Wednesday 6 June 2012
Tuesday 5 June 2012
Class May 30
Well, I really can't say enough great things about the UDL Toolkit . I am still wandering through all the great FREE resources for educators! I emailed the link to other staff members at my school, but I don't think that anyone has actually looked at it. (They're missing out!)
I continue to be in awe of the massive "project" it is for a human to write! Wow! I included Barb's map of the writing process in another post, but it is difficult to view on the blog, unfortunately.
I had another great experience working with Barbara Avery and the Boertjes' sisters (Nicole and Stephanie)- always a pleasure! We are currently working on a Blog to help instruct a grade 7 science unit entitled Interactions with Ecosystems. We pooled lots of wonderful ideas, websites, and activities. Four heads are certainly better than one! Lol I can hardly wait to see our final product! :)
I continue to be in awe of the massive "project" it is for a human to write! Wow! I included Barb's map of the writing process in another post, but it is difficult to view on the blog, unfortunately.
I had another great experience working with Barbara Avery and the Boertjes' sisters (Nicole and Stephanie)- always a pleasure! We are currently working on a Blog to help instruct a grade 7 science unit entitled Interactions with Ecosystems. We pooled lots of wonderful ideas, websites, and activities. Four heads are certainly better than one! Lol I can hardly wait to see our final product! :)
Sumdog.com
OK...I was just going to use this website as a fun "add-on" for the "early finishers" in my math class. Well, they LOVE it!!! It's a hit!
I've had to add ALL my students, ALL my classes. I've even had other teachers ask me to add students. Other teachers in my school are now adding their classes!
I have some kids who do more than 300 math questions in 30 minutes while they're "playing" the games. I can set specific skills to practice. I can even set the levels! It's great!
My IPP students can play non-IPP students in competitions because I can preset the levels!!! They LOVE playing their classmates in the "competitions" I create online.
The kids asked if they could play it at home!!! :) lol
Interactions with Ecosystems
Hi folks!
It's a work in progress for sure...but I think we are off to a great start!
Check it out!
http://interactionswithecosystems.blogspot.ca/
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Misunderstood Minds
Misunderstood Minds Presentation (1)
Well! It only took a week for me to finally figure out how to embed a PowerPoint presentation! (Scary, I know!) I am now an official Scribd member! (Yahoo!) (I can only imagine what this is going to do to my Facebook account! Since I had to use it to get logged in.)
This series is definitely worth watching! However, I'll admit that I found myself feeling a little empty-handed. I would have liked to have seen the documentary explore treatment, remediation and compensatory options for these students further than they actually did. It was like watching the first 3/4 of an episode of House, only to have the power go out! Not to discourage you though! There is a great deal to be learned!
My teammates and I had a great time summarizing the video clips. I think it was partly due to the fact that we had less than an hour to complete the project! lol It kept us on our toes! (We're educators! We work better under pressure! Haha!)
TV Series
Wednesday 16 May 2012
MAY 9: Assistive Technology Models
No...do not adjust your set...this post is not in chronological order! lol This is merely a reflection of how "busy" my day job has been and the need to prioritize, which, in a way, ties into this discussion.
On May 9th, we discussed, at great length the various models used to assess the various assistive technologies and their suitability for a particular student. I was one of the unfortunate 3 classmates that had to actually present her powerpoint on the 4 models! lol :)
A common thread throughout the models was to "focus on the student". Their needs are paramount. I agree wholeheartedly. There was lots of discussion in the models about the need to consider the "task" that the student is being asked to perform and the "environment" in which they will be working, etc. These were all excellent models "under perfect conditions".
