Reflections on our first class

The Assistive Technology course is one I was really looking forward to as part of the Inclusive Education program. Although I've taught for six years now, and have taught many children who could benefit from various forms of assistive technology, my knowledge and practical use of these tools is woefully lacking. Reasons for this include a lack of time to train (either formally through professional development and informally through my own volition), and consequently a resistance towards using these tools and programs because of an ignorance about how to incorporate them into my teaching.

I would say that it was with my most recent class that I started using some assistive technology more regularly. This was in large part thanks to a very supportive and patient resource teacher colleague who took the time to show me the practical use and benefits of using some programs with students. While these were mostly limited to "traditional" PC programs such as Solo and Co-Writer, I witnessed first-hand how students in my third grade class used these to help in their learning.

In addition to finding out more about the various tools themselves, I've already begun to better understand some of the theory and purpose behind assistive technology. The concept of Universal Design for Learning is a concept I find particularly interesting, and as we explore the i-devices and their practical use it will be exciting to see how all students might benefit from these tools.

My main concern continues to be the practical limitations of our school system with respect to progressive technologies. Funding, especially in the current economic climate, is a major factor. While money is available through the use of grants such as PDAF, the availability and use of technology is inconsistent across schools. I'm hopeful that we are entering a period of progress in this area, albeit slow growth

Ten uses for Pic Collage App

1.   Use during a science unit, allowing students to create a collage of the various elements of the unit (e.g. plants at different stages of growth; different types of clouds).

2. Create a visual map of various locations at school, both inside and outside.

3. Create a "class story" featuring the students and the teacher. Could be a sequential story, or a "snapshot in time".

4. Create a virtual, visual "word wall".

5. Use app to demonstrate virtual sorting of various items during Math or Science.

6. Use to visually demonstrate a Language Arts (e.g. grammatical) concept; e.g. verbs (see photo - French Immersion example using various forms of "to love" or "aimer").

7. Enhance poetry or stories with photos.

8. Create a context-appropriate family tree or community tree in Social Studies.

9. Create personalized visual aides for students using photos of students and/or teachers demonstrating actions.

10. Create a visual "day in the life" for a given school routine, e.g. typical Phys Ed class.