Week 11: English Languge Learners

I’ve had zero experience in teaching English Language Leaners, other than my classroom sits next to the ELL room at school. I always assumed that assistive technologies were merely geared towards special education realm. However, after reading a few of the articles that were posted, that is far from the truth. Technologies can also benefit ELL students in many ways. For instance, teachers for ELL students utilize online software such as Read Naturally and Rosetta Stone to help student grasp the language and focus on writing skills.

Both of these websites offer a variety of different activities to the students that help them build confidence while learning English. Students build fluency through the use and increase their vocabularies while building sentence structures.

In addition to the use of software technologies discussed in this week’s readings, I found this approach to be very helpful and observing in passing and talking to the ELL teacher next door. Assistive technology is considered any device that is used to improve the functional capabilities of a student.  Therefore, I feel that using these types of teaching strategies can technically be considered a form of assistive technology for ESL students.    I think any type of engaging, visual teaching will not only help ESL students, but will benefit all the students in the class.  Other examples of technologies that will help ESL students include word processing spelling and grammar check, translation devices/websites, and computer programs that allow students to listen to speech or emails.      

Also, since I’m on an iPad kick after last week, I came across this interesting article that was published by the Tamapa Bay Times. The article goes into how the school received a grant and bought iPads to help benefit ELL students.

Week 10: Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

This week’s blog offering has to deal with Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (EBD). Before moving to my current 12:1:4 classroom for students with severe and multiple disabilities, I was in a 6:1:1 classroom for students with emotional/behavioral disorders. In this classroom I saw a number of disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Bipolar Disorder. In other words, EBD is a very comprehensive disorder and encompasses a number of different diagnoses. The Gallaudet article does a nice job outlining a number of different ailments.

 In my classroom, I had the luxury of incorporating an iPad about half way through the school year. Fortunately, now I can look back and reflect what kind of an impact the iPad had in my classroom. Students in my classroom were all over the place on the EBD scale, as the slideshow points out students behaviors can differ. I had a handful of students who would externalize their behavior, while I had a few students that would internalize their behavior. However, the implementation of technology into the classroom did not care what kind of behavior you had.

The implementation of an iPad, a piece of assistive technology in some cases was huge. The iPad can act as a way of communication for students who struggle to communicate. I had a student ask for the iPad as a way to write his morning journal. This was an effective way for this particular student convey his thoughts. As a result of his success, other students wanted to try. They were also successful. However, this brought up a problem, 6 students and only 1 iPad. Thankfully, my classroom had enough computers for students to use, and use the iPad on a rotational basis.

Another way the iPad benefited my students with EBD was a way for students to be rewarded for good behavior.  Before the iPad was implemented students had very little to work for in terms of a reward. Previously, students had the reward for puzzles, games and computer time. However, the iPad was fun and exciting and very motivating. The iPad made these students work harder in class, focus on their work and not be disruptive.

Week 8: Funding

Working in a classroom that has a lot of assistive technology, I found this week’s topic of funding interesting and informative. Time is not our best friend here as technology advances at a rapid pace, It is essential to have funding in place in order to have our students technology up to date. The benefits of having up to date technology are critical in order to build confidence and mastering the technology for the student.  As the article, Assistive and Universally Designed Technology, discusses "technology making things possible." For some students technology plays a critical role in their education and in their daily form of communication. Without this technology, school and life would be near impossible. The use of technology allows these students to focus on the “possible” instead of focusing on the ‘impossible.” Without funding none of this is possible.

I have seen in my classroom DynaVoxes become quickly out of date or in need of repair. Getting a new AAC device or the device updated is a time consuming process. With these pieces of equipment being extremely expensive, as the article Funding Assistive Technology points out the difficulty with funding is finding appropriate funding and ensuring that their is no cost to the parents. Funding can be difficult to come by because not all funding sources will approve the technology or approve the newest technology.

           

It is essential to have a paper trail when developing a plan to incorporate technology into a student’s life. The article, Building an Initial Information Base, goes into detail talking about developing an appropriate educational plan for a student. Perhaps the most critical element to building a paper trail is getting the assistive technology onto the students IEP, that way it would fall under IDEA. From the IEP’s I’ve read and written the assistive technology needs to improve “functional levels” for the student with a disability.

