"No excuses. No limits."

Today was our final class for assistive technology and the focus shifted from assistive technology in the classroom to assistive technology outside the classroom. We watched some very inspirational videos about people with physical disabilities who not only enjoy various sports but participate and compete with the best. What is inspiring to watch is individuals who believe in themselves and who refuse to put a limit on their capabilities. Luca Patuelli is a perfect example of an individual who refuses to give-up on himself.

Luca Patuelli is a breakdancer with Arthrogryposis, a rare muscular disorder that limits motion in the joints. Luca uses crutches and leg braces to move around, however his disability doesn’t stop him from breakdancing. In fact Luca actually uses his crutches in some of his breakdancing moves. By using his crutches Luca is able to balance in a handstand position as well as swing his body around. When you watch the video it is actually hard to remember that Luca has a physical disability. His motto is “No excuses. No limits.” And you can read more about Luca in an interview he did with Lise Elsliger at:

http://herenb.canadaeast.com/music/article/709317

You can also listen to an interview on CBC Radio at:

Citizen Shift

Watch the video of Luca breakdancing:



This entire course has opened my eyes about how we view people with physical or cognitive disabilities. I have learned how important it is to ‘assume competence’ in all situations. It has been an underlying theme of the course and one that I will not forget.

The Possibilities are endless...

I think one of the most important lessons I have learned from this class is to never put limitations on learning. I began this course thinking I would have a lot of difficulties and challenges. I had little confidence in my tech abilities, but what I have learned is that with the right instruction, teaching and encouragement you can accomplish a lot. I have learned so much and feel more confident in my abilities. And I think the same principles can be applied to students. Give them the right tools and they will succeed. This class has definitely given me an appreciation for what technology can do for students and that the possibilities are endless.

You don’t need to be MacGyver to create your own low-tech AT

It was my task to go to the dollar store to find some ‘off the shelf’ low-tech assistive technology. It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, in fact the hard part was trying to pick just one item to focus on. In the end my partner and I picked a rather obvious choice. Our first item is a clipboard.

The clipboard may be an obvious choice but if you have never used them in your classroom I highly recommend buying a few. They are one dollar and can be found at almost any dollar store. The reason I can so highly recommend clipboards is because if you have any students in your class with ADHD you know having them work at a desk for long periods of time is almost impossible. Students with ADHD enjoy working in various positions. They enjoy working on the floor, standing-up or walking around. Using a clipboard allows these students to have a ‘portable desk’. Rather than getting frustrated with ADHD students needing to move around, allow them to do so with the use of a clipboard. For most students with ADHD they actually work better and are more productive when they are moving. It can help to reduce behavioral issues when students are able to stay focused. Allowing students to use clipboards facilitates learning and can be done for a very reasonable price.

I have also used clipboards with students who have fine and gross motor difficulties. For these students sitting at a desk can be difficult and sometimes painful. When you give students a clipboard to write on they can adjust their writing posture to allow for a more comfortable position.

My partner and I took the clipboard one step further and added a pencil on a string to the clipboard. This helps students who have difficulties with organization and can reduce wasted time while the student tries to locate a pencil.


There were lots of other items that we found at the dollars store that were ‘off the shelf’ low-tech assistive technology. Here is a list of some of these items:

Magnifying glass – could be used for visually impaired students
Floral Foam – could be used as a pencil holder for students with organization difficulties
Floating Puzzle – Had 3D shaped pieces for easier grasp for students with fine motor difficulties
Bucket and Clothespins – pincer grasp activities for fine motor control
Velcro baseball Mitt – could be used during PE for students with gross motor difficulties
Suction Bowl – for children who only have the use of one arm or who have difficulties with fine or gross motor control
Foam balls – can be used as stress balls for students with anxiety
Mirror – can be used for students with a non-verbal learning disability to improve their understanding of different facial expressions and emotions
Bead containers – can be used for sorting/ pincer grasp activities to improve fine motor control
Pipe cleaners – form letters to trace with hand can improve letter recognition
Velcro – can be used to Velcro a pencil to a desk to help students with organizational difficulties
Fly Swatter – can be used for students with mobility or communicational difficulties to point to want they want
Travel pillow –can help students with poor head control

The other items that my partner and I found at the dollar store to create our own low-tech assistive technology were Glad zip-lock bags, shaving cream and food coloring.


When you put shaving cream and food coloring in a zip-lock bag you can press your finger into the bag to create different designs and letters.



