My Big Take Aways

My Big Takeaways- 

        Well, this is it!  We have come to the end of our journey. It flew by, but I can hardly remember what it was like before the course started.  I have to admit, I have had technical difficulties, (for example, I am re-writing this, since I just replaced it with my previous post accidentally), but many people have come to my aid.  Which brings me to my first big takeaway, which is collaboration.  Collaboration has been a big movement in Education.  In any profession, it is important to communicate with each other.  
    I think of the old saying that,

 "It takes a village to raise a child."

        There are so many people that are needed to help each child, the Assistive Tech. Specialist, the Occupational Therapist, the Physio Therapist, Speech-Language Pathologist, the Classroom Teacher, the Resource/LC Teacher, the Principal, the Guidance Counselor, etc.  We all must work together in order to make a consistent plan for these children.  
        We did many activities in groups in  this course, and even when we were at odds, we came together and made a fun project.
       My next big takeaway has to do with our mindset.  We have learned so many Apps that are game changers.  They give a voice to a child who doesn't speak.  They help to engage the minds of our reluctant readers and writers.  At one time, we thought that these children simply did not want to work.  Now we know that there are many resources that can make it possible for them.  Here are some Apps that I look forward to using;

 

            
           It is all about providing access.  I think back to the old saying;

"It is the curriculum, and our teaching methods, that have the "disability" , not the children."--- Unknown.

            Once we realize this fact, it means that we have the ability to help these students to produce incredible products.  They will meet their Outcomes and grow by leaps and bounds.  
         Once we have this mindset, it tells us that we can 't just rely on these products that Apple has so graciously provided us with.  We must look around at our surroundings and look for anything that can provide the access that these students do not currently have.  This is why we did the Low Tech. assignment.  We looked through the Dollar Store for any item that can make learning accessible to all.  
         I leave you with this video.  Also, Congratulations to the graduating class of 2015!

 
       
         

Low tech presentations-July 21

Tena and Starr- a baby bottle can be used as rattle, or as a handle for those with fine motor challenges. 

Meaghan and Greg-  Meaghan puts Velcro under the desk. They get very dirty, so they need to be cleaned or replaced.  Hair brushes can be used to hold index cards.

Jasmin and Stephanie- said that cold packs and hot packs are great sensory items.

         Glow sticks can be used as a pack to help students who go into crisis mode, they can use it to calm them down. Their inventions were for holding a key.  They glued some Velcro.

Sonia and Tracey- the pancake squeeze bottle. They thought of a child with Cerebral Palsy and they crazy glued

Ken and Mike thought of luggage straps, to keep them from losing their stuff.  They can use a frisbie to eat on like a plate and not spill it.
      A large magnifying glass can hang around a neck or sit on the table for students that have vision impairment.

Kayla Cotton- she liked tennis balls for a grip, they can go on the bottom of chairs, and some can use them for sensory items. For cooking, her child with CP can use suction cups from a bow and arrow set, to help hold her hold a pan down, to keep it from slipping.

Corbin- a blackboard mug. So he used it to have a non- verbal students to let them communicate.  Corbin made a Wrist holder for a spoon.

 

 Chelsea and Jen- glove can be used to make an IPad touch grip. They also used a grip and a suction cup on the bottom from a bath Mat.

 Jeanette and Sarah-  They used sticky tabs that are transparent, or binder covers or goggles. When a student looks through any of those items, they can see the words more clearly.  It stimulates a part of the brain that helps to unscramble the letters.  The colour can help with Dyslexia,  and it is fun for tracking the words.  Their invention was for drooling. They thought of a chewable necklace and it would help him develop his jaw muscles and it is a good sensory item.

  Francine and Lee-She thought of a grade Primary student a cushion for sitting with neck support, but it can be used for children who fidget, or for core strength, because they can sit on it.

       Their invention was an oven rack "reacher". They thought of a student with restricted movements. It can be used by a person in a wheelchair too.

Heather and Cailyn- The BINGO dobber can be used to help students with fine motor skills.  They can use cups from the dollar store for stacking which is a fine motor practice.  Their inventions were using the chalk boards that can be used with Velcro on the back and make a spot for kids to stick cloth balls onto the Velcro. Students  who fidget may use it.  The phone receiver can be used to give people an easier handle.

July 20,2015

July 20, 2015

Giffin has a very hard time with fine motor skills.  He needs some handy tricks to help him to keep from getting frustrated.      

     It can be very expensive to purchase assistive technology.  So here are some inexpensive ideas to help with that

       The Glow Sticks are for students who have trouble with fine motor skills. This way they can just lay out the letters using Glow sticks to form the letters. 

 

      Griffin may find writing to be a very daunting task. The Ball Scoop is great for practicing fine motor skills. This is particularly good for a student who is non verbal. The Ball Scoop can be used to practice sliding the ball to an answer on a Math worksheet.

         The Glue Dobber is a much larger writing utensil than the pencil, which helps any student who  has a challenge with the hand grip.

        The Muffin Tray is much more sturdy and stable, than a cup or ice-cream carton, for holding paint. Some students The Shaving brush will glide across the page and hold the paint in the bristles from the muffin tin. I'm sorry, the pictures are giving me some technical difficulties, but they should hopefully be loaded in soon.