Reflection on the course as a whole

My reflection on the course as a whole is basically the same as the last course--Access to Literacy. On the one hand, I'm blown away by all the possibilities that these tools can offer students. On the other, I'm so discouraged by the lack of access they have to these tools. Our schools are doing such a disservice to our students. A student shouldn't have to wait around for one of their teachers to be taking a grad course before they get services they should have gotten years ago.

Again, I think about the cost factor--what is the cost to society to have people who are miserable, unemployable, uncommunicative, maladaptive, functional illiterate AND SO ON? Isn't it far cheaper to turn them into productive tax-payers? Full-cost accounting, folks.

I'm so glad that I've taken these courses. I've seen improvements in the lives of my students because of things I've learned from Barb. Since using Co:Writer, one of my students has been producing the most meaningful writing in her life. She spent years writing reams of jibberish so the adults would think she was hard at work and leave her alone. For her last project--on the Middle Ages--she wrote a play about a princess, assigned roles to her classmates and directed them in a performance! A transformation. Every child should have this opportunity to shine--to demonstrate what they know and can do.

The encouraging thing about these courses with Barb is how teaching professionals are fired up to spread the word and make a difference. Kind of like being in Dumbledore's Secret Army. We're there, but don't tell admin. Yet.

Thanks to Barb and my classmates, especially Michelle and Kari. It's been a great course! And a great degree! Course Ten, and no longer counting!

Goodbye, Acadia! It's been a slice.

Case Study Presentations

Michelle - Logan
Another moving presentation from Michelle! She told us about Logan, a Gr. 3 student at her school that she taught last year. We all diagnosed Asperger's, but apparently none of the specialists have yet.

She used Pic Collage and Pocket Pond.
Pic Collage enabled him to show his learning, and Pocket Pond calmed him down. And they worked!

Adele - She talked really fast, and I couldn't make out most of what she said.


Kari - Justin
This Gr. 2 boy has ADHD, fine motor difficulties and learning issues. He also has problems with violence, aggression and anxiety. Kari used a Whiteboard app and Hand Writing Without Tears on her (tablet). He increased his sight vocabulary!

HWWT uses high-tech to teach low-tech

Heather  - Ben
Gr. 5 boy with LD and negative self-image. She tried text-to-speech, Dragon Dictation and Typ-O. He produced great results, boosting his self-confidence. He'll be taking an iPod Touch to middle school.

This is word prediction with  Typ-O

Amy Sarg. - T
Amy did her study on a 5-year old boy with no known learning difficulties. (She's not teaching this term!) She used iPhone apps ABC Tracing, ABC Magic (one of my favourite series!) and Sound Sorting Beginning Sounds. He was very motivated and engaged. I would be too.

Smile! It's Preschool University!

Shauna - C
A 13-year old girl with LD and ADD. She is very reluctant to use technology in front of other people. She uses Kurzweil at home, but won't use it in school. Shauna introduced her to Dragon Dictation on the iPad. Her writing improved. But as I well know, Dragon Dictation only works with good wireless.

Apparently this is what Dragon Dictation looks like. If I can ever make it work, I'll know for sure.

Jeff - R
A very interesting Gr. 12 boy! He's got ADHD, is socially isolated, and does very little actual school work. BUT he's smart enough to hack the school's network. So he's not allowed on the computers. That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? He has a divergent skill profile-low in writing, high in verbal.

Jeff introduced him to Inspiration, and he suddenly did more work than he had done all year. He even passed some kind of foolish Geography summative that is not at all conducive to students with writing disabilities. We all think that alternative methods of assessment need to be accepted.

Inspiration. R's was on nuclear weapons.

Rebecca -
Becky introduced us to an incredibly cute 8-year old boy in Gr. 2. He has ASD and with it, communication problems. He would love to have more friends, but isn't really sure how to make them. She used Tell Me About It, Word Bingo, Visual Timer, and one of my personal favourites, Book Creator. Apparently, his receptive vocabulary is better than everyone thought! Funny that.

Behind this ridiculous graphic, there is apparently a great app: Tell Me About It.

Anne -
Anne told us an incredible story about a 17-year boy with severe non-verbal ASD. He and his mother have moved from Nova Scotia to Alberta and back to find the best education for him. His adjustment to life in Nova Scotia is still pretty rocky. The family is lucky to have Anne as a support. Turns out that they had an iPad they weren't using. Anne showed them several apps, including Book Creator, Pocket Pond, Jigsaw Puzzles and My Brushes. What he really needs is Proloquo2Go. I hope that Anne talks mom into it.