This low-tech assistive technology is great for students with fine motor control difficulties. For students with fine motor difficulties holding a pencil can be very painful and is hard to do for long periods of time, especially for younger students. Using the foam allows students to use their finger rather than a pencil to form different letters or words in the foam. This allows students to practice their letters as many times as they need to without requiring a scribe. This can be used for students who are working on letter and word formation. It is great to use because you can easily flatten out the foam and create a new letter or design. It’s a different activity from always using a pencil and paper to write letters and words and students find it’s a lot of fun. It’s also perfect for kinesthetic and visual learners.

Boardmaker Plus!

In today's class we were introduced to Boardmaker Plus. Boardmaker Plus is a computer software program that allows educators to program dynamic, interactive activities. According to the Boardmaker Plus website there are over 600 sample boards and 94 interactive templates to get you started. Use them as they are, adapt them to your students’ needs, or create your own from scratch.

Boardmaker Plus website


Watch the tutorial video to get an idea of how easy it is to use Boardmaker Plus.

When is a switch more than just a switch?

On the very first day of class we learned about an individual named Susie Rubin. Susie Rubin has autism and we watched a video that explained what her life is like.



The message from the video was that you must ‘assume competence’ as an educator. I was reminded of Susie Rubin today when we watched a video about inclusive education. The students in this video had disabilities that could potentially limit them in the classroom if they did not have access to assistive technology. But what we saw was that these students were very capable of being included in the classroom. One form of assistive technology that allowed these students to be included in the classroom was the use of a ‘switch’. A switch is a mechanical device that closes a circuit to turn something on or off. Switches can come in all different shapes and colors.

They work for individuals who may have low mobility but who want to accomplish a task such as turning on a light. The uses of a switch are limitless. One idea I had was to hook a switch to a dice roller. This way a student could be involved in any type of game that uses dice by being in charge of pressing the switch to roll the dice.

In order to choose the right type of switch for an individual there are a number of different factors to consider. The first is the goal of the individual. What does the individual want to accomplish? Next, the position of the individual must be considered. Are they sitting in a wheelchair or lying down? Next you need to think about the movement pattern of the individual. Do they have consistent voluntary movement? Or do they have no movement pattern at all? Which part of the body will operate the switch? Lastly the type of switch needs to be considered. There are two categories of switches, simple and specialty. A simple switch can be used when there is a consistent voluntary movement pattern. There are a variety of simple switches, the size and texture can vary greatly. The specialty switch is used when there is no consistent movement pattern. The switch can be operated using the blink of an eye or person’s breath. The video below is of a boy who is blinking to operate a specialty switch.

Lights, camera, action!

If you have never made a social skills video before do not be intimidated. Today was my first time ever creating a social skills video and I was surprised by how easy it was. There are a few simple steps you need to take.

1. Think about the background of your student, their needs, strengths and the appropriate behaviours you want to model/reinforce.
2. You need to think about which situation you want to model the appropriate behaviours in. Ex. How to behave during school assemblies.
3. Break the task into small steps and write a simple script.
4. Act out each of the steps to complete the task, modeling the appropriate behaviours.
5. Text and voiceover can be added very easily to the video.

To create our social skills video we used a video camera, although you can use iPod Nanos and they are very easy to use. We did all of our editing in Windows Movie Maker. At first we had some difficulties with Movie Maker, but it did get a lot easier once we figured out how to edit our clips. If you have extra time it is easy to alter the timeframe of your clips, the color of your text, your transitions and the placement of your titles. My group had a lot of fun making our social skills video. The best part about social skills videos is that they have been proven to help reduce anxiety and improve the behaviour of students with autism in a given context.

The moral of the story - How social stories teach social skills

Today’s class was all about social stories. Social stores were developed by Carol Gray to describe a situation, skill or concept in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses in a specifically defined style and format. This definition of a social story is from The Gray Center website and more information can be found on the website below.

http://www.thegraycenter.org/social-stories

Social stories are most often used with students or young children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The purpose of a social story is to give clear, concise information for appropriate behaviour in a specific social situation. Here is an example of a social story for ‘playing’.



Social stories can also be made into social videos. These can be very useful for students because they can be downloaded on an iPod Nano for students to watch over and over again. This helps to reinforce the skills being taught and can ease anxiety for students. The videos can have text and voiceover so students can listen to the instructions while watching the videos. Some students could be included in the making of the video and even star in their own video. Social videos are especially good for supporting students in new situations, such as a first day at a new school. Here is an example of a very simple social video for hand washing.

