After looking at all the ICT tools suggested from the previous padlets, I started using WordWall with students during my sessions. It is a fuss free way to make the lessons more engaging and it addresses my students’ vocabulary and comprehension needs! The variety of activities on the free version of the website is also quite extensive and provide that novelty to my students who have gotten too used to platforms like Kahoot and Quizziz. They are also more willing to improve their vocabulary and comprehension skills. 

 

The table on Simple to Complex Continuum of AT Features that Dr Wong provided made me reflect on the different components of an AT that schools utilize often for students with hearing impairment, i.e. FM System. I realize that although the device seems easy to use, the device may not be utilized properly in school. 

 

When a student is issued an FM system, it usually comes with a briefing session from the vendor and then the student will start utilizing the device the next day. Teachers who are new to the device often have questions regarding its use and how to check whether device is working for student. By providing an additional but brief training session at the start of the year on what teachers should look out for helps to jog their memory and provides them a platform for them to ask questions if they have concerns. I feel this eases the use of the device and gets the buy-in of teachers to utilize the device properly. 

 

B - Positive Aha Moment for Session 4:  The frameworks discussed today made me realise that I had looked at my case study largely through my own eyes from observations/conversations with my student, and formed my own understanding of the cochlear implant my student needs. When I used the Continuum which was simple enough, I realised it gave me the discipline of structure to seek greater depth in the consideration of the support required for this student from various stakeholders not just the school. The frameworks help me ensure that it is not just about me the LBS fulfilling this student’s needs in school but about instrumentally connecting her whole support network of parents, teachers, doctors, audiologists, peers etc. to provide the all-rounded support she requires. The Ongoing Assessment also enables us to think farther and deeper in considering our student’s future needs. I also liked the App Assessment framework as it offers such a comprehensive checklist for reference.

Many of our course mate’s huge AHA moment was on Dr Wong’s lecture on AT. Like many of them, the biggest take away for me is the sentence, “Convenience for us and independent for them.” I find this statement so powerful that it really summaries how important AT is to a person with disabilities that have to depend on AT to achieve the independence that we often take for granted. I am also amazed by the different type of AT available which maximise the existing ability of the user by letting do things that they may not be able to do physically, for example, playing game with the mouth piece controller using the different function of mouth movement such as sucking. In my school, when it comes to AT, the only thing that comes to my mind is hearing aid for my pupils with hearing loss and the FM device that one of my pupil with Central Auditory Processing use before. I realised my view about was very restricted and that Dr Wong’s lecture widen my view that even a calculator is also an AT especially for a pupil with dyscalculia. 

It was challenging to think of what AHA moments I can share. I went to explore the list of resources for E-Learning but did not find one that resonate with me the most. While feeling troubled on what to share, a sudden AHA moment occurred. I realise that there is no need for me to find new technology, I am already using the most convenient and simple technology that helped me greatly in my work, which is PowerPoint. I realised how much I relied on PowerPoint to communicate ideas to others. I used it for sharing of knowledge with others, facilitating of Collaborative and Support Sessions (CLASS) and also sharing of my interventions during Parent teacher via zoom. And to provide more “colours” to my slides, I get slides templates from https://www.slidescarnival.com/ which have a range of designs for me to choose from and I just need to type directly in without having to think which fonts to use. It makes my slides looks professional and it also had some tips on how to make it more appealing to the audience. 

When I was reading Anita's AHA moment, I was like, "Eh, why didn't I think of that?!"  

Being in an academic-driven school, the Case Management Team (CMT) saw a rise in meltdown cases in the upper primary level this term. Both SEN and non-SEN students had showcased difficulties with emotional regulation, anxiety attacks, anger outbursts, meltdowns and even suicidal ideation. The AEDs and the counsellors were stretched out for the past two months. Although the Year Heads (YH), Assistant Year Heads (AYH), teachers trained in Special Needs (TSNs) and selected teachers are trained and knowledgeable of the meltdown SOP, most of the time, they are in class. They cannot render their help unless the meltdown happens during their lesson or is one of their students.

