We liked the MANY choices of books this app had to offer.Check out these vBookz videos on YouTube:
9. Evernote
What is it?
This is an organizing app that allows you to store notes, images, audio clips, videos, Web information, etc.
Cost?
Free!! For more features it is $5 per month, or $45 per year.
How do you use it?
When you are searching the Internet, you can highlight images, etc and save them into Evernotes. You can easily find whatever you have saved by searching for key words. You can also tag some key words that will allow the program to bring up your image more quickly. This app allows you to organize your life. You can store all your notes in different notebooks to organize yourself. For example, if you were a student, you can have different notebooks for each subject you take. You can store audio notes and images, as well. One of the best things about this app is you can take snapshots of anything and store them. All of those random “sticky notes” can be saved by taking a snapshot of them and then organized within Evernotes, instead of forgotten about and spread around your desk or bulletin board.
Another great thing about this app is that if you sign-up for the premium features and pay the monthly or yearly fee, you can gain extra options like sharing your notes and notebooks with individuals and/or the world via the Internet.
Who will it benefit?
This app will definitely benefit STUDENTS WITH ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS! In our classroom, we see MANY students who misplace their notes and information. This app would help them organize everything into one place and they would only have to carry an iPod, iPhone, iPad, or computer. They do not have to keep binders of notes and information. Anything that they cannot type themselves; they can take a snapshot of and store it along with their notes. It is also a wonderful app for teachers. If the teacher has access to the premium features, they can share their notes over the Internet with their students. Teachers can leave their class notes, images, reminders, reviews, tests, etc on the Internet for their students to access at home. This app is also great for the “everyday person” who needs assistance with organization (i.e. the busy mom/parent).
Why we chose it?
We chose this app because organization is a HUGE issue for students! The more organized a student is, the more focused he/she is on learning. It is also a great benefit to teachers, as it would help organize their lives, courses, materials, as well. Evernote is also very accessible because it can be accessed on PCs, Mac products, and the Internet.Check out these Evernote videos on YouTube:
10. Algebra Touch
What is it?
This is an app that teaches algebraic concepts and allows you to practice these skills.
Cost?
$2.99
How do you use it?
The app will give you algebraic questions to complete. To answer them, you need to tap on the function between two terms. The questions will start to simplify. Depending on the problem, the question can be factored or combined to isolate the variable. There are different levels – from easy to hard. You just swipe with your finger to change the level. You can answer the problem that is given to you, or you can create your own problems. The problems you create will be saved within the app and you can access them the same way as the other problems included in the app.
Who will it benefit?
This app would benefit students who need to visually see how the terms move in an algebraic expression. It would be an excellent tool for teachers to either introduce concepts or review concepts in algebra. It can also be used for extra support, alternative assessment for some students, and general practice in algebra.
Why we chose it?
We chose this app because we are math teachers and we feel algebra is a major unit in math that students have a lot of trouble learning. It is an important unit for high school math and it would benefit many students by reinforcing the skills and concepts.
Check out these Algebra Touch videos on YouTube:
Reflection - DAY FOUR - ReelDirector and APPS continued...
Today in class we used the ReelDirector APP on the iPods. I do not have much experience with APPS, except for the brief introduction to Pictello in previous classes and the very brief scan of APPS on the iPod during "DAY THREE". I have NEVER done any video editing before, so needless to say, I had to learn on the fly. We were expected to watch a video and/or read about ReelDirector on the Internet in order to learn the program. We didn't have Internet access this class so it made it a bit more difficult as we needed to use our Smart Phones to go online. The video we watched was somewhat helpful but it only showed a quick demonstration on how to edit and nothing else about the program (how to import video, etc).
We wrote a quick script and started shooting. Our goal was to create a 60 second commercial about assistive technology. We focused on WYNN -- the compensatory software program our grouped presented on "DAY THREE". Despite being extremely overwhelmed at first, I did get into it as I started to feel more comfortable with the program and what I had to do to edit the video(s). In the end, we created a "longer than 60 second commercial" that was basically what we wanted it to look like. With a bit more time and knowledge, we could have improved it even more.
HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE THIS ASSIGNMENT?
As part of our reflection for "DAY FOUR", we need to create a list of the skills we could/would evaluate if we had given this assignment to our students. This was definitely project-based learning that relied on a number of skills to bring to completion. The following is a list of many of the skills you could assess through this project:
1. communication skills - speaking and listening
2. social skills - teamwork and collaboration
3. organizational skills - planning, sequencing
4. research skills - needed to understand content of commercial as well as how to use the program (self-teach)
5. technology skills - understanding the program, video taping, editing
6. media study skills - what is a commercial? how do you create a commercial? what goes into a commercial? who is the intended audience?