The unfortunate reality, however, is that most educators have received zero training on how to use the assistive technology in their classroom. The other, more constraining variable that I have previously alluded to, is the issue of time, specifically educator's time. Teachers are not uncaring, irresponsible, unprofessional individuals. It is simply that the demands of the job are constant. There are typically 25+ other students in the room, and if the student that requires assistive technology needs one-on-one attention to operate the device, it is not likely to happen on a consistent basis. Let's just do a little math on this one. In my school, we have 42 minute periods. I have, on average 27 students in my class. That's around 1 minute and 40 seconds of "individual teacher time" per student IF the phone doesn't ring, no one arrives at the door, no one is missing a pencil, everyone just arrives, sits down in less than a second and we get right to it! (Did I mention I teach Junior High?) Ha! (You catch my drift, I'm sure.)
So, again, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
So, I was pleased when I read the article by Karen Morrison entitled Implementation of Assistive Computer Technology: A Model for School Systems. She acknowledges the MANY barriers to successful implementation of ACT; however, she is also a strong proponent of ACT. She says, "if all elements of learning are not considered then technology will not be adequately matched to student need." In her concluding statement, she says, "to insure that ACT is being utilized to fulfill its potential to support learning...all stakeholders need to make a committment to the ACT implementation process and align their efforts to insure that students with learning problems are provided with equitable access to learning using Assistive Computer Technology."
This involves a complete paradigm shift. Some educators think that it is "cheating" to give students additional support. "They need to learn to do it on their own!" It also means employing "best practices" for ALL students. In fact, I've found more great apps for my "Red Zone"-highly volatile behaviour students while looking for sensory regulating apps for Autism. We need to SHARE more as a profession. I'm sure there are amazing strategies that are being employed in the special education program that I could be using to improve learning for students at all levels! Additionally, it means LETTING ALL KIDS USE THEIR ELECTRONIC DEVICES!!! There. I've said it folks, but, really, we do need to crawl out of the Dark Ages. Why not make use of the great technology out there. If there's "an app for that" then let the app do the work! Save your brain for more important matters!!! I don't know. I'm rambling.
However, it is an exciting time! Education is changing! That's great! Educators LOVE to re-invent the wheel! This is the perfect opportunity! Change your lens, change your practices, change your attitude. Hey! It might even be fun!!?? :)
On May 9th, we discussed, at great length the various models used to assess the various assistive technologies and their suitability for a particular student. I was one of the unfortunate 3 classmates that had to actually present her powerpoint on the 4 models! lol :)
A common thread throughout the models was to "focus on the student". Their needs are paramount. I agree wholeheartedly. There was lots of discussion in the models about the need to consider the "task" that the student is being asked to perform and the "environment" in which they will be working, etc. These were all excellent models "under perfect conditions".
The unfortunate reality, however, is that most educators have received zero training on how to use the assistive technology in their classroom. The other, more constraining variable that I have previously alluded to, is the issue of time, specifically educator's time. Teachers are not uncaring, irresponsible, unprofessional individuals. It is simply that the demands of the job are constant. There are typically 25+ other students in the room, and if the student that requires assistive technology needs one-on-one attention to operate the device, it is not likely to happen on a consistent basis. Let's just do a little math on this one. In my school, we have 42 minute periods. I have, on average 27 students in my class. That's around 1 minute and 40 seconds of "individual teacher time" per student IF the phone doesn't ring, no one arrives at the door, no one is missing a pencil, everyone just arrives, sits down in less than a second and we get right to it! (Did I mention I teach Junior High?) Ha! (You catch my drift, I'm sure.)
So, again, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
So, I was pleased when I read the article by Karen Morrison entitled Implementation of Assistive Computer Technology: A Model for School Systems. She acknowledges the MANY barriers to successful implementation of ACT; however, she is also a strong proponent of ACT. She says, "if all elements of learning are not considered then technology will not be adequately matched to student need." In her concluding statement, she says, "to insure that ACT is being utilized to fulfill its potential to support learning...all stakeholders need to make a committment to the ACT implementation process and align their efforts to insure that students with learning problems are provided with equitable access to learning using Assistive Computer Technology."
