Day Fourteen: The End of an Era

Today was my final class, and it was held in the Elluminate Live classroom. This is such a wonderful option, compared to the traditional classroom setting, as it allows me to participate from home, without spending the time and money to travel over an hour to campus. I wish other courses took advantage of this feature!

In our final class, I had the opportunity to view my classmates' blogs on the writing process and assistive technologies. It was great to get a quick overview on the features my peers had chosen to include, and I will provide the links below, as well as some short comments and feedback. I will certainly want to revisit these sites, as they provide a wealth of information.

http://processofriting.blogspot.com/
Sacha
After exploring this Blog, I can say that I appreciate the specific program adaptations and the links to current research. This blog has A LOT of videos.

http://assistivegroup.blogspot.com/
Mark, Angela, and Stephanie
My favourite thing about this Blog is the video entitled, What is Sensory Processing? My one suggestion would be that the information provided on the sidebar (ex. software, programs, apps etc...) have links provided so visitors can simply click for more information.

http://krista-julie.blogspot.com/
Krista and Julie
I thought the text to speech gadget on the top right of the page was a creative addition. I also really like the multitude of information on cerebral palsy and the writing process. I attempted the: "Try it yourself: Experience a graphomotor difficulty" activity, but was unable to get it to work.

http://supportingthewritingprocess.blogspot.com/
Shelley, Catherine, and Paul
This is a fabulous Blog, and I was overwhelmed with the amount of information and material. If you only have time to explore one site, I would suggest beginning here. I thought the Xtranormal introductory video was great, and I hope to use this in my classroom.

http://harleyjessome.blogspot.com/
Barbara
Barbara provided a link to the PBS production entitled, "Misunderstood Minds", which I also recommend checking out. I also thought the Digital Storytelling with Strip Design looked really interesting (I really do need to look into purchasing an iPod...).

http://eneaveswriting.blogspot.com/
Elizabeth and Darlene
Two features I liked on this Blog were the list of video tutorial links on the side, as well as the video bar on the bottom. This layout was very user friendly.

http://helenhimsl.blogspot.com/
Helen
This was certainly a lot of work for one person - wow! My only "criticism" would be to watch the language. As we are professionals, I think ensuring the proper use of punctuation and grammar is important for a writing blog (maybe I'm just old fashion).

http://atjmj.blogspot.com/
Again, here is the link to my and my partners' blog. Perhaps I have saved the best for last...?

Thank you for reading; until next time...

Day Thirteen: The death of Ebony

Today I had to say good bye to not only my classmates, but also Ebony. I killed her memory, so the parting would be less painful for her, but I'm still reeling from the loss. If only Christmas gifts were appropriate to give/receive in July! Yesterday, I loved being able to check my email and coordinate a dinner party with friends during our conference breaks, as my laptop is very heavy and I had made the decision NOT to bring it along!

I should address the fact, as it will be a glaring omission, that I was unable to comment on my classmates' blogs. However, I have been reading their work, and have attempted to comment from Acadia, from home, following instructions of my peers and instructions from helpful friends... all without success. However, to "prove" I have read their work, I will "summarize" a few:

Janna: Wednesday, 13 July 2011 – I too love the PocketPond app! It’s helpful not only for “agitated students” but also for those frustrated with waiting in line ;)

Sacha: Sunday, July 17, 2011 – This does sound like a very interesting read. I find we are strongly discouraged from having a person Facebook page as teachers, but I’d never thought of using this program for educational purposes to engage our reluctant readers.

Paul: Tuesday, 19 July 2011 – I’m sure you will miss the iPod touch on the plane, but did I remember you saying you bought an iPod Nano? How does this compare? I’m looking into different Apple options now...

I also took Barb's advice and started on this year's Christmas card: what do you think?



Finally, I added a couple of new gadgets: a rhyming application (as this is supposed to be an educational blog afterall) and a cute puppy application... just because I love puppies.

Until next time...

Today, my classmates and I attended a Summer Institute on Social Justice and Education at Acadia University. We were instructed to create a "Wordle" on our experiences, and what we took away from the speakers. I have done three wordles - one for each of the three speakers, and one on my Blog itself.

1. Dr. Pat Thomson
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alt="Wordle: Pat Thomson"
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2. Dr. Kevin Alderson
title="Wordle: Kevin Alderson"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/3857873/Kevin_Alderson"
alt="Wordle: Kevin Alderson"
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3. Dr. S. Nombuso Dlamini
title="Wordle: Nombuso Dlamini"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/3857879/Nombuso_Dlamini"
alt="Wordle: Nombuso Dlamini"
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4. MY Blog
title="Wordle: Meggie's Blog"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/3857864/Meggie%27s_Blog"
alt="Wordle: Meggie's Blog"
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Day Eleven:

I am working a lot of my "other" blog, and don't want to give a lot away, so I thought I would share some of the resources my professor has shared with the class, as well as another good find.