While conducting our semesterly TSN training, the TSN suggested that all teachers be aware of the SOP and perhaps create a one-stop portal/site accessible on our laptops or phones. They could do a quick "glance/recap" through their phone while making their way to the meltdown scene to minimise the situation and prevent the student from escalating further. For example, the first two steps on what the teachers should or can do while waiting for SOS (one of the CARE team or CMT members) to arrive and assist them. 

Moving forth, I could suggest this idea to my RO and the CMT team and see how we can use the e-portfolio or a similar platform to aid with the current struggles we face in school. 

The different frameworks shared by Dr Wong was quite a revelation to me as I have always relied on the students' therapists to share their inputs and what or how the school can help the student. When the therapists had asked for feedback, I was unsure whether the information conveyed to them was enough or what they had wanted to know. 

The frameworks will surely come in useful and practical in assessing the effectiveness of the different AT devices in my school. It would also be helpful for the teachers to understand how the AT device can help the students with their learning, functional needs and enhance the students' learning.

Aha moment from Session 4
I’ve gained deeper insights into the selection process of identifying suitable AT. AT adaptation is a complex process that not only involves the user but also team-members comprising of IEP teams, parents and professionals working with the user. Apart from the straightforward technicalities that need to be considered, even cultural factors such as cultural viewpoints about disability and user and family acceptance of the AT adaptations are crucial factors in achieving successful outcomes of AT recommendations. Overtime, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the AT as the user grows and matures. The Adaptations Framework and checklists are useful tools that I would use when assessing the need for AT.

And the most talk about App at the moment definitely has to be WORDWALL! I myself was curious wanted to explore it after so many of my peers commented on using it and I never even heard of that app. I just had to try it to see what the fuss was  all about (The same feeling I had when everyone was talking about BTS Korean boy band and I had no idea who they were and I got the dirty looks from my students and friends.) I was not about to let myself be left out on the buzz this time round. 

After exploring the app, I have to say this was indeed a wonderful app. It is so user-friendly, versatile and has so many functions and templates to choose from to create your own resources and activities. What is also fascinating was that you can easily switch to a new template using the same content. This tool will definitely provide my students with a good interactive learning platform and will increase their participation level. Jen Yeo had previously shared that she used Wordwall for conducting Sight Word Drills. It is a good way to also test your students on what you have taught them. 

Dr Wong sharing on AT consideration on which he also mentioned about on the SETT Framework Review, which includes considering the  Student, Environments, Tasks and Tools factors and when selecting AT devices and also when selecting AT adaptations, also to remember to consider setting-specific demands, the person-specific characteristics, and the features of the devices is definitely important  information is consider and check when selecting a AT device for your student or for someone who you thinks requires it. Another point that resonated with me was on the User’s attitudes and acceptance level. Dr Wong also explained that there is a need to be sensitive to the user’s attitude about the AT adaptation or that AT device will not be used if user rejects it. I had a student previously who was recommended to use the FM system by his doctor. However he stopped using it after a while. Upon further the probing he mentioned he felt conscious and didn’t want to feel different. So it is important to talk to the student about the use of the device before we implement it in school.

This will be something that I will also like to implement at my school.

B:
 Dr Wong has really provided me with a different perspective when it comes to AT. Considerations such as the usability of the device takes careful considerations and planning in order to suit the profile of the user. Any lapse in the process can sabotage any efforts to help the user and it can lead to wastage of the device itself, funds, efforts and even leave a negative impression on the user we are intending to help. The frameworks really help to guide the process of matching AT to the user.

In school, I have also encountered children who appear resistant using the FM devices and it is important to find out why and take care of the social and emotional wellbeing of these children so that the AT does not end up doing more harm than good to them holistically.

