Monday, May 6, 2013

Final Synthesis Questions

what is involved in consideration for and assessment of students needs for assistive technology accommodations in school settings.




what is involved in consideration for and assessment of students needs for assistive technology accommodations in school settings.

STUDENT:
What is the functional area(s) of concern?
What does the student need to be able to do that is difficult or impossible to do independently at this time?
SPECIAL NEEDS (RELATED TO AREA OF CONCERN)
CURRENT ABILITIES (RELATED TO AREA OF CONCERN)

ENVIRONMENT:

ARRANGEMENT (INSTRUCTIONAL, PHYSICAL)
SUPPORT (AVAILIBLE TO BOTH THE STUDENT AND THE STAFF)
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT (COMMONLY USED BY OTHERS IN THE ENVIRONMENTS)
ACCESS ISSUES (TECHNOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL, INSTRUCTIONAL)
ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS (STAFF, FAMILY, OTHERS) 

TASKS:
WHAT SPECIFIC TASKS OCCUR IN THE STUDENTS NATURAL ENVIORONMENT THAT ENABLE PROGRES TOWARD MASTERY OF IEP GOALS AND OBJECTIVES?
WHAT SPECIFIC TASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT IN IDENTIFIED ENVIRONMENTS?

TOOLS:
DEVICES
SERVICES
STRATEGIES
*EVERYTHING THAT IS NEEDED TO HELP THE STUDENT SUCCEED


Identify and implement primary considerations involved in selecting and designing an AAC system.

Assessment of a students current communication patterns
Assessment of a students needs across daily routines
Identification of access barriers within the natural environment
Determination of future communication needs in these environments
Selection and design of an augmentative communication system
Evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the augmentative communication system (ongoing) 

Three decisions when determining the best AAC:
1.The symbol system to be used to represent vocabulary
2.Specific vocabulary or messages the student will express with the device
3.Method by which the student will access the system


Use of AT Device/ Apps


“With so many educational apps on the App Store, there’s no limit to the learning possibilities at your fingertips. iPad inspires creativity and hands-on learning with features you wont find in any other educational tool-on a device that students really want to use. Powerful apps from the App store like iTunes U and iBook’s let students engage with content in interactive ways, find information in an instant, and access an entire library wherever they go.” (Apple Website) Through the use of iPads and Apps in our classrooms and school community we are providing our students with opportunities to further their learning. With the use of Apps students, who range from being in the Gifted Challenge programs, to those who are non-verbal in Autistic Support can all access the iPad to obtain Apps that are educationally appropriate from Nursery School through Post-Graduate studies. Monkey Preschool Lunchbox. Known as the #1 preschool game in the Apple iTunes App Store, this game allows young children to learn while helping monkeys pack lunch. Through its seven games, Monkey Preschool Lunchbox teaches students:

·      Colors: The monkey only likes fruit of particular colors; touch the color the monkey likes to pack in the lunchbox.
·      Matching: Match pairs of fruit to pack for lunch.
·      Counting: Count the fruit the monkey is looking for to fill up the lunchbox.
·      Letters: The monkey only likes fruit that start with certain letters; pick the fruit that starts with that letter.
·      Puzzle: The monkey’s fruit broke into pieces; put it back together for him.
·      Spot the Difference: Help the monkey spot the fruit that looks different.
·      Shapes: Help the monkey spot the fruit in different shapes.
       This app is designed to help preschoolers learn names of colors, what the colors look like, grouping, numbers and counting, letters and letter sounds, shapes and pattern recognition, and size differentiation through animated monkey characters and small token rewards. While playing this game is helping to build students skills it is important to incorporate these skills on a regular basis and in the students daily life. Parents and teachers can help by providing the student with opportunities to count different items, identify colors around the house or classroom, and labeling shapes. Some of the subjects and skills addressed through this app include Math (counting), Language Arts (following directions, letter or word recognition), Thinking and Reasoning (memorization), Problem Solving, Creativity, Emotional Development, Communication (listening), Collaboration, Responsibility and Ethics, Technology Skills, and Health and Fitness.
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox Screenshots:
Working with Colors.


Sticker Reward Board.

