Summary

I thoroughly enjoyed taking this class. I love learning about different types of technology that can help people perform to their fullest potential. There are so many apps coming out all the time and I just love searching through different ones and trying them out. I thought the Dollar Store 'off the shelf' activity was really great - I often go to the dollar store to buy obvious things for my classroom like stickers and little prizes. Now I look at all the items to see how I could use them with students. I also really enjoyed making the Dollar Store modified low-tech item. Ideally, I would have liked for my scissors to have had a spring so that students would just have to push down and not worry about pulling up, but I feel they turned out pretty well all the same. The spring will be the next step :) The case study project was another great activity. I really enjoyed finding apps that would help my student, and was lucky that she had an iPad available to her. I look forward to continue working with her and finding more apps to help her with her math course this summer, and into Grade 11 in September. She was surprised with what was available in the app store as she had previously only used her iPad to play games. I hope to have my own iPad soon (fingers crossed!) so that I may try apps with other students who do not readily have access to an iPod or iPad. 

Case Studies

Michelle

Logan - Grade 3. Possible autism spectrum and has anxiety. Matched Logan with Pocket pond app for anxiety – he searched out app by himself to calm down after only briefly being introduced to it. Matched Logan with Pic Collage app for work – able to demonstrate what he knew.

Adele

J - Oppositional, uncommunicative and moody, limited social skills, aggressive with peers and adults, flight risk. Spatial Non-textual Apps: Unblock Me, Rush Hour, Busy Harbour. Visual apps: pic collage, book creator, photo booth, Frog dissection.

Kari

Justin - 10 years old. ADHD. Borderline range in almost all areas. Iwk behaviour program. Has anxiety and displays out of control behaviour at home and on playground. Behaviour is fine in the classroom. Matched Justin with an Asus tablet. Used the Whiteboard app and he used his finger to learn to spell his full name and phone number. Sight Word Handwriting Without Tears k, 1, 2 apps.

Heather

Ben -  Grade 5 student. Emotionally immature. Cried easily, disorganized. Reluctant to previous technologies. Has an LD. Used iPad text to speech, Copy and paste information from internet searches to Pages. Used Dragon dictation and Typ-o as well.

Amy

T - 5 year old boy. No known learning difficulties. Will start school in September. Used ABC Tracing, Sound Sorting Beginning Sounds, ABC Magic 2. He was very motivated to work with iPad as opposed to paper/pencil.

Shauna

C - 13 year old girl, grade 7. Insecure about work. Possible dyslexia. Very pleasant. Struggles in reading, writing, and some math. She will accept help in math, but not LA. Possible LD. ADD - Inattentive. Used Dragon Dictation app which helped with detail in her writing.

Jeff

R - 18 year old grade 12 student. Task completion a big issue. Lack of motivation and self-esteem. Inspiration app for research essay. Came up with good inspiration road map for beginning of research essay.

 

Becky

8 year old boy - Has autism and poor social skills. Level A books. Working on counting to 5. Used ABC PocketPhonics, Book Creator, Tell Me About It, Bingo, Visual Timer. Trained EPA on how to use various apps for next year.

Anne

Will - 17 years old. Non-verbal autism. He was in elementary school until age 16 in Alberta. Mother is very involved – attends conferences, got educated. Highly social with known peers and family members. Loves drawing, books, movies. Book Creator app, Pocket Pond, Jigsaw Puzzles, Disney Jungle Book, My Brushes, Doodle Dandy.

Alana

Rex - grade 4 boy. Frustrates easily when tasks require more than a few minutes concentration. Does not like to sit for long periods. Sit and Fit cushion does not really work for him. ADHD  Inattentive Type. Uses Cowriter, Open Office, Comic Life, Kidspiration, Into the Book, Tumblebooks, Storyline. Hopefully he will have a laptop for next year.

Jennifer

J - LD in reading, writing and math. Has anxiety and difficulty with executive functions. Hesitant to use technology in the past. Soshiku was preferred over Google Calendar. Also used myHomework, Evernote, Egretlist, iHomework.

Jackie

Grade 7 boy -  Functions at 4 1/2 years old. Tiny Eye, Tumblebooks/Tumblereadables, Smart Board. Pointer for smartboard has him involved with class. Tiny eye has really been great for him.

Amy

Justin - Grade 7 boy. Mild spastic quadriplegic CP. IPP for LA and Math. Very friendly and compliant. Enjoys reading. Interacts well with peers. Likes Raz-Kids - teacher selects books to put in each childs file that is at their reading level. Uses SmartBoard b/c he likes it. Collect points and can buy things in 'store'.

Jillian

Ashley - gGade 1 girl. Global developmental delay. Used Toca Boca and Book Creator. Motivated and engaged, skills developed, independent use, expressive/receptive language development.  

I never heard of Toca Boca so I will definitely be checking them out.