Assisting student learning for a buck or two

Part of our class today was spent discussing different example/s of low-tech assistive technology. One of the great things we learned is just how inexpensive low-tech assistive technology can be and how many items can be purchased from any local dollar store.

For the second part of our class we went to the dollar store to scope out some of these items. The following items are just a few examples of off the shelf assistive technology.

1. A kitchen timer. Kitchen timers can be purchased from the dollar store for one dollar. They are great for students who have difficulties staying on-task. They are visual and can be placed right on the student’s desk so they know how long they have to work on a task. They can also be used with groups of students to see how quickly they can transition from one task to the next or how quickly they can complete less desirable tasks such as cleaning the classroom.



2. Ear plugs. Ear plugs can be purchased for a dollar. They are great for students who enjoy a quiet work environment or who are easily disturbed by various classroom noises. They can help students stay focused and block out distractions. They are particularly useful during exams or tests.







3. Chewing gum. Most teachers do not allow gum in their classrooms however chewing gum can really help students with ADHD and it can help kinesthetic learners. For some students keeping their mouth moving helps them to stay focused and complete work more efficiently.



4. Baseball cap. I actually didn’t find any baseball caps at the dollar store, but I know they can be purchased for a few dollars from stores like Zellers. Again, not all teachers allow students to wear caps in the classroom, but for students who are very sensitive to bright lights wearing a cap can really help. Often students with ADHD are more sensitive to bright lights and can find them very distracting, a cap allows them to block out some of the light which improves their learning environment.

These are just a few examples of low-tech assistive technology and I will be discussing more examples in further detail in an up coming blog.

Student learning - "There's an app for that"

My assignment is to think of a student and pick three ‘apps’ for the iPod Touch that would benefit this student’s learning. This was actually a more difficult task than I anticipated because there are such a wide variety of educational ‘apps’ to choose from.

My student is a 7 yr old boy. He has been diagnosed with ADHD, he has difficulties in math and has high anxiety. In situations where the student is feeling anxious he ‘shuts down’ and is unable to communicate how he is feeling. He is a visual/kinesthetic learner. Because he has ADHD he requires frequent breaks. He also requires activities that can lower his anxiety and improve his relaxation. He is of average cognitive abilities and enjoys using the computer to play games.

The first ‘app’ I have chosen is called Math Drills Lite. This is a free version of Math Drills. Math drills looks like a calculator pad on the bottom of the screen. The students use the keypad to type in their answers. The number pad is visual and tactile, there is also the ability to customize the types of questions asked. You can change how the questions are presented from horizontal or vertical. Assistance can be turned off and on. You can correct answers instantly and get an explanation for incorrect answers. There is a number line that gives a visual representation for how the problem could be solved. There are also tools that the student can use to help them solve the problem, such as a multiplication chart.

I picked Math Drills Lite because this student needs support in math with his basic facts. This student needs to do daily multiplication, division, addition and subtraction drills. Having students complete the same worksheets with multiplication problems or addition questions can be very boring for students. Allowing students to use an iPod Touch to do their basic facts is a lot of fun. Math drills has a number line that gives students a visual representation for how to solve the problem, this is excellent for my student who is a visual learner. Also having the student tap the number pad to answer questions is tactile and reinforces number recognition. The ‘app’ is easy to use and if you purchase the full version you have access to a huge number of questions so the student isn’t doing the same questions everyday.

The second ‘app’ I chose is called izen Garden lite. This is the free version of the iZen Garden application. This application has relaxing music, it is very simple to use. There are rocks that you can place on the sand. You can drag your finger along the sand to make the sand look like it has been raked. You can make different patterns in the sand. Izen Garden is very visual and tactile. To clear the sand you shake the iPod Touch and you can start again. You can place rocks anywhere in the sand. You can change the shape and size of the rocks and create an interesting pattern with the rocks.

I really liked this ‘app’ and chose it for my student because its very relaxing and it could help to sooth my student when he is feeling anxious. It could also be used as a distraction when my student begins to ‘shut down’ and is unable to communicate his feelings. Once the student has calmed down he is able to talk through what is bothering him and his ‘app’ could help him deescalate quickly. The ‘app’ also had very calming music, which is great for relaxation. The ‘app’ also helps promote creativity and fine motor control.

The third application I picked was Crush the Castle, this is a free application. The purpose of the game is to use an old fashion catapult to knock over different castles. The game has a medieval theme, which is great for my student who really enjoys castles. You can advance to different levels by knocking down the castle in three shots or less. In order to launch the catapult you tap the screen once and then tap the screen a second time to release the rocks. When you are successful knocking down the castle the entire thing crumbles to the ground and you move to a more difficult castle.