No matter the amount of work that it takes to get approval for a piece of assistive technology, it’s definitely worth it. As an educator we owe it to our selves to make our students way of life easier and more effective.

Week 7: Technology and the law

Throughout this semester the central theme of my blog has been assistive technology. With that being said, I know how to use, implement and make changes to these devices; so this weeks readings were very interesting for me. They were interesting because I never realized how many laws there were for providing assistive technology to students with disabilities.  The fact that there are several laws just reinforces the notion that assistive technology is extremely important in the classroom.

Both sites provided a summation of the legislation behind the funding associated with assistive technology. A few pieces of legislation caught my eye. The “Tech Act” of 1988 provided federal funds to states to develop training and delivery systems for assistive technology devices and services. It required states and territories to develop statewide, consumer-responsive programs of technology-related services for individuals with disabilities of all ages. Moreover, this was the first act of its kind to insure funding. This act was further strengthened by the implementation of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990 and 1997.

These acts are essential to individuals who suffer from impairments that require assistive technology but also staff that works with these individuals. I have several students who have very expensive DynaVox devices that help them in their day-to-day communication. I strongly believe, without these pieces of legislation their families wouldn’t be able to pay for them. Our classroom assistive technology specialist often calls the justification process for these AAC devices “creative writing.” I talked to her about the process and says that she can have a justification sent be 2 or 3 times until it’s approved. Nevertheless, students will still benefit from the device no matter how many times the justification needs to be written.

Week 6: Technology for Sensory Impairments

The incorporation of assistive technology does not remove a sensory impairment, it can help remedi­ate its effects so that a person is able to use a computer with full or nearly full functionality. Just because a student may have hearing loss, or vision impairment, doesn’t mean they cannot learn math like the rest of their peers.  They just may need technology to help them along the way. 

Both the articles and websites specifically concentrated on the types of assistive technology available to students with vision impairments.  I found the Microsoft website to be very fascinating.  I use Microsoft applications regularly, and consider myself pretty knowledgeable about the software. I also found the tips on iOS very insightful. I use Apple products everyday and have seen some of the things mentioned in the guide but never knew what they did. My hope is that more teachers read these quick guides because in a world where students with disabilities are mainstreamed in general education classes, the more knowledge teachers have about assistive technologies, the better the students will learn.

The webinar by Nathalie DeWit was long but extremely helpful when it came to incorporating different types of assistive technologies for students with multiple disabilities and visual impairments. She looks at certain types of iPad apps, switches, and many more different options. I can use many of her ideas in my classroom this year. This year, I have a student who is legally blind.  The student wears glasses to help with his,, but is still in need of additional services. Currently we are doing our best to adapt materials for him. We get enlarged textbooks, have ZoomText software available on a computer and try to write in only colors he can see. He has been largely successful in our class due to these implementations.

Week 5: Technology for Gifted and Talented Students

Unlike the past few weeks this class, I have very no experience with gifted/talented students. I found both readings this week really opened my eyes to fact that a child can have the potential to reach higher levels of accomplishment even while dealing with the affects of a learning disability. In order to do this, it is necessary for many gifted and talented students to use assistive technology.

The Virtual Learning article provided a nice glimpse into what gifted and talented student has to experience. Previously, I always assumed a child labeled as “gifted,” was at a much higher level as the rest of the students, and therefore needed to be challenged.  I never associated “that child” with also having a disability that they were trying to overcome. 

In the article, Sean was described as having low-vision, and therefore required the use of a computer to increase his ability to read text. The use of this type of assistive technology allowed Sean to build confidence and excel in the classroom.  Without this form of assistive technology, he may not have been given the opportunity to read more advanced texts simple because he could not see it. 

As educators it is our job to reach every student and make sure that each one is successful through differentiating our instruction on a daily basis in all subject areas. By broadening our teaching we can accommodate al types of students. Both articles call for merging technology with advanced curriculum can allow teachers to reach those students are well above the rest of their peers with limited teacher involvement. One way to merge technology with curriculum is by implementing a Web Quest. This instructional method allows a student to work with most or all information around a given topic using the internet and other computer resources with specific guided instructions from the teacher. Depending on what is being studied in class you may also allow your students to take a virtual trip through a museum such as one of my favorite museums, the Natural history Museum in D.C. and equip them with a viewer’s guide (The hope Diamond, most famous diamond in the world is located on the second floor. Be sure to check it out). I believe that the possibilities are endless when it comes to using technology to enhance and enrich our curriculum and daily lessons.