Practicing Counting.

Completing Puzzles.

Letter recognition.


Working with differences.


In order for me to give my best possible review of this application I had to download, play, and have one of my students play on this app. When I first opened the application a silly monkey greeted me with bright colors and songs. There was no home screen; you just immediately jump into the game and activities. The monkey walks the student through the different activities, celebrating when a correct answer is given and shakes his head when an incorrect answer is given. The game continues to cycle through the activities stopping occasionally to award the player with stickers before continuing again. Because the different activities are randomly cycled through students cannot memorize and parents can select activities that would be best for child because all are crucial to child’s development. Directions presented are clear and easy for children even of a young age to follow. Some activities may take a couple times to play to get a better understanding but are typically easy for children to pick up and jump right into. To test out the application I chose one of my mid-level students to get the most beneficial feedback. I sat with them while they played. In the beginning they were so excited about playing and watching the monkey they needed some redirection. Keep in mind we don’t have ipads in our classroom they are not used to using this technology unless they can access the device at home. After some redirection the students was very engaged in the game and understand the direction clearly. They were excited to see the monkey cheer and dance when they got the correct answer and understood when they were wrong. Our students are just learning their colors, shapes, and numbers, so some information was more familiar than others. But this is a great way to introduce the information in informal settings. When the student got to the reward section and sticker board they were so elated to pick a sticker. I can only imagine how excited they would be to share and even compare with other students if they were all using ipads. After a few cycles I turned the game off and asked the student what they thought. “This was fun” they replied. It was so fascinating to see how engaged the student was in an educational application. After the use of the application I saw the child being more aware of their surroundings and identifying different shapes, colors, and numbers around the room and hallways. If I was able to acquire iPads for my students I know this would be a great application to use with them. While all of my students may not be on the same ability level, this game works to the student’s strengths. Each student works at their own speed and improves their own skills, making it nice to use with all of my students. Another redeeming feature I found was that this application would work for my non-verbal students who are just not speaking yet. No verbal communication is needed for them to navigate and “play” this game. The children can still be learning from hearing and seeing without needed to verbally respond, in return enhancing their verbal communication.
In addition to my reviews I found others that agreed with my feelings towards this application. “Young children will think this is a game-but moms and dads will feel good in knowing its completely educational too. (www.bestkidsapps.com) “This app is a solid A/A+. I just don’t have a word strong enough to describe what a bargain this app is for $0.99.” (www.theikidsblog.com) “This app looks great, plays extremely well, and is just plain fun.” (www.appadvice.com)
I have found this to be a very useful application for my students and would recommend preschool teachers with student’s age’s two to four to use this as a tool in their classrooms for skill building activities for students with varied abilities. If we had iPads accessible in our classrooms we could use this application following circle time when we are doing activities to help enhance hour students basic knowledge of colors, shapes, letters, and numbers. What a practical tool to allow our students to use to help proliferate their skills while having fun and laughing together.

Module 3


Writing Process:


I found this website to very helpful and great tool for teachers to use. This website not only provides background information on the writing process but provides additional recourses including lesson plans, examples, print-outs, and mobile applications that can be used in connection with the website. This type of software would most benefit students with writing and reading difficulties both with disabilities and students just needing additional support. This website is easy to navigate and can be used by teachers and classrooms of all grades K-12. I would recommend this as a tool when working with the writing process.



Graphic Organizers:


I have used inspiration many times for my own work and have incorporated this tool into lesson plans. Inspiration gives students the tools to analyze, interpret, illustrate and present complex concepts more clearly. Any age student for any topic can use this tool. A great tool for students who work better with visual aids and teachers can use this to create visual aids for students. I would recommend students and teachers using this to help incorporate the visual component into the classroom for ALL students.



MindView is a great program for students to access. Here they can organize their thoughts, add different images and media, and when completed export to Word, PowerPoint, or even a website/blog. Projects on MindView can be interactive while ensuring an emphasis on the content material and not the use of technology. Due to the complexity of this program I would recommend use of this by older Middle School and High School classrooms. Again this is a great tool for our visual learners. 



