Today was our first class and as I predicted, it did not disappoint. Once again I can see that the field of Assistive Technology is changing because of devices such as the ipad. It is very clear to me that students with significant disabilities that are using mobile devices are achieving success (very exciting!)
The first task of the day was to use Pic Collage to introduce ourselves to the class. Pic Collage is an easy way to use pictures and texts to create collages. We had to use pictures and text to show what kinds of things we liked and what was important to us. Then we presented our collages to the class. We saw lots of great backgrounds and many familiar faces. At the beginning of the school year, I always do a little activity with my students where they interview each other. I could see myself using this app to have them create their own collages then present them to the class. All students could do this! (If I can, anybody can). You could use it for in Science labs, country projects in Social Studies, lifecycle projects in Science and for visuals schedules. Pic Collage could be used instead of a PowerPoint. Barb shared her AT presentation with us. It was called “AT – The Past, the Present and the Future”. It was really a nice way to demonstrate how classes looked in the past, how diverse our classes are now and how we can improve performance and independence in our students who have disabilities.
Barb mentioned that training is the most important piece. This hit home with me because like many teachers, I have always been intimidated by technology. But, the more exposure I receive, the more comfortable and more eager I am to use it. Training is essential. There are so many changes: curriculum changes and teachers within schools change. As staff come and go, many end up being not familiar with AT. Training has to be there.
In the last two years technology has changed dramatically. Just looking at the ipad I am floored at its possibilities. Ipads are fully accessible and have many built in features. I had no idea I could customize my iphone and change my text size in a matter of seconds. For months I have been squinting and straining to see my texts, when just like that, I changed its size. It has Speak Auto-text, Speak Selection, and Zoom. Unbelievable. Talk about empowering our students!
When looking at the pad, cost should also be mentioned. In the past technology was always extremely pricey. Technology today is quite affordable. Kurzweil runs around $3000. But, an ipad2 starts at $519. IPod touch is around $200. Many apps are free. Not to mention the accessibility options are free. Ipads are an effective, portable, affordable, functional, accessible, inclusive and an option that can meet the needs of ALL students! Those that are lucky enough to have an ipad, don’t stand out (I feel like I’m a salesperson!)
We then looked at QR codes (quick response code). I have often wondered about what they were and how you use them. They’re basically codes that can be scanned by a smartphone which leads you to a website. You could use QR codes for treasure hunts or Google maps. You could also use QR codes for surveys. I also love the idea of using technology based centers in a classroom where a QR code could be part of it.
We continued our day by discussing communication. We started by coming up with a definition…. It is the successful connection between two or more parties that conveys a message with content understood by both, using a method accessible by both. We communicate in many ways. It’s extremely frustrating for those who cannot communicate and we often see this frustration when students have what many of us call “meltdowns”.It was this discussion that lead us to Proloquo2go, which is a communication device where nonverbal students with cognitive issues can use picture support. This app is a combination of text, images, icons and photographs. The symbol sets can vary in size and colour. This app is like the PECS but, WAY cooler! I couldn’t believe how fast it was to create phrases.A few years back I had a student with Autism who was non-verbal; this would have been just perfect for him. He had to lug a binder around with him, often misplacing or forgetting it. (I often thought this was done on purpose but, I never caught him in the act). But, really, who wants to have to carry a huge binder around all the time?? This is awesome.
I left class once again thinking about possibilities.
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