Final Blog Post

This is the final blog entry of this course and the learning that has occurred over the last three weeks and the connections made to colleagues was awesome!  I have a new found perspective on assistive technology.  We have looked at presumed competence, universal design for learning and many aspects of creativity within a resource classroom.  Each of the areas that we covered showcased different areas of learning for me and this last post will give you some of those highlights that resonated with me.

Presumed Competencies:

The area that I think about when I hear the term presumed competencies is that the phrase, "never judge a book by its cover."  This is definitely a critical piece to understanding what students can actually bring to the classroom in terms of skills and knowledge.  We often take for granted or assume that students are unable to do certain tasks because they are in a wheelchair as an example.  These types of attitudes need to be converted to the belief that every student has the right and ability to learn educational concepts but may need an assistive piece of technology to make things happen.

The technology platform that highlighted and supported this process was the Proloquo2go App on the iPad. I found this activity to be very enlightening and when I watched the video of "Lisa" it opened my mind to how I perceived a student/adult with a non-verbal impediment.  I am beginning to understand this quote moreso now than when I originally posted it.  The technology provides a means of communication for the non-verbal individual but more importantly the individual could already communicate, I just wasn't listening.  

Universal Design For Learning: 

Creating a learning environment that models and uses opportunities for universal design for learning is important to recognize in today's school environment.  As a classroom teacher and school leader it is important to build positive working environment for your students.  The need to be open minded to what students can learn and want to learn is an everyday balancing act.  During this course we have seen our classmates analyze student profiles and subsequently build a resume/portfolio for that student.

What I took from this activity is that students with an LD can be functioning parts of our society as a whole if given the right positive and supportive environment.  As we looked at building student resumes/portfolios it made me wonder about my own students in my own school.  As a case in point, we have one student who has down syndrome and her speech patterns have a small delay.  She is a wonderful and caring student who loves to be at school but she will be graduating next year and the activity of building a resume/portfolio would be perfect for her transition into the work world.  She loves horses and other farm animals and she would be very capable of creating a book creator portfolio if guided.  Consequently, I will be speaking with my resource teacher about getting this underway for this student.

From my perspective, this course has opened my eyes about being aware of my students needs by designing/using items that would benefit students.  The uses of book creator, clicker sentences and tools4students are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to assistive technology that is available.

Creativity:  

This piece is probably the most oft used umbrella term in this course but it is a significant piece of the overall puzzle.  We need to look at our surroundings in our classrooms and schools to help build a quality learning environment.  This environment can be supported by building technology competencies using the iPad and its various apps and also to look at some low tech assistive tech if resources are scarce.  I find that teachers are inventors, technologists, and motivators, each of these pieces are part of the overall umbrella term of creativity because without creativity teachers don't grow professionally.

We need to be able to fit in the creativity at times in our day to build professional teaching practice.  It is also important to note that learning models are changing on a daily basis and we as teachers and school leaders must have the ability to adapt to these changes and be CREATIVE when needed to solve emergent issues or problems.  


The video trailer below is a snapshot of what I have learned during this course.  I want to thank my classmates for the ingenuity and creativity that you showed me over the last three weeks!  It was a pleasure working and learning from you.

Tech Man Video - What We Learned in EDUC 5173

Invention Day

Assistive technology in the making!  Today was invention day in class and so many different devices to choose from for students with visual impairments to fine motor skills were thought of today.  I was impressed with the creativity of these inventions and the energy that my classmates showed.  As a classroom teacher and principal I have seen so much ingenuity in this course that it makes me feel that students with special needs will have the supports necessary to be successful.  I also have many ideas to bring back to my learning resource teacher for her students.



#5173access Inventions:

reading magnifiers
key grips
pencil grips
frying pan grips
utensil grips
straw holder grips
rubberized necklace for self regulation
oven grabber
chalkboard and foam letter response plaque

The group did a wonderful job creating and designing new technologies for students with supportive needs!  I hope that this energy continues in their classrooms.

Dragon's Den will be knocking on the doors of these awesome inventions!  

Key Gripper Clipper

Francine's Oven Grabber

Corbin's Spoon

Heather's and Cailyn's response board

Cooking with Kayla

Pencil Grips!

There were other great inventions during this class but these were some of my of my favorites.  Great job everyone!

Task B - AT Invention - Reading Magnifier

Reading Magnifier - Invention

This activity proved to be a fun and imagination filled time with my partner Michael Corbett.  Creating this invention took us on a journey around Halifax to a Walmart and a number of Lawton and Shopper's Drug Mart pharmacies.  A journey that ended a two hour search for pieces to build this assistive technology item!  What we constructed was a reading magnifier with a few modifications.  The reading magnifier that we constructed was to support an individual with a vision impairment.  The following items were used to construct the reading magnifier:

1) clothes hangar
2) ribbon
3) cross stitching hoop
4) sheet magnifier
5) hot glue

Although a reading magnifier is something that exists already we decided to build a prototype of a new version of a reading magnifier with a few enhancements.  Each of these enhancements brings The new and improved reading magnifier has the following enhancements:

1) The ribbon is used to hang the device around the users neck for mobility. This ribbon could be upgraded using a padded neck support for comfort.
2) The clothes hangar rests on the users chest or belly.  This clothes hangar could also have padding to make it more comfortable for the user.
3) When these two things happen than the user can begin reading at their leisure :).