7. problem solving skills - be able to figure out how to use the program, decide on content, research content, create commercial, etc.
8. writing skills - script writing
You could evaluate via several rubrics that had various focuses. For example, a teacher-based rubric that evaluated communication skills, organizational skills, research skills, technology skills, media study skills, and writing skills. As well as student self-evaluation and group evaluation rubrics that focused on social skills, technology skills, and problem solving skills. The group evaluation rubric could be used to assess each student's own group AND each of the other groups (ex. evaluate effectiveness of commercial in the role of the audience).
After working through this assignment, I could definitely see the effectiveness and usefulness of this type of project-based learning. I can appreciate how this would benefit all students, especially those who are reluctant readers and writers. Most students would find this type of assignment fun, engaging, and relevant. They would never realize just how much "learning" was actually taking place :)
We wrote a quick script and started shooting. Our goal was to create a 60 second commercial about assistive technology. We focused on WYNN -- the compensatory software program our grouped presented on "DAY THREE". Despite being extremely overwhelmed at first, I did get into it as I started to feel more comfortable with the program and what I had to do to edit the video(s). In the end, we created a "longer than 60 second commercial" that was basically what we wanted it to look like. With a bit more time and knowledge, we could have improved it even more.
HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE THIS ASSIGNMENT?
As part of our reflection for "DAY FOUR", we need to create a list of the skills we could/would evaluate if we had given this assignment to our students. This was definitely project-based learning that relied on a number of skills to bring to completion. The following is a list of many of the skills you could assess through this project:
1. communication skills - speaking and listening
2. social skills - teamwork and collaboration
3. organizational skills - planning, sequencing
4. research skills - needed to understand content of commercial as well as how to use the program (self-teach)
5. technology skills - understanding the program, video taping, editing
6. media study skills - what is a commercial? how do you create a commercial? what goes into a commercial? who is the intended audience?
7. problem solving skills - be able to figure out how to use the program, decide on content, research content, create commercial, etc.
8. writing skills - script writing
You could evaluate via several rubrics that had various focuses. For example, a teacher-based rubric that evaluated communication skills, organizational skills, research skills, technology skills, media study skills, and writing skills. As well as student self-evaluation and group evaluation rubrics that focused on social skills, technology skills, and problem solving skills. The group evaluation rubric could be used to assess each student's own group AND each of the other groups (ex. evaluate effectiveness of commercial in the role of the audience).
After working through this assignment, I could definitely see the effectiveness and usefulness of this type of project-based learning. I can appreciate how this would benefit all students, especially those who are reluctant readers and writers. Most students would find this type of assignment fun, engaging, and relevant. They would never realize just how much "learning" was actually taking place :)
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Uses for the PICTELLO APP
Pictello is a wonderful APP designed to create talking stories, picture books, or albums. Each Pictello page can include a picture, text (which can be read as text-to-speech), and/or recorded sound. The uses for Pictello are limitless. You just have to search for “Pictello” on the Internet and you can find uses such as:
- Stories to teach social skills or to recall events.
- Photo albums to allow non-speaking people to share their news and interests.
- Sharing important events and memories with family who live far away.
- Talking books.
- Teaching narrative skills as part of a literacy or language skills curriculum.
- Schedules, Task instructions, etc.
- Share stories or write group stories using iPad on a VGA monitor or interactive white board (VGA adapter required).
- Create multilingual stories using text-to-speech or voice recordings.
I could definitely find MANY uses for Pictello in my classroom! Some of the ideas I thought of are:
1. Use to create visual step-by-step math instructions for students who are auditory learners or those with memory difficulties. Students could create these themselves or classroom/resource/learning centre teachers could create the instructions for the students. Students could then have access to these at home for review.
2. Use as reference for routines developed and implemented within the classroom. For example, I do mental math on a daily basis in my classroom which has become a regular routine for my students. It would be great to use Pictello to outline this routine for students who need the support, as well as for substitute teachers who may be in my classroom and are unfamiliar with the daily routine. Other examples would be routines such as fire drills, isolation drills, transition times, etc. A Pictello story could outline the steps for students who need a reminder or a “heads up” before the event takes place.
3. Use as a visual medical alert system. For those students in the school/class who have severe allergies, it would be very beneficial to have a picture and text/voice that describes the condition and what to do in an emergency. This would also be useful for substitutes in the classroom.
4. Use as a visual agenda. Students who have difficulty writing could use this APP to record their homework, etc. They could take a picture of the page in the text book, or another visual cue, and type in what to do, or record their voice to give instructions. Students who are non-verbal could get the teacher(s) to record a video that indicates what is for homework.