Alana - Rex
A boy with ADHD in a 3/4 French Immersion class. He's on meds, and doing better. Alana introduced him to Co:Writer, Kidspiration and Comic Life, as well as TumbleBooks and Into the Book.

Jenn  -
Jenn told us about J (not my J, hers), a boy in Gr. 8. He's SLD, but is no longer on an IPP. Very disorganized. She tried Google Calendar, but it offered too many choices. I've often thought that choice was over-rated. She moved on to Soshiku Mobile, a website. It was much more straightforward and also free. She noticed some improvements--he's now aware of school assignments now, which is more than he did before! It starts somewhere.

Soshiku

Jackie - One disadvantage of finishing my degree--I'm going to miss the sisters!
We learned about TinyEYE, "The World Leader in Online Speech Therapy Telepractice." I never knew there was online speech therapy telepractice, let alone that the world leader is in Canada--Saskatchewan. What a great idea! Especially for rural schools. Instead of SLP driving all over hell's half-acre, they can see more clients--from home. Student A did well with TinyEYE. Cool.











Amy St. - Justin
Justin has a mild form of cerebral palsy. He's being using Raz-Kids, an online subscription program that includes a full-service reading program. Therefore not free. He moved up four reading levels! That puts "not free" in perspective. He also likes the Smart Board.

A Raz-Kids book

Janna - K
K is a 16-year old student at Sacred Heart. She has LD, a Verbal Learning Disability and ADHD. She's very anxious, but resistant to professional help. She needs to be at a different school, but that's another story. Janna is her tutor. They've used Tools4Students, gFlash+Flashcards and Tests, and Google Maps. K is very anxious about getting lost when away from home or school, so Google Maps reassures her. Thanks to Janna for sharing K's drawings with us. Yet more proof that people with LDs can be really, really talented.















Jill - Ashley
Okay, so Jill wins the cuteness contest. Well, actually, Ashley does. She a Gr. 1 student--who's already had a tough life--in a tiny rural school. (Jill won that contest, too.) Ashley is a severely delayed rote learner with few concepts that she is able to demonstrate. She's getting ELT, SLP and Resource. Jill introduced her to Book Creator, which produced an incredible increase in word concepts. And my new addiction--Toca Boca. I even love saying it. Toca Boca is a series of apps that encourage expressive and receptive language. They explore everyday life and promote fine motor skills. Themes include cooking, going to the doctor and getting your hair cut. Ashley quickly became skillful at using these apps, which helped her increase attention to task, motivation, engagement and language development. Can't argue with that.

Then I got to see former colleague, SLP Renana Joy, in a spiffy Apple video, talking about Toca Boca!

Toca Boca! Toca Boca! I can say it all day. Toca Boca!

Great way to end the day!

The Haptic Chair & other finds

The Haptic Chair enhances the experience of listening to music for people who are hard of hearing. It was developed by a multi-disciplinary team at the Faculty of Engineering at the National University of Singapore. Using speakers that convert audio information into vibrations, hard of hearing users experience music through touch and bone conduction of sound.

More importantly, they look happy.

Haptic Chair

Look here for information on the haptic chair, and more videos.

The haptic chair has also shown promise as a boost to speech therapy with children who are hard of hearing. And apparently it's just plain fun. Check here.

Kari's Find:

Assistive Technology Clocks Tech Tips.
Products to let people with hearing and visual impairments know what time it is. I like the one that makes your pillow vibrate. I could use that.


Michelle's Find:

Interpretype: I even like the name.
A single system that facilitates communication among deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people. Includes face-to-face messaging and video remote sign language interpreting, 

Switches

How to access the world one (or two) movements at a time

Colourful switches of many sizes and shapes provide access to electric devices for people with very limited physical capabilities. A PowerLink device can be hooked up to many kinds of appliances. The PowerLink can be programmed to turn devices on and off in different configurations, for example, for set lengths of time.

PowerLink - Control Central

Squeeze switch

Ideas for using switches

• paper shredder
• pencil sharpener
• electric toothbrush
• foot bath
• juicer
• blender
• coffee machine
• nail dryer
• overhead projector
• bingo ball tosser



Switch-adapted digital cameras








• ice cream maker

Jelly Beamer Twist wireless switch - colour-coordinated!

