584 Assignment 6 & 8: Thoughts on AAC and Specialized Equipment

 Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine we are enjoying this weekend (before the rain descends upon us starting tomorrow). Over the last couple days- in between sitting outside soaking up these rays- I've been exploring the array of AACs and Specialized Equipment listed on the EDPD 584 website. Overall, I am completely amazed by the technological options available to learners with various impairments! It is almost futuristic/sci-fi to me to think that one can access all options on their desktop using only their eyes, but I am so happy to see that the ability to communicate, complete schoolwork, and simple daily tasks are being made more and more accessible to anyone.

Here are a couple highlights I took away from exploring these tools:

Radio Aids for Hearing Technology: To see how well these hearing-impaired students are able to integrate into mainstream school is fantastic. I went to school with a classmate named Kate who was almost completely deaf, and during class she would have to get the teacher to put on a headset and fiddle around with the sound/frequency before beginning the lesson. I'm so happy to see that just over a decade later, technology has been modified and refined to make the process even smoother and seamless.  Not only that, but the ability to connect to a mobile phone via Bluetooth makes for even more accessibility in terms of day-to-day communication. Cell phones were just hitting the scene at that time so this wouldn't have been an option yet, but if it HAD been- I'm sure Kate would have appreciated it! :)

Tobii Software for Alternative Computer Access: Wow. Just wow. I cannot believe how cool these software packages are! Besides the essential functions of being able to create/answer simple questions and commands, I was so impressed to see that somebody like Lianna can essentially create a diary where she can add comments, schoolwork, and photos. I also like how the customization allows for her to add things like her birthday, school information- it is no longer a completely uniform program. I was also happy to see that programs like Tobii ATI and PCEye allow for users to work on their computers (and online) in a completely self-sufficient way. It is always important to remember that each of these users are individuals that deserve the same privileges we enjoy- and one of those things is independence. For an individual confined to a wheelchair, they are dependent on help with so many things in their day-to-day activities...and this allows them control, privacy, and independence in one instance of their lives. To be able to make our own decisions and have control over our own bodies is something many of us take for granted, and these leaps in technology have allowed those without that luxury to gain part of that freedom back.

Lingering Questions...

• One thing I still don't fully understand is how eye-tracking software actually ensures that it picks up the letter/word/image that you are meaning to focus on. When I think about my own computer habits, I feel like I am constantly scanning all around my screen at any given time. If the tracker is following the user's cornea to find out what button they want to select, how does it do that if the user is looking at several buttons? Do you have to focus on a button for at least 2 seconds to let the software know to implement it? I'm going to keep poking around online to see if I can figure out the exact technological nitty gritty for how that part works-- but regardless it's still an impressive function.
• My other question about all of these impressive tools is how financially accessible they are to school districts- and how prevalent they are in BC schools. I have seen iPad functions similar to Boardmaker being used with students on the autism spectrum (that are nonverbal), and it definitely helps with allowing them to communicate their needs through picture symbols and text-to-speech functions. However, besides that I haven't seen anything like Tobii PCEye or Intellikeys. 

I'm sure the companies that produce these products have wholesale pricing for school districts wanting to implement them in their schools, but are they available at a realistic district budgeting price? And how much training is required to learn not only how to use, but to teach students how to use them? Does anyone work in a district where these tools are easily accessible?

 Feel free to give me any feedback about your own experiences below!

584 Assignment 5: Toolbelt Theory

 Hello bloggerverse!

 Here is my utellstory-created Toolbelt Theory presentation! This took me quite a long time to create from start to finish, mostly from going through the UDL wiki (which was fantastic, by the way) and trying several of the tools listed on there. I found lots that I liked, but then narrowed it down to my favorites for the purposes of the assignment. I framed the research around a Grade 10 student who I made up, but represents several students I have worked with over the last few years. As someone with a devout love for books (and no problem breezing through an entire one in 2 or 3 days), it can sometimes surprise me how many students I meet that are so adverse to reading. However, the more I learn in this program the more I realize that in many instances there are learning blocks that are creating that animosity- and now I am more determined than ever to break those barriers down and allow for access.

