Today's class we started off watching a thought provoking video based around how the use of AT can help someone, with a disability to be able to communicate and function in everyday life.
A pivotal role in the household
Next, we did a whole class poll on PollEV.com. I think this website is a great way to get a whole class to get involved anomalously. I can't see myself being able to idealize this too much with the lack of resources I have, but could see how this could really work in a high school setting.
Our in class poll question: in 1 word state different
ways students can show what they know. Some of the words that were displayed in cloud art; conversation,
sing, assistive technology, presentations, art, conversation, role play etc.
Right after the poll we jumped into discussing another task analysis. This time the focus was on writing. Barbra got us to write a letter to the school board asking for assistive technology for our students. We had to write the letter with our non-dominant hand.Then write every step that we went through to
complete the task. While we were doing this she was walking around handing out different pencil grips (example: part of a hot roller), to see if it helped with our writing. It didn't seem to help help me.
Below is a picture of the task analysis of the writing process, made by Barbara Welsford.
We talked about intervention strategies for disorders of the written language, created by Margret J. Kay. Click the image below for the full PowerPoint presentation.
I have decided to attach three more videos we watched in class today:
1. Pencil Grip, Positioning and Handwriting OT Perspective
2. Low Tech AT for Handwriting
3. One Thumb to Rule Them All
AT gives him the physical capability to communicate
Apps we talked about today:
- Inspiration Map
- Kidspiration
- iBrainstorm – graphic organizers
- Pic collage- idea generator
- Tools 4 Students
- Pages
- Cowriter- go to word prediction app
- Clicker sentence- I can really see me using this one with one of my students
Helpful things about some programs and apps we used today:
Word completion- you need the background of
spelling strategies
Speech to Text- you need to have a clear
speaking voice. I know I have students that make the sound ‘f’ for ‘th’. Need
to be able to get the words out and know phonetically.
Cowriter- we did an activity using Cowriter. We were given a sentence and told to write it
as a student with significant LD (without a topic dictionary). Then we tried retyping the sentence, after we turned on topic dictionary. For the students
that can’t recognize the words you swipe left on the recommended words and it
says it out loud. If there isn’t a topic
dictionary already made, you can make one that is generated from the internet.
Our last in class activity (for today) was based around looking into software programs that can be used on HP, Chrome, and Mac Computers. We were to look into assistive technology software (focused in on writing) that could help a student to show what they know, other than with traditional pen and paper. Below is a picture of the programs we found. This was put together on Wordle.com.
A question to end with:
Why do we write? Why does it matter if I type it out instead
of writing it out? we don’t want writing to be a fine motor activity, we want
it to be showing their knowledge.
You're right - why do teachers seem to get so hung up on having a handwritten output? I wonder sometimes if it is because it makes it easier for us to have one format for assessment purposes....if a student can do a better job using another form of presentation, I say let them do it! I am learning lately how valuable alternate formats really are in today's classrooms. Great blog! -Katie R. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree Katie, although I have found myself stuck in that mentality sometimes! I think that perhaps it has to do with the notion that we always have to have everything documented! And we always need proof of our marks! We must be able to explain our (professional( judgments! Of course, with newer technology we now can still do oral and other demonstrations of knowledge and have it recorded! I look forward to using many different ways of representing in the future!
ReplyDeleteHi Christine! I am glad to see that you enjoyed the Pencil Grip. I often wondered why I haven't seen occupational therapists trying out those things in the classroom. I often think about why we care so much about how things are written when in an outcomes-based education system we are to mark the development and organization of ideas. Something that I came across in my case study is that we still live in a world where the physical art of writing is important (e.g. I just had to sign a receipt when paying for something) and so perhaps the world needs to change as well. I am also glad that writing has become only one of the many ways to demonstrate understanding.
ReplyDeleteFabulous discussion everyone! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about many different ways to demonstrate knowledge.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned how it is difficult for students with speech issues to use Speech to Text, in my experience I find even students without speech issues have a hard time with it at first. It is definitely something that gets better with practice!
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