Single switch access to the iPad. And it's Canadian technology!

Inventions from Our Classmates

Baster Pencil - (Amy Sargeant) makes the pencil larger, for students who find the pencil too small to hold.

Squeeze Bottle Pencil (Shauna) - similar to above, but the pencil is in a squeeze bottle. She added sand to weight it.

Easy-Grip Magnetic Letters (Becky) - glued suction cups to magnetic letters, to make them easier to grip. They can be attached to a magnetic strip.

Spongy White Board - (Jeff) Sponges on the bottom of a white board to elevate white board off a desk. Could be put on an angle.

Spatula Scissors - (Janna) - replaced handles with spatula ends. Can be clamped to a table for easier use. Could be helpful for student who only uses one hand.

Dice Buddy - (Jill) - Put dice in a transparent container. Easier to toss, and you don't lose the dice.
Swim Buddy - (Jill) - Print out a page of Board Maker, and put it in a large plastic bottle. A waterproof AAC.

One-Handed Marker Pull - (Amy Strong) - Put clay into the bottom of a container, and stick marker caps into it. Students can pull the marker itself out.

Popsicle Painter (the sisters, Jackie and Jennifer) - Buy a popsicle-making kit. Glue foam to the stick part. Glue play fruit on handle for easier grasping.

Popsicle Painter

Measure Assist - (Anne) - Glue a bathroom squeegee to a ruler or protractor.

Skater-X - (Alana) - Glue a dinosaur to a play skate board for easy play. Attach a ring to the dinosaur for easy gripping.

Floater - (Heather) - Attached to items that are in danger of falling into the water.

Our Dollar Store Invention - Sticky Tray!

Why does everyone called it the Dollar Store, when it's really called Dollarama? I guess Dollarama is the teacher's dollar store of choice.

Michelle, Kari and I met up at the Dollarama at Bayer's Lake, where we found around 40 ideas for items to use with students. We limited that list to 16, see post below, "Shopping for Grades."

Our invention idea was inspired by two-way suction cups. We got a tray to be our base, and then we tried our suction cups on a plate, bowl, board book and puzzle. It works! The plate stayed securely on the tray, as did the bowl and board book. The only glitch was the puzzle--it was too "papery," and didn't stay stuck. Apparently one needs shiny surfaces for this invention.

The package of suction cups also comes with three hooks, which could be used to hang items on the side of the tray.

This invention is perfectly suited for students with the kind of gross motor difficulties that might make them knock things over, for example, CP. Another application might be for students who deliberately knock things, but aren't strong enough to pull off the suction cups. For example, a four-year old. See below.

Please contact us for orders. Pricing to be determined.

Suction cups on the bottom of the plate

Suction cups on the bottom of the book

Kari's son using the book on the tray

The puzzle was too "papery"

Adapting Toys for Children with Physical, Sensory, Cognitive Disabilities

The student that I have in mind is a 11 year-old girl with cognitive delays. She has difficulty with fine motor skills, especially writing, but even with some every day tasks.

I was looking for crafty toys that would help her practise her fine motor skills. She is attracted to girly-themed toys, but most kits aimed at her age group contain too many parts for her to keep track of, and the parts are too small for her to handle effectively.

Craft kits that would be easy enough for her to use physically are too young thematically. Although she will sometimes play with Dora or Hello Kitty items, I would prefer to discourage that for social reasons.

From my own perspective, the themes she's attracted to reinforce female role models by emphasizing make-up, fashion and skinniness. (She likes Monster High--the girls are cheerleaders called "fear-leaders." I'll say no more.) So I was also looking for alternate female role models.

Description general:

I love Playmobil! High quality toys that encourage creative play. Suitable for wider range of ages than Fischer-Price.

I chose a City Life kit, which features a woman veterinarian. While it does say ages 4-10 on the box, there is no age-range written on the kit itself, so the box could be tossed and the kits could be used for older students with a similar profile. The pieces are sturdy, washable, attractive. The smallest pieces are around 2 centimeters long, which makes them longer than many items in the "girly" craft kits. I chose this kit because my student is also fascinated by animals.

