All Done!

This course has been amazing. I have learned so many new assistive technologies but more importantly have learned that anything is possible. The video clip we viewed today was very inspirational. Why do I complain about anything? Everything comes fairly easy to me. Throughout the two weeks, I had to keep reminding myself of that and trying to put myself in the shoes of someone who does not have the same abilities that I do.!

Thanks for all your patience Barbara. We really had a lot of learning to do but you always believed in us and that helped us to get through learning all that new stuff! I suppose that speaks to the whole premise of the course. If you believe in yourself and others believe in you, then anything is possible! You have given me new eyes with which to see.

Dancing When Your're Deaf. How Can That Be?

I am truly amazed at this girl's ability to dance when she can't even hear music. I wondered how this was possible and went investigating a little. There were lots of information. Apparently you don't have to be able to hear the music to feel it! I cannot relate to that but there are some amazing musicians who are performing and cannot hear a thing.

I looked closely at this video to try and find the assistive technology. The only thing I could see was the television in the background and a performer singing the song. The dancer had her back turned to the TV most times. I still don't know how she did it but she can bust moves that are very expressive and impressive. I have included a second video of a dance troupe who are all hearing impaired. Again, I looked for the assistive technology and couldn't see anything other than lights that scan over the dancers occassionally. I think that might be a cue to the performers to go to the next coreographed piece of the performance. Amazing!

Hope you enjoy. The first one is rather long but is a real testimonial to what can be accomplished when the spirit is there!

Boardmaker Plus: Now That's a Program!

I don't think I have felt more frustrated or rewarded with any other assistive technology that we used. To say using Boardmaker Plus for the first time was easy would be a huge understatement! Again, I had to keep telling myself to put my feet in the shoes of someone who does not have the same means of expressing themself that I have. That would be real frustration! That always brings me back down a level or two.

The Boardmaker Plus program has awesome potention as a communication device. Through trial and error Marney and I learned the process of creating boards, making them speak and moving from page to page with the simple touch of a switch. We are able to go deeper and deeper into different levels from the front page on our board.

From this page the student can use the switch to move to three more layers under each category. (If I could figure out how I got that first picture to go in I would add the next levels but that is going to have to wait for another day, for alas, my mind is blank once again). Our student can select the "I want" category which will move them to a new board where there are four choices of things she may want. A drink, a nap, something to eat or her favourite show. She can click on one of those to move to another layer. For example if she selects "I want a drink" it will take her to another layer where she call tell what she wants to drink (ie. water, juice, milk or pop). We did not put in another layer for nap and favourite show as we felt that was self explanatory.

We were also very careful with the language choices we made on each of our boards. Our student is an emergent reader so we had to keep the language fairly simple while also considering that she is in grade seven. We had to use phrases that would be more common for older kids but readable by her. We did not want to make her language choices look too young nor too advanced. It was tough but we feel we were fair and considerate. Each section on the board on the front page leads to at least two more levels. We did not go any further than the front page with the home selection on the board. We felt we should consult with home to see what her parents felt they wanted her to be able to express in that section.

So, out of four choices on the front board the student can communicate a total of 64 messages. Pretty impressive for only starting out with four on the front board. We also added an assessment section under the school selection on her board. In this section we put yes/no questions to a topic she is learning about in Social Studies. Putting anything more than yes/no questions would have involved a lot more time and layers so we kept it simple for this time. Marney and I suffered through some learning curves with this one, but we got it done and we are really, really pleased with the final product and our accomplishment.

Switch Me On!

Today in class we saw but a small number of the types of switches that can be used to allow the user some independence and control of their environment. Who would have guessed there were so many different needs and so, so many different functioning switches. Having never worked with a student requiring a switch device, I had very little understanding and/or knowledge about switches so today's class was very helpful in providing me with some knowledge about this mid-tech tool. Here is just a sampling of the switches that are available.

Switches are used to operate anything electronic for many different purposes. They are designed to allow the user access to appliances. This is known as environmental control. They also allow for play and exploration, movement, computer access and communication. Depending on the needs of the individual the use of the switch will vary. Switches tend to be activated by: pressure, motion, air flow (pneumatic), light sensitivity (blinking) or sound (clucking of a tongue). Most switches will respond to minimal movement. I found a great website that shows a seemingly endless number of types of switches and it provides a description of what each are used for. Visit Enabling Devices to view these switches by clicking on Capablity Switches. You can also view video's about the devices.