5. Use for visual study aid or “cheat sheet”. Students could record video with or without text to use to help them study for tests/assessments. Each page could cover a different topic/concept with recorded voice and/or visual examples to help the student remember the important information. It could be used during an assessment as a “cheat sheet” of sorts. These study aids could be created by the teacher and/or the student.
6. Use as a way to assess student learning. Students could create a visual presentation using Pictello that demonstrates particular outcome(s). It could be submitted to the teacher for assessment. MANY of my students have adaptations that require them to have oral assessment or oral elaboration to further express knowledge. This would be an excellent way for students to elaborate orally. It could be saved and viewed at a later date by the teacher if he/she was not able to sit down one-on-one with the student right away.
It could also be used as a visual, recordable journal (for assessment – formative or summative) to communicate comprehension of information.
Saturday 22 October 2011
Reflection - DAY THREE - Compensatory Software and Intro to APPS
Today we looked at several programs that could be used to support students who struggle with reading and writing -- My Study Bar, Kurzweil, WYNN, Natural Reader, and TextHelp/Read & Write Gold.
My Study Bar
I really liked this program. I appeared to be quite portable and contained many useful and interesting features like Xmind (mind mapping that can be exported into a Word document), Sonar (to make the cursor bigger), Tinytype (will "ding" if you misspell a word), and Magnifier (changes size of text, color, etc). It also has the typical options such as text to speech, read aloud as you type, voice input recognition.
Kurzweil
I was very excited to learn about this compensatory program as it is the one that schools are using on a regular basis. I found a lot of similarities between this program and the one that my group was doing, WYNN. It has A LOT of options that are quite sophisticated in what they do. For example, you can click on a word and you are given the option to open a picture that describes that word. I REALLY enjoyed the testing/assessment advantages to this program! It was AMAZING to see how you could assess student learning through sticky notes, voice notes, and bubble notes. You can insert these notes throughout a piece of text that would have students answering true/false questions, multiple choice, etc. It is an excellent way to keep students focused on the reading and a wonderful way to assess comprehension. I had no idea the potential of this program and I don't feel that many teachers do. The disappointing aspect of Kurweil is that students have to have a particular diagnosis or recommendation to go on Kurzweil -- the "average Joe" can't utilize this amazing resource...it's only for a select few. All students could benefit from this technology.
I am very excited that we will be looking more indepth at Kurzweil in our next class. It will be nice to "play around" with the program to see exactly what it can do.
WYNN
This software was presented by my group. WYNN is an excellent program and quite similar to Kurzweil. It had color-coded toolbars like Kurzweil, but in this program, the toolbars rotated as you clicked the next button. It did not have the depth that Kurzweil had but very similar options, such as text to speech, voice recognition, dictionary access, web page readability, masking, etc. The main differences that I noted were the note options and access to over 1000 texts via the Kurzweil program. Each option, although similar in WYNN and Kurzweil, was more advanced/detailed/comprehensive in the Kurzweil program.
Natural Reader
This program, although much more basic, definitely has a valuable use in the classroom to support our students. The BEST thing about it is that it's FREE!! It is a great program for text to speech recognition. It could be used to support ESL students, students working at home without access to school-based programs, and for proof reading purposes.
TextHelp/Read & Write Gold
This program was very good, as well. It had many of the features of Kurzweil and WYNN, but did not have the same layout. Like Kurzweil and WYNN, you could highlight text and export it to Word documents, spell check, use a dictionary, check homophones, read text, predict words when typing, etc. The group presenting stated that they were developing an APP of this program, which will definitely make it more accessible to the "everyday person" at a more reasonable cost than WYNN and Kurzweil. I also like the fact mapper option that looked quite similar to Inspiration; however, you needed Internet access to use that option.
1. iCoin - you can sort and count money -- very useful for students on IPPs who have money related outcomes -- very visual
2. Sign For Me - very interesting APP that allows you to type in a sentence and the avatar will teach you how to sign it
3. Prizmo - allows you to take a picture of text, scans it, and reads it aloud - amazing possibilities!
We looked at many APPS and will continue to do so in our next class. I am overwhelmed, now, at the classroom and real world application of APPS. There is literally an APP for EVERYTHING!!! If you want it, it's out there -- everything from grooming, life skills, stress relievers, academic supports, care taker supports, self improvement, goal setting, fun, entertainment... The classroom possibilities are endless! The portability and ease-of-use of most APPS is what makes this type of support for students with and without learning challenges so wonderful. THIS is where education is headed!