Word Processing for Drafting:


LD Resources is a collection of resources on various aspects of learning disabilities. This website started as a place for the founder to share handouts with people and has grown to include many articles writing by a variety of authors. In addition this website provides tools, lists of schools and organizations, and other resources that will better help the Learning Disability community. I found this website to be very bland. While the information was very helpful this will primarily help teachers who are trying to better understand some of their students.



Write: Out Loud is a software used to read the words as they are written. This software includes spell checker, homophone checker, and dictionary help. I have never personally used this software but know students who have and have seen the difference in their work. This website is a great resource to go to learn more about how and when to use the software and where to acquire the software. In addition case studies are provided and further resources are provided to help those looking for writing tools. I think this can be a great place for teachers to explore who have students using this program I the classroom to answer any questions or help teachers who are exploring new options for their struggling students.


Word Prediction:


WordQ is software that assists with typing and proofreading by providing features such as word prediction, highlighting, and auditory feedback. The software can also read back text as the user types it. This is great tool to help students with thought completion and those that struggle with proofreading. I have never heard of this software but after viewing the demo online and reading a variety of reviews I would be open to trying this in my classroom. It is important to always have a variety of tools for students to use and this is one that I will try. I would recommend use by older Elementary and above for the best success. 




Google Scribe is a program on the Google platform that provides text completion service. Using information from what you have already entered in a given passage, Google Scribe provides a related word or phrase to complete the sentence. While I think this can be a great tool for students who struggling with typing this may not allow students to fully complete a thought if a software program is completing it for them. This software needs to be carefully observed by teachers and used in appropriate situations for students who need help typing and not completing thoughts. 





Speech Recognition:


Dragon Speech Recognition software uses your voice to create and edit documents or emails or manipulate different applications and files. This software makes it easier for anyone to use a computer despite your capabilities. While you talk into a microphone the software transforms it into text, making it easier and quicker for you to complete an assignment or task. I love this program and would recommend it for almost anyone who has typing and writing difficulties as long as you can speak slowly and clearly. This program is best used in quiet spaces to decrease noise interference but I have used this and find it to be extremely helpful for those that struggle with accessing computers.



SpeakQ software let’s you type the words you know and use your voice to say they words you don’t know how to type. Speech recognition helps students and individuals to write everything you say from single words to entire phrases and thoughts. This program has more tolerance for speech recognition of children, accents, and speech difficulties. I think this is a great program because it allows you to mix typing and speaking to be able to work to your fullest and push yourself while providing assistance when needed. Because of the easy child voice recognition any individual with typing and writing difficulties can use this tool. 



Text-To-Speech:

TextAloud 3 is text-to-speech software that converts your text into natural sounding speech. This can be done in word documents, emails, web pages, and any other files on your computer. You can either listen on your computer or make audio files for use on mobile devices. This programs best benefits students with dyslexia or other reading disabilities to help improve reading and comprehension by listening to a text while viewing it. Growing up I used similar programs and found them incredibly helpful with my comprehension. Because of the ability to transform audio files to mobile devices like iPods and cd players, the audio can be listened to anywhere around the school or home to make this program more useable. I would highly recommend using this software with students who have reading and comprehension difficulties.



Read & Write is a software program that helps individuals with reading and writing. This program helps students to use what they reading and help turn it into complete compositions. This program includes reading support such as: picture dictionary, speechmaker, text-to-speech, screenshot reader, and PDF aloud and writing support such as: word prediction, spell checker, verb checker, speech input, and speak while typing. This is a great program to use for students who have difficulties with both reading and writing to help make the connections and build confidence in these areas. This is a new program to me however after reading reviews I will be adding this to my toolbox of resources to access when I see my students struggling.





Phonetic Dictionary:



Write: Out Loud is a software used to read the words as they are written. This software includes spell checker, homophone checker, and dictionary help. I have never personally used this software but know students who have and have seen the difference in their work. This website is a great resource to go to learn more about how and when to use the software and where to acquire the software. In addition case studies are provided and further resources are provided to help those looking for writing tools. I think this can be a great place for teachers to explore who have students using this program I the classroom to answer any questions or help teachers who are exploring new options for their struggling students.