The End

The end of the course:

I learned so much this past semester, the programs and the different ideas that are going on at everyone’s schools are amazing. Being at Forest Heights I see how much AT can help every student, and how great it is to have a staff that is willing to use and to encourage the students to use it so they can level the playing field in the classroom. I really think that all teachers should be encouraged to use it and allow students to use it. Hearing that there is teachers out there that don’t frustrates me like crazy.

I am looking forward to taking the first part of the course next September.

Media

So last week after we watched the CNN info on Amanda’s story, I was left just thinking about how hard it would be to be so brilliant and not be able to communicate it. I really liked the fact that a CNN reporter took it upon himself to look Amanda up and find out more about how she made the video. She has so much to offer and is very inspirational to all people. Amanda’s story is also another great awareness for autism which the media has been all over in recent weeks. The other night I was watching Larry King live and Jenny McCarthy was on (her son was diagnosed on the Autism spectrum; however he has since been undiagnosed). She was talking about different ways to help with Autism to work through the disorder. Whether you agree with her or not, she brought more attention to the cause. I really enjoyed some of the videos that played during the show. One of the videos was of a little girl who was using assistive tech to get her ideas across. She was using a text to speak program and she had a go talk. It was a really cool video, which I hope that I can find soon. When looking for the link I did find this great video that if you have time, take a look at it.

Also from class I want to make a note about the assignment we are doing on boardmaker. Working with a great team, it was really interesting trying to plan out the boards to make sure they matched the needs of the student. Having the team that I did it still demonstrated how much pre planning has to go into each assignment.

So I suck at getting these done right after class. However I did really enjoy last week’s class. I loved the little skit activities that we did. It really demonstrated the frustration of not being able to communicate with someone who you don’t share a common way of communication with. When we were given eating I was like sweet not bad. However it quickly became apparent that I may have known that she wanted something to drink; however I had know idea what. I can’t imagine not being able to say what I want not to mention to explain my needs. I really enjoyed the buttons however I do think they are large and really like the fact that with technology advancing they are becoming even smaller. However I get that sometimes they need to be larger due to physical limitations. Finally the Go Talk… What are great device, it is user friendly and can be taken in so many different ways. I look forward to using it in my classroom.

Clicker

We finally got Clicker 5 and Clicker Paint installed on a computer in the learning center and I am so happy. Today student x had activity time which he is normally allowed on the computer doing what he wants. We are trying to give student x only a few options during activity time and I thought Clicker Paint would be great for today. I ask student x to sit at the computer and click on the icon, at this moment someone came in to the room to ask me for something. I turned away for less the two minutes and student x was drawing away on the paint. The student had already figured out all the different ways you could draw and change color. The student took to it very quickly and I cant wait to try more with them in the next few weeks.

DR

This last week I was in the Dominican Republic at an all inclusive resort, but once I was there I started to think about the fact that it really was not that inclusive. I am not talking about the fact that it cost so dam much, I am talking about the fact that it was physically not accessible to meet everyone’s needs. This got me thinking about a few things like who could travel to the country for a vacations but more importantly what life would be like in the DR if you where in a wheelchair or had other disabilities. The average labor makes 10 dollars a week, while people at the resort make 40 Dollars a week. This amount of money is barely enough to live on so I am wondering how people would be able to afford some of the technological advances we as Canadians are use to or can find for are children. When I got home I started to do some investigations into this and though not surprised I found out that children with disabilities in DR normally do not live as long, and if they do they are the responsibility of the family and do not receive government money. One thing I did find out that L’ARSH Halifax also supports a home in the DR; the only other money comes from the Catholic Church. I then talked to the head of L’ARSH Halifax about the fact that there is no technology available to the people that need it down there; it was a heart breaking conversations. Especially talking about what I learned about switches and how they can open up so many doors and ways of communication which everyone has the right to. I only hope that one day soon they can have the same opportunities that children in the developed world have.

So I officially hate my computer, and I think I may need to buy a Mac very soon (Ian I know this will make you happy).

Last weeks class with the clicker was very educational for me. Not only did I learn how to use a cool new program that I can use with many students in the learning center and decided what program I am using for my case study. I also learned what not to do when making assignments with clicker. When working on the blends assignment my group didn’t ask the user very clear questions. I now see how important the words in the question really are. I can see how the questions we were asking did not really allow us the teacher to assess what we were looking for. As well you need to be clear in your images that go along with your questions.

Just a side note, I really like the tutorial on power point. I love the program and how it allows the teacher so many different elements they can bring into the classroom.


Can’t wait for class this week

Switch Access

Last class we watched the film Needs in the Classroom: Switch Inclusion (not sure of exact title), this film, was very good at demonstrating the different types of switches that are available. Another great thing about the video, and something that I really enjoyed was how they split up who is involved with a student that needs extra support to succeed in the classroom. The list they had was as fallows: Classroom Teacher, Programs Support Teacher, PSA, Therapists (in school and at home, all different types), Principle and the Family. I have no experience with switches so this video with actual cases along with the great tutorial disk has given me some insight into how and what you need to do before you introduce a switch. I learned that a lot of people are involved and that there are many different options for switch however there are some universal steps that go along with goals in choosing a switch.
The four key points are:
· Positions- what is the position of the user
· Movement- what is the movement to make it work
· Control cite- what is the switch used for- can the body handle where its located
· Type of switch- so many types for different jobs as well lots of options in mounting the device.

This last class was great I learned a lot. J