CHECK OUT THE GROUP TUTORIAL LINKS
ON THE COMPENSATORY SOFTWARE and WEBSITES LIST
FOR EACH PROGRAM BELOW
My Study Bar
I really liked this program. I appeared to be quite portable and contained many useful and interesting features like Xmind (mind mapping that can be exported into a Word document), Sonar (to make the cursor bigger), Tinytype (will "ding" if you misspell a word), and Magnifier (changes size of text, color, etc). It also has the typical options such as text to speech, read aloud as you type, voice input recognition.
Kurzweil
I was very excited to learn about this compensatory program as it is the one that schools are using on a regular basis. I found a lot of similarities between this program and the one that my group was doing, WYNN. It has A LOT of options that are quite sophisticated in what they do. For example, you can click on a word and you are given the option to open a picture that describes that word. I REALLY enjoyed the testing/assessment advantages to this program! It was AMAZING to see how you could assess student learning through sticky notes, voice notes, and bubble notes. You can insert these notes throughout a piece of text that would have students answering true/false questions, multiple choice, etc. It is an excellent way to keep students focused on the reading and a wonderful way to assess comprehension. I had no idea the potential of this program and I don't feel that many teachers do. The disappointing aspect of Kurweil is that students have to have a particular diagnosis or recommendation to go on Kurzweil -- the "average Joe" can't utilize this amazing resource...it's only for a select few. All students could benefit from this technology.
I am very excited that we will be looking more indepth at Kurzweil in our next class. It will be nice to "play around" with the program to see exactly what it can do.
WYNN
This software was presented by my group. WYNN is an excellent program and quite similar to Kurzweil. It had color-coded toolbars like Kurzweil, but in this program, the toolbars rotated as you clicked the next button. It did not have the depth that Kurzweil had but very similar options, such as text to speech, voice recognition, dictionary access, web page readability, masking, etc. The main differences that I noted were the note options and access to over 1000 texts via the Kurzweil program. Each option, although similar in WYNN and Kurzweil, was more advanced/detailed/comprehensive in the Kurzweil program.
Natural Reader
This program, although much more basic, definitely has a valuable use in the classroom to support our students. The BEST thing about it is that it's FREE!! It is a great program for text to speech recognition. It could be used to support ESL students, students working at home without access to school-based programs, and for proof reading purposes.
TextHelp/Read & Write Gold
This program was very good, as well. It had many of the features of Kurzweil and WYNN, but did not have the same layout. Like Kurzweil and WYNN, you could highlight text and export it to Word documents, spell check, use a dictionary, check homophones, read text, predict words when typing, etc. The group presenting stated that they were developing an APP of this program, which will definitely make it more accessible to the "everyday person" at a more reasonable cost than WYNN and Kurzweil. I also like the fact mapper option that looked quite similar to Inspiration; however, you needed Internet access to use that option.
APPS
We then got to use the iPODs during class. I was a bit overwhelmed as I have never used an iPOD or APPS before. It was fun to check out the APPS available to us on the demo iPODs. A few of the APPSEALLY like the following APPS:1. iCoin - you can sort and count money -- very useful for students on IPPs who have money related outcomes -- very visual
2. Sign For Me - very interesting APP that allows you to type in a sentence and the avatar will teach you how to sign it
3. Prizmo - allows you to take a picture of text, scans it, and reads it aloud - amazing possibilities!
We looked at many APPS and will continue to do so in our next class. I am overwhelmed, now, at the classroom and real world application of APPS. There is literally an APP for EVERYTHING!!! If you want it, it's out there -- everything from grooming, life skills, stress relievers, academic supports, care taker supports, self improvement, goal setting, fun, entertainment... The classroom possibilities are endless! The portability and ease-of-use of most APPS is what makes this type of support for students with and without learning challenges so wonderful. THIS is where education is headed!
Monday 10 October 2011
Analyzing THREE WEBSITES that support literacy skills development and reading remediation
INTO THE BOOK
http://reading.ecb.org/
This is a website designed to help students in grades kindergarten to four improve their reading comprehension. It focuses on eight strategies: Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. It is broken up into two main areas -- students and teachers.
In the student area, you can complete interactive online activities, watch videos, and/or listen to purposeful music to help develop your reading comprehension. The lessons are very extensive and incorporate a wide variety of hands-on activities. You can choose to focus on one strategy at a time or all of them. Depending on abilities, you can read the text or have the text read to you. The activities are applicable and relevant. I tried a number of different activities and I was very impressed.
The teacher area features lesson plans, teacher guide, discussion forum, posters, videos, real-world application, etc. It has many resources to help teachers support students with context and/or meaning processing difficulties.
