Our Aha Moments with Self-exploration with Technology by Ow Yeong Wai Mang

Single words to texts

yap_soo_ting — 2023-08-14 04:36:06 UTC

I used ChatGPT recently to create short texts. For instance, in my literacy intervention I usually teach single words and I want to use these single words in context for the students. So, I have commands like “create a flesch-kincaid level 1 text using these words: ……” It saves me a lot of time to prepare resources for teaching and learning. ~ Soo Ting

Ally or Adversary.....

NS_Y — 2023-08-14 04:55:38 UTC

On a personal level, I am a frequent user of ChatGPT. I've used it to help me write emails to different groups, like parents and organizations such as SEAB.

While ChatGPT has its benefits, it has its limitations too. In my opinion, it's important for users to exercise caution while using it.

Just wanted to mention, I have a friend who incorporated ChatGPT into one of their assignments. Unfortunately, the assignment was flagged and they were accused of plagiarism, leading to a situation where they had to provide an explanation to the Dean. The university opted to give his assignment a failing grade. This left him disheartened and lacking the drive to continue with his studies.

I have been using ChatGPT when it was first rolled out and boy it was godsend for me when I was doing my part-time degree assignments. It helped me a lot in stringing my thoughts and ideas together while having the right command of English and structure.

- Soffiah

Aha! I learnt something new!

2023-08-14 05:11:57 UTC

Soo Ting! I love your idea of creating a resource as such through ChatGPT! I didn't think of that!

I just tried creating a social skills lesson and I typed: 'Create a social skills lesson on 'Asking for help from a teacher' - Awesome! Happy 'customer' here :)

Maya :)

None other than Kahoot!

2023-08-14 14:29:45 UTC

Kahoot! Our team uses it to reinforce learning say at the end of awareness talks for teachers during contact time/level meetings (teachers love them, coupled with some instant rewards!), as a trivia before the talk even, class talks followed by a Kahoot quiz works all the time for students, and even for those in small group settings to augment their learning.

The essence of learning with fun an in bite-size has always been enjoyable and easy to create! There is movement, sounds, fun - multi-sensorial.

@Maya

Spending time to customize

2023-08-15 01:43:16 UTC

I am also new to ChatGPT. I just tried creating lesson plan and in-class support resource on self regulation. The steps are so clear and elaborate.
It saves me so much time from creating the basic plan! I could use the time to personalize and customize to individual needs, and creating the resources.
Chi Ki

2023-08-15 03:05:38 UTC

Thanks for your idea to draft email with ChatGPT, Soffiah. I am unsure how it will incorporate the content I intended to include. I shall try it out and see. As usual, I think I will spend a lot of time trying to proof-read before I send the email out.
Chi Ki

Plickers - You do not need the student to use any devices to carry out survey or on-the spot assessment

yee_leng_leng — 2023-08-16 06:20:47 UTC

Although Kahoot is fun and interactive, I am a regular user of Plickers as it does not require the students to have their individual devices and it can offer instant feedback on my students learning. I find that Plickers is equally fun and interactive as Kahoot.

I am using Plickers regularly in my Self-Management Skills (SMS) lessons for my P1 students as a form of assessment on their learning after teaching them a skill. My P1 students are always eager to show me their answer and can't wait to see if their answers are right on the projector screen.

Although Plickers does engage my students and enable me to know instantly the results of their learning, there are cons. Students who get the answer to the question wrong will be reflected on the screen too as the application offers instant feedback on their answers. This may hurt their self-esteem when they compare themselves with their peers. I am fortunate that my students who got their answer wrong take it as pinch of salt and continued to enjoy the whole process.

In addition, this application may be more suitable for the lower primary students who perceive holding up the "paper clicker" card for you to scan the answer as fun. The older students may perceive it as bothersome or childish. Hence, for those who feel that it can be a challenge to get a few lower primary students to sign in to the devices during our withdrawal session, Plickers could be an alternative choice for you.

Leng Leng

New to ChatGPT

2023-08-17 05:00:22 UTC

I find it is easy to use and I am amazed by how smart it is! I like it that the information that I want can be customized to suit the local context. It will be a tool to go for if I want to get some ideas for my lessons, and I think this can benefit the students as well. As the information given is computerized, I think the ability to discern and decide the relevant information to use is critical. This tool does not take into consideration the learner profile. As it is a chat function, it also does not provide demonstration. (Not sure if this is only available for the paid version?) Being a visual learner myself, I find it hard to comprehend the long chunk of text sometimes. I must also be very specific with the content that I want to find, so the keywords that I type in the search box can allow me to find what I need. I am still exploring ChatGPT.. :) - Shi Li

Behaviour Management Reward System

anuwar_abdul_wahab — 2023-08-19 06:25:55 UTC

I have been using the Class Dojo reward system for 5 years now. It may sound like an old-school app but it really works well for me.

I have been focusing on improving certain behaviour such as following instructions among my students. To reward their efforts, I give individual points based on their progress.

I will award points to my students right after they exhibit positive behavior because the reward is most effective when given promptly. At times, I encourage them to award themselves a point for any positive behaviour they display. It brings them joy to be able to award themselves points.

The criteria for earning points varies for each student. When students accumulate 20 points, they have the option to select a reward such as recess time with me, play their favourite switch game etc. from the reward box. Additionally, I ask them new ideas for the reward list.

Do try it for those who have not and it's free!

Anuwar Abdul Wahab 😊

In Kahoot too!

anuwar_abdul_wahab — 2023-08-19 07:31:05 UTC

I am so excited to try!!

2023-08-19 08:20:07 UTC

I have heard of ChatGPT and have been wanting to try it out. I have heard of how ChatGPT has made our lives easier (i.e., planning of itineraries, lesson plans) but I have yet to get my hands on it. Sounds like something that I should start exploring :)

Huiying :)

Making PD sessions fun

2023-08-19 08:23:12 UTC

Kahoot is not new to me and I have used it during the staff training to teachers on SEN PD related matters. To capture the attention of the audience before and after the session, I would incorporate Kahoot! quiz into the session. The one with the highest score earns a reward from the team! :) It instills laughter and fun, lighten the information that needs to be "downloaded" to them, and allow me/SEN team to evaluate their learning :)

Huiying :)

Yay! I have gained an idea!! :D

2023-08-19 08:28:37 UTC

I have tried Class Dojo with my nieces in primary school and it excites them. I have also tried communicating with parents through Class Dojo. However, I wonder how we can tap on Class Dojo reward system with lower sec students in terms of intervention.

Thanks for the ah-ha! moment idea, Anuwar! :)

Huiying :)

2023-08-20 11:52:47 UTC

I use chatgpt quite often, I use it during my session with my students. Chatgpt can be used as a tool to brainstorm ideas, generate prompts, offer explanations in different ways. Students can also practice critical thinking skills by evaluating responses, asking follow-up questions and challenging assumptions. Will definitely continue to explore on this !
-Wai Ling

Libby is an app for borrowing and reading digital books and audiobooks from NLB. I get my students to download this app on their PLD, and get the approval from the SLs to allow my students reading from this app during the morning silent reading period. Libby is a fantastic way to access a wide range of digital books and audiobooks for free. It’s convenient and cost-effective way to enjoy reading and listening on the go.

2023-08-20 12:01:10 UTC

-Wai Ling

All in one!

2023-08-20 23:41:55 UTC

Canva app is an app that I will go to to prepare poster, presentation, event invitation cards and even videos! It is free and has ready templates for use. If you like, you can even design on your own.

So far, I have used it for cluster events invitations, PD training slides, SENuggets (i.e., infosheets on SEN resources/condition) and birthday e-cards. I am currently exploring the use of its video function :)

Huiying :)

Right on the Money, that's an Absolute Hoot!

NS_Y — 2023-08-21 02:57:37 UTC

I second Huiying's point of using Kahoot during PD sharing! I have been on both ends, as a presenter and an audience, using this platform.
Kahoot is a fun and engaging way to get the teachers' participation and also as a platform to check for their understanding on the sharing I did (with my SEN O partner). Every teacher has a smart phone and it was easy to get everyone to join in.
From my observation, not only teachers, but the norm in Singapore, people don't really like to speak up freely. With Kahoot, individuals can be 'themselves' as they don't have to entirely state their identity. With that, we can still gauge and get feedback from the audience (teachers). Also with the points system in Kahoot, it got the teachers competitive and on their toes (perhaps, it is in the nature of some people).
- Soffiah

I went from Skeptic to Participant

NS_Y — 2023-08-21 03:08:04 UTC

I am quite 'rigid' in a sense that I can be so used to something that I will keep using the same tool for any future uses. Canva has been in the market for quite some time and my SEN O partner has been using it regularly (and even bought the plus version). I was skeptical to use it as it was a new platform and was 'lazy' to try out. My SEN O partner shared her presentation using Canva and it 'wow-ed' me so much. Just a few months ago, I decided to give it a try, with my SEN O partner's help. She was also kind enough to let me use her paid version! I explored and realised that it was not that difficult to use this online platform.
-Soffiah

Sharing of Strategies Taught + Individual Portfolio

2023-08-21 03:29:02 UTC

I have used ClassDojo for TRANSIT classroom and small-group withdrawal sessions.

Class Stories is a useful section to share bite-sized information and resources on the topics of self-management skills taught in class. I could share visuals/ strategies with parents while including short captions to explain what the strategies are/ how the strategies can be used.

ClassDojo also provided a useful platform for individual portfolios, especially in a small class setting. I was able to share individual work completed by the students in class/ photos of students in action with individual parents. I also used it to share the progress of students in the acquisition of the self-management skills and performance of classroom behaviours in class. This allowed parents to track the progress of the students, and also work together to praise and encourage the students in their progress over time. It was also useful that parents could comment on their child's work/ photo so that I get feedback as well.

I have not tried this before, but it is something that I will like to try moving forward. I think it will be useful I can get parents to also upload child's work/ progress/ examples of students' practising self-management skills at home (eg., packing bag/ calming down strategies) to explore generalization across settings.

- Shi Min

Thank you, Next... (like the song)

NS_Y — 2023-08-21 03:31:49 UTC

At the start of Term 3, (together with my SEN O partner) I have started our after-school programme. We have a total of 10 students in the programme. We were brainstorming on what platform to use to introduce points-system to them. We agreed on using ClassDojo and tried it for the first time. It was easy to use. However, after using it for a few times, it doesn't seem to "spark joy" in me (and my partner).
While it is something that is used by many educators, I do not see how it can sustain both the students' and SEN Os' interest. We decided to go back to the hardcopy reward chart as it is more concrete and easier to update (no need to log in and assign the rewards).
-Soffiah

NS_Y — 2023-08-21 03:37:18 UTC

Hi Chi Ki!
Take time to explore and play around with ChatGPT! You can just type out whatever is on your mind. I treat ChatGPT like a human information counter. I also use it to paraphrase my very Singlish sentences into the tone I wanted (e.g., Make the following sentence into a formal tone as I am sending it to a parent). I also use ChatGPT to get ideas on how to respond to 'rude' emails from fellow colleague, while still being professional. :) Sometimes, we have the idea or thoughts but just don't know how to structure them nicely or in ways we imagine it to be. :)
Happy exploring!
-Soffiah

2023-08-21 03:55:25 UTC

I have resisted using ChatGPT for school (i.e. work not NIE) because I was afraid that it’ll become so convenient that I will rely on it instead of “using my brains” to work out solutions for my students. With the convenience of technology, I feel that I’m increasingly putting in less effort to remember things such as phone numbers, appointment dates and I didn’t want ChatGPT to open a Pandora’s box where there is no turning back. Thanks to this course, I took the leap of faith.