Week 4: Technology and Communication Impairments

This week we look at how technology can help students with disabilities communicate. Choosing the most effective communication device for a student with communication impairment should be left for a speech pathologist. However, I am a person who with students with communication impairments on a daily basis. I look for the most effective way for students to effectively communicate while building independence and confidence. These devices are very expensive and deciding on the correct one for a student is critical. As pointed out in the NIDCD article there are several types of assistive devices available, ALDs, AAC, and alerting devices. These pieces of assistive technology help students who would otherwise be silent in the classroom become an active participate.

I’ve been fortunate to experience two of the three. I’ve seen and worked with ALDs and AAC devices. During student teaching I had a student who needed a ALD device in the classroom to hear me.  As the ASHA article points out, a FM system is a device that uses radio signals to transmit amplified sounds. This student had a cochlear implant. As far as teaching wise, I was not hindered. I had to wear a microphone while I taught. At the time, I thought the device was awesome, I was able to see a student who couldn’t normally hear me, become an active participate in class through this FM device.

Communicating with an individual with a communication impairment can be as simple as utilizing a PECS system or more involved with a touchscreen device such as a Dynavox or a Tobii eye gaze system. Both forms of AAC are very effective and help grow independence and confidence. PECS can be made through numerous software offerings. I tend to favor Boardmaker due to the simplicity. Entire lessons can be made through Boardmaker. Additionally, PECS are utilized in Unique learning system and News-2-you newspaper, both of which are utilized in my room. News-2-you newspaper also is also offered on some AAC devices such as Saltillo, PRC, Jabbla, and MyTalk, which is a great help to a student. Both of these PECS learning venues offer a wide variety of PECS and even offer text to speech, which is of great importance to my class. Also, in my class, I have two students who use a DynaVox device to communicate. This touchscreen device can also be operated via a head mouse. The use of an AAC device like a DynaVox helps greatly for a student communicate and express their minds. While it takes a long time for both staff and student to get use to these devices they are worth it as the benefits outweigh the cons.

Utilizing communication devices to bridge the gap in a communication impairment is critical for the growth of a student. As always these devices need to be selected carefully so a student can build independence and confidence.

Week 3:Technology and Autism

This week our attention is brought to how technology is incorporated with students with autism. The word “autism” scares a lot of educators; they seemed intimidated and have a hard time wrapping their head around it. For me, “autism” is just a word; maybe its because I work with students who go through the trials and tribulations of autism on a daily basis. I witness first hand the struggles of students not being able to communicate what hurts or what’s wrong or why they are jumping up and down and the list continues…I’ve become really good at guessing why my students are doing what they are doing.

 But my guessing abilities are enhanced by technology, as this weeks articles and webcasts showed. The article “Technology helps children deal with autism in school” offered an expansion on the use of apps as a teaching tool for students with autism to use to improve upon their ability to communicate and other skills. Through the use of the various types of technology that could be used from low (topic boards) to high (videotaping) along with software and hardware that are also available educators can focus on teaching students to effectively communicate.

 In my classroom (12:1:4), we offer numerous different types of assistive technology from hardware such as a Dynavox equipped with a head mouse, to enlarged print keyboard and an adaptive keyboard. We also offer numerous different type of software such as Zoomtext to enlarge the screen and Co-Writer to help students write. Additionally, we have an iPad to help reinforce positive behavior. The iPad has numerous different games as well as educational resources that help students count money, learn geography, and facilitate critical thinking. 

As shown in the webcast, “A Clear Picture: The Use and Benefits of PECS, in my classroom we  utilize the PECS system. With the help of Boardmaker we create symbols for our students to communicate effectively. These tools are essential at helps students focus on their abilities while putting aside their disabilities. I also enjoyed reading through the Autism Speaks website. This website offers great insight to finding apps for students with autism. It’s a great place for parents and teachers to start if they lack experience with incorporating technology for students with autism. Additionally, Autism Speaks is a great resource to research about autism and how to help a student with autism become successful in the classroom.