Switches are selected for each individual based on their most reliable switch site. The switch site is the part of the body that the individual is most reliably able to control with minimal use of energy. The switch should not be located at a site that has a reflexive pattern of movement. An Occupational Therapist will help determine the best site for the switch. More information about switches can be found at:

http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics/Populations/Switch/index.php

The following video shows Ben using three different switch sites to access his environment.

I hope you take the time to visit these websites. There is some really good information about switches and it helps show that the possibilities are endless! That means everyone has access to the environment around them.

Video Preparation Stories

Wednesday, July 12 -Today's experience writing preparation stories proved to be more difficult than I originally thought. Getting just the right amount of information in the story, while focusing only on the target behaviour and wording the story in a positive way was challenging to say the least. The video component to the story was easy and I am looking forward to seeing each group's finsiehd product.

Preparation stories are written primarily to help students with autism understand social behaviours. There are a number of agencies that provide good information and offer support for families and educators who are struggling to understand the complexities of autism. I have attached links to the Autism Society of Canada and The Provincial Autism Centre.

Thursday, July 14 - The groups presented their presentation video's today. The process of preparing the video was challenging to different groups for different reasons. Some groups had difficulty with the language of the preparation story and other groups had technical difficulties with the Windows Movie Maker program. The content of each of the videos was very relevant to the student for whom it was prepared. The preparation stories addressed issues such as washroom etiquette, playground behaviour, bus behaviour and filling up a gas tank on a car. The washroom etiquette video was prepared as a response to inappropriate "peeking" at other students in the washroom. The playground behaviour addressed both the safety issue of using the playground equipment properly as well as the social issue of turn taking and waiting. The bus video addressed the issue of safety as it relates to getting on the bus and during the bus trip home. The filling the gas tank video was written to suit the very specific need of a teen who needs to know the steps for filling up the gas tank and paying inside the store. They were all very relevant to the individual students in relation to what they already know how to do and what they need to learn how to do.

I have attached the preparation story my group prepared. We addressed washroom etiquette. The student we made the story for had gotten into difficulties with peers because of her consistent behaviour of peeking under the doors and walls of the stalls while they were using the washroom. The student could not enter the washroom without engaging in this behaviour. The team felt it was really important to address this issue as it would cause serious problems for the student both with her peers and in washrooms in other environments. We are pleased to report that the preparation story, in conjunction with a task strip, was effective. The student now, only occasionally, engages in the peeking behaviour. Job well done team!

Dollar Store Here I Come!

What fun we had shopping at the dollar store. Marney and I spent an hour and a half in there and still did not get through the whole store. Barbara was right! I will never enter the dollar store again without using different eyes to view all the amazing items. Every isle we took opened up new possibilities.

At the beginning of our shopping trip I was saying "We could use this for...." But as we travelled through the isles I began to change my perspective and found myself asking instead "What could we do with this?" We brainstormed many different uses for different students that we know, and had discussions about the effectiveness and practicality of each of our ideas both from the student and teacher perspective. Our cart filled up pretty quickly! We were satisfied with the low-tech assistive technology tools that we selected but we were quite sure we missed lots of good things too. The following is a sample of what I came home with.

A magic wand which has three different flash modes for a non-verbal student to answer yes, no or maybe questions.

A Puppet for a student who has fine and gross motor difficulties and needs to practice hand and hand/eye coordination movements (ie. touch the ear, touch the nose, etc.). This could also serve as a tacile object for a student who needs this stimulation.

A self-adhesive hippo for the student who needs to practice fine motor skills for pencil control and grip. This could be stuck to a desktop and the student can trace around its outer edges.

A set of garden gloves with rubberized palms. These could be used for a student who has difficulty grasping objects. The rubber on the palm of the glove allows for easier pick up and grasp of objects.

Velcro to hold items in place for a student who has spastic movements.

A satin sleep mask for a student who requires relaxation strategies. These could be used in conjunction with pressure point relaxation exercises which some students with autism require.

A padded fuzzy pencil case for the student who requires tactile objects. Every child needs a pencil case so carrying this one around or leaving it on a desk would look very natural. The other side of the pencil case is filled with tiny styrofoam balls so the students has two tactile materials in one object.

This is a small sampling of the items I chose while shopping at the local Dollarama. I never much enjoyed going to the dollar store before. I only went if I had something specific I needed. Making sure I find the time to go to the Dollarstore with "seeing" eyes will be a new mission for me!