I chose Crush the Castle for my student because he has ADHD and he requires frequent breaks. This student needs a fun activity that doesn’t distract other students during class time. The game is very easy to use and there are different levels that the student can advance to so my student won’t get bored of the game right away. I think my student would really enjoy the purpose of the game because he’s interested in castles and catapults. I also think this game would be great for my student because it’s easy to play and I know my student would experience a lot of success with it.

There are hundreds of great applications for students but I particularly liked these three for my student and think they would benefit his learning.

AT from a student's perspective

During today’s assistive technology class I learned how important it is to think of assistive technology from a student’s perspective. We were asked to use Proloquo2Go on the iPod Touch for students who had limited verbal communication skills. I had to think about how Proloquo2Go could help a male, grade 6 student. It is clear that one of the challenges of using assistive technology is trying to predict different environments and situations where a student would need help communicating. You also have to think about the needs of the individual student, such as their vision, motor control, cognitive ability and wiliness to use new technologies.

Proloquo2Go is a fantastic application that can be purchased on the iTunes store but there are also a huge number of educational apps that are great for students and a lot of them are free. In my next post I will feature some free apps, so stay tuned.

Proloquo2Go!

I will be the first to admit that I am often a very slow learner when it comes to technology. I didn’t have my own computer with internet access until I was 26 yrs old. Sometimes I can feel very overwhelmed with technology however, today was not one of those days.

Today in our assistive technology session we learned how to use Proloquo2Go which is an ‘app’ that can be purchased for the iPod Touch. I was amazed at how easy and fun it was to use.

Proloquo2Go is a fantastic piece of software that can be used to help students who have difficulties with communication. You can program different phrases or words that an individual might need to say on a daily basis and all the student has to do is press the icon and the words or phrases are spoken out loud.

If you can imagine an individual who is non-verbal, Proloquo2Go opens up endless possibilities for that person. They can be given the opportunity to communicate how they feel and what they need. It is a really incredible application for the iPod Touch and certainly worth the cost. To learn more about Proloquo2Go follow the link below.

proloquo2go

AT assessment frameworks

Frameworks used for assessing individual AT needs:

There are five commonly used AT assessment frameworks that we learned about in class today. I will give a brief overview of each framework and include a link to a useful website should you wish to learn more. It is important to remember that in order to accurately assess an individual there is a great deal of background information that is required, this is something that all the frameworks have in common.


1. MPTT – This framework stands for ‘Matching person to technology and task’. This is Marcia Scherer’s model and it puts the student or individual at the center of the model. The assessment takes into account a number of different factors such as, the student’s personality, environment, technology, task and time to determine the best assistive technology for the individual. To learn more about this framework follow the link below.

MPTT model Marcia Scherer
http://www.gdewsbury.ukideas.com/Models%20of%20AT.html

2. WATI- This framework stands for the ‘Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative’ and is a referral guide which asks a series of questions to identify what is currently being used by the individual and what needs are not being met. The guide asks a number of different questions from a variety of categories such as, the age of the individual, classroom setting, mobility concerns, distractibility, medical considerations etc. More information can be found on the website below.

WATI
http://www.wati.org

3. SETT- The SETT framework stands for ‘Student, environment, task, tools’ it is a guideline created by Joy Zabala for gathering data to make effective AT decisions. It begins with collecting information about the student, deciding on solutions, creating a plan and integrating the AT into daily use. To learn more about this framework visit the website below.

SETT Joy Zabala
http://web.ccesc.k12.oh.us/ccesc/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=zrGmE7RDN8s%3D&tabid=69&mid=879


4. Stages- Stages is a computer software program with seven stages mainly related to language. The website below has some excellent images of the software.


Stages
https://www.spectronicsinoz.com/catalogue/stages-assessment-program


5. HAAT- This framework stands for ‘Human, activity, assistive, technology’. The HATT model was developed to analyze the complexities of a person with a disability, doing an activity, within a context. HAAT assesses the basic capabilities of the individual and that the activity defines the overall goal of the use of assistive technology.

HAAT
http://assistivetech-4alllearners.wikispaces.com/file/view/HAAT+model+info.pdf

What I really took from today’s lesson is that assessing an individual requires a wide range of background information. The person administering the assessment must look at a wide range of factors that would impact the student using the assistive technology. It is important to look at what is already being done and what needs are not being met in order to make the best recommendations for the individual.