Disability Category:

Physical              - some fine motor difficulties
Sensory               - none
Communicative  - limited vocabulary, speech not always clear, social difficulties with peers, prefers younger children

Cognitive            - below average, tendency to perseverate

Store:                   Toys R Us Express, Halifax Shopping Centre

Toy Company:     Playmobil

Price:                    $10.99

Box Age Range:  4-10

# Pieces:              37

Washability:        Yes

Storability:          Comes with carrying case

Directions:          Comes with graphic-only directions. Some assembly required, but rather intuitive

Play Locations:   Home, school

Adjustability:      n/a

Levels of Play:    Creative

Batteries:             No

APPLICATIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Description	Figures and accessories. Female veterinarian, three animals (dog, cat, hamster), examining table, set of drawers, medicine bottles, instruments, and lots of bandages.
Physical Skills	Moving pieces around and manipulating them. For example, the dog's and cat's heads can move.
Play Ideas	Creative play. Could also be used to reinforce oral language, for asking the student to describe scenarios she creates with the kit. She could then write about them.
Adaptation Ideas	Student has mentioned the deaths of pets in the past. Using the kits might help her work through some of these incidents.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

yes	Durable
yes	High Contrasting Colours
somewhat	Tactilely Stimulating  - Only one kind of material, but various textures
yes	Visually Stimulating - attractive, clear features
yes	Wide age range - simple to use, but not as childish-looking as similar items
yes	Open-ended - stimulates creative play
yes	High quality, but not too expensive
yes	Detailed - enough detail, but not too much, for student in question
yes	Hands on approach to learning
no	One-piece unit - 37 pieces, but there is a case

DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESSES PROMOTED

yes	Fine motor - pieces can be moved or taken apart. The vet's hair can be removed and traded with other Playmobil figures. If you're into that.
yes	Problem solving - if used to answer questions
yes	Finger and hand control and dexterity - some pieces are smaller, and require dexterity, for example, putting the bandages on the animals
yes	Self esteem - promotes positive play
yes	Sequential thought - if used to tell stories
yes	Turn taking - if used with other children
yes	Spatial relationships – over, under, on, off Student could place objects in relationship to each other, for example, on the examining table, in the drawer,  in the vet's hand
yes	Life Skills Taking care of animals, putting on bandages, using stethoscope
yes	Social Interaction Could be used with other children, peer or younger. This student enjoys playing with younger children.

Playmobil can be used for stop-motion animation!
Featuring another Playmobil vet kit.

Off the Shelf Dollar Store Assistive Technology

Shopping for Grades with Adele, Michelle and Kari

Dollarama is da bomb.

Feather duster 
Use for raising hands for a student with physical difficulties.

Bath mat for standing.
Stability for a student with physical difficulties
Spatial awareness for student who has trouble staying put

Tap light for non-verbal student, eg, selective mutism
“Raising hand”
Answering questions (yes/no)

Coloured tape
Lineups
 Outline personal space
                  Outline spaces in classroom (eg, teacher's space)

Felt insoles. Spot-holder for standing.
                Would have been really handy for Christmas concerts.

Sandpaper for letters 
Tactile reinforcement for visual disabilities

Waxy strips
       Use to form letters, numbers, shapes for visual disabilities.

Foam heart for keeping beat
Used these for a blind student when I was teaching music.

Mirrors - for practising pronunciation.

Reinforcing identity, taking responsibility.
Could be used with students with 

Autism.

Lava lamp with timer 
Calming, time-out.
Use with children with anxiety issues, anger issues or autism

Bubbles
      Blowing for speech and/or calming

Flying disc - For sitting on.
Large Frisbee, could be used for improving gross motor skills, hand-to-eye coordination.

Garden signs
                 Answering questions. Could be used with children who are non-verbal.

Eye shades
Calming
Reducing stimulation.

Chart with 3D numbers
Tactile reinforce for students with visual impairments.

Session #7, June 9, am

In Which We share Our Social Stories

Ours stood up pretty well! They were all great, but I especially liked "how to stand in line for the water fountain."

Things Come Together
 Book Creator
Tuesday's staff meeting
All that talk about what things cost
iPads

At our staff meeting this week, we were talking about the laminator. The results.

1. It's broken. It will cost us $200 for a visit from the repair person, WHICH WILL NOT INCLUDE REPAIRS. 
2. We have found out that our lamintor is not properly ventilated, so we're probably in violation of code upon code. 
3. Laminators are environmentally unfriendly.
4. Laminators can make some people sick.
5. If if were fixed, we'd still have to buy film.
6. The whole process is labour-intensive. Especially for those of us who aren't good with scissors to begin with.
7. We're considering gathering up our materials to be laminated and bringing them to a print shop to be done. EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE.