I really enjoyed this website and could see how it could be incorporated in the classroom. Although it states it is for students in kindergarten to grade 4, I could see how upper elementary/junior high students would benefit from this as well. These reading strategies are also discussed in grades 5 to 9. Some of the content and activities could support these students as well. Into the Book could also be used to support students on individual programs (IPPs) in higher grades. The reading strategies are thinking strategies that support academics across the subjects, not just during ELA class.
The difficulty with this website is that it requires the use of the mouse which could pose a problem for students with fine motor difficulties. I really feel this website is very extensive and very much supports the individual student, whatever his/her abilities are.
UDL TECH TOOLKIT
http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/Home
This website is designed to be a "Free Technology Toolkit for UDL in All Classrooms." It is a wonderful resource for teachers to gain access to many different types of assistive technology -- text to speech, graphic organizers, study skills tools, literacy tools, writing tools, math tools, etc. -- that benefit ALL learners, regardless of ability or disability. The resources compiled on this website are FREE or can be easily downloaded from the Internet. They promote the UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR EDUCATION which gives all students an equal opportunity to learn. The site is divided into categories based on the area of difficulty (ex. text to speech, literacy tools). Once that individual page is opened, there are numerous links to various online resources.
This site is EXTENSIVE and covers a WIDE variety of needs. It is designed for educators and is not "user friendly" for most students. It uses "teacher-centered" vocabulary and reasoning; therefore, students may find it difficult to navigate on their own. It could also be used by parents to help their child if he/she experiences difficulties at home. It would be a wonderful addition at home to support what the child is doing in the classroom and because they are free, parents (with Internet access) can support the technology at home.
IXL - MATH RESOURCE
http://ca.ixl.com/
IXL is a math website that links practice questions to the provincial curriculum outcomes. It covers a wide range of topics through visual representation, word problems, interactive activities, left and right brain awareness, etc. Students navigate various topics within a particular grade level and answer questions online. If a student does not know the correct answer, this website provides comprehensive reinforcement of the concept. IXL's goal is "to help students gain true understanding of a concept, thus ensuring long-term skill retention." Students start with basic arthimetic skills in order to gain fluency. They progress to more difficult concepts/questions as the learning builds on prior knowledge so that mastery is achieved.
I LOVE this website for MANY reasons -- two of which I will elaborate on. The first reason I love this website is the direct link to curriculum outcomes! This is a wonderful tool to help support teachers in the classroom. It can also be used by parents to help assist their child at home with reinforcement of concepts taught. The second reason why I love this website is that there are NO multiple choice questions! I am not a big fan of multiple choice as students can convince themselves that they understand a concept just by purely guessing the correct answer. Students are required to INPUT their answers. This helps support real learning and understanding. I also LOVE that you can set up your individual classroom rosters, track students, use different grade levels (P to 9) to assist with IPP outcome planning and instruction, use the numerous online resource help supports on the site, etc.
A few disadvantages to this website is that it costs money to sign up. You do have access to a variety of practice problems, etc. without signing up, but the tracking systems for parents and teachers, as well as many other options, are not available without signing up. The website also only includes outcomes up to grade 9 (although expansion to include grade 10 and above is coming soon). A final disadvantage is that the student would be required to read and comprehension the information from the website (i.e. the questions as well as the elaborations). I did not see a link for a text to speech option (perhaps this is present once purchased).
http://reading.ecb.org/
This is a website designed to help students in grades kindergarten to four improve their reading comprehension. It focuses on eight strategies: Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. It is broken up into two main areas -- students and teachers.
In the student area, you can complete interactive online activities, watch videos, and/or listen to purposeful music to help develop your reading comprehension. The lessons are very extensive and incorporate a wide variety of hands-on activities. You can choose to focus on one strategy at a time or all of them. Depending on abilities, you can read the text or have the text read to you. The activities are applicable and relevant. I tried a number of different activities and I was very impressed.
The teacher area features lesson plans, teacher guide, discussion forum, posters, videos, real-world application, etc. It has many resources to help teachers support students with context and/or meaning processing difficulties.
I really enjoyed this website and could see how it could be incorporated in the classroom. Although it states it is for students in kindergarten to grade 4, I could see how upper elementary/junior high students would benefit from this as well. These reading strategies are also discussed in grades 5 to 9. Some of the content and activities could support these students as well. Into the Book could also be used to support students on individual programs (IPPs) in higher grades. The reading strategies are thinking strategies that support academics across the subjects, not just during ELA class.