As suggested by some of you, I used ChatGPT to create a lesson plan. That was my Aha! moment. I was certainly amazed by what it returned including objectives and assessment. But I couldn't help thinking that I had to learn the hard way when I wrote my lesson plan as a practicum student. Now half the work is done. Is this the future of education?

While ChatGPT improves efficiency, one needs to be discerning to assess the information provided. This opens up a lot of other issues such as students taking the shortcut and losing their initiative or curiosity when they use ChatGPT as a substitute for their own learning efforts. At the end of the day, I guess with any technology we need to use it responsibly and adapt it to our use.

- Ee Kheng

2023-08-21 03:57:07 UTC

Thank you for sharing this Leng Leng. I'm excited to give it a try! :) - Ee Kheng

2023-08-21 05:23:02 UTC

Thanks for sharing your idea Soo Ting! I've only recently tried ChatGPT to create travel itinerary, and still in the midst of exploring.

Just tried to create short stories with Dolch list words and it's so useful for literacy support sessions!

- Shi Min

liyana_zainudin — 2023-08-21 05:28:56 UTC

Quizizz is a great platform where you can create lessons, conduct assessments, assign homework and have interactions with students. I used this platform to teach literacy and self-management skills to my students during home-based learning. Lessons can be instructor-paced, where teachers can set the time for the activities, or student-paced, where students learn at their own pace.

This platform is also easy to use and you can embed videos, pictures and audio into your lessons to customise it to the needs of your students. It also allows teachers to share their resources with others, which eases the need to plan for lessons all the time.

- Liyana

2023-08-21 06:44:18 UTC

Some learning games and apps that I've used and the students love it:
- Teach Your Monster to Read
- ABCya

Such online learning game platforms allow students to learn in a different way, and also allows me to monitor progress of students without using pen and pencil. For example, ABCya has Word Bingo that allows me to choose the Dolch word list. As students play the game, I can check to see if they recognize the words read out.

I have also shared these platforms with parents, and students could play games at home while reinforcing their learning at their own pace. But of course, there is always the issue of excessive screen-time and importance of control and monitoring, so it's important to have this conversation with parents before sharing online games and apps.

- Shi Min

Video editing app

2023-08-26 01:40:32 UTC

I have tried using Capcut, a video editing app, to create videos. It can get confusing on first use, but as you get yourself familiarize, it is actually a pretty easy tool to use. It can also be used on-the-go!

I have used it for creating videos i.e., interviewing teachers for PD trainings.

Huiying :)

Word Wall

yee_leng_leng — 2023-08-26 01:58:15 UTC

This is my first time trying the Word Wall application hence, it is still in the explorative stage. You can choose to conduct the lesson to get the student to play individually or get your students to take turns to play it on your computer.
I choose to lead the session by getting the students to take turns to answer the questions on my computer while my computer screen is projected on the projector screen.
What I like about the application is the varieties of interactive templates it provides and you are able to change it into different template instantly at a click of the mouse when you are carrying out the lesson with your students. It is useful as I find that switching to a different mode of carrying out the quiz, be it in a "Gameshow quiz" mode, "Open the box" mode keep the students more engaged throughout the activity.
Moreover, I like that it is easier to insert pictures for the questions and answers as the application is able to provide "suggested pictures" that you can insert, again, easily with a click of the mouse.
This is definitely one of the applications that I will regularly try in my class in view of the easy functionality and accessibility it provides.

Leng Leng :)

Kahoot in Crime.....

anuwar_abdul_wahab — 2023-08-27 12:52:49 UTC

I have found Kahoot incredibly useful for several reasons. Firstly, I use it to assess my students' background knowledge on the topics I plan to teach. Secondly, I use it to check for their understanding during the lesson. Lastly, I use it to evaluate their comprehension after the lesson has been taught. Additionally, Kahoot has also provided a fun platform for me to play games with my students.

Anuwar Abdul Wahab 😊

2023-08-27 17:01:33 UTC

I share the same sentiments as Soffiah although I have not tried Class Dojo with my secondary school peeps. Teenagers are so savvy with rewards over and beyond my threshold that points systems as such may not stimulate them much. As a parent, my young child does not seem to be overly excited about the points awarded by his Form Teachers. I am in the understanding that such rewards may not necessarily appeal to all students. Rewards also need to be consistently executed otherwise, giving points can 'lose steam' fast. Customised rewards charts are more personal and reaches out to my current students.

@Maya

2023-08-27 17:05:00 UTC

Just want to share a quick note here: Since I started learning more about ChatGPT, it has been rather 'addictive' I must say. But there are also a number of questions which they are unable to answer to my astonishment. Google remains close to heart.

@Maya

2023-08-27 21:09:25 UTC

After reading what has been shared about ChatGPT, I decided to give it a try. I just finished my take on Inknoe Classpoint and I thought, I might as well just try to see how my original version compare with that of ChatGPT. Wow, I am impressed, it really help to craft out my thoughts in a professional and sophisticated way!!!
Beth

2023-08-27 21:16:23 UTC

My Original Version
The interactive games are useful to convert information in the power point slides into MCQ, short answers, word cloud, quiz mode and especially the live quick poll which allow educators to constantly monitor all students’ engagement and get feedback on the progress of the lessons. The presentation tools such as annotation tools, whiteboard allows educators the flexibility to add on or clarify ideas or information on the spot with ease. They can annotate their slides as they explain, use whiteboard to further clarify concepts that students may have indicated in the live poll that they are unsure of. The embedded timer makes it easier and seamless for the educators to set a time limit for activities without having to open an external timer on another page. At the end of the presentation, educators can instantly choose which slides they want to share as a pdf file with the students. On the whole, I feel that ClassPoint can help teachers to delivery lessons seamlessly whether it is face-to-face or online lessons. As an ex-teacher, my take is that the presentation tools are a winning point compared to Kahoot which is a useful interactive tool but does not allow for visual presentation of additional information generated during the presentation to be saved. Teachers would probably have to use the physical whiteboard in the classroom to do so and that information would not be conveniently packaged into that particular lesson. Personally, I have not use it with my students as I only have online powerpoint lessons during the Lockdown in 2020 and back then I was not aware of such tool but I did use it subsequently during PD for teachers and felt that it really help to engage teachers who are the hardest people to catch their attention!!!

ChatGBT version
Inknoe ClassPoint

Interactive games serve as valuable tools for transforming information from PowerPoint slides into multiple-choice questions (MCQs), short answers, word clouds, quiz modes, and notably, live quick polls. These features empower educators to continually monitor student engagement and gather feedback on lesson progression. Presentation tools, including annotation features and a whiteboard, grant educators the flexibility to spontaneously add or clarify concepts in real-time. They can annotate slides while explaining content and utilize the whiteboard to elaborate on topics that students have identified as challenging in the live poll.

The embedded timer streamlines the process of setting time limits for activities, eliminating the need to use an external timer on a separate page. Upon concluding the presentation, educators can effortlessly select specific slides to compile into a PDF file for sharing with students. Overall, I believe that ClassPoint significantly enhances the seamless delivery of lessons, whether in face-to-face or online settings.

Drawing from my experience as a former teacher, I find that ClassPoint's presentation tools offer a distinct advantage over Kahoot. While Kahoot is an effective interactive platform, it lacks the capability to visually incorporate additional information generated during a presentation. Teachers might resort to using physical whiteboards in classrooms, leading to a lack of convenient integration within the lesson structure. Personally, I had not employed ClassPoint with my students during the 2020 lockdown when I conducted solely online PowerPoint lessons. It wasn't until later that I discovered this tool during professional development sessions for teachers. It became evident that ClassPoint greatly aids in capturing the attention of educators, who can often be challenging to engage.

Not sure if we will end up losing our personal style of writing and churn out our ideas and thoughts like robots moving forward but it's quite easy to spot the difference!
Beth

Let's Not Forget the OGs...

NS_Y — 2023-08-30 10:09:52 UTC

I still use Microsoft Powerpoint to create simple slides. This is especially easy for impromptu or last minute preparation of withdrawal lessons.
Last year, as part of my cluster's NLC, I was trying out the Direct Vocab Instruction (DVI) intervention on one of my student. There were various ways to carry out the teaching but using Microsoft Ppt was the easiest. The goal was to teach the student the vocab word repeatedly. It doesn't have to be very presentable or fancy. The aim was just to show the word, meaning, use of word and images/videos associated to the vocab word. It works fine and my student was able to understand what I wanted to teach. It is easy and convenient especially when I had many vocab words to teach. I had to use one Ppt slide for one vocab word. At times, I needed to teach 3 to 4 words in one session, and up to 10 words in one whole week (all 5 days).
-Soffiah

Canva Education Account

2023-09-02 08:51:16 UTC

Yes agree with Huiying and Soffiah that Canva is really useful! I use Canva for creating classroom visuals, visual cards for individual students, teaching materials, presentation for sharing with peers etc.

Wanted to get the paid account for more visuals, and then I realised that we can use the Education Account for free! There are a lot of visuals (more than the basic account) that are really useful for use during lessons! Especially since I work in a primary school, the GIFs and graphics really capture the students' attention.

- Shi Min

PowerPoint is actually a good IT tool

2023-09-03 05:27:45 UTC

I agree with Soffiah that PowerPoint is the easiest.

I have explored using PowerPoint to create resources for my students with SEN - to do words drill. Instead of using cue cards, I tried using PowerPoint slides, made use of the animation and trigger functions, and incorporate timer into the slides ... it became a 1-min drill to assess the students' learning. The students enjoyed because it was interactive. The count down timer also added in the element of thrill.

Of course it was coupled with reward system to motivate and encourage them for the effort put in! :)

Huiying :)

Additional function discovered!

2023-09-03 05:30:50 UTC

Recently, I have discovered that Canva can be used to create mindmap! Perhaps another IT tool to excite the students when teaching study skills! :D

Huiying :)

Help Me, I can't Focus!!!!

anuwar_abdul_wahab — 2023-09-04 07:01:32 UTC

MotivAider is an AT device that helps students who struggle to stay focused and on-task during lessons with minimal teacher supervision.

First, I would train target students and teachers on using MotivAider (e.g. setting intervals on the MotivAider, and running the MotivAider). This can be done during a 1-to-1 withdrawal session with the target student.

Then, I would introduce a self-monitoring checklist to target students. I would come up with a specific behaviour definition (on-task and off-task behaviour) and gather baseline data prior to the intervention. The specific behaviour definition has to be made known to the target students and teachers.

Subsequently, the target students would monitor their behaviour using the self-monitoring checklist. The target students would indicate 'Yes/No' on the checklist when the MotivAider goes off at the set intervals.

Finally, I would collate and compare data
and gather teachers' and students' feedback on the use of the
MotivAider.