On the other hand,

1. Lamination makes materials more durable and kid-friendly.
2. The Learning Centre is mostly made of laminated items. 
3. Our Learning Centre teacher will probably quit if we don't get a laminator. Which will leave our six autistic kids in Primary and Grade One out of luck.

It seems to me that while there may continue to be a place for lamination, and the next generation replacements thereof, a long-term cost-analysis of iPads versus laminators may show that the former are more affordable than first appears.

The PD-LM1100R. Whatever. Looks scary to me. 

Would you want to be left alone in a room with this thing?

Session #6, June 2, afternoon

In which Adele considers quitting her day job to make movies

Seriously, I could write social stories all day. Not to mention produce and direct them! With the iPad, of course. Anything that prevents cutting (with scissors), pasting (with glue) and laminating--my three poorest fine motor skills--gives me hope.

We used Book Creator to make our social story. Very easy-to-use app. Must be, because we shot our masterpiece in around seven-and-half minutes.

Raising my Hand

By Adele, Michelle and Kari

 

Sometimes in school, I need the teacher's attention.

The teacher may be very busy. She may be talking to other students.

When I am in class, I need to raise my hand to get the teacher's attention.

Then I need to wait until the teacher talks to me.

The teacher doesn't like it when I shout out without waiting my turn.

Other students can keep doing their work while I wait my turn.

If I raise my hand to ask a question, the teacher will help me as soon as she can.

I will get say what is on my mind.

And that will make me happy!

Jacob Talks About Standing in Line; Or: Waiting for Godot Finally Explained

Session #5 - June 2, morning

Totally cool beginning to the day: 

Get AppleTV for $100, and use your iPad to take over!

What do you mean, take over what? YOUR CLASSROOM. Then we move on to the world.

 

New apps

As graphic as I'm willing to put on my blog

• Frog Dissection  - $4
• Woh! So realistic, I was queasy.
• Barefoot Books World Atlas - $8
• Interactive 3D globe
• Back in Time - $8
• Multimedia history app

More Apps

We continued by watching webinars, one each group. Our group was assigned "Executive Functions," which included an introductory section explaining executive functions, a good review from EDUC 5163.

Take a Chill, stressed teenagers. And others

These are the apps we really liked:

• Tools4Students
• Set of graphic organizers
• Take a Chill - Stressed Teenagers
• Several tools to manage stress
• Let Panic Go
• I presented this one. A scripted walk-through for de-escalating a panic attack. Excuse me, boys and girls, Ms. Megann needs to consult her iPad. Check back in 20 minutes.
• Pocket Pond
• I love fish, edible or otherwise
• Sound Curtain
• Ms. Megann, the former music teacher, did NOT like this one. Too many high-pitched overtones. But the others did.
• Student Life Organizer
• Electronic agenda
• iRewards
• Everything that a penny board can do, and more, without the laminating.
• Sosh
• A suite of apps to keep your teenager organized
• Conover Company Functional Skills Series
• Great examples of social stories on video form. Rather general, of course, but a good starting point. Could be used with groups or classes.
• Sock Puppets - This will either:
• help you connect with little kids and others who relate better to puppets than people,
• break the whatever tension is in the room by making everyone laugh. 
• Could have used this for my last parent meeting. It's not me saying that; it's Arygle!

Even Sock Puppets love Amelia Bedelia!

Some apps presented by other groups:

Alternate access to the iPad for physical disabilities

• WritePad – Use it to write by hand.
• Dragon Diction – Speech-to-text. Needs wifi.
• Touch Trainer – Refine ability to touch screen. The app you need first!

Early Learners

• Kiddie Question - W5 questions
• Bugs and Buttons - Fine motor practice
• JibJab - Add student's picture to a story

Communication

• Sign 4 Me for iPad  - Huge vocabulary for $10
• Speech Tutor
• Shows cutaway of face and how to pronounce
• For SLPs

Math
Do the Symmetry Shuffle! And Slide! And Flip! And Turn!

• Symmetry Shuffle – Investigate transformations.
• Number Line - Zero in on the right number.
• Math. As in Math Period. A collection of math lessons. Free!

Free apps for Special ed

• Pocket Pond - Splash around with the fish.
• Science 360 – Images and video collected by the National Science Foundation. No written text.
• TourWrist - View and create panoramic photographs. While you're saving up for your ticket, you can check out your destination now.

"Panos" are a thing these days. Who knew?