The difficulty with this website is that it requires the use of the mouse which could pose a problem for students with fine motor difficulties. I really feel this website is very extensive and very much supports the individual student, whatever his/her abilities are.
UDL TECH TOOLKIT
http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/Home
This website is designed to be a "Free Technology Toolkit for UDL in All Classrooms." It is a wonderful resource for teachers to gain access to many different types of assistive technology -- text to speech, graphic organizers, study skills tools, literacy tools, writing tools, math tools, etc. -- that benefit ALL learners, regardless of ability or disability. The resources compiled on this website are FREE or can be easily downloaded from the Internet. They promote the UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR EDUCATION which gives all students an equal opportunity to learn. The site is divided into categories based on the area of difficulty (ex. text to speech, literacy tools). Once that individual page is opened, there are numerous links to various online resources.
This site is EXTENSIVE and covers a WIDE variety of needs. It is designed for educators and is not "user friendly" for most students. It uses "teacher-centered" vocabulary and reasoning; therefore, students may find it difficult to navigate on their own. It could also be used by parents to help their child if he/she experiences difficulties at home. It would be a wonderful addition at home to support what the child is doing in the classroom and because they are free, parents (with Internet access) can support the technology at home.
IXL - MATH RESOURCE
http://ca.ixl.com/
IXL is a math website that links practice questions to the provincial curriculum outcomes. It covers a wide range of topics through visual representation, word problems, interactive activities, left and right brain awareness, etc. Students navigate various topics within a particular grade level and answer questions online. If a student does not know the correct answer, this website provides comprehensive reinforcement of the concept. IXL's goal is "to help students gain true understanding of a concept, thus ensuring long-term skill retention." Students start with basic arthimetic skills in order to gain fluency. They progress to more difficult concepts/questions as the learning builds on prior knowledge so that mastery is achieved.
I LOVE this website for MANY reasons -- two of which I will elaborate on. The first reason I love this website is the direct link to curriculum outcomes! This is a wonderful tool to help support teachers in the classroom. It can also be used by parents to help assist their child at home with reinforcement of concepts taught. The second reason why I love this website is that there are NO multiple choice questions! I am not a big fan of multiple choice as students can convince themselves that they understand a concept just by purely guessing the correct answer. Students are required to INPUT their answers. This helps support real learning and understanding. I also LOVE that you can set up your individual classroom rosters, track students, use different grade levels (P to 9) to assist with IPP outcome planning and instruction, use the numerous online resource help supports on the site, etc.
A few disadvantages to this website is that it costs money to sign up. You do have access to a variety of practice problems, etc. without signing up, but the tracking systems for parents and teachers, as well as many other options, are not available without signing up. The website also only includes outcomes up to grade 9 (although expansion to include grade 10 and above is coming soon). A final disadvantage is that the student would be required to read and comprehension the information from the website (i.e. the questions as well as the elaborations). I did not see a link for a text to speech option (perhaps this is present once purchased).
Analyzing TWO ACTIVITIES that Support Reluctant Readers
EAROBICS
An activity I found on this site was via the GAME GOO educational game page. It was called "Alien Scavenger Hunt Letter Bugs". This was deemed to be at an "intermediate" level, which I agree. The goal was to identify ("catch") the individual sounds/letters (letter-sound correspondences) that make up various small words. This activity would be useful for students who have phonemic awareness difficulties, but not as an introductory activity. Students would need some awareness of letter-sound recognition before starting this activity. A few problems with this activity is the way in which you "catch" the sounds/letters. Students with fine motor difficulties would find this difficult as it requires you to move the mouse to catch the letter. The letters are moving at a reasonable pace so it may be difficult for some students. Another problem was hearing the original word in which you had to identify the specific letters/sounds. At times, it was difficult to hear the word, especially the initial sound. Students with auditory difficulties may find this activity troublesome. I would have liked to see the voice repeat the sounds of each letter when the mouse was over it. This would have been a nice feature as it would remind students as to what sound that letter made. Perhaps this is what would occur at a "beginner" level activity and not an "intermediate" level. Overall, this is a useful activity to reinforce letter-sound recognition for students who are working on developing their phonemic awareness -- not to be used as an introductory activity.
STARFALL
On this website, the activity I chose was to read the book "Pumpkin Patch" on the Starfall website. As you read the story, you created a jack-o-latern! I thought this was a great activity as it incorporated different levels of reading. You could read the story without any support, or you could click on the individual words and have them read to you. Before it read the entire word to you, it broke the word down into its individual phonemes. This activity would benefit students with phonological and phonemic awareness difficulties. You could use this activity to help students decode individual words and/or develop their awareness of individual phonemes. I think this activity would better suit a wider range of abilities within the classroom than the previous activity on the Earobics website. You did not need to track objects to complete this activity, but their was some mouse-work involved with would still require fine motor skills. Overall, this is a great, and interactive, activity to help develop phonological and phonemic awareness.