Below are some of the benefits of using the MotivAider:
1. Less intrusive as compared to when students are being prompted by teachers.
2. Target specific students without peers
knowing.
3. Encourage students to monitor and regulate their own behaviours.
4. Students to take ownership of their learning in class.

Give it a try!
Anuwar Abdul Wahab😊

Hi Anuwar

2023-09-05 13:37:32 UTC

I tried using self monitoring sheet as I was a bit apprehensive about using this aid which may distract the student and teacher may end up having to "remind" the student to stop fiddling with it. The self monitoring sheet didn't work when I get the teacher to try with the target student on a couple of occasions. How do you get student to focus on the task of monitoring his attention and also other students will be curious and distracted by his new gadget?
Beth

2023-09-05 13:46:34 UTC

I have been looking at Nearpod, Canva and Google Classroom today. Most of these platforms have interactive and feedback components, games and activities but what stands out to me is Nearpod’s Content Library, I think classroom teachers will appreciate the wide array of resources that have been created so that they don’t have to start from scratch in their lesson planning and they simply can add on to what they have created. It also has the flexibility to choose between a live participation or a student paced learning, so teachers can choose to have a live lesson to go through and have discussions or students can do at their own pace or as an assignment. For Canva, I am impressed with the rich graphic designs and templates that are can be customized in many ways. It allows students to create and present their answers in ways that are more personalized which can be very motivating for them. As for Google classroom, it’s a Learning Management System which would be good for class teachers to organize their classes and resources but for me, I only deal with individual or very small group of students so it may not be as useful to me compared to Nearpod and Canva.
Beth

Hello Anuwar and Beth

2023-09-08 00:22:49 UTC

I have tried exploring MotivAider. Similar to Beth, I am a bit apprehensive about using the aid as it can be a distraction to a child.

As for self-monitoring checklist, I have done it before and it works :) I first teach the student the skills etc. then I worked with the teacher (I am lucky in the sense that I get the buy-in from her). So during my in-class support, I would be there to observe and prompt but the self-monitoring checklist would be given and "signed off" by the teacher so that the student knows the teacher is also "a part of it", and teacher is empowered. Once I noticed that the student and teacher were more "used to it", I started to fade off my support gradually. Teacher would by then also "learned" to start prompting the student. Over time, I did not even have to be present and my role subsequently became the "resource provider".

Huiying :)

Technology is more than just app on the devices ....

2023-09-08 00:28:21 UTC

I personally feel that technology is more than just devices. I currently have a student with visual impairment and require a 24-inch monitor screen to aid him in his e-oral. Other times, he require single sided and A3 enlarged, assistance for OAS shading, practical assistance, assistance for math, physic papers where he needs the assistant to read of the measurement.

Previously, my school also have had a severe visual impairment student who required monitor screen, Ruby, magnifier wherever he goes for lessons.. We even had to modified his environment such that his classroom desk is a big portable desk so that the monitor screen can be fit onto the desk, and assigned buddies/teachers can help him to move around the desk whenever there is a change of class. Sometimes SEN Officer would assist him during the transition of lessons.

These technology devices have certainly helped these students in their learning.

Huiying :)

Powerful Prowess

2023-09-10 06:13:09 UTC

This is a very powerful tool. If the prompt is phrased well, the results can be phenomenal. Not only can it be used for academic purposes, but it can also give ideas on other aspects like planning an itinerary and estimating cost of renovation. Be adventurous to test it out!

Recently, I explored using Chatgpt to create powerpoint. Though it is multiple step process, like copying to Microsoft Word, then create ppt. The results blew my mind! Simply impressive.
- Charlott

1) Magic Write (AI, Canva Doc)

2023-09-11 08:16:01 UTC

I am also a frequent Canva user! :) I was trying to explore some other functions and I chanced upon two features: 1) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Copy Generator called Magic Write. Go to Canva Docs and you need to first add Magic Write to Canva. Do note that it works ONLY for Canva Docs. If you run out of ideas of what to write, you can simply type in some keywords and Magic Write will generate some ideas for you. You can watch this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npi4Yo82uJ0 Though the video says it is not for education plan users, I tried it myself and it works.
- Shi Li

2) Text-to-Image

2023-09-11 08:17:20 UTC

2) Text-to-Image: You go under Apps in Canva to enable Text-to-Image. Just type in some words and it will generate the AI image for you. Quite an interesting feature! Here is the tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJst07SVVok
- Shi Li

2023-09-14 23:31:47 UTC

I have heard from my colleagues how they have utilize Jamboard in their teachings in class and have given it a try. It is easy to use and apart from using it in class, it serves as alternative to gather responses for PD sessions too!!

Huiying :)

FOMO

benitlikeme — 2023-09-17 14:29:48 UTC

I was initially unsure about using ChatGPT at all because I was afraid that I'd turn myself lazy from using too much of it. But my colleague in school who sits behind me in the staffroom decided to give me a spiel on Ask AI (another AI search engine) two months ago. Just so happen that week, my school's ICT department shared some ways to make use of ChatGPT, but I wasn't able to attend it. Ultimately, it was my FOMO that led me to finally explore ChatGPT.

I must say that I enjoyed exploring it, and have to admit that I am impressed by the results it churns out. But I still am largely cautious and skeptical (but who knows my stance could change in the future) about the results/content, I mainly use it now for idea generation and brainstorming, and use the content as a springboard to plan for sessions. I rarely copy wholesale but try to improve or transform the content from ChatGPT. This has improved my efficiency and productivity at work.

Something that I found out and actually really like is to prompt ChatGPT to help me explain something simply for e.g. "How do I explain the role of a psychologist in a simple way to a 15-year-old?" Being a language model, I think we can really tap on ChatGPT's strong language to help us explain things clearly or even convince stakeholders.

Benjamin

NS_Y — 2023-09-18 00:19:31 UTC

Hi Huiying!

Yes, I've heard and tried Jamboard before. In my opinion, it seems to be similar to Padlet. There are pros and cons for these two.
For free version of Padlet, I am only allowed 3 posts, but in Jamboard, there isn't any limitations as long I have a google account.
Padlet is easier for all to access, even for those without any Padlet account. However, I encountered a difficulty the other time when I was doing a sharing with the NASCAN (after school mentors). Not everyone of them has a Google account and I encountered some difficulties getting them to enter Jamboard and participate in the activities there.

-Soffiah

One of my Favourites!

2023-09-18 00:28:02 UTC

I must say, Canva has made me feel like a pro in creating inforgraphics, posters and any visual presentation!
It is fuss-free to use, and with the education account, you get access to all the resources.
For students, you can create fancy and interesting looking worksheets, mindmaps, goal-setting documents. For yourself, you can create presentations that will engage your audience.
It's definitely one of my to-go tools!

-Liza

... which what?

2023-09-18 01:41:16 UTC

Just as I was about to jump onto the ChatGPT bandwagon, I come across many posts that go "ChatGPT's great but there's 1000's of better AI tools out there!"

I'm still trying out ChatGPT and barely scratching the surface and here's a plethora of AI that offers the many things they can do. Will need to take the time to explore the various platforms to see which works best for me.

Nevertheless, these platforms definitely allows us to work more efficiently and gets us answers faster. However, just as we are mindful (or skeptical) of the responses (check and check), it is important the we equip our students with the ability to discern the information they get from ChatGPT.

-Liza

the AI to help teachers (or us) do homework

2023-09-18 02:30:28 UTC

One of the challenges that I sometimes face is subject-specific resources to share with my students. While ideally, we obtain these resources (e.g worksheets, questions) from the subject teachers, the reality is (unfortunately) sometimes it's just faster to find our own.

And this tool, helps me be an "expert" in all subjects should I need to generate questions for the students or to check-in with what they understand about a particular topic or subject.

- Liza

Beginner in Canva

2023-09-18 03:58:37 UTC

I am new to Canva. Used it end of last year to create a presentation slides and make a visual for staff w.r.t a timeline. Thanks for sharing the other functions like mindmapping, Magic Write, text-to-image, ......
Will find out more about them. Sound so useful.
~ Soo Ting

I'm Lovin' It

2023-09-18 07:55:07 UTC

Like many of you, I initially had reservations about using ChatGPT. I realised that it could be a valuable tool in our work when my Practicum trainee mentioned that she used it for lesson planning. During staff contact time, my Principal and ICT Heads advocated the use of ChatGPT and showcased its potential applications in teaching and learning. I became more inclined and willing to try ChatGPT after their demonstrations.

I started using ChatGPT around six months ago, sparked by a request from my friend who asked me to be her wedding emcee (I didn’t know how to reject!). It was during this time that I discovered how incredible ChatGPT is. When I encountered difficulties in crafting an evaluation survey for the use of reader pens at my school, I decided to give ChatGPT a try. While I had to refine the generated questions, ChatGPT undeniably expedited the process of tackling challenging tasks like this, especially when I do not know how to begin. I also used ChatGPT in drafting a proposal to secure funding for cluster activities, emails and many more. I have yet to try it out for my lesson planning and casework, but I definitely plan to explore this in the near future.

~ Man Ling

An indispensable tool in my life

2023-09-18 11:38:28 UTC

I began using Canva at the start of this year to fulfill my tasks as a member of the Staff Well-Being Committee, and it quickly became an indispensable tool in my work and life. It was then I discovered how incredibly helpful Canva is when it comes to graphic designs. The platform offers a wealth of ready-to-use templates, user-friendly functions for creating videos and animations, and an extensive library of high-resolution images and graphic elements. I no longer need to spend time and money searching for suitable visuals for my resources.

In my role, I've used Canva to create social stories, visuals, reward charts, behavior contracts, worksheets, BINGO games, coloring activities, awareness videos, presentation slides for both staff and parents, and many more. I have also used it for creating video montages and photo collages, designing cards, and even producing posters for our pantry sale.

I love how it is so convenient to use, versatile and most importantly free of charge! It has made my work a lot more productive.

~ Man Ling

My First Love

2023-09-18 12:25:53 UTC

Quizlet was my first love! I started using it during my Practicum to teach sight words. Quizlet is an online learning platform that provides a variety of tools and resources for studying and learning. It allows educators and students to create and access digital flashcards, quizzes, and study sets. It's user-friendly, accessible on smartphones and tablets, and via the web.

I used Quizlet to prepare sight word flashcards (with terms, definitions, images) for my teaching and learning. It will then auto-generate quizzes, practice tests and interactive games, which cater to diverse learning styles and preferences. Thus, it is also suitable for our SEN students and my students love the interactive tools very much. My students and I also use it to monitor their study progress and performance on quizzes and tests. They could retake the quizzes after revising their weaker topics. I used these data to plan my next session.

There are also ready-made study sets prepared by other users on Quizlet. Do check them out!

~ Man Ling

A great tool for collaboration with parents

2023-09-18 12:58:19 UTC

I started using SLS because of COVID. It allows me to assign work to my students (in groups and individually) so that they can revise at home with their parents. This is a more organised platform to share my resources with parents, as compared to email and WhatsApp. They could watch the videos, revise the content and complete quizzes and games (Quizlet can be embedded in SLS, along with many other tools!). I can monitor their progress and check whether they have completed my assignments.