Water Blaster from the Dollarama

Marney and I selected a water blaster as an assistive technology tool. Our student Tracey is in a wheel chair and has difficulty pointing to items. In our example, the students are working on mapping activities and are expected to locate areas on the map of Canada. Tracey is not able to participate because of she can not get close enough to the map due to restrictions of her wheelchair. Tracey will use the device as a pointer in its extended form and the other students will use the device as a pointer as well, perhaps in its collapsed form. Tracey will not look different when she is using it. These pictures show how the water blaster will be used as a pointer for all students!

The presentations were amazing. So many different ideas, all of which were quick, inexpensive fixes for big issues! Truly an eye-opening experience.

Shop Till You Drop! Fun at the ITunes Store.

Shopping in the ITunes store proved to be more fun than I had anticipated. As it is with any new store you shop in, navigating the store was difficult at first until I learned where things were kept. I spent some time looking around and getting my bearnings before I remembered why I had come to the store in the first place. Taking that back into consideration, I began my mission to find APPS that would suit my student's needs.

Fictional Profile of Student
My student is ten years old. He is going into a Grade Four class with many strengths and some challenges that need consistent attention. He has a very strong working memory, and can recall facts easily and accurately. He has very good recall of math facts but does not like to work with math manipulatives. His spelling skills are good but he does not enjoy the writing process. Generating ideas and getting these ideas down on paper is a difficult process even with one-on-one attention. He tends to get combative, verbally and sometimes physically, when the expectation is that he produce a piece of writing. He has a behavioural IPP as well as an IPP for reading and writing. He is extremely stubborn and once he has made up his mind he is He has been diagnosed with ADHD and has spent six months at the IWK Behavioural Clinic to develop strategies for dealing with anger and aggression which can manifest into verbal and/or aggressive acts. Triggers for negative behaviour include not getting his own way, and adult and peer relationships in which he feels he is not being fairly treated. He is very active and likes to play soccer and baseball at outside play times. He is able to control his anger during games but gets very upset if the bell rings and his team looses. He enjoys doing word searches. He enjoys playing computer games with peers but becomes upset if the games includes a score component and his peer wins. He has been known to throw things when he is angry. He generally displays three or four episodes of varying degrees of negative behaviour each day. And, did I forget to mention, that he does not like loud noise!

Shopping
When shopping for APPS for this students I had to consider his needs and interests. As well, I had to consider whether the APP should have a level of competition to it which would not be hard to the point that he would have difficulty bettering his own score. I have included a rationale for each of the APPS I selected.

Timed Reading Practice
This would be a good APP for my students because it would encourage him to practice reading fluently while trying to beat the clock. He enjoys competing against himself so this timed activity would be fun and practical to his learning needs.

Rory's Story Cubes
I will need to take a closer look at this APP to determine whether or not it would suit my student's writing needs. It appears to come with story starters but as I do not have an IPod I am unable to download it to view all of its functions.

Word Search Kids
As mentioned earlier, my student loves doing Word Searches. He uses them as a calming down tool but can also use them as a means of avoiding work. I would set this APP up as a reward for when he has completed parts or all of an assigned activity. This program appears to be a good level for a Grade 4 student. From what I have seen, the words are similar to those he would be learning to decode in Grade 4.

Math Tutor
My student has strong recall skills for math operations but does not like to work with manipulatives. This APP is very visually appealing for a Grade 4 student. It has many levels and these levels challenge students to engage in math in many ways to help them understand how operations work. You can also track your daily progress with this APP which would make it attractive for my student.


Soundwaves
This APP was chosen because my student does not like loud noises. He finds it very difficult to concentrate in a noisy environment. He could wear earphones to listen to the soundwaves. The earphones would serve as a sound barrier to unwanted noise and help to focus him on the activity he is working on.


Jabulaaaaaaaani
This is a wild game of soccer that has the ball flying all over the place. I selected this APP because of the student's interest in soccer. A secondary purpose for selecting this game is that it is very difficult to win. The hope would be to teach the student that winning is not important so that he could carry this message into a real game of soccer with his peers.


As I expressed earlier, I have had quite a time shopping in the ITunes store. Before taking this course I had no idea of what could be purchased, nor did I have any understanding of what an IPod/IPad/IPhone was. I have seen people using them but had no idea of the amazing capability of this device. I am awed by the mind that created such a sensational little learning tool! I'm pretty sure I gotta have me one of those!!!