One tool initially shared by Anita that has recently caught my attention is the online tool Wordwall. As already highlighted by many of us, it is without doubt an excellent tool to use for teaching key literacy skills such as reading, spelling and vocabulary mastery. . What I especially like about this online tool is its ability to generate a variety of activities for a given planned instructional content related to words. In translating this discovery to work practice, I intend to utilize it in the future for selected Pri-3 SDR lessons. In addition to using Wordwall in place of the pre-provided word cards for certain SDR lessons, I also plan to generate and print worksheets or design brief online activities targeting words with particular phonogram(s) recently covered with my students. This will serve as a supplementary follow-up activity to further enhance my students’ mastery of the phonogram(s) and the associated words for those lessons. 

Of the different components of the Adaptations Framework for AT use consideration presented by Dr Wong during session 3, one of the key points for consideration that stood out for me was the ‘Attitudes and Acceptance’ of everyone, including the student himself. This point resonates with me as it has forced me to consider how at times, we, the school staff and other stakeholders may often act on what we perceive to be in the best interest of the child without even first identifying his/her attitudes and thus receptiveness towards the option. Let’s consider a scenario where all the required procedures had been undertaken by the different stakeholders to avail a suitable AT device for a student’s use. Despite its ability to optimally support the student’s needs, the effectiveness of its targeted impact for that student can be highly questionable if the student himself/herself does not hold very positive attitudes or is averse to its use due to for instance, being acutely conscious of how ‘differently’ he/she is being perceived by his/her classmates. This has led me to be more aware of how the involvement and thus, buy-in by the student is just as, if not more crucial as the other stakeholders when making decisions pertaining to the types of supports or interventions that will be rendered for the former. 

I was scrolling through all the entries from the course mates when I came across Anita’s sharing of the tool MetroRetro and decided to try it out.  MetroRetro is a real-time retrospective whiteboard with templates that can be customised.   I find the tool simple to use and is suitable for the students.  I am planning to make use of the Liked/Learned/Lacked/LongedFor Template as an Exit Pass for my students to provide feedback about the lesson.  I am also thinking of trying out the Simple Kanban Template with students who need help with keeping track of their tasks or homework.

In my years of service, I do not have the opportunity to be involved in the assessment of AT for my students.  The framework covered by Dr Wong will serve as a comprehensive guide when the need arises to conduct an assessment for AT for the students.  Dr Wong stressed on the importance of seeking to understand how comfortable is the student with using the AT and whether it aligns with the student’s usage.  Failing to take that into consideration is likely to result in abandonment of the AT by the student. This is something I will have to keep in mind when helping the student to source for the right AT.

Like most of you here, I too agree that the last session was an eye-opener for myself indeed, especially how Assistive technology is not limited by its low, mid or high tech characteristics, but rather how it makes it more convenient and provides assess to those who can benefit from it. In particular, I would like to echo Su’s comment in that the concept of user-technology mismatch due to user perceived stigma is indeed a real concern on the ground for some indeed. As educators working on supporting students with special educational needs, it is absolutely vital that we continue to champion inclusiveness in our respective schools. It is with educating and spreading the important message of being inclusive and non-judgmental that we will be able to greatly reduce the stigmatisation present in our present society. 

In the last lecture, my biggest AHA moment has got to be the adaptation framework. Indeed, I must confess that prior to this lecture, I would not have thought so deeply about how I would plan the type of AT adaptation solutions for an individual with needs, and that is because of a lack of perspective when looking at an individual as a whole versus taking the time to look into the setting-specific demands, person-specific characteristics before deriving on the adaptations. Through the last lecture, I have learnt that the adaptation framework provides a far more structured approach that allows us to go into the very specifics and to make a good reference for assessing a person’s needs. It is only by being able to carefully evaluate each step of a person’s needs that we can then ensure a good match between the person’s needs and the task that they need to complete at hand. 

A question that one of you posted got me thinking because I wondered the same too - "If a user winds off from the AT device, is it still considered an AT?" I like how Dr. Wong referred to the definition as the basis and reiterated that AT can be used as a tool to compensate students’ learning, and it does not matter whether it is being used short term or long term. If the student has to use it long-term, so be it. Ultimately, we want to be able to enhance one’s ability to learn and be independent. If we remove the device, aren't we disabling the student/ user?