An activity I found on this site was via the GAME GOO educational game page. It was called "Alien Scavenger Hunt Letter Bugs". This was deemed to be at an "intermediate" level, which I agree. The goal was to identify ("catch") the individual sounds/letters (letter-sound correspondences) that make up various small words. This activity would be useful for students who have phonemic awareness difficulties, but not as an introductory activity. Students would need some awareness of letter-sound recognition before starting this activity. A few problems with this activity is the way in which you "catch" the sounds/letters. Students with fine motor difficulties would find this difficult as it requires you to move the mouse to catch the letter. The letters are moving at a reasonable pace so it may be difficult for some students. Another problem was hearing the original word in which you had to identify the specific letters/sounds. At times, it was difficult to hear the word, especially the initial sound. Students with auditory difficulties may find this activity troublesome. I would have liked to see the voice repeat the sounds of each letter when the mouse was over it. This would have been a nice feature as it would remind students as to what sound that letter made. Perhaps this is what would occur at a "beginner" level activity and not an "intermediate" level. Overall, this is a useful activity to reinforce letter-sound recognition for students who are working on developing their phonemic awareness -- not to be used as an introductory activity.
STARFALL
On this website, the activity I chose was to read the book "Pumpkin Patch" on the Starfall website. As you read the story, you created a jack-o-latern! I thought this was a great activity as it incorporated different levels of reading. You could read the story without any support, or you could click on the individual words and have them read to you. Before it read the entire word to you, it broke the word down into its individual phonemes. This activity would benefit students with phonological and phonemic awareness difficulties. You could use this activity to help students decode individual words and/or develop their awareness of individual phonemes. I think this activity would better suit a wider range of abilities within the classroom than the previous activity on the Earobics website. You did not need to track objects to complete this activity, but their was some mouse-work involved with would still require fine motor skills. Overall, this is a great, and interactive, activity to help develop phonological and phonemic awareness.
Saturday 1 October 2011
Reflection - DAY TWO - Supporting Reluctant Readers
Today we started off working on and then presenting our Reading Task Analysis. When we started to work on this, it seems like a HUGE undertaking. It was very overwhelming to think about ALL of the things we do when we read. It took us quite a long time to put together our analysis and we were not quite sure if we included everything that we needed to, but after seeing each group's analysis I realized that the analysis coud take many forms. It was very interesting to see the different ways in which each group interpreted the reading process -- no two were the same.
Next, we discussed how to make the AT match. It is critically important to reflect upon the STUDENT when choosing the appropriate technology. Every student is different and requires individual consideration. You also need to take into account the TASK (what is the student required to do?), the ENVIRONMENT (skills of teacher/EPA? what technology is present, and working?), and the TECHNOLOGY (simpler is better).
We learned about a few websites/software that are available to support students with phonological and orthographic processing difficulties (ex. Choose It Maker 2, Earobics, Simon Sounds It Out, Word Maker, Bailey's Book House) and students with context and meaning processing difficulties (ex. ReadPlease Natural Reader, Clicker5, Start-to-Finish Books, Kurzweil). After learning about the different options, software, and technology available (we also searched the Internet for more options), I was overwhelmed by the choices. In some cases it would be difficult to narrow down where to start. The good thing about the wide variety of choices is that if something isn't working for the student, there are many other options available. Access to these technologies is on my blob via "Compensatory Software and Websites" links.
We ended class by getting into expert groups with the intent that we would learn a specific program (Kurzweil, My Study Bar, WYNN, TextHelp). My group is doing WYNN Wizard. We need to create an instructional blog to teach the class how to use this software. It is a little more difficult than some of the others as we cannot access the software for more than 40 minutes at a time via our trial download. We also cannot find youtube videos to insert into our blog. Again, a bit overwhelming but we'll manage :)
Next, we discussed how to make the AT match. It is critically important to reflect upon the STUDENT when choosing the appropriate technology. Every student is different and requires individual consideration. You also need to take into account the TASK (what is the student required to do?), the ENVIRONMENT (skills of teacher/EPA? what technology is present, and working?), and the TECHNOLOGY (simpler is better).