~ Man Ling

2023-09-18 13:12:48 UTC

We cannot possibly forget Padlet! Padlet is another indispensable tool in my work. I have used Padlet with my students to encourage them to read. I get them to take a photo of themselves with their books and write a short reflection. I prepared briefing slides for parents (English and Mandarin versions) so that they can help me to remind their child to read and post their reflections regularly at home. I mainly use Padlet as a reflection tool for PD with teachers and SEN Officers, such as learning journeys and presentations. I usually get them to write what they learnt, their thoughts and insights, what they would like to try and apply, and any comments/questions. I like how it is a very convenient tool and platform for exchange of learning to take place. I can easily download Padlet in PDF format to disseminate via emails as a follow-up for ease of participants’ reference.

~ Man Ling

Phonogram sounds app and Online websites for e-books, audio books and decodable books

2023-09-18 13:54:40 UTC

Online learning apps can be a useful alternative to traditional pen and paper method. However, it is essential to emphasize the importance of parent supervision and guidance. I typically share these apps and websites with parents to encourage their active involvement in guiding and supervising their children’s online learning.

Phonogram sounds app: This is a reliable and beneficial phonogram sounds application for students. It covers various phonogram sounds, including the alphabet’s, consonant teams, vowel teams, /er/ sounds, /sh/ sounds and other phonograms. Parental guidance is especially helpful here, as students may sometimes find these sounds confusing.

Audio books like Storyline Online and Book Trust can be a valuable resource, particularly for struggling readers who may not have someone to read to them at home.

e-books and decodable books such as Flyleaf Publishing and Reading A-Z offer a convenient source of reading materials that students can access easily from home. Additionally, accompanying worksheets may be available for parents who prefer to print and use them.

Overall, these online resources can greatly enhance learning, but parental involvement and supervision remain key factors in ensuring their effective use.

~ Man Ling

Use of SLS + Zoom

2023-09-19 00:31:51 UTC

I started exploring and using SLS too during the covid-19 circuit breaker period. Similar to Man Ling, I used it to assign work to my students with SEN.

I would usually conduct my sessions virtually through zoom. And what I like about zoom is that it has annotation functions that could allow my students to response. For example, I would prepare lesson slides using PowerPoint and they could respond to the questions through the annotation function (i.e., type, tick, use of stickers) - this would allow me to monitor their progress and learning.

Thereafter, I would then assign work using SLS. As the profile of my students are in Secondary School, usually they do not require much parental supervision as compared to primary school students. Sometimes I would incorporate videos into the homework for revision, or I could even get them to record their responses using audio function.

These are great tools that can be used in a lesson.

Huiying :)

Yes Padlet!

2023-09-19 00:33:33 UTC

I agree with Man Ling on the use of Padlet. I used it frequently with in PD sessions and SEN Officers too. However, I have not tried using it with parents previously but will soon be trialing it out in my upcoming cluster event.

Huiying :)

Manage classroom noise with bouncyballs.org

2023-09-19 02:26:37 UTC

A visual reminder for students to keep their volume low during independent/ paired work time.
Make all kinds of bouncy balls react to sounds from your microphone. A great sound/noise monitor for kids and a fun way to visualize music (or noise). As sounds increase, plastic balls, emoji, bubbles, or eyeballs shoot up from the bottom of the screen and move erratically until levels decrease.
Keep in mind that students when introduced to this (novelty) want to cause noise in order to see the chaos ensue on the screen. In this case, you might want to let students explore/ test/ play around at beginning then challenge them to get as quiet as possible. A good tool to set a noise baseline and encourage self-regulation and staying on task.
You can manage the sensitivity level of the microphone to the needs of the class and choose different themes.
- Liza

Ability to think out of the box

2023-09-19 06:44:17 UTC

My Year Head had a session teaching us about how to use ChatGPT. You are able to ask ChatGPT questions like " what would Singapore like without LKY". ChatGPT is able to give a description about it which was very well written.

I managed to talk to some Lecturer in Design studies and he was telling me that ChatGPT is at its infancy stage, I am excited for technological advancement. Now AI can produce images just through description words alone. Many of the Arts and jobs might be replaced! I am looking forward to others sharing how ChatGPT can work

Jack

Sick of Kahoot

2023-09-19 06:51:23 UTC

I am not sure if I am sick of the free to used version. During a wedding, I could here the Kahoot sounds playing in the background and i knew that we are going to play Kahoot.

This class would also remind me to go discover what more Kahoot has to offer.
Kahoot+ has AI question generator, ability to track data, integration of Powerpoint. That is indeed a lot more Kahoot can do if school buys into it

Jack

2023-09-19 07:02:42 UTC

Dear Anuwar, I was looking at self monitoring devices for students with ADHD and I could only find the Attention training system , which looks terrible. Thanks for this! I would look more into it.

Jack

Website for learning Phonics, Maths and reading (teachyourmonsterstoread.com)

2023-09-20 03:12:08 UTC

I have been using this website regularly (teachyourmonsterstoread) it really allows students to do their work on their own, to pick up phonics,maths with the use of a program. It also test for mastery, has a regular breaks and rewards. I would say that only the reading component of the website is lacklustre, but everything else is pretty great.

2023-09-20 23:12:45 UTC

Another alternative visual reminder for students to keep their volume down during seat work time. Volume can be adjusted and if it exceeds the volume, a 'ding' sound will go off.

Introduced and trialed this to my school staff during SEN PD session, and observed teachers using it in class.

What I like about this is that there are multiple functions for use - Polls (true/false qns etc), traffic light visual to cue students, etc). This can be used to teach students' self-regulation techniques. And it served as a good classroom management tool and small group session.

Huiying :)

Can't live without Canva now

sheril_aida_ishak — 2023-09-22 13:30:01 UTC

Canva has everything and anything; from creating posters to presentation slides. I love the fact that it is super user friendly and it provides an unlimited amount of visuals, designs and ideas. It's a resource tool that has helped me to save a great amount of time too, and it has become so convenient to create anything that is please and aesthetically pleasing. It's so eye catching that both the students and adults are constantly impressed by the works.

Just like everyone else, I managed to create all sorts of resources for students and staffs. Recently, my team and I created a Back To School lesson package worksheets which includes school/class rules, daily reflections, checklists and executive functioning skills. Even my principal was super impressed by the package >.<

-Sheril

Cheap Thrill

sheril_aida_ishak — 2023-09-22 13:42:41 UTC

I am sure everyone has used Kahoot. Just like Soffiah and Huiying, I've used Kahoot to get the attention of the audience during PD sharing. I believe it's one of the easiest way to redirect the attention or whenever there's a need to change the pace of the sharing. It's quite funny to see how teachers can get competitive through such activity too! (Perhaps the fact that my team and I mentioned how there was going to be bubble tea as a reward for the top 3)

Even with students, the concept of it being somewhat like a game keeps them engaged. The first time I used it with my students were during SDR lessons during covid times; to test their understanding of the comprehension text, I just had to put up the questions into Kahoot and easily they felt the thrill and were pretty excited to answer the questions.

- Sheril

2023-09-23 01:22:01 UTC

I was introduced to the Antistress app during my cluster meeting as a self-care tool for SEN-Os. I tried it and found it useful in helping me to relax. With realistic animation and sounds, this app can also be introduced to students to manage stress and anxiety. There is a wide array of objects and activities to choose from e.g. fidget spinner, squishy ball, bubble wrap to pop, stacking wood blocks, and sand to draw in. I would be interested to know whether the objects in the app or the physical object is more effective in helping students to manage stress so I'll be trying it out on my students soon.

- Ee Kheng

2023-09-23 01:40:36 UTC

The wiggle seat is an example of a low tech tool which I have tried on my students who have difficulty staying in their seat. It is spiky on one side and bumpy on the other and the cushion provides active seating or balance training which forces the child to keep his/her balance. This act of trying to balance on the seat helps my students stay more focused on the task at hand. I teach them how to use it during my withdrawal sessions and it is on loan to them to use in the classroom. I work with the teachers to ensure the students return the wiggle seat to the class cupboard at the end of the school day.

- Ee Kheng

2023-09-23 01:43:14 UTC

Hi Huiying, the Classroom Screen looks good. Could you share the link with us? :)

- Ee Kheng

2023-09-23 01:52:24 UTC

The feety band is attached to the legs of chairs or tables. Students rest their feet on it to bounce away excess energy. The bouncing is non-disruptive, increases time on-task, and makes learning fun! It is another example of a low tech tool which I have used on my lower primary students and found it to be effective. The elevated band allow students to quietly release energy and increase concentration. The only limitation is that it has a maximum stretch and some of my students get frustrated when they want to stretch their legs beyond that.

- Ee Kheng

2023-09-23 02:01:34 UTC

While conducting research on self-monitoring tools for another module (IEC 4022 Examining Evidence-Based Practices), I came across I-Connect, a technology-based self-monitoring system that supports students to independently increase on-task behaviors and classroom engagement. The I-Connect App offers features that are customizable and changeable at any time. The app has self-monitoring questions which can be customized to fit a students’ specific needs or goals.

Engagement “Are you on task?”
Appropriateness “Are you appropriate?”
Comprehension “Do you understand?”

I am excited to try this for my single case study project as it replaces the traditional pen and paper method of self-monitoring. I am hopeful that the novelty will excite my student and increase his engagement.

- Ee Kheng

My students with ADHD love this. With the band, they walk around lesser and are able to remain seated for a longer period of time -Joice Chan

2023-09-23 15:47:21 UTC

Wow. This is my first time exploring word wall. This is really my Ah-Ha moment. I was really surprised at the range of choices that are available for me to use to create activities. -Joice Chan

2023-09-23 15:59:41 UTC

Bridging communication with parents

yee_leng_leng — 2023-09-23 20:59:47 UTC

I use Class Dojo as a means of communicating with parents of my students. Class Dojo offers a means of communication with parents without compromising on your privacy after school hours, as you need not reveal your HP no. to parents and at the same time, able to reply to their message based on the urgency of the matters. In addition, Class Dojo is also used as a means of sharing of strategies I have taught my students with the parents via the Class Story function. It allows parents to "like" your post and that is very encouraging to me. I have not tried the rewards function for students yet. But, will give it a try in the future.
Leng Leng:)

Fun with Kahoot

2023-09-24 00:53:55 UTC

A great tool for formative assessment. I will prep my students that we would be playing Kahoot at the start of the lesson to pique their interest and pay attention. Playing Kahoot is always an exciting moment for my students as they pit their skills against one another. The countdown timer and ranking put them on their toes to do their best. Never a dull moment using Kahoot.
- Charlott

Not as excitable as ...

2023-09-24 01:11:21 UTC

I don't use ClassDojo with my secondary school students as they find it lame, boring. The rewards of allocating points in ClassDojo is not as impactful as winning in a Kahoot game. Secondary school students also do not want their parents to know too much about their teenage lives. LOL
- Charlott

New Findings

2023-09-24 01:47:10 UTC

Thank you, Shi Li, for sharing Magic Write and Text to Image function in Canva. Thus far, I have used Canva extensively to make infographics, birthday cards for staff (I'm in Staff Welfare Committee), teachers' day cards. Now, there are more reasons for me to use Canva. :)
- Charlott

A Good Tool for Teaching & Learning

2023-09-24 01:58:24 UTC

I use Quizizz for teaching short topics (e.g., prefixes and suffixes) and inbuilt quizzes as formative assessment. Students does this as part of independent learning during my sessions. The tool is quite easy to use.
- Charlott

Using GarageBand for Clean Plate Campaign Awareness

2023-09-24 15:57:00 UTC

[Previously used e-tool]
I have always enjoyed doing music composition and infusing it into my intervention and presentations. I would record some songs on GarageBand and would make some edits and auto-tuning.