Assistive Technology for People with Physical Disabilities

I found a really inspiring YouTube video by the Tetra Society of North America. They are a group of volunteers that engineer assitive technology for people with physical disabilities. All the clients are responsible for payment is the cost of supplies. The video shows various projects the volunteer group worked on to better the lives of people with physical disabilities. Some inventions are as complex as a hydraulic wheelchair lift put in a home, or as simple as attaching straps to a hockey stick so that a father could play with his children.

Switch Access

This afternoon we viewed students using different forms of switches to communicate or produce a desired effect. We revisited Tyler, the amazing student in the South Shore who uses his tongue as a switch for his iPad. We looked at the progression of the assistive technology implemented with Tyler as he grew older and technology became more advanced. I thought it was so cute that he asked the Principal if he could skip class, haha. 

Successful switch operation depends on many things, including:

• motivation 
• suitable activities 
• practice time 
• lots of encouragement 
• position of the switch 
• type of switch 
• reward

There are three stages in the learning of using switch access:

cause and effect --> switch timing --> choosing with switches

We then looked at a demonstration on PowerLink4 access switch. This is a switch that teaches cause and effect, so would be ideal for students starting out with switch access. We thought of many different objects that could be plugged into the switch for the student to control. Just a few are the Listening Centre, electric pencil sharpener, fan, heater, and the score board at a basketball game. Here is the demo we watched in class. 

We viewed a girl named Nicole at home with her Mom. She uses a switch access that lays on her pillow and operates it with the use of her head. This would take a lot of muscle control for her to be able to do this. Here is the video we watched of her in class. 

This is a woman who has ALS and uses a switch to communicate. She manages all the bills online for her and her husband, her mail, and shops online for groceries, clothes and Christmas presents. She and her husband also communicate to each other online. She activates the switch by making small jaw movements - amazing. I thought it was pretty funny to see her husband typing with two fingers and her being able to type so fast, haha. 

Assistive Tech Presentations

The Sticky Tray -                                         The group used double sided suction cups 
to stick things to tray so objects would not 
move around. Great for students who have
trouble controlling their movements.

Turkey Baster Pencil Holder - A pencil inserted into an ordinary turkey baster. Great for students with fine motor problems as it creates a bigger, therefore easier, object to grasp.

Squeeze bottle pencil - A pencil inserted into 
a squeeze bottle. Elastics wound around the 
outside for extra grip. Great for students 
fine motor difficulties.

Easy Grip Magnetic Letters - Cut up a plastic cutting board and placed alphabet letter 
stickers on them. Affixed ice cube tray 
holes as handles and put magnets on the 
back. Colour coordinated vowels and 
consonants. Great for students in early 
literacy and 'handles' make the letters 
easy to grasp. 

Spongy white board - Elevated white 
board on ordinary sponges. Good for 
students who have a hard time bending 
down to write on a flat desk.

The Dice Master - Butter dish with dice inside. 
The dish was glued together so it 
wouldn't come apart and you would 
never lose the dice. Great for students 
with fine motor difficulties, or if students
 just have a hard time keeping track of the dice.

Swim Buddy - An empty two litre bottle with pictures inside. Student can point to a picture in the water of what she/he wants. Great for non-verbal students if they go swimming.

One Handed Marker Pull - Put stuff to make 
hand molds in the bottom of a planter and 
stuck markers in head down. The markers 
covers stay put when you pull marker out 
to use it. Never lose your markers again! 
Great for students who have fine motor 
control issues or have the use of just one hand.

Popsicle Painter - Stuck decorative limes 
and lemons on the top of a popsicle tray. 
Put make-up sponges on the ends. Can be 
used for paint, glue, glitter, etc. Great 
alternative to paint brushes.

Math Assist - Velcro was placed on a 
ruler and protractor. Use squeegee with 
velcro on it to pick up ruler and protractor. 
Great tool for math students who have 
difficulty picking up and using a ruler or 
protractor. 

Skater Rex - An adaptable toy that 
encourages active play and social skills. 

Zipper Pull - A floating camera cord used 
as a pull for school bags or jackets. Great 
for students with find motor issues or 
vision problems.

Dollarama - Task B

For my task, I decided to modify scissors for students who find it difficult to use common ones. I bought an ordinary pair of scissors, two silicone spatulas, and a large clamp. First, I took the handles off the scissors. Next, I slid the spatulas off the long handles. I slid the spatulas over the metal that remained after I took the handles off the scissors. This created a flat surface for the scissors to rest on the table, and a flat surface to push down on the scissors to operate them. I call them "Spatula Scissors". The clamp can be affixed to the bottom and a table or desk so that the scissors will not move, depending on the needs of the student. Altogether, this cost $6.00 :)

Toys R Us

On my trip to Toys R Us, I found the newest version of Alphie by Playskool. 

