Assistive Technology 201901 by Brenda Williamson https://padlet.com/bwilliamson9/exq7c9w8xaag Please post one example of assistive technology you used this semester to improve access to an assignment. en-us 2019-01-10 22:01:10 UTC 2019-04-30 19:00:14 UTC hello@padlet.com Swan https://padlet.com/bwilliamson9/exq7c9w8xaag/wish/342066500 Writing assignments are a non preferable task for many students in my classroom. At the beginning of the year I teach all of my students how to use the speech to text feature on our classroom lap top computers. For those who dislike traditional writing, the speech to text offers the ability to participate in a way that is less displeasing to students. 

Students get excited seeing the type appear as they speak. It does take some practice to use but is absolutely worth the investment in class time. Students are encouraged to participate and put more effort in on the writing assignment than when given a traditional writing assignment that in the past would not be turned in. 

I also have Google Docs set up with some of my students for communication purposes. Those who struggle with self advocacy can share a Google Doc with me, ask questions or just chat about what is on their mind. It provides and avenue for me to see where they need help and provide them an answer and support. I did have to teach them to not write 'HELP!!!!!!!!!!!" in the subject line because the first one I got I thought there was an emergency :/ ]]> 2019-03-17 02:21:55 UTC https://padlet.com/bwilliamson9/exq7c9w8xaag/wish/342066500 Rebecca Ingram https://padlet.com/bwilliamson9/exq7c9w8xaag/wish/344412536 I have a student that experiences OCD which can make writing tasks very difficult for him. He would often take hours to finish assignments and obsess over the formation of his letters. When they were not perfect he would become very anxious and have to start over. His grades began to suffer and his anxiety was becoming more and more debilitating. To help alleviate this issue for my student we introduced a laptop into his daily routine. His teachers would download his assignments to a google drive and he would be able to complete his assignments by typing or using voice to text features. After just a short while we began to see significant improvements both academically and emotionally. He was much more social, less anxious and his grades made huge gains. ]]> 2019-03-23 01:45:21 UTC https://padlet.com/bwilliamson9/exq7c9w8xaag/wish/344412536 TV Teacher kmonahan21 https://padlet.com/bwilliamson9/exq7c9w8xaag/wish/344492975 An example of an assistive technology tool we have been using in my class is a program called TV Teacher. It is a program to help kids learn how to write. There are two that we like to use and often try to trade off which ones we use so students get a different view of the same content to accommodate different learning styles. Some students do really well with the short video clips that go with learning to write and some students get completely distracted by it! I, for one, get a little distracted and only get the little saying stuck in my head. Granted, I already know how to form my letters, so I can't use it from their point of view. Our OT service provider introduced it to my class and it has been really cool to see how the students catch on to the little jingles! 
I'm not sure this will count as assistive technology, but I also show one video per day of a social situation. Sometimes it is functional play being modeled, sometimes its simply a song about shapes and colors, but I use it to give the kids a bit of a brain break and also find the music and voices calming for them. It is a change in pace and it helps keep our day going! ]]> 2019-03-23 20:47:56 UTC https://padlet.com/bwilliamson9/exq7c9w8xaag/wish/344492975 Kodi Oakes - Read&Write https://padlet.com/bwilliamson9/exq7c9w8xaag/wish/344505546 I talked about Read&Write at the beginning of the semester, but haven't used it much in the school since. This Friday I had a student who had to write a summary about their recent SS project. The project was about the airplanes used during WW1. This particular student was very knowledgeable and did great on make his visual presentation, but couldn't spell most of the words associated to the airplanes and WW1 to write his summary. I asked if he remembered Read&Write and he did and was excited to use that again. We tried with a headset and that wasn't working, grabbed a 2nd set and that didn't work. We think the aux input on his Chromebook is messed up, so he went into the hall to speak and have Read&Write do a Talk&Type function to scribe for him. I demonstrated the program once to show he could speak normally and the program would work. This student likes to speak 1 word at a time to make sure the program selects the correct word, which I think is a great habit to have. Maybe we'll work on scribing a sentence and then revising the whole sentence. The single word at a time takes up a lot of time.]]> 2019-03-23 23:54:15 UTC https://padlet.com/bwilliamson9/exq7c9w8xaag/wish/344505546 Assistive Technology lovescookie00 https://padlet.com/bwilliamson9/exq7c9w8xaag/wish/351547415 The example of assistive technology I have used in my different classrooms are videos. 
I can use video social stories with a laptop and Dell 500 Smart boards inside classrooms if the teacher leaves their computer or has an iMac set up just for that purpose. 
I know that kids love technology because they play games, watch games, and even are babysat by technology. Kids need appropriate social examples modeled for them. I enjoy teaching Second Step.  At Mountain View Elementary, the SEL curriculum is called Second Step. The intermediate grade curriculum has catchy, relevant music videos that go with the lessons. One music video is called, “Stop. Name that Feeling!” Another one is all about empathy, or ‘what it feels like to walk in another person’s shoes' titled "Walk, Walk, Walk". I just made a personal connection. When I am a Sped Education Teacher, how will I know about amazing curriculum such as Second Steps?  I will have to be proactive and borrow pieces of this and that, if I do not have access to current, relevant social emotional learning. The 2nd Steps curriculum produces short, real-life lessons that use real children acting. I have observed the fourth graders learning the songs that explain strategies to remember to use in new situations. I have to give a shout-out to the Committee for Children. The Committee for Children came from humble, grassroots efforts by two female, cultural anthropologists in the early 80's with a link between sexual abuse in childhood and sex trafficking. Blessed with dedicated volunteers, CfC grew into the SEL power house it is today. Including advocating for public policy to enhance, support, and develop educational programs that foster the safety and well being of children through SEL.
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