For one of the school awareness campaign, Clean Plate Campaign, I collaborated with the School Choir and the CCE department to come out with a song that would help create awareness on the initiative. The song was then attached to the digital poster signage and used as a lesson material during the Clean Plate Campaign. The main objective of the collaboration was to create an audiovisual lesson content which incorporated music that is relatable to the students.
The students who participated in the collaboration truly enjoyed being part of the music composition.

-Zulhilmi Akmal-

A Good Tool to expand on your knowledge/ideas

2023-09-24 16:20:51 UTC

[New e-tool]
I was hesitant to sign up for an account at first. Read all the comments above, and decided to give it a try.

I started on basic questions, to a bit more complicated questions just to test the accuracy of its answers and I am very amazed by the outcome.
From there I realized I could use this tool for idea generation and to expand my knowledge further. It also allows me to "bounce ideas" when I am stuck.

-Zulhilmi Akmal-

Audio books / Digital books

2023-09-24 16:32:17 UTC

[Previously used E-tool]
I have been using the Libby App for years. Its a linked account with the NLB App.
There are a huge collection of books on psychology, behaviour science, communication strategies, parenting strategies, mindfulness and audio books for young children. The resources are free and we can also request/recommend books to NLB which are not available in their collection.
The books are in digital format, they also have it in audio. I don't have to visit the library to search for the books, and I can easily borrow the digital content from home/school.
I am very impressed with the collection of books available and thankful to our NLB for making the Libby app easily accessible.

The parents that I am working closely with, have also started to borrow books on the Libby/NLB App as they do not have the time to frequently visit the physical library with their children. I frequently used the digital e-book and audiobook with my students who struggled with reading.

-Zulhilmi Akmal-

2023-09-25 00:12:12 UTC

Hi Ee Kheng, the link is: https://classroomscreen.com/app/screen/w/885d010e-1c1c-461f-bd8e-655040144737/g/1e2456b5-a9b7-4e88-a52b-ecd400b47662/s/722c1787-e4c0-4953-b931-2f89f540e65f

Huiying :)

2023-09-25 00:13:40 UTC

I used this during my sessions too :) They love it!

Huiying :)

Classroom Zen

yee_leng_leng — 2023-09-25 00:42:10 UTC

Hi Liza,

You may also want to explore Classroom Zen if you are a fan of Bouncy Balls. It works like Bouncy Balls but the monster will get angry and ask the class to keep quiet if sound can be heard. The primary school students find it funny and like what you say, they may initially try to test it.

Leng Leng:)

My AHA moment

yee_leng_leng — 2023-09-25 00:55:49 UTC

I am new to Canva and started using it recently and have grown to love it. I have used it mainly to create Powerpoint slides for my lessons. I like that there are ready-made slides and even videos that we can start with by keying in the theme of our presentation and customizing it according to my needs. It does help to save a lot of my time.

I have read the posts on the usage of Canva and am amazed by the functions that it offers. Thank you for sharing and I will try those functions these days!

Leng Leng :)

Oh Yes!

NS_Y — 2023-09-25 04:08:24 UTC

Hi Leng Leng!

Oh yes, Word Wall! My SEN O partner and I used Word Wall as part of the P1 e-Orientation. We wanted to assess the students literacy in some ways and Word Wall was definitely one interactive way! While we acknowledge that parents may help their child behind the screen, Word Wall allows us to curate fun and interactive learning through games.

-Soffiah

2023-09-25 12:50:08 UTC

I have tried Jamboard. I liked that it is a tool under Google, as I do not need to sign up for a separate account to use. I also like Jamboard more than padlet because of the ability to rearrange the layout of the post-its.

I have used it once for a f2f staff training. Anyone with the link is able to access it. It was easy to send out the link as the staff has a grp chatgrp.

I have also tried it with my upper primary pupils. It was pretty easy for them to access and use when I could send out the link via our Zoom chat. However, when we had f2f sessions, it is difficult for the pupils to access as the link had to be sent to them via email or SLS, which will require additional log in time.

Chi Ki

Heard so much about it but have yet to try it... till now!

2023-09-29 00:31:22 UTC

I have heard so much about it but I have yet to try it. My dad uses Chatgpt and most recently, he used it to plan his entire trip itinerary. It was so detailed, extensive and easy to understand. I'm only starting to hop on the AI bandwagon and I am interested to see what I can do with it.

I am starting to understand that its all about how we key the commands in. Very interesting indeed!

Shuxian

Something other than this please?

2023-09-29 00:34:13 UTC

Kahoot is so over-used this days that I always find myself thinking "huh kahoot again" when it comes up during PD. While I have yet to try out other similar apps, I do have some kahoot-fatigue. Its a great way to engage the target audience no doubt, but I'm also ready for something new. If anyone has any suggestions, please share!

Shuxian

Love it!

2023-09-29 00:37:11 UTC

I am a huge fan of Canva! The animation and colours are so refreshing and engaging. I always get compliments for the aesthetic appeal of my slides whenever I use Canva. I think the free version is sufficient for me but I do get a little bit sad sometimes when I find something I like and but its only for paid members.

It is easy to use and so customizable. I tried the free trial and enjoyed it. I used it for cluster presentations and also to share it with my students who are aren't afraid to explore out of pptx.

Shuxian

My bread and butter of technology

2023-09-29 00:44:25 UTC

I think it's safe to say we can't do without the BIG 3. I am however disheartened by their payment options. It has evolved over the years and becoming more expensive to use what SHOULD BE basic tools in a working computer. I'm grateful to have it on the work laptop but beyond this, I am not subscribed to their payment plans. I remember having to do so when I last did my DISE for all the assignments.

However, I am least confident with Excel. I know it is powerful, but only if I know how to manipulate the commands. I find that confusing and it takes up too much mental effort for me to dive into it. When I need excel and want to execute a command, I just google the specific step I need. Ooops.

Shuxian

2023-09-29 00:46:03 UTC

Thanks for all your sharings! Now it makes me want to give this a go!

Shuxian

2023-09-29 00:48:18 UTC

I had a student who required this band as an AA for his national exams. He was a co-morbid case and we had to write in specifically to request for a few customized AA but it was approved. It is not disruptive and it does help him to self-regulate better given that one of the diagnoses was ADHD.

Shuxian

2023-09-29 00:49:11 UTC

I'm actually looking to explore this for my own workroom! Thanks for the reminder

Shuxian

2023-09-29 00:49:57 UTC

This is so great! Thanks for this!

Shuxian

Classic

2023-09-29 00:51:55 UTC

Oh I did not know I could PDF a padlet! This would make dissemination of content much easier. Thank you Man Ling for sharing!

Shuxian

2023-09-30 06:47:04 UTC

Thank you, Huiying! - Ee Kheng

2023-10-01 08:32:41 UTC

Many times when we talked about tech tools, naturally it comes to us as iPad, computers, PLD, apps ... and so on.

Sometimes, the simplest low tech tool may not be a bad thing too!

Though I have not personally experienced this, however, it was shared by my partner SENO who used to have a student who needs to tap his fingers beside the chair and sometimes it get so loud especially in the exam settings. Naturally we would think of applying isolation room for the child, however, sometimes, there may be limitations to school resources. As such, she implemented the use of Styrofoam. She cut it out and stick it at the two sides of the chair. She then taught the student that if he needs to tap to regulate himself because he would get so anxious especially during exam, he could tap on the Styrofoam instead of the chairs. This allowed him to regulate and continue with exam with much ease, yet minimizes any noise disturbances to the other students.

I find this a brilliant idea. Subsequently, she equipped the student with other skills to cope and fade off the use of this.

Huiying :)

2023-10-01 08:34:52 UTC

Yes! I recently used the PDF-ed function and wow ... I think this can be used in our teachings with students with SEN. I can imagine students in group sessions sharing their responses on padlet, then SENOs can consolidate the learnings and PDF-ed it for students to review!

Love it!
Huiying :)

2023-10-01 08:39:25 UTC

Mentimeter is another tech tool that I used, though not as frequently used as Padlet / Kahoot!

What I liked about mentimeter is that it allows us to consolidate responses using word cloud, survey and live polling. I have used it for presentations but I personally do not like it as much compared to the use of Canva.

Huiying :)

Unfortunate demise

benitlikeme — 2023-10-01 13:49:03 UTC

I had my fair share of using Jamboard since it was introduced by my school's ICT department 3 years ago. I thought it was quite user-friendly and intuitive, didn't need a lot of brain space to learn how to use it. I first used it as a substitute to the traditional whiteboard with my students (and quite liked the pointer feature). On a later occasion, I almost used it as an interactive platform to gather responses from school staff during a sharing session but was eventually replaced by another app, Mindmup. During covid season, I also used Jamboard together with Loom (a video recording app) to record a few asynchronous sessions for my students.

Strangely, the take-up rate to utilise Jamboard was low in my school despite its accessibility and user-friendliness, since all staff and students had a school google account. Might have been due to the limitations in terms of the size of the board? I did find myself having to swipe to the next board when I ran out of space, which meant that some info was out of sight. I think another limitation was the number of features available (i.e. insert images, textbox, shapes, sticky notes) which I would consider quite basic in comparison to a few other similar apps out there.

Shuxian, you might be interested to know that Google published an advisory on 30 Sep 2023 announcing the application's wind down :( it will fully be taken down on 31 Dec 2024. I suppose the low take-up rate in my school is a reflection of the take-up rate across all of Google's users, hence the winding down of the app.

I actually don't really know how to feel about such a decision/move. But am wondering what is it about apps that outlive Jamboard- what is it about them that allows them to outlast apps that have come and gone.

Benjamin

MindApp, MindMap?

benitlikeme — 2023-10-01 14:28:35 UTC

You guessed it right, it's a mind mapping app! Amongst the several mind mapping apps out there, my school settled on subscribing MindMup for teachers to utilise as a tech tool especially over synchronous and asynchronous lessons during the covid period. It was also used before as an interactive tool to gather responses during a staff sharing session by myself and SCs.

It really does deliver as a mind mapping app in terms of its features. The user is able to attach images, videos, weblinks, text notes to a node, move connections around to different nodes and change node styles (font, text size, corners etc.) just to name several of them. The look of the mind map is also really neat- the attachments appear as a 'linking chain' icon on the node it is attached to for example. It is also powerfully integrated with Google Drive, which means that the mind map is saved in your G Drive and you can insert items that are already in your G Drive folders. One of the best features I think for a mind map app is the ability to collaborate with other MindMup users.