Week 2: Misunderstood Minds

I found this activity extremely engaging for myself due to my background as an educator in a special education environment. The Misunderstood Minds website provided compelling activities that helped me gain insight to what my students encounter on a daily basis. My staff and I often say “I wonder what so and so is thinking about right now.” By utilizing this website it helped me gain a better understanding what my students are experiencing in the areas of math, reading, and writing and what they experience when we ask them to complete various tasks.
Currently, I have several students who lack the ability to decode while reading. I witness them day after day become increasingly frustrated while we work on reading. The decoding activity made me realize why they have such difficulty because they don’t posses the vital foundational skill and how much that is interfering with his reading ability. During the activity I found it very difficult and frustrating trying to decipher the message even with the code substitution and that was with just a small passage. I now know what my students are going through while reading. I can’t imagine having to look at an actual book with more words and pictures to concentrate on as students who lack decoding ability often rely on illustrations for word meaning. As an educator I owe it my students to find a way to help them read. I believe I can do this through incorporating audio books through the use of an iPad or laptop.
Common Core sets the bar extremely high for students, especially those with disabilities. Misunderstood Minds only confirms my thoughts, I have come to the realization that some students are just not ready for what they are required to do now under these new Common Core standards.  My students struggle enough with number recognition, asking them to solve multistep is very unreasonable. However, standards dictate otherwise. As a result become increasingly frustrated like they did during reading. After going through the Misunderstood Minds activity, I found myself extremely frustrated and irritated. My goal as an educator is to make learning fun, more so even math. I have used a few different apps in hopes to make this happen.  
Taking into account all the difficulties students encounter given a learning disability I feel it important that teachers continue to find strategies to implement into their teaching to provide students with the opportunity to overcome their disability. Assistive technology can help bridge the gap. However, this site offers that unique opportunity to do so and gain a deeper understanding of what our kids are coping with.

Week 1: Diversity in school

The two articles that we read this week allowed me to become more knowledgeable of specific teaching strategies that can be used to adapt and adjust instruction to better educate students.  The first article, Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners:  What Teachers Can Do by Lisa Wahl and Julie Duffield investigated the use of technology integration into the classroom to better assist students with disabilities. The strategies shared throughout the article give students access to technology advancements that can enhance their learning ability in the areas in which they can improve upon. The second article, Chapter 2 of Diverse Teaching Strategies of Diverse Learners by Marietta Saravia-Shore shares strategies that teachers can utilize on a daily basis to reach out to their diverse learners. Through the utilization of these strategize one can further strengthen their relationship with students and allow them to strengthen both their academic and social abilities.
One use of technology I would like to discuss is talking text.  As discussed by Wahl and Duffield this type of text to speech functionality can assist a variety of students.  Working in a classroom that contains students with severe and multiple disabilities, I see students utilizing pieces of assistive technology to communicate on a daily basis. Additionally, students who have difficulty with comprehension, students who are at a low reading level or even those who enjoy listening to a book can expand their abilities through this assistive technology.  As a person who works in this environment in a daily basis, I can safely say that through the use of assistive technology students confidence in their to complete a task is greatly increased.
Not only can talking text be a useful tool to help those who have reading comprehension difficulties or struggle at communicating, but it can also help those who will profit from the reinforcement of both print and oral language such English Language Learners.  As laid out in the article, Teaching Diverse Learners, Equity and Excellence for All: Oral Language “Many ELLs go through a “silent period,” during which they listen and observe more than they speak.  Effective teachers are aware that ELLs who are quiet in class may be hard at work listening and comprehending. ELLs may take longer to answer a question or volunteer a comment because they need more time to process the meaning and to formulate an appropriate response.  Effective teachers monitor students’ listening comprehension.”  (p. 1) As educators we must take into consideration our students background and culture to successfully engage them in everyday learning allowing them to be successful. This often is a time consuming process to become successful but in the end can be greatly beneficial to both student and teacher alike.
Many great tools exist on the internet to help bridge the communication gap for students with disabilities and ELL’s. Educators need to take the time to get to know their students and select tools that will benefit students in their quest of communication.