Disability Category:              Rating:  **** or * stars

Physical                                   ***

Sensory                                   ****

Communicative                        ***

Cognitive                                 ****

Toy Company:

Price:                                       $39.99

Box Age Range:                      3 and up

# Pieces:                                  Alphie + 30 double sided cards 

Washability:                             Can wipe clean

Storability:                               Can carry around by handle and is small. Cards fit in back of Alphie

Directions:                               Alphie tells you what to do

Play Locations:                        Can take him anywhere

Adjustability:                           Can use specific cards depending on level of user

Levels of Play:                         Can purchase booster packs for increased difficulty

Batteries:                                 3 AA batteries - included

Description general:

Alphie_introduces_fun_activities_based_on_letters,_numbers,_shapes,_colours,_music_and_more!_He_is_interactive,_electronic,_and_very_easy_to_take_along_where_ever_you.go._He_also_offers_a_variety_of_encouraging_phrases_for_incorrect_answers,_as_well_as_positive_reinforcements_for_correct_answers.

APPLICATIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Physical          Rating: ***

Description	Has one main piece and is sturdy. Cards fit right into Alphie's backpack. Can use sitting up and laying down. If using sitting up, strengthens core as you lean forward to press the buttons.
Skills	Promotes fine motor as children need to press the correct buttons to play. However, buttons are not too small that students who have difficulty with fine motor could not play as well. Eye-hand coordination is strengthened through play.
Play Ideas	Child can play by themselves with Alphie, or with a friend. Can focus on one topic (ex: shapes), or add a variety. Can purchase booster cards when child has 'mastered' the cards included with Alphie to continue learning.
Adaptation Ideas	Can take cards out of Alhie's backpack that are not at level for student so there are not so many to pick from. Can affix tabs to the cards to make it easier to grab them and place in Alphie. Can place Alphie on a non-slip surface for students who have motor control issues.

Sensory           Rating: ****

Description	Alphie is very colourful and attention grabbing. He talks, gives encouragement, lights up, and smiles. Child operates Alphie by pressing buttons.
Skills	Cause and effect play. Focuses on teaching colours, numbers, letters, and shapes. Alphie gives a lot of sensory output to encourage play.
Play Ideas	Alphie asks questions and child responds by pressing the buttons. Learn about shapes, colours, numbers, and letters through playing, listening, and pressing buttons.
Adaptation Ideas	Can focus on particular aspects at a time (shapes and colours first, then numbers and letters, etc.). Can block out lights if it is too much sensory output for a particular student.

Communicative         Rating: ***

Description	Alphie gives instructions and asks questions, while user responds by pressing buttons. Another student could easily join in on the play.
Skills	Child strengthens listening skills, problem solving skills, and receptive language. Social skills are also strengthened if playing with another child.
Play Ideas	Could have children problem solve together to figure out the answers to Alphie's questions. Could also play in teams of two, depending on the students.
Adaptation Ideas	You could cover over some of the lights if some students (like those on the spectrum) find them too stimulating or distracting.

Cognitive        Rating: ****

Description	The child needs to think about the question, look at the pictures, locate the correct answer, and press the corresponding button. This process strengthens executive functioning skills.
Skills	Strengthens skills in numeracy, letters, shapes, and colours. Alphie also works on listening skills, fine motor skills, executive functioning, and cause and effect.
Play Ideas	Can start out using cards that child finds easier to boost self-esteem. Then you can gradually increase the difficulty of play.
Adaptation Ideas	Can buy the booster cards for more difficulty when needed or can use just one type of cards (ex: colours) if a student needs to start slow.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS       CHECK IF APPROPRIATE

	Durable
	High Contrasting Colours
	Tactilely Stimulating
	Visually Stimulating
	Wide Age Range
	Inviting Due to Uniqueness
	Open-ended
	Innovative
	High quality
	Detailed
	Hands on Approach to learning
	Easy to grasp/hold
	One-piece unit
	Upright position for play
	Other:

DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESSES PROMOTED

	Visual attention
	Visual tracking
	Visual processing
	Memory and recall
	Cause and effect
	Action concepts: in/out, push/pull, on/off, go/stop
	Fine motor
	Eye-hand coordination
	Problem solving
	Finger and hand control and dexterity
	Physical range of motion
	Deliberate finger movements
	Precision
	Directionality
	Wrist rotation
	Hand and finger grasp
	Pointing, one isolated finger
	Motor planning
	Self esteem
	Manual dexterity
	Sequential thought
	Reaching
	Strategic thinking
	Turn taking
	Patience
	Spatial relationships – over, under, on, off
	Reaching/arm extension
	Functional finger movement and exploration
	Coordinated movement
	Sorting and classification
	Early Literacy
	Texture Discrimination
	Object Permanence
	Tactile Discrimination
	Problem Solving
	Directionality
	Cooperative Hand Movement
	Letter Recognition
	Life Skills
	Pre-Literacy
	Social Interaction
	Foot Placement
	Weight Shifting
	Core Strengthening – Trunk Strengthening
	Colour Recognition and Identification
	Word Recognition
	Number concepts
	Visual Acuity

Here is a quick YouTube video of Alphie