Augmentative & Alternative Communication Apps

5 AAC Apps

In order to have a look at these apps, I chose five that are free and available for iPhone. Although these apps all have good points, they do illustrate the saying "You get what you pay for."

1.
Alexicom AAC home page
Alexicom on iTunes

Alexicom is an online-based app that is not device-dependent. Instead of purchasing an app, one in fact subscribes to a service. The best price is $34 a month for a year-long subscription, $23 a month when at least 10 licenses are purchased. Once a user is set up, they can access their account through any device that can access the Internet. Of course, you need a device that can access the Internet! Yes, there are such things--in my school, we have no Internet access in the Learning Centre. We do have iPads now, but they can only access the Internet through wi-fi, which we don't have. Since iPads with 3G capability are more expensive, that could be a barrier to some users. And the icons looked pretyy small on my iPhone.

The interface on this app isn't pretty, but I couldn't really judge it fully. The setup process looks cumbersome, but it's the end result that counts! The ability to use multiple devices can certainly be handy, and it's probably the way of the future.

Alexicom does lunch:




2.
Say Hi! home page

Say Hi! on iTunes







Say Hi! has an unusual setup: you need an iPad and two iPhones/iPod Touches. The iPad acts as the screen, which can be customized to suit the user. It displays a grid with up to nine boxes. The smaller devices act essentially as switches; one is a mover, rather like an arrow key that moves through the boxes on the iPad, and the other is a selector, a kind of enter key. Each device must be on the same wireless network, so Internet is required.

It seems odd to me to use two iDevices as simple, single-function switches. Surely one can find switches, and one can find uses for two iPhones! Other perusers of this app seem as puzzled as I, but there are apparently some happy users as well. Perhaps a good use for iPhones left behind by upgrades.

The iPhones each use the whole screen, so provide a fairly large surface to tap. The iPad is not touched at all by the user. A typical user would be someone with severe physical limitations.

This app is completely free, from the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation.


Can't picture? Me neither, until I watched this video.


3.

MyTalk home page

MyTalk on iTunes





MyTalk was developed by Bick Pratt, the father of a son with multiple disabilities. The app is used on an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, but can be customized online using a computer. You can, however, customize directly on the device. The app is free, and comes with a 30-day trial of the computer-based editor, Workspace. Once the trial is over, you can keep the mobile app, and continue to customize on the mobile device. Apparently it's easier to create your boards on the computer, but once they're set up, you get to keep them, whether you purchase the extension or not. And catch this--SLPs pay less! Less than users and parents!

The interface is appealing, clear and easy-to-use. Instructions are logical and comprehensive. My favourite so far. The pricing is staggered, between free and $200.

Autism Hangout likes it. Good enough for me.




4. 
OneVoice home page

OneVoice on iTunes

Here's what they have to say about themselves:
"OneVoice does less than most augmented communication devices. Why? Because making it easy to use is far more important than making sure it has every possible feature."

Okay, that's an interesting approach, and makes a certain amount of sense. It would probably make more sense if it cost less than Proloquo2Go, but it's $200. The reviewer on iAutism is skeptical, and so am I.

It certainly is quick to get started with and easy to use, and you can edit on the device, adding your own images and text. The vocabulary included is small. The appearance cannot be customized much, so there's not much you can do to make it visually or physically more accessible. The free version has no voice, so you can't check that out beforehand. While it might be easy to start using, an app that will carry you through the long-term is worthy of a learning curve.

5.
Locabulary home page

Locabulary on iTunes

Besides having a cute name, Locabulary has a unique feature: it works with GPS. This app uses the location feature of the iPhone to help you create categories for specific locations. Apparently, one must go to the location (or type in the multiple-digit coordinates), label it, and add vocabulary to match. Your location is now a locabulation--seriously. The free version comes loaded with much of the menu items for MacDonald's and Starbucks. Strikes me as a limited application, but it might be handy for running errands to frequently-accessed locations.

Session 3&4 - May 26, 2012

Today we continued looking at Prologuo2Go. We spent a good part of the day setting up an account for an imaginary student. Only by going through that exercise did I realize how hard a job it is! There are so many questions that need to be answered. Our student was good with three-step directions, so we tried to keep our screens no more than three deep. 

Proloquo2Go

 

Right from the beginning, questions arise—how to set up the home page? Should we create a set for each milieu (our choice), or should our home page comprise sentence-starters, or topics?