This involves a complete paradigm shift. Some educators think that it is "cheating" to give students additional support. "They need to learn to do it on their own!" It also means employing "best practices" for ALL students. In fact, I've found more great apps for my "Red Zone"-highly volatile behaviour students while looking for sensory regulating apps for Autism. We need to SHARE more as a profession. I'm sure there are amazing strategies that are being employed in the special education program that I could be using to improve learning for students at all levels! Additionally, it means LETTING ALL KIDS USE THEIR ELECTRONIC DEVICES!!! There. I've said it folks, but, really, we do need to crawl out of the Dark Ages. Why not make use of the great technology out there. If there's "an app for that" then let the app do the work! Save your brain for more important matters!!! I don't know. I'm rambling.
However, it is an exciting time! Education is changing! That's great! Educators LOVE to re-invent the wheel! This is the perfect opportunity! Change your lens, change your practices, change your attitude. Hey! It might even be fun!!?? :)
MAY 16: Learning to Read
You know, it's terrible, but up until tonight I really hadn't given much thought as to "how" we learn to read...what actual physical, biochemical processes are involved. Perhaps its because I do not teach Elementary or even ELA; however, I can certainly say that I am affected when a child is in my class has significant difficulties reading.
And, really, once the entire process was demystified (even though we could only scratch the surface tonight), it's a miracle that anyone can read! lol The intricacies involved are innumerable. So much opportunity for error!!! Whether there is a problem with the optic nerve, or the cornea or retina, or perhaps the neurotransmitters are not binding at the proper receptor sites, the possibilities for error or miscommunication are endless!
When we completed the introductory activity, which was a "Task Analysis of Reading", I was shocked by how much I take for granted! The task was to "write down the step by step process involved in reading the following passage".
My list could have gone on and on, but my initial list included:
-Read from top to bottom
-Read from left to right
-I am drawn to bolder text-I know that the bold text is the title, Gary Paulsen is the author, and Chapter 1 tells me that this is the beginning of the book-Imagine the plane using the descriptors-Had to know what a loud, roaring sound would be like-Remember relationships between people: who drove the plane, people's names, etc.-Pausing a commas, stopping at periods
We are attending to reading task every step of the way, from using our eyes to accessing our executive functioning capacities in our frontal lobe!!!
My A-MAZ-ing teammates (Stephanie and Nicole) and I completed a web-map together on Inspiration to review and synthesize some of the information we learned throughout the evening. We all agreed that we could have gone on forever with this mapping assignment if we hadn't had a time limit! :)
And, really, once the entire process was demystified (even though we could only scratch the surface tonight), it's a miracle that anyone can read! lol The intricacies involved are innumerable. So much opportunity for error!!! Whether there is a problem with the optic nerve, or the cornea or retina, or perhaps the neurotransmitters are not binding at the proper receptor sites, the possibilities for error or miscommunication are endless!
When we completed the introductory activity, which was a "Task Analysis of Reading", I was shocked by how much I take for granted! The task was to "write down the step by step process involved in reading the following passage".
My list could have gone on and on, but my initial list included:
-Read from top to bottom
-Read from left to right
-I am drawn to bolder text-I know that the bold text is the title, Gary Paulsen is the author, and Chapter 1 tells me that this is the beginning of the book-Imagine the plane using the descriptors-Had to know what a loud, roaring sound would be like-Remember relationships between people: who drove the plane, people's names, etc.-Pausing a commas, stopping at periods
We are attending to reading task every step of the way, from using our eyes to accessing our executive functioning capacities in our frontal lobe!!!
My A-MAZ-ing teammates (Stephanie and Nicole) and I completed a web-map together on Inspiration to review and synthesize some of the information we learned throughout the evening. We all agreed that we could have gone on forever with this mapping assignment if we hadn't had a time limit! :)
I should make mention of some of the worthwhile videos we watched throughout the presentation this evening:
CLIP #1: LEARNING TO READ
CLIP #2: HOW WE HEAR
CLIP #3: HOW WE SEE
CLIP #4: NEURONS AND HOW THEY WORK
Tuesday 8 May 2012
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