Reflection of AT...

This is my final Blog for this course. As I reflect upon the past twelve days I have to start by saying that time actually went by pretty quickly and I am genuinely amazed at all of the things that I have learned. 

I recall quite vividly that first day of class when Mrs. Welsford announced that we would need to create Twitter accounts and Tweet daily while in this course. SAY WHAT?
 
Oh my gosh, my panic level went up significantly. Prior to the course starting, I had struggled to get my Blog going. I felt pretty proud of myself that I had accomplished that! Now, you're telling me that I have to Tweet! As with most things technological, as my family can attest to, I panic first and then once I'm calm, I play around with the technology only to find that it wasn't so bad after all. This is what happened with Blogging and Tweeting. I have found both rather easy to use and I can certainly see me using both of these methods of communication in my teaching practice. 

As a non iPad user, I was initially a little intimidated about using the iPad but I can honestly say that I am a convert. I have found the iPad very easy to use, I LOVE all of the built in adaptability options and the Apps that we have worked with in this class have all been fairly easy to use. Each day I have commented in my Blog about the Apps that we have learned and about the discussions that we have had, so I'm not going to do that again here. 

What I am going to do here is thank my classmates for their patience and understanding for all of us non-techies. (Shout out here to Jasmine who somehow within literally five minutes into class became my, along with several others' tech support. Thanks Jasmine) 

I also want to thank Mrs. Welsford for opening up my mind to the wonders of Assistive Technology. Not only did I learn about the myth of average, presumed competency and universal design for learning, I learned how AT can change the lives of so many of our students. Especially our students with low incidence disabilities. 

There are so many aspects of this course that I can and will take back to my daily practice. 

Thanks to all of my fellow AT  friends for making it fun! Enjoy the rest of you summer everyone! WE'RE DONE!

"Dolla Holla" (Thanks for the great phrase Kayla)

So, yesterday I posted about all of the amazing items that Chelsea and I found at the Dollar Store and how we tried to view those items with our assistive technology glasses on. That was a really fun experience and very eye opening. As Mrs. Weslford says, "We won't look at the Dollar Store the same way!" 
 

From all of the items that we found at the Dollar Store, the adapted iPad glove was one of our all time favourites. As is evident from our excitement in this photo! (Chelsea will love me for including this! Sorry Chelsea, I couldn't resist)

A simple winter glove
can be easily modified
to create a smart glove for
use with an iPad or
touchscreen. This is great for finger  isolation and reduces  those pesky accidental hits. 

Our creation:

Our invention has three main features which provide ease of use for our student:   

First: Elastics around the cup provide for easy gripping (resulting in fewer slips and spills) 
 Second: Suctions on the bottom allow for the cup to be stable on a given surface decreasing the possibility of spillage

   Third: The clothespin/straw adapter keeps the straw in place without having to hold it. 

These things combined make drinking easier and more enjoyable.

We created our invention for a student with hand dexterity difficulties and poor hand motor control resulting in jerky movements. Our invention can be used in multiple settings (school, home, restaurants etc.).

 

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We saw some REALLY creative and innovative things today! Everybody really put their thinking caps on for this assignment and definitely did some thinking outside of the box. I was amazed at all of the ideas that I got. From the dinosaur pencil grip, the car pencil holder, the chip clip key holder, the adapted straw holder, the magnifying glass necklace a la"Flavor Flav",
the one handed cooking creation, the modified spoon, the sensory necklace, the adapted seat cushion, the communication board to the zen calming wand.....it was an AT smorgasbord!

iMovie time: When Mrs. Welsford first said that we were going to have to make a trailer using iMovie I'll be honest, I thought there was no way that we would pull this off in 45 minutes. My creative juices had run dry but...as soon as the five of us got together the juices were back! The iMovie app was so incredibly easy to use and so much fun. I can see how this can be used in the classroom to motivate and inspire students to get creative. I really liked the way that Mrs. Welsford had us use the App. In creating our trailer around our three main "take aways" from this course, we reflected on the content of the past twelve days. I can see how using this in the classroom in a similar way would be beneficial. You could have students create iMovies on a specific topic. They would absolutely LOVE this! I really liked that the music and template are already provided. This added to ease of comfort when using the App. I think that everyone made some pretty creative trailers. It's interesting to see different people's take on the same task. Here is our movie. Enjoy.