But it comes with a paid subscription and I don't think it comes cheap. And I must say that it does take some time to learn and explore the app's capabilities. Another limiting factor that my colleagues and I faced was that in order to collaborate and ensure that live changes were saved on G Drive cloud, we could not just open up the mind map via G Drive (i.e. accessing the map like how we would a google document), but had to click the "Open to Google Drive" button to sign in to our accounts on the MindMup webpage. It was a real hassle for some of us and some eventually stopped using the app. I thought it was a real pity, because when it comes to collaborative tech like this, it becomes quite meaningless to use it when there are only a few users utilising it.

Benjamin

Lovin' it

benitlikeme — 2023-10-01 14:32:11 UTC

This sounds really awesome! Thanks so much Wai Ling and Zul for sharing this, super keen to try this with my students.

Benjamin

Losing its novelty, but still very relevant..

2023-10-01 15:08:20 UTC

[Previously used e-tool]
Kahoot is a very familiar tool for all, students and staffs. It is very easy to setup, simple platform and is fun and interactive. However, I do agree that it is losing its novelty. It is still a great platform to kickstart the use of interactive e-tool with the students before advancing to other e-tools.

We have used this tool several times during recess activities where students would view the exhibits and then would then be given an ipad to attempt the quiz. We noticed that the students were more motivated to participate in the exhibits so that they could attempt the quiz. There were no prizes given for the winners of the Kahoot game, but they still participated.

-Zulhilmi Akmal-

Offers a lot of customization

2023-10-01 15:15:15 UTC

[New e-tool]
I keep hearing from some of my colleagues on how Canva is the new MS ppt and that it can offer a lot more even with a basic account. I am very thrilled to hear that many here are also frequent users of canva. I was so motivated to try it and have started an account recently. And yes, it is so true!
There are many functions and many ready to use templates with multiple themes. I am currently trying it out for one of the assignments.
It is very tempting to purchase the subscription.

-Zulhilmi Akmal-

Padlet for daily logging

zulhilmi_akmal_supki — 2023-10-01 15:35:09 UTC

[Previously used e-tool]
My students and I used to grow mushrooms. They brought the mushroom kit home and documented the growth, daily, on Padlet. They enjoyed the activity so much. I would see them posting their pictures and measurements daily on the Padlet. They would also comment on each other's posts and cheer each other on. Padlet does offers some social interaction between students<->teachers and students<->students.

-Zulhilmi Akmal-

liyana_zainudin — 2023-10-01 16:32:38 UTC

Libby is a great app to access digital and audiobooks, which you can read or listen to on the go! Oftentimes, parents ask for book recommendations. SENOs can look through the list of books offered by Libby and even read a sample of those books to determine which of them are age appropriate before making those recommendations. It's also great for personal use, especially if you do not have the luxury of time to head down to the library.
-Liyana

liyana_zainudin — 2023-10-01 16:43:36 UTC

I discovered Canva a couple years ago and I can't live without it. I use it so often that I've decided to subscribe to it. Just like everyone here has mentioned, I've used Canva to create decks of slides, videos, reward charts and even posters. I've also had older colleagues who have asked me to teach them how to use it. I like that Canva is user-friendly. It is easy to navigate and operates using a simple drag and drop interface. It also offers a variety of templates and elements for users to choose from.
- Liyana

liyana_zainudin — 2023-10-01 16:53:30 UTC

Lino is an online web sticky note service that can be used to post memos, to-do lists, ideas, and photos anywhere on an online web canvas. I've used it for reflection purposes when we conduct big school events. It is a platform for students to pose their thoughts or pledges. Once they have done so, I would then flash the canvas onto the TV screen in the canteen during their recesses for them to see.

However, when compared to Padlet (which is another similar visual collaboration tool), the information presented does appear to look more disorganised.
- Liyana

liyana_zainudin — 2023-10-01 17:01:17 UTC

Mentimeter is a great tool that allows you to participate and interact with your target audience online. It is an easy way to collect data based on the responses the participants give through live polling, word cloud or surveys.

I usually use Mentimeter for PD sharing sessions, where it allows me to conduct an informal check with my audience to see how much they understand about a particular topic, what they would like to learn about it and what they have understood from it by the end of the session.
-Liyana

liyana_zainudin — 2023-10-01 17:06:55 UTC

Thank you for sharing this Ee Kheng! I am excited to see how you'd implement this with your case study. I like that they have digitised the self-monitoring process and simplified it through the use of a mobile app. I think this would definitely encourage greater buy-in from our students, who are digital natives!
-Liyana

liyana_zainudin — 2023-10-01 17:14:55 UTC

My school counsellor recently introduced me to 'Inshot', a video editor app, which she is currently using to create videos for our upcoming Mental Health Awareness Week. It seems intuitive and relatively easy to use.

It's an all-in-one app that allows you to edit your video by adding music, effects, voice-over, animation sticker and text and AI effects. Gone are the days when you had to record a video and then upload it to softwares like Adobe Premiere Pro for it to be edited. With this app, everything can now be done on your mobile phone.
- Liyana

liyana_zainudin — 2023-10-01 17:17:40 UTC

Hi Huiying! Thank you for sharing this resource. I think this is a great classroom management strategy and teachers with bigger class sizes would find this particularly useful. Can't wait to try it out and recommend it to my fellow teachers in school!
- Liyana

liyana_zainudin — 2023-10-01 17:25:03 UTC

Hi Liza, thank you for sharing this! I've explored the free version of this and must say I'm quite impressed with the set of questions that the website has generated based on the reading passage that I have input. I also like that these questions can be exported onto other apps such as Quizizz, Kahoot and even Google Slides.
- Liyana

benitlikeme — 2023-10-02 00:21:39 UTC

Loom is a screen & video recording software that was available to educators for free during the pandemic. I thought it was a no-frills kinda app, keeping things simple and comes with a clean look - product wise and user interface. There are the options of just screen recording, or camera recording (self) or both. If you choose both, the recording of self will appear in a circle at the corner of the screen and you can shift it around the 4 corners. This app came in handy when I wanted to prepare a few asynchronous sessions for a few SEN students in collaboration with my AYH at that time. I also used it to record a sharing to the sec 1 cohort last year during their orientation as it was still a virtual event then.

There are video editing features that allow the user to snip and adjust the speed of the video. It's possible to share the video via a link as well, and others don't have to own a Loom account in order to view the video.

It actually comes in 2 versions: the desktop app version and the chrome extension version. For work laptops, getting the desktop app requires permission from the ICT department. But the chrome extension shouldn't be an issue. I had the desktop app on my previous work laptop but rather than getting the desktop app back on my current laptop, I now access my Loom account on web via the chrome extension. I think the only limitation for the chrome extension is that it can only record screens opened with chrome browser, while the desktop app is able to record your entire screen.

Benjamin

yee_leng_leng — 2023-10-02 00:51:53 UTC

Hi Hui Ying,

I give a "like" to this app too. I'm currently using Zen Classroom but Classroom Screen seems to offer more. Can't wait to try it out in school:)

Thanks for sharing!

Leng Leng

Onedrive

2023-10-02 00:53:04 UTC

Collaborative capability that allows us to work on a project such as slide presentation. Better alternative than Google Doc if you are using PowerPoint as your final product.

Anyway Abdul Wahab

How to export Padlet

2023-10-02 00:58:23 UTC

Hi Soffiah!
Thanks for your question :) To export Padlet into PDF (or other formats), click on the arrow "open share settings" --> scroll down to "export" --> click "Save as PDF" --> select the page style you prefer --> click "publish PDF" --> download the PDF generated :) Here is a guided tutorial: https://www.iorad.com/player/2229915/Padlet---How-to-save-Padlet-content-as-a-PDF-file#trysteps-1

~ Man Ling

Lesson Plan

2023-10-02 00:58:39 UTC

I tried to look for lesson plan on Social Skill and 'Wa Lah' the whole list of lesson plan came out. It really helps my work easier.

Blooket

yee_leng_leng — 2023-10-02 01:01:08 UTC

My AHA moment recently is using Blooket. I used Blooket to create an assignment for my students during the PSLE Listening Comprehension for Home-based Learning. Parents of my students are provided with the QR code generated by Blooket and they are able to access the assignment by scanning the QR code. Blooket offers a gamifying experience for the students while reinforcing on what they have learnt as the questions are repeated in a cycle as long as the student choose to continue carrying on with the assignment.

Leng Leng

Trying out

2023-10-02 01:06:22 UTC

Yes, tried to get lesson plans on social skills. Wow! The whole list of social skills season plans came out. It really amazing and time saving.

Anuwar Abdul Wahab☺️

Plicker..... Clicker😊

2023-10-02 01:26:02 UTC

It reminds me of using Clicker long time ago. Here the apps allow the use of clicker without individual devices to input their responses. Just a fall back is that you need to print out the qr code to print out but it is only one time work.

Anuwar Abdul Wahab 😊

2023-10-02 01:37:04 UTC

My student introduced this Midjourney with me when I shared with them that Mdm Pang needs to submit a lot of assignments and they offered their help to me :) Midjourney is AI generator that text-based prompts into images and videos. All you need to do is to enter your prompts and the tool will provide you with an original image using AI and machine learning. I’ve tried, it’s really amazing and fun! I am still learning and exploring, hope to find out more about this app.

Libby - register my online library card

2023-10-02 01:40:50 UTC

Hi! Thanks for sharing this app as it allows me to borrow ebook from the National Library. I was looking for newspaper but unfortunately it was not available. 😔

2023-10-02 01:59:17 UTC

My friend was sharing she could not get answers after searching on Google and reading 15 articles from there.
I suggested to her to try ChatGPT, and we got the answer she was looking for in just 1 search using the same command prompt! It was short and sweet to read, without needing to read through long articles.
Chi Ki

2023-10-02 09:55:53 UTC

HeartMath Technology is like a mindfulness/DBT tool that help people who have depression, anxiety and are stressed to regulate themselves to improve their emotional well-being. Using a device that can be attached to the ear and the heart to measure a person’s heart coherence which is a state of where the heart, mind and emotions are balanced. When there is low heart coherence (for instance if a student has a meltdown or is anxious), the app in the handphone will show an erratic/jagged heart rhythm pattern and the user will be prompted to use breathing and grounding techniques till he restores his balance/composure and his heart rhythm is that of a series of smooth waves. I think this may be useful for people with ASD as it helps them to learn to recognise and increase their physiological awareness of stress and anxiety level and then work on how to regulate themselves to return to normalcy. With constant usage, user can see for himself what kind of activities and situations would promote his sense of well-being and try to replicate more of that. At the same time, user can also monitor activities and situations that would undermine his emotional wellness and work on solving them. The device can be used together with handphone which makes it portable and convenient to use but it cost a couple of hundred dollars. Most of calming apps do not have this feature of real time monitoring of the user state of emotion well-being which is why I am quite impressed with this gadget.
Beth

2023-10-04 04:01:56 UTC

This is really something that i have bought but have not implemented. Will do so soon!.
not sure if the teachers will frown at it

-Jack

2023-10-04 04:05:55 UTC

This is another Tech that I bought for my students but yet to have the time to implement it and monitor it. Sometimes we have alot of tools but do not have time to ensure that students are able to use it apprropriately. =(

Jack

bai_huiying1_1 — 2023-10-04 12:09:35 UTC

Wordwall has many features that SENOs and teachers can explore using. My ECG counsellor and I had used Random wheel in one of our collaborated programme for upper sec students. Instead of the usual pen and paper way, this offers an alternative that increase their engagement level in the session.

