Technically Speaking

Some takeaways from our last class: 1. Unite for Literacy website is an impressive site that is free and excellent for early and beginning readers. It includes great features, like narration. Each book can be read aloud to the reader. But the reader may find it tricky to follow along to the words as the words are not highlighted as they are read aloud. Another feature is the selection of languages the stories can be read it. This makes me think of the early french learners in our school system. I know some teachers find it challenging to find good french resources, but look no further, this is a great one to use! Another great feature is the broad categories of topics, and the use of realistic pictures in the stories. There is sure to be a topic every student will like on this site.                                  ...

In our third class we dove deeper into understand Universal Design for Learning. What is UDL? This is a question that gets asked often. The answer is that UDL is a set of principles or framework optimized to give all individuals an opportunity to learn. The Cast website provides us with a great overview and explanation of UDL. Let's have a dinner party! During this class activity we had to plan a meal for many people with dietary restrictions. Planning a meal with many restrictions faced us with a challenge. But once we thought about it, we thought that keeping it simple with options might be best. This in activity, related to accommodating many different students with a variety of needs in the classroom. This activity really showcases the importance of really knowing our students, their strengths and needs. Especially areas they need help in, and getting them the appropriate assistance they need. The Dinner Party Analogy is explained by Katie Novak.   Google R...

In this article by Leslie Broun, it was written out of personal and professional experience of allowing students with ASD to use keyboards in the classroom. I'm sure as we were all reading, we thought of a student, or many, who struggle with paper and pencil writing activities, and who would benefit from the use of a keyboard. Broun explains that many students struggle with physical act of printing and the writing process. These difficulties interfere with their academic performance. Some students never grasp the skills to use pencil and paper to express their thoughts. The inability to form letters correctly is call dysgraphia or dyscriptia (printing and writing). Some students with ASD also struggle with the motor tasks of printing and writing. Theses students who struggle can lose out in other areas such as academic participation and sometimes demonstrate poor behavior. But, with the simple substitution of a keyboard, these students can flourish. Having computer devices in a...

Three take aways from class #2 Using the understood.org website to view a students struggles through their eyes was an eye opening activity. Being able to hear from a child's point of view of how they feel, really puts it into perspective as to how challenging and frustrating it can be for them. Being able to try and complete a task using the simulator was a good way to try and understand how their brains work.  Click here to bring you to the site to try a different simulation.  Through your child's eyes   I really liked that we each had to create a slide in Google Slides of one website or app that relates to Remedial Reading. Completing collaborate activities like this allows of each of us to share what we are doing in our classrooms. It also lets us learn about new or different resources we didn't know existed. Since we completed it in a Google Slide, we will have access to it whenever we need. The IPad Accessibility Options for Apple. I had no idea there is so...

Palmquist and Prenevost pose a very important question. The first question that any educator should ask "What needs do my students have in literacy?". Identifying a students needs is step one in setting them up for success. Each student has different levels of need and support, how they access these supports is up to us. Matching the students needs to the correct accommodations and/or modifications, and right assistive technology is crucial. I believe this is the most important thing. Without being identified and assessed properly, students get given technology that is not beneficial to them. The five pillars of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension) are discussed right away. They point out the importance of these reading skills, and they all of them need to be considered when developing a students literacy skills. It often happens that phonemic awareness and phonics become a big focus for those struggling students, and sometimes the re...

Myth of Average When talking about the jagged learning profile, the visual Todd Rose shows us on screen really puts it into perspective for us. It really visualizes that no child is average, and does not fit into one given set of criteria. Each child is made up of a set of unique characteristics, and to think we can put each child into an average category in unlikely. All children learn differently, and at different paces. So how can we place any one child into a set average category for learning?  The importance of being flexible for your students is another point I took away from this video. Being able to work with their strengths and building up their needs in a way that is suitable for them is important in their success. Being flexible is teaching to all your students. Average destroys talent. This really stuck with me when it was talked about in the video. There are so many students who have amazing talents. Sometimes these talents may not fit into the curriculum so they g...