We learned about a few websites/software that are available to support students with phonological and orthographic processing difficulties (ex. Choose It Maker 2, Earobics, Simon Sounds It Out, Word Maker, Bailey's Book House) and students with context and meaning processing difficulties (ex. ReadPlease Natural Reader, Clicker5, Start-to-Finish Books, Kurzweil). After learning about the different options, software, and technology available (we also searched the Internet for more options), I was overwhelmed by the choices. In some cases it would be difficult to narrow down where to start. The good thing about the wide variety of choices is that if something isn't working for the student, there are many other options available. Access to these technologies is on my blob via "Compensatory Software and Websites" links.
We ended class by getting into expert groups with the intent that we would learn a specific program (Kurzweil, My Study Bar, WYNN, TextHelp). My group is doing WYNN Wizard. We need to create an instructional blog to teach the class how to use this software. It is a little more difficult than some of the others as we cannot access the software for more than 40 minutes at a time via our trial download. We also cannot find youtube videos to insert into our blog. Again, a bit overwhelming but we'll manage :)
Saturday 24 September 2011
Reflection - DAY ONE - What is AT?
I really didn't know what I was getting myself into when I signed up for this course. I know that I'm not as "tech savvy" as some, but I thought that this would be a relevant and applicable course. The first activity introduced us to an APP called Pictello. I DO NOT use APPS nor do I know much about them. This appeared VERY easy to use and, better still, I could see how this could be incorporated into the classroom. Students who have adaptations that allow for oral assessment or scribes could definitely use this APP to develop their academic independence.
The defining moment of the course came next...... Assistive Technology is NOT IT! It is ACCESS to a TASK and helps IMPROVE PERFORMANCE! That tidbit of information is something that will stay with me forever :)
Our look at a class with varying needs and challenges was definitely an eye opener. The first thing that I quickly realized was that I had NO IDEA the depth of AT!! I didn't know some...in fact, many, of these technologies existed -- cushions, grips, weighted vest and pencils....
I never really thought about the dynamic aspect of AT and how it needs to be constantly and consistently monitored -- not only as it relates to the student in general, but also as it relates to the TASK. The drawback to AT, as with everything, is money! These technologies are extremely important but equally as pricey. It really is a shame that quest for equality is so expensive.
I can see just how vital assistive technology is for student's with disabilities. The examples discussed in class really helped to drive home that point. After seeing the success stories of students located within Nova Scotia, I was reminded of a course I took this summer, Disability Studies, taught by Dr. Janet Duncan. It was Tyler's story that really hit home for me and took me back to this summer. During my summer course, we were exposed to NUMBEROUS stories of people with disabilities and how they are overcoming the barriers and the stigma. We watched a video entitled, "Wretches and Jabberers", which was about two men with autism who used assitive technology to communicate with the world. Without this technology, they were seen as not having the ability or intelligence to learn -- they were unteachable Until the time in which they were given the ability to communicate through AT, they were viewed as being incompetent. I could see that same label being applied to Tyler IF he did not have assistive technology to help the rest of the world see him for who he REALLY is -- able, intelligent, determined and competent.
I've come to realize that AT is as much for the student who requires it as it is for those who don't. It allows others to see these students for who they really are inside.
The defining moment of the course came next...... Assistive Technology is NOT IT! It is ACCESS to a TASK and helps IMPROVE PERFORMANCE! That tidbit of information is something that will stay with me forever :)
Our look at a class with varying needs and challenges was definitely an eye opener. The first thing that I quickly realized was that I had NO IDEA the depth of AT!! I didn't know some...in fact, many, of these technologies existed -- cushions, grips, weighted vest and pencils....
I never really thought about the dynamic aspect of AT and how it needs to be constantly and consistently monitored -- not only as it relates to the student in general, but also as it relates to the TASK. The drawback to AT, as with everything, is money! These technologies are extremely important but equally as pricey. It really is a shame that quest for equality is so expensive.
I can see just how vital assistive technology is for student's with disabilities. The examples discussed in class really helped to drive home that point. After seeing the success stories of students located within Nova Scotia, I was reminded of a course I took this summer, Disability Studies, taught by Dr. Janet Duncan. It was Tyler's story that really hit home for me and took me back to this summer. During my summer course, we were exposed to NUMBEROUS stories of people with disabilities and how they are overcoming the barriers and the stigma. We watched a video entitled, "Wretches and Jabberers", which was about two men with autism who used assitive technology to communicate with the world. Without this technology, they were seen as not having the ability or intelligence to learn -- they were unteachable Until the time in which they were given the ability to communicate through AT, they were viewed as being incompetent. I could see that same label being applied to Tyler IF he did not have assistive technology to help the rest of the world see him for who he REALLY is -- able, intelligent, determined and competent.
I've come to realize that AT is as much for the student who requires it as it is for those who don't. It allows others to see these students for who they really are inside.
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