Huiying :)

2023-10-08 01:55:08 UTC

Heard of Prezi from my previous sch counsellor who used it for her presentations. Didnt have a chance to try using it until recently. I like that it offers interactive features and that you can use it to create videos and infographic, apart from slides. However ... I realised that if I want to download my slides into PDF, there is a subscription fee to pay. The elements (i.e., shapes etc) to design the slides/infographic are limited. Honestly, I might still prefer Canva (oops).

Huiying :)

2023-10-08 08:09:22 UTC

Thank you for sharing, Ee Kheng! I am interested to find out how you implement the seat in your withdrawal sessions and in the class. Do you let the child sit on it throughout your session or when he/she is getting distracted? Likewise in class, does the child use it all the time? :) - Shi Li

2023-10-08 08:11:55 UTC

Previously I tried it with my student but she ended up getting more distracted during my withdrawal sessions as she was trying to focus more on balancing. However, it does help her in class. The seat was used to help her stay awake as she tends to fall asleep during lessons. We put the seat at the back of the class for all students to use as the child does not want to be singled out. Whenever she needs the movement breaks, she would use it at the back of the class. Thankfully the child is quite disciplined. When she has received enough of the movement breaks, she will return back to her seat and is able to stay awake. I didn't know it can be used for that purpose too. -Shi Li

elizabeth_owyeong — 2023-10-08 08:44:39 UTC

Too much emphasis on reward system?

2023-10-08 09:03:28 UTC

The plus point for this app is really to motivate students to perform the required tasks and to acquire prosocial skills using positive reinforcement. It can promote closer parent-teacher involvement as parents are kept up to date in real time about what is happening in the class with videos and pictures to boot and what are the assigned works that their child is given. But I feel that this may work as a double-edged sword for the teachers. Parents may become more involved with their child school’s activities and work closer with teachers to support their children. However, there will be some parents who may be messaging the teachers non-stop about matters concerning their children and this may take time away from teaching related tasks. On hindsight, I think teachers need to set clear expectation of on the timing and amount of communication and response time to parents and students. I feel that teachers also need to be train on e-etiquette, protocol or guidelines so that they can navigate in the e-sphere confidently and safely as well. Am just wondering if the significant emphasis in rewarding prosocial skills may have a detrimental impact on defiant students who would definitely score lower than their agreeable peers. For me, it’s just exploration on my part to see what is out there, this app is too childish for secondary school students.
Beth

My new favourite of many favourites!!

zulhilmi_akmal_supki — 2023-10-08 11:20:29 UTC

[New e-tool]
Thanks Leng Leng, Soffiah & Huiying for introducing me this new e-tool. I tried the word search with my students to search for the new words learnt from the reading passage. They loved it!!! I can't believe how fast and convenient it is to craft a game to supplement the students' learning.

I looked through YouTube for a simple tutorial and some ideas. And there was, a whack-a-mole game activity on phonics (I've added the YouTube video link). A bit sad that you need the pro-version to access the Whack-A-Mole game.

-Zulhilmi Akmal-

A combination of many tools in a Tool

zulhilmi_akmal_supki — 2023-10-08 11:58:57 UTC

[New e-tool]
I am thankful that I have been assigned this new tool to explore during the Week6 Evaluating Affordances.
I went through multiple YouTube videos to assess the function and how this tool can be useful to me. The outcome of it all is that... I LOVE IT!!!
It offers the ability to include different types of interactive activities (VR, Quizzes, etc), google slides, You Tube videos to be embedded in, and even inlcude a timer for each activity. The students can access the lesson on any devices (laptop, phone, tablet) as long as they have internet connection.

-Zulhilmi Akmal-

yee_leng_leng — 2023-10-08 13:50:29 UTC

I agree that students are still intrigued with Kahoot, probably, Kahoot is one of their familiar e-tools since it is commonly used by the teachers. It does engage the students through instilling a sense of competitiveness among the students with ranking of the results shown at the end of the activity.

Leng Leng:)

2023-10-08 14:03:17 UTC

Nessy Reading & Spelling is another app that is suitable to complement your phonics instructions. It can be used as a homework activity or reinforce the concepts after the session has ended.

From the website: "Download below for free from Sept 28th - Oct 31st 2023. All teachers and parents should understand dyslexia. This short course teaches the basics of dyslexia, including how to identify it, and how to help."

~ Soo Ting

2023-10-08 14:15:31 UTC

This is interesting. So, you will provide the student with an iPad for use in class?

20231030

I read articles on this too. I tried to register but I do not seem to be able to. Anyone who tried?

~ Soo Ting

Guess whose sticker?

anuwar_abdul_wahab — 2023-10-08 22:54:38 UTC

Bitmoji is your own personal emoji. You can create an expressive cartoon avatar, choose from its library of moods and stickers - featuring YOU! I used the stickers for my powerpoint slides and create stickers for my students too. They are eye catching and personalised the presentation. You can also get other Bitmoji member to appear in your stickers too.

The Netflix of Education

2023-10-09 00:15:00 UTC

As we were just on the topic of use of Videos last week, here's TEACHFLIX! It's the NETFLIX to teaching. TEACHFLIX is a collection of videos that have been organised into categories that can be used with students in class. It’s not a perfect, all-encompassing collection but it's a nice place to start searching for videos for the relevant subject content.

Ideal if we could adopt this, to the local education context.

- Liza

Cool New Kid on the Block!

NS_Y — 2023-10-09 00:50:35 UTC

Hi Liza!
This is an interesting platform! What caught my eye is the interface is very similar to Netflix! Instead of using YouTube (where students can access to anything (i.e., dangerous without adult supervision), this platform is educational. In mind, I have my SEN students who are not that good at reading but they are able to go onto Teachflix and access the read aloud videos.

And of course, this is definitely something that I want to explore with my own children. They love watching Netflix or Disney+ (with controlled timing) but this Teachflix is a good alternative for my children to watch as there are educational videos (e.g., reading aloud).

- Soffiah

VOOKS!

noreffaliza_amer2 — 2023-10-09 00:59:03 UTC

Storybooks brought to life! This is a tool that I use with my own child and I really enjoy how the stories are brought to life while the child can read along. It makes reading more engaging and fun.

Although this tool is more suited for younger children but, we can use the videos as examples for our students to create their own read aloud videos.

2023-10-09 01:42:09 UTC

As a frequent user of powerpoint, I really like the features available in Nearpod that can enhance our ppt.
In particular, the video function in Nearpod is very useful. We are able to search for videos and add the video into the ppt within the Nearpod platform. There is also a trim function, to trim the video to show only the parts we want to show.
Chi Ki

Gimkit

2023-10-09 01:51:31 UTC

Gimkit is an interactive learning platform that allows educators to create and customise quizzes and games for their students. Students get to compete against one another in real-time quizzes, earning in-game currency (Gimkit cash) to spend on power-ups and other items. Gimkit offers a free version with limited features and a paid subscription that unlocks more customization options and features. For example, you might want to disable the "ice" feature so that other players will be able to participate in the game. It is quite fun, if you have time do check it out!

~ Man Ling

2023-10-09 04:40:48 UTC

If your school purchase Adobe, do explore some of the contents.

- Adobe Acrobat : Usually I use this to edit PDF files.

- Adobe Premiere Pro : During Covid-19, a group of teachers and I used that to put together a video (there were some singing, we could put our voices and videos together) to encourage the students and staff.

- Adobe Character Animator: I gave up half-way as I feel I needed more time to learn this properly. However, it is something that I would play with if I have time. Perhaps like during the holidays. Features like how it can take my expressions and movements to bring an animated character into life really attracted me. It is kind of fun. But I need more time! :)

--> An alternative to the above is Adobe Express "animate from audio" (available online; no need to purchase) If you have an audio which you recorded, you can make an animated character using your own voice. I could see the usage in making some animated characters for my students to remind them on something. It is like how some teachers told me: students nowadays seem to pay more attention to video content than they do to the teacher who is speaking to them f2f.

~ Soo Ting

2023-10-10 02:28:48 UTC

I have not used reader pen myself, but I've seen my LSC use it in LSP lessons. When she does progress monitoring, the students will be reading independently. The reader pen is useful for students when they encounter words that they do not know, or for the students who may not recognise many words.

I would like to explore the reader pen for examination use! I agree with Wai Ling that it will greatly reduce the manpower required. I also think that this may help the student as he may be more willing to use the pen whenever he encounters a word he does not recognise. Oftentimes, I notice that students are shy to ask teachers to read to them, especially at the start, or if they need help with a single word. It is also quite taxing for them to request the teacher to read every word/ sentence/ paragraph as they will need to request each time. With the reader pen, it will allow the student to be more independent.

- Shi Min

2023-10-10 02:31:39 UTC

I just tried this and I think it's so useful! There are many stickers to choose from and I can use it to express my interests/ emotions! I think my students will enjoy this when I create stickers that look like them and use it in my sessions.

- Shi Min

VEED.IO

2023-10-11 01:44:09 UTC

Fantastic video tool! There is free script generator. You can then copy the script and paste it on "text to speech" in video. To make it more user friendly, there is auto-generation of subtitles. Feel free to try out avatar video for free too.

- Charlott Lee Su Yin

2023-10-11 13:08:45 UTC

Explored Nearpod and wow, it has so many interactive features that I can leverage on in my teachings with students with SEN. Apart from creating the slides, we can embed videos and audios. Moreover, we can even assess students' learning through the different methods- quiz, time to climb (i think this will really interest the primary school students) and so on!

Although it has its interactive elements, I feel that it has its limitations too. One, we cannot share it with other users for collaborative creation of resources (unlike google slides). Two, while we can download as PDF, but I don't think we can download as PowerPoint slides (if anyone of you know how to, please share!!). Three, if we create animations on PowerPoint slides and upload onto nearpod, the animation "freezes" (it becomes a picture).

Huiying :)

2023-10-15 05:58:15 UTC

I tried using Bitmoji using my handphone. The app allowed me to take a selfie to create an avatar which has some resemblance of me. However, I noticed that I had to give consent for the app to take control of my keyboard and that data may be collected on me. I was quite uncomfortable with the issue of the app controlling my keyboard as I do money transactions on my handphone and am very conscious of the immerse scam threats that we are facing right now. Hence, I deleted the app to have a piece of mind. I tried to look for other apps but was not quite successful, so I decided to use my computer to log into Bitmoji website this time. I was not prompted to give up my keyboard control or take a selfie for my avatar. However, my avatar turned out to have even less resemblance as a result.
Beth

2023-10-15 12:50:04 UTC

I Connect is a free iPad app and I think it will be easier to get student’s buy in compared to pen and paper. What I like about it is that it can prompt student at selected intervals to key in his responses on self-monitoring and the data will be instantly and automatically transformed into charts. This allows the teacher and students to use them for discussions and feedback on behaviour. This is really a time saver for teachers and even better than using a motivaider as you do not need a separate log for responses.
Beth

2023-10-16 05:16:45 UTC

I started using Canva this year to create posters, and phamplet. It is so easy to create appealing visuals now!
Thanks for sharing about the educator subscription. it has more features than the basic one, and still free!
I love the idea of the AI image generator to customise an image if we are unable to find a suitable one in the existing picture resource library.
Chi Ki

2023-10-17 02:15:49 UTC

This is quite fun to play around. Perhaps can be used if we want to create social stories. Use the student's stickers instead of real pics.