I hope you like the presentation! (Follow the link below)

http://www.utellstory.com/viewstory/view/ac2d676d33afe2ead91eb0fe3b950bfd

 P.S. I hope everyone is enjoying this amazing sunshine we are currently amassed in on the West Coast-- I can hardly believe the lack of rain we have had in the spring. Although, as much as I love this weather I wouldn't be completely distraught if we did get some showers...as my allergies have been brutal over the last few days. With this wonderful weather comes pollen, cottonwood, and hay blowing in every direction on the peninsula- and my biological response is to sneeze every 10 minutes or so. However, I have been trying to eat local honey every day (a trick I heard about last year and decided to try- it's not a conclusive scientific theory by any means but check out more information on the local honey/seasonal allergy connection here) and it honestly seems to be helping. Or I'm just enjoying the placebo effect...either way, at least honey tastes delicious:)

584 Assignment 3: Boardmaker

   When I first logged onto Boardmaker, I was initally overwhelmed by the options: when you click on the "Start Activities" button and the templates appear, you have 226 Interactive, 129 Performance, and 406 Print options to choose from. 

How does one narrow it down when simply exploring this program?

I decided to approach my exploration as I would if I were a regular classroom teacher searching for programs to assist a student in my secondary English class. After all, it is my eventual hope that this ideal soon becomes a reality and it would be great if the programs/projects I create for this course later serve a function in my classroom.

   My first attempt at an activity was creating a Routine board that could be used by a student at the end of their class every day. By creating a routine with set items that need to be done before the bell goes, this could decrease things such as anxiety and disruption and increase efficiency in staying on task, getting homework done, and staying organized with class assignments. I'd never seen a program where the student could use the board on their iPad to electronically move the tasks over, have them read aloud- it was really neat! I could also see this being a very practical tool to be used with students who have trouble with transitioning to new tasks, because once they have completed the "to-do" items for that class, they know it is finished and they can move to the new task.

Sample adjectives for each letter

   The next activity I tried out was a Name Poem writing template that could be used for students in an English class. Poetry is something that can be the bane of many a writers' existence, and not just for students with special needs. For this sample, I created a name poem- a form of poetry that seems to be quite common because it gives students a simple template to follow yet allows them to be creative, especially with coming up with adjectives to describe themselves! 

Adjectives with symbols

 This particular template comes with a host of functions to assist learners who struggle with writing and generating ideas. It gives ideas for adjectives (or alternate adjectives to what the writer has initially chosen), will provide text-to-speech, and symbols above some words/phrases for some additional visual support. The thesaurus of alternate descriptive words really did help with the creative process, even for someone like myself where words usually come quite easily. 

My completed Jessica name poem!

 
I made a list of pros and cons as I was working on the website, and I think it helped me to come up with an ongoing reflection of Boardmaker. Here is my list:

PROs:

• hundreds of activities created by other users that are available for use (searchable on the site
•  multimodal (online interactive, print options, audio functions- such as text-to-speech 
• combines digital and clip art 
• templates available to simply input information and customize for each individual learner 
• thousands of symbols 
• can be used to create items that all students can benefit from (class calendars, newsletters, etc.)
• options for creating/enhancing curriculum 

CONS:

• slow in loading functions at times 
• took a good chunk of time and troubleshooting to learn how to navigate the site 
• could be confusing at times to properly create projects

Overall, my impression of this program was positive- and I'm looking forward to trying more options when I have some free time (whenever that day finally arrives)!

584 Assignment 2: Kurzweil 3000

In keeping with my attempts to try out new multimedia options on the web, I have gone with UtellStory for this assignment- which is a fairly user-friendly platform to make slideshows that can incorporate photos, audio, and text. I found it really easy to use, so I'm happy to have yet another option for creating work (and letting my students know about as well)!

On the whole, my impression of Kurzweil is great- it does have a lot of fantastic tools for students of any level. It look a lot of playing around to navigate my way around finding/using certain tools, but I can certainly see how- once a student learns how to use it- it could help with some of the most common hurdles our students face when trying to access and understand material. While I was TOC-ing last week, I asked one of the Special Ed teachers at my school if Kurzweil was accessible on many school computers- and how many students used it. As I sort of expected, he said that they only have Kurzweil on a few computers because of a few key factors: the cost of buying it, the training of staff on how to use it, and then the training of students. He said that it's certainly a great idea in theory, but not always feasible in terms of budget and the time it takes to train and make it a simple yet successful tool. This is the story for so many fantastic tools that we would love to supply to students- but is just not always possible.

He said that, rather than Kurzweil- the Google Chrome extensions are much easier to access and use, so that is what he uses with students. I was then happy to see that we were discussing them in the class webinar this week, as they seem like a great (and free) tool that any student can easily access and learn how to use. Hooray for free tools! :)  

PS. My use of song for the slideshow was partly because I was thinking of songs with "universe" in the title (keeping with the theme of UDL), partly because I wanted a mellow tune in the background, and purely because any form of a Beatles song is always wonderful.