Item number one is a video called Sharpening up on Pencil Skills and it focuses on Pencil Grip, Positioning, and Handwriting. The presenter stresses just how complex the physical aspect of writing can be, and says that poor handwriting is the reason why most students are referred to occupational therapists. One part I found very interesting were the Pencil Olympics (like the "sprint" and "baton twirl") - I feel that competitive itch.


Item two is another video that shows assistive technologies are considered low tech. For example, there is a circular foam grip and slip on writing aids, and some of these look like grippers you can buy at Dollarama. There is also a writing bird, which seems to function like a computer mouse, and a tool called a pen again and a fingertip pen. We will be including these in our blog.


Item three is a website called 50 Best Blogs for Special Education Teachers.
http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2009/12/50-best-blogs-for-special-ed-teachers/
This website says the Blogs will, "provide tips and strategies, focus on assistive technology, explore specific learning challenges, share information about news, policy, and law, and more from other educators working in the field of Special Education". Sites 11 - 21 will all help you, "keep up with the latest technological advances and learn how others have incorporated technology in their teaching".

Ebony came in very handy today when I had to wait over half an hour to meet a friend for supper - I played Simon Says, completed a couple word search puzzles, and created two MadLib puzzles.

Day Ten: It's All Adding Up

I have eluded to the fact that my cell phone is prehistoric, BUT it does include features such as a calculator and calendar. However, I found I never used these features, because it was a hassle to maneuver the settings. On the iPod, this is much easier with the onscreen touch. For example, my husband and I went to The Home Depot to price paver stones to build a garden wall. It was so helpful to have my iPod to calculate total prices and compare various products. I was then able to take pictures of the different stones and bring them to the house to better visualize a final product. I only have a few days left with my "baby", and it will be hard to lose her (I've decided "her" name is Ebony).

I have been busy working on another blog (I feel like an adulterer) with a couple of my peers on the writing process. This will be a joint effort among Joelle, Janna, and myself (hence the name: Assistive Technology Janna Meggie Joelle...) but we have not yet posted our work. However, the link is:
http://atjmj.blogspot.com/
One place in which I have found some of my inspiration is Jamie Renouf's website:
http://ssrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/jrenouf/howtos.htm
There are links to various assistive technology applications that are successful right within our own province, and I encourage you to check it out!

Another source of knowledge is Don Johnson's website:
http://www.donjohnston.com/
*Don't confuse this Don Johnson with the rugged Miami Vice Don Johnson (see picture).
This website directs the viewer to various assistive technologies, developed by this impressive enterprise, to help those struggling with the writing (and/or reading) process.
You'll have to check back to see the final product in a few days!

Day Nine: Writing Right

This morning, we went through the writing process. I had some idea of how complex this process was, but was still surprised by all the components involved. For example, before one actually begins physically writing, they must attend to the task, visualize their ideas, employ various metacognitive skills, use lower level mechanical skills (pencil grasp) etc... I was exhausted and overwhelmed just learning about this process, and I wasn't even completing the tasks! Usually when we think about the "writing process" many of these components are left out; check out the pictures I've posted, and compare the glaring omissions.
Our task will now be to complete a Blog that outlines the writing process and the assistive technologies available to help those who struggle with this process. Our professor has two links that illustrate an example of what this assignment will entail:

http://lowtechatgic1157a4.blogspot.com/
http://writingatbwelsford.blogspot.com
You may notice that I have added links for each of my classmates' blogs; feel free to explore.

Today, I had time in between classes, and I played a word search game I bought for $0.99. I find my small fingers are still a bit clumsy when it comes to "circling" the word, so I usually just put a line through the word.
I also downloaded the Pocket Pond app... how can something so simple be so engaging and addictive! I love the fact that the fish respond to your touch (which ripples the surface of the water).

Day Eight: Return to the classroom

Today, I watched my classmates present their top three apps. I was very surprised to see such a wide array of apps that I had not yet discovered; naively, I thought I had exhausted the literacy apps available on iTunes. I appreciated seeing the various aspects of the reading process on which my peers focused, related to their personal or professional lives. There was of course some overlap, but I also found some new apps, which I downloaded. I’ll focus on some new, free apps:

ABC Letter Tracing – free writing practice; focuses on finite skills.
Alphabooks – teaches sight words, focuses on letter recognition; visually highlights.
SmallTalk Phonemes: this is perfect for SLPs as it shows how each letter in the alphabet is pronounced by showing a picture of the mouth.
Reading Log Kids – students can log up to 60 books and keep track of all the book details.
Pocket Pond – this is great for a reluctant reader to transition them into the activity.
Relaxing sounds of nature – this can help relieve anxiety, or transition a student into a new task, or it can even signal the end of an activity.
iWriteWords – fun, engaging app that shows the user how to write each letter, in order.
3D words – user locates three letter words under time restraints.
Spell That! – teachers can add words to the app and record the pronunciation.

Also, I had already downloaded a whiteboard app, but didn’t know there was an option to collaborate with others (very cool).

I also enjoyed the discussions surrounding the use of assistive technologies to conduct research. As well, these technologies have the potential to reduce the impact of global warming and cut down on costs and save jobs! I hope there are educators from the HRSB reading this blog...