Since our student had “some” fine motor/visual discrimination issues, we decided to go for the middle ground with text and icon size, and voice speed. The larger the visuals, or course, the fewer choices on one screen. So you'd better pick questions that are pretty darned specific.

I realized during that presentations that we had done a pretty good job in our group with needs, wants and questions, but we needed to think more deeply about interactions. How do we promote two-communication of a social nature? How can we use tools like Proloquo to support relationships?

In some ways the exercise would be easier with a real student. Once you got started, you could fine-tune the choices. (Wouldn't it be great if there was a stats function that recorded how many times a user used each button?) The whole process can be rather time consuming, and requires a commitment to followup so that the user's communication stays current, fresh and frequent.

I'm impressed by the symbols in Proloquo. It's amazing how well they express their meaning, especially the verbs, adjectives and adverbs, which are not so easy to get across in pictures. That said, I think that using real photos whenever possible would facilitate communication and individualization. As long as you take good pictures! (We chose “Bridges” for our student's science project because he could see it to take a picture; but no zoom on the iPad! Our bridge was really, really far away.)

What the MacKay Bridge really looks like

Session #2 - May 5, Afternoon

"Communication is the successful connection between two or more parties, that conveys a message with content understood by both, using a method accessible by both." --Michelle, Kari, Adele.

3 Essentials of effective communication

Communication partner

Common language

Joint attention

Assistive technology?

Blogger has changed since the last course! I'm coping, though. I even edited the HTML of my template! Woh! (I wanted to change the default font--I'm a Georgia woman.) Needing a fun gadget, I decided to find something new, although I do love that fish tank. So I chose Real Time Earth and Moon phase. Sorry that it's advertising. Enjoy anyway.

Proloquo2Go is awesome! My home page is going to say:

Ms. Megann is busy right now.

Well, then, go look for it!

Later.

Soon.

Session #1 - May 5, Morning

Here we are again! Back at the NS Community College in another Assistive Technology course with Barb Welsford. We're in a different room, but it still has a nice view of the Halifax Harbour. The windows aren't as big, but at least it wasn't foggy!

We started with the Pic Collage app (free!). Here is my group's. Michelle is headed Portugal, Kari to China, and I'll be home with my ukulele. Sipping red wine.

Pic Collage would be a great app for several kinds of assignments:

• All About Me
• Countries
• Favourite books
• Animals
• My School

If students have access to iDevices outside school, they could also use Pic Collage for:

• My Vacation
• My Family
• My Neighbourhood

BIG IDEAS

• AT is about providing ACCESS to a task and improving performance of an individual with a disability.
• Training, training, training
• Mac is da bomb.

IN WHICH ADELE LEARNS NEW THINGS ABOUT iPADS

• They can be accessible to blind people.
• You can tap them with your tongue.

How Do You Choose the Technology? ASSESS:

• skills and needs of the user
• user's experience with technology
• milieu – people, place, home, school, teachers,
• tasks that the user is being asked to perform
• characteristics of the technology itself, for example, ease of use, cost, availability

Continue to assess for change over time. The user, milieu, tasks and technology will keep changing,  so the "fit" may need to be adjusted.

BUT IT'S SO EXPENSIVE!
We spent some time talking about how some of today's mobile devices are cheaper than older technology, as well as being more effective, portable, functional, accessible, inclusive, and flexible. Wow, is that all?

I don't know how expensive Bliss Boards were, but, boy, they were big!

ADELE ANSWERS:
Any assistive technology is cheaper than a lifetime of dependence, institutionalization and unemployability. Plus, humans are better off without those things.

And then there's that Universal Design thing. These technologies have potential for all learners, including "typical." And we don't find out what they all are until we implement the technology.

BUT, if your school board is not convinced, BYOD.
(Bring your own device. <SIGH>)

AND FINALLY, THOSE SQUIGGLY SQUARES, OR QR CODES
I'd put one here, but I can't see the advantage of a QR code over a link in a web page. But out in the world!--that's another story. They're on posters, signs, flyers, business cards, menus. Actually, I've never seen a QR code on a menu, but why not? They could be linked to the ingredients or history of a dish. Or a photo of it! Instead of googling food terms on my iPhone, I could be directed to a site chosen by the restaurant.

So how could you use them in education?

• scavenger hunts (following directions)
• send student around the school to measure things
• instructions for centres
• background information on a hand-out

Jess gets free advertising on my blog, just because she has a pretty QR code.