2023-10-17 03:14:59 UTC

Thank you for sharing this, Leng Leng. I tried it. And I like that the games allow self-paced completion (unlike Kahoot which sets a certain timeframe). Students who are slower can also enjoy the game at their pace. ~ Soo Ting

2023-10-17 03:28:36 UTC

Thanks Soo Ting for introducing Blooket to the group for our Tech project! It will suit the Sec 1s in my school quite aptly. I like the 'timer' feature in that it would be suited and can be differentiated for students of different abilities to still complete a similar task.

~Maya

Word cloud

2023-10-17 03:51:43 UTC

Yes, I like the word cloud in Mentimeter too. Usually used it to elicit key ideas from participants during sharing sessions.

Creating colouring pages

2023-10-22 13:52:03 UTC

Today, my friend (as a parent) shared with me about AI image creator on Bing. We used it for creating colouring pages. This is so helpful as our pupils with ASD sometimes may have very narrow interest. and using AI image creator, I can now create new colouring pages for the specific manga character which my pupil likes - which can be limited to find on Google.

To create colouring pages, the prompt may go like this "Generate an image of (name of character) from (name of cartoon). Black and white outline art for kids coloring book. Full white, kids style, white background, sketch stylr, clean line art."

The power of the AI image creator allows us to customise it, e.g. (character) sitting by the lake eating an apple.

Perhaps then we can also use it to create scenes of a comic strip for teaching purposes.

Chi Ki

2023-10-27 10:17:38 UTC

The free version allows up to 15 minutes of recording of our voice and the screen on the computer. We could use it to explain to students how we navigate in different websites or to teach using powerpoint presentations and other documents. It allows us to pause at any time before resuming the recording. We can also add in text or images after the recording if we choose to do so before downloading it as a video file or to youtube. Zoom also allows us to record what is on the computer screen from the host’s view but it only allows for cuts at the beginning or ending of the recording. It can also take quite a long time to convert Zoom recording as cloud storage is used.

Beth

2023-10-27 10:22:32 UTC

A video conversation app that helps teachers to do some pre-teaching before the students come into the class for lessons. Teacher can post a 3 min video of a topic that they are going to discuss, and she can have the options of choosing external file or image attachments if necessary. Students then respond by recording a 90 second video with the big green button. This promotes active engagement and peer learning as students can see what others have posted and can give their comments. To make it more engaging and fun for students, they can have the options of adding stickers to their profiles or pictures. Every student is also given the same amount of response time and attention from the teacher, allowing the voices of the quieter students to be heard and promoting equity in class. This platform may be helpful for a student with Selective Mutism, encouraging him to speak up without directing unnecessary attention to him especially when teacher chooses to work with the student individually instead of a big group of students. The immersive reader feature can be helpful for struggling readers, they can comprehend better when the text is being read to them. Students can put in the code on the website to see what their task, the teacher can also send the link to them directly or via email or google classroom. Teacher can assess students’ learning based on their video responses and she can choose the response moderation option so that she can approve the video responses before posting them to the grid for others to see.

Beth

2023-10-28 06:46:55 UTC

Thanks for sharing. I tried it and it works well. I find it better than the magic media inside Canva.

2023-10-28 08:36:26 UTC

I have used Class Dojo in my early years of service as an educator. It is a tool that helps to provide behavioural feedback to parents and pupils. Parents like the journal function of Class Dojo, which some teachers use to document photos of school events or classroom activities.

However, I find it is not easy to categorize the behaviours into the set behaviour descriptors of Class Dojo on the spot. For a small-group class, I prefer to use traditional method of drawing stars and pairing with behaviour-specific praise. This may not be possible for big classes, hence Class Dojo will be helpful as the teacher can deselect a few pupils before giving reinforcement to a big group.

Chi Ki

2023-10-28 08:55:02 UTC

Classpoint can be installed and run within Microsoft Powersoft. It has similar features as Nearpod, such as the interactive quiz. Some other features include a name picker and whiteboard. The whiteboard feature will be useful for my classroom, as my students will not need to turn their tables and chairs when switching between the screen and the whiteboard.

I will be interested to try it out. However, as I need the help of my IT personnel to install the program, I am experiencing a delay in trying it out.

Chi Ki

2023-10-28 09:16:55 UTC

Parents shared that they use a Garmin watch to help their children with poor executive functioning get through their home morning routines. For example, setting multiple recurring reminders to wash their face, brush their teeth, put on clothes and sit at the table for breakfast. With the Garmin watch, parents are able to get through their morning routines with less shouting.

You can also set reminders for drinking water and movement. The Garmin watch will be useful for children with ADHD or poor executive function.

The Garmin watch can also calculate the stress level of the wearer by using heart rate variability. It also has a built-in relax reminder that appears when it detects stress levels. There are on-screen instructions and vibration to signal to the wearer to breathe in and out. This feature will be helpful for students who need help in emotional regulation.

Chi Ki

2023-10-28 09:24:10 UTC

Kahoot is an engaging tool for students. We also often used it during professional development for teachers.

I find it hard to think of multiple choices for answers. Thanks, Jack, for sharing on the AI component. I wonder if it can help me general possible multiple choices for answers.

Chi Ki

yee_leng_leng — 2023-10-29 03:17:40 UTC

I hadn't used ChatGPT before taking this course. After hearing how my fellow classmates were using ChatGPT, I decided to give it a try. I utilized ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas for a "Handling Teasing" lesson plan and to create a short story involving CVC words, which I had been teaching. I was pleasantly surprised at how much time and effort ChatGPT saved me, and the results were quite professional.

Initially, the lesson plan generated by ChatGPT seemed more suitable for middle primary students and I refined my request to focus on lower primary students. ChatGPT was able to provide me with a different set of lesson plans that were better tailored to the interests and comprehension level of younger students! This experience has convinced me that AI will have a significant impact on the way educators work in the future.

Leng Leng:)

2023-10-30 01:05:40 UTC

I want to thank Shi Li for sharing with us the Magic Write function and especially the Text-to-Image generator on Canva! I always find it challenging to find the perfect images for my resources, be it visuals for my students or images for my social studies that I wished to customise for my students. I am so glad that with this, I can generate very precise images to support my students' learning! One thing to note is that the AI image generator can take quite some time to generate the images, and there is a limited number of images that we can generate. There is also a limit to the number of times we can use Magic Write, thus I would also stick to ChatGPT for now.

~ Man Ling

2023-10-30 01:31:11 UTC

I have heard of Nearpod for years but it was only through this course that I finally explored Nearpod! I like how Nearpod allows us to seamlessly include games and quizzes within the lesson presentation without having to toggle between applications. I like the interactive elements on Nearpod as I do not have to find additional applications and websites to make my lessons engaging.

However, I find that the interface and slides features is not as attractive as other sites like Canva and Google Slides. I will need to design my slides elsewhere before importing them over to Nearpod, which isn't very inconvenient in my opinion. I will only use Nearpod if I want to incorporate quizzes and games very frequently during my lessons and minimize toggling to prevent my students from getting distracted.

~ Man Ling

2023-10-30 01:45:02 UTC

Same as Liyana, I used Mentimeter frequently during my sharing and PD sessions with staff. I find it very user-friendly and effective in getting quick inputs from the audience.

~ Man Ling

2023-10-30 01:52:50 UTC

I wanted to try Classpoint following the Padlet post. My colleagues are also using them in their sharing during Staff Contact Time. Unfortunately, after registering an account, I realised I need to download the programme to my desktop, which I can't do so for my SSOE laptop. It would be great if the administrator for Classpoint will reconsider the need to install a programme so that fewer teachers will be discouraged from adopting this in their classes. It is quite a hassle to approach our IT colleagues, especially if many teachers in the school need to do so.

~ Man Ling

liyana_zainudin — 2023-11-01 07:19:53 UTC

I've never thought about how I can use this to develop colouring pages but you've given me an idea. Thank you for sharing this! I just realised Canva has this function too called Magic Media. Feel free to try!

-Liyana

Microsoft Sway

2023-11-04 07:27:57 UTC

For those who do not wish to use Google Site for e-Portfolio, do try out Microsoft Sway. "Create and share interactive reports, presentations, personal stories and more."

~ Soo Ting

Helps to organize and analyze!

2025-09-15 03:22:32 UTC

ChatGPT has been helpful in organizing different inputs from different teachers. It categorizes similarities and differences and input different headings as well. This helps in analyzing certain behaviours of students across different subject classes.

Fiana Goh

A form of Respond Card (RC)

2025-09-15 03:28:08 UTC

Recently, I read an article talking about a strategy call Opportunities-To-Respond (OTR). And under this OTR strategy is an approach call Respond Card (RC). RCs are when RCs are personal white boards, slates, blank card stock, or preprinted cards, which students use to answer teacher questions nonverbally. And Kahoot is a way to use an RC approach. The article also states that it works well with students with special needs as it increases engagement and understanding and reduces disruptive behaviors as well.

It is a great and fun strategy to check for students' understanding and learning. It is also an IT approach to further engage the learning and concentration of students.

Fiana Goh

2025-09-21 18:20:59 UTC

I never expected a reading pen to become such a game-changer for my daughter's confidence, but her Reader Pen has led to incredible breakthroughs in how she sees herself as a learner.

The biggest revelation came when she realised she just needed a different way to access words on the page. Using the Reader Pen suddenly opened up reading difficult words that had felt impossible before. I watched her face light up when she could read and understand difficult words.

What really moved me was seeing her confidence grow. She used to struggle reading comprehension tasks, thinking she wasn't smart enough. Now she tackles reading comprehension independently, discovering that her struggles had nothing to do with intelligence—she just needed the right tool.

The pen has also helped her understand her learning style better. She's realized she processes information just as well as when hearing it. Most importantly, my daughter has learned that having dyslexia doesn't limit what she can achieve—it just means she approaches learning differently. The Reader Pen has shown her there are many ways to succeed, and she's found hers.

- Sok Eng

2025-09-21 18:32:35 UTC

I realised Microsoft 365's accessibility features could transform both my own work and my understanding of how to better support my students.

My AHA moment came with Immersive Reader. When I started using it to review student reports, I discovered text spacing, highlight parts of speech, and have documents read aloud. When I struggled with a dense research article about phonemic awareness, I used the syllable breaks feature . This personal experience gave me incredible insights into why some of my students couldn't segment words properly and what my students with dyslexia and reading difficulties actually need.

Immersive Reader has transformed how I design interventions. It led me to incorporate visual syllable mapping into my reading interventions, which has been incredibly effective.

For my professional work, assignments and coursework, Speaker Coach transformed my presentation skills for both staff training sessions and assignment presentations. The real-time feedback on my pace and filler words made me realise I was rushing through important information. Now I'm more mindful of how I communicate, whether I'm advocating for students or presenting my research findings. These tools have shown me that experiencing accessibility features myself makes me both a better student and a far more empathetic special needs officer.

- Sok Eng