Class # 3

Unlocking the Potential

I am definitely becoming increasingly appreciative of whats been happening in class so far. Technology and I are not overly close, and I tend to struggle and fight using technology to the best of its ability in my classroom. This course has absolutely changed the way I view technology and has made me much more confident in only three classed. My only regret is that I am now on maternity leave and feel disappointed that I won't be able to ably most of what I've learned until next May. 

My teaching assignment, which is grade 5 French immersion, comes with a few flaws. Even though my school offers the program, there is no French resource available of any kind. In the past, students who began to struggle in the program or who were diagnosed with a learning disability would switch out of the program and would enter the English stream. Recently though, there are more and more students staying with their French studies, which is definitely a welcomed sight. The struggle now is to figure out how to support them with limited support, especially in comparison to their English counterparts. I am very thankful for this course, which has helped introduce me to simple iPad features I had not known about, but also to new apps that can assist my students in achieving success in a program that might otherwise be out of their reach. 

My group, which included Michelle, Jeremy, and Joey, decided to watch the "New Apps for Learning Disabilties" webinar. Our choice was based on the fact that LDs affect us the most in our teaching experience and we could apply what we would learn from the session more effectively. I personally really enjoyed the webinar, I learned a lot about some pretty impressive apps.   

Autism is a World

Autism is a World

At first glance, Susie appears to be low cognitive and unable to communicate with others. It wasn't until she was introduced to an assistive technology device that allowed her to communicate that the "our world" knew she had a voice. Presumed competency in this case is very visible. Her support team knew she was able to communicate and wanted to speak. Her AT allowed her to escape being a prisoner in her own body. She can now contribute verbally in class, carry conversations with family and friends, but most importantly express her feelings and emotions.
The title of the clip is very powerful, "Autism is a World". People living outside of that world make assumptions and judgments without knowing the true abilities of people with similar conditions. Most of our society can only see the disability and what they are unable to do, rather than the locked intellectual trapped inside.

Class # 1

April 2nd - Class # 1

• I left our first class feeling inspired to use more technology in my practice, not only for struggling students but for the entire class. There was always something holding me back from truly making the jump to technology implementation in my classroom, mainly a lack of confidence. I am very fortunate to be working in a board where technology is a top priority as well as administrators who manages to provide the latest technologies for student use. 
• I have one student with a language-based LD who is learning to use an iPad to assist with spelling and reading. She currently feels uncomfortable using the iPad in class since she is the only one. My goal is the have more iPads in the classroom on a regular basis (my school has 150 to sign out) and to make my student feel comfortable and at ease.

Assistive Technology

• My group was in charge of defining "assistive technology". 
• AT is considered an umbrella term since the definition is so broad.
• AT is a device that is assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative.
• AT also includes having the ability to select, locate, and use a given device.
• AT promotes independence by making tasks easier to accomplish.

Lightbulb Moment

• I connected most with when we explored the term "presumed competence". As teachers we try to motivate and encourage all our students to work to their potential. When we have a student with a disability, they can develop a sense of incompetence or have a dismissal of potential or ability. Those feelings can also come from parents and teachers. 
• The idea of presumed competence is that we need to assume a student has intellectual ability, provide opportunities to be exposed to learning, and assume the child wants to learn, no matter the disability.

I found a wonderful video demonstrating the close connection between assistive technology and presumed competence. Elle's story proves that most students have the ability to communicate and function independently within the learning environment, it is a matter of finding the proper means to extract it.
Follow the link below to watch Elle's story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g95TO20hnmo