We all agreed rather quickly that our three take aways from this course were: 
1. -The Myth of Average -  the idea that there is no average and therefore trying to fit our students in to the 'average' mold is simply NOT possible. 
2. Presume Competency - This was a term that I had never heard before this course but boy am I glad that I have heard it. It means,
assume your student is aware and able to understand even though they may not show this to you in a way that you are able to recognize or understand. Assume your students can understand when they are being spoken of and to. Talk to your students like you would ANY student. Treat your students with respect and as an equal without pity or infantilization.
3. Universal Design for Learning - creating curriculum that provides multiple ways of representation, expression and engagement. 

I hope that you enjoyed our video and our creation! I certainly enjoyed all of yours. 
Thanks

Creative Minds???

The term 'assistive technology' refers to 'any device or system that allows an individual to perform a task that they would otherwise be unable to do, or increases the ease and safety with which the task can be performed' (Royal Commission on Long Term Care, 1999). With this in mind, Chelsea and I set off to the Dollar Store to get our creative freak on! Our task was to find 10 items "off the shelf" and use them in a creative as assistive technology. Here is what we came up with...

Metal craft rings can be attached to zippers for easy grasping and zippering of coats, pants or pencil cases. This would benefit any students with fine motor strength and/or control issues. And of  course they could also be used in their traditional way—keeping hole punched cards or task strips together! 

Foam craft sticks can be customized by putting horizontal slits
in the foam to be used as a holder for cards for students who
do not have the hard dexterity to do so. The cards are propped
up by the noodle making it easily visible to students with limited
neck mobility.

This picture frame can be used for multiple purposes. The picture frame can be put over student work to highlight particular sections for students to focus on. It can also help the student stay within a certain portion of the page while blocking out any unnecessary or distracting  information on the page.  Because it is magnetic, it can also be used on a cookie sheet to serve the same
purpose while at the same time holding students work in place. This would be helpful for a student with attention difficulties or issues with visual and spatial awareness. Putting it on a magnetic tray to hold the worksheet in place is beneficial for students with motor control issues. 

This Velcro glove can be used for any students who have trouble
 firmly gripping and holding onto objects. Velcro strips can be
added to students materials so that they can pick them up with
the use of the glove. The Velcro glove and ball can also be used
in gym class to catch balls which in turn helps develop hand eye
 coordination. Velcro strips can also be added to other gym
equipment such as a bat, other balls or a racquet for additional grip.

A binder has multiple uses. It can be used as a slant board to provide increased visual access and decrease eye and neck fatigue. A shelf liner can be put under the binder so it does not slip and a clip can be glued to the top of it to hold papers in place.  The binder can also be used to prop a student`s arm which is beneficial for students who press hard when writing which results in slow printing and hand fatigue. 

Bottle tops can be used on cans for students with poor motor control who risk spilling liquids. This would be beneficial not only for drinks, but also for craft supplies or materials such as paint or glue.  

A spray bottle can be used to strengthen and provide individual
 finger or overall hand and dexterity practice. This also helps to encourage using separate sides of the hand which impacts fine motor skills such as writing, buttons, scissor skills etc. 

This portable and adjustable desktop stand can be used to prop up
an iPad or any books for students with visual impairments or again,
with limited neck mobility. Hinges can be adjusted and secured
depending on the size of the item. 

 

A rug pad can be used to stabilize all sorts of materials
including binders, books, math manipulatives, cups,
plates and other utensils. These pads/liners make sure that
whatever is placed on them don`t move. This is great for students
with cerebral palsy or poor motor control because it can be
placed on their desk and used throughout the day. The pad can
the students work space in its entirety or cut to fit a certain size. Students will have to do less work by holding notebooks etc in place or trying to keep their pencil from rolling off the desk.

A simple winter glove can be adapted for the use of an iPad to
prevent accidental hits or activation for individuals or students
who have difficulty with finger isolation and poor motor control.
By cutting off a finger in the glove, this limits the hits that the
 iPad will respond to. 

Because of this assignment, I will no longer look at everyday items in the same way. I am now looking at everything in terms of how they can be used as assistive technology.

Assistive technology ranges from very simple tools, such as calendar clocks and touch lamps, to high-tech solutions such as satellite navigation systems to help find someone who has gone missing. As you can see from the items above, we have opted for the simple tools. During the process, it was hard to not look at every single item in the store as a potential AT tool. We started to really over think things and had to remind ourselves to keep it simple. 

 

Can't wait to see the unveiling of the many AT inventions tomorrow.