This invention has helped individuals with visual impairments read more easily.  We added the ribbon to allow readers to use this as a mobile device if needed.  The modification to the coat hangar allows this item to be propped up and allow reading to occur on a flat surface.  This item with these modifications will make reading much easier and enjoyable for the user.

So, with this awesome new and improved low tech device, what could a teacher do with it?

The teaching of reading with a magnifier:

Positive modelling is often neglected for students with vision impairments because they are invariably the only student with vision problems in their school. Students need the opportunity to meet with and observe proficient readers with magnifiers. It is difficult to be confident about mastering a new skill if you’ve never known anyone else capable of it.

Magnifiers or large print

Teachers have all observed huge variation between skills of vision impaired students who use magnifiers. There are many non-users, some refuters, those who use them for reading labels and diagrams only and some who read everything with them. 

So, why should students use magnifiers?

Disadvantages for users of large print

• enlarging can emphasize the imperfections in print
• pictures are in black & white (and shades of grey)
• labels on graphics or maths symbols may need further enlargement
• large print books are very bulky, especially textbooks

Advantages for users of large print

• little or no instruction is needed to use LP
• a Low Vision Clinic evaluation is not required for LP
• student may be less self-conscious when reading LP (doesn’t need to use any special aids)
• LP books are funded by the production agency, whereas parental or other funding is required for magnifiers

Disadvantages for users of magnifiers

• magnifiers should be prescribed by Optometrist
• magnifiers and clinical appointments are usually funded by parents
• the cosmetics of magnifiers may cause self-consciousness
• optical problems associated with the optics of magnifiers need to be tolerated
• instruction is required in use of magnifier
• some time and commitment is required if student is to attain skill
• reading speed and comprehension will probably be reduced in early stages of use

Advantages of magnifiers

• magnifiers allow immediate access to print anywhere
• maps and graphics can be viewed in true colours
• lower overall cost per child than LP
• lighter and more portable than LP
• no ordering and waiting time for materials
• may be more cosmetically desirable than using huge books
• allow greater independence (and choice in reading materials!)
• can be used post school

I believe these last two points make the teaching of efficient magnifier use essential for many of our students. Magnifiers offer our students more independence and options for literacy at and after school.

This was a very interesting activity to complete and I have added to my knowledge and awareness of assistive technology.  As a high school principal, I will be looking at creating more support for my students that require assistive technology and other supports for academic success.  My learning resource teacher will be having many conversations with me in the upcoming school year on how to best support students with assistive technology where needed :)!

Task A - AT Seekers and AT Inventors

Our final assignment in this course was to scour the shelves of local stores such as the Dollar Store and/or Walmart.  As my partner Michael Corbett said in his blog, it was a cold and rainy Sunday morning in Halifax.  The purpose of this assignment was to find items that could be used to assist students with adaptive needs.

 Item #1: Luggage Straps

Luggage straps for any student could be used to help organize and hold things inside a binder.  With smaller luggage straps a student could neatly organize a binder and secure a laptop, cellphone, ipad, calculator and earphones (small ear buds variety).  We all know students need to be organizing their new electronics.

 Item #2: Thick Glue or Texture glue

The art classroom can be a place of discovery for students with visual disabilities and that is where the item of thick glue/textured glue can enhance the experience of a visually impaired student.  The thickness of the glue allows the student to create finished projects that they can feel and therefore find success in a classroom that is often a place for regular students.

 Item #3: Fanny Pack

The ever popular fanny pack!  This item has transcended time and has served many different uses in other areas of mankind's existence, but in the classroom this item is a multi-faceted carrying case for pencils, it could serve as a holder for medical needs of a student, such as an epi-pen or prescription drugs of students.  The fanny pack is making a re-surgence!

 Item #4: Frisbee

A frisbee has multiple uses in a classroom context, one of the primary uses as a throwing device in a frisbee golf game.  However, if you flip the frisbee over it becomes an adaptive dinner plate for a student who does not have fine motor skills to pick up food off of a regular plate.  The raised edges would allow the student to hopefully not lose the food onto the floor of the cafeteria.  The frisbees ability to be multi-functional continues to amaze me!

 Item #5: Hair Scrunchy

I personally have no use for a hair scrunchy as I am balding middle aged man who does not need it.  But for a student who may have a cortical visual impairment, a colourful scrunchy is just what they might need to keep them focused on a task of drinking from a water bottle.  The CVI problem is a depth perception issue within the eyes and thereby limiting vision.  With a well-placed scrunchy, a water bottle and its contents would end up in the users mouth as opposed to on its lap :).

 Item #6: Painting Canvas

A painting canvas is a great way to help students learn about grid patterns.  If a teacher or EPA were to place a grid on the canvas, the student could then paint within the lines creating a pre-formed/designed piece of art.  Students with visual impairments or spatial acuity issues can use these grids to fill with paint and thereby create cool pieces of art for the local school gallery.

 Item #7: Baby Ice Cube tray

An ice cube tray could be used as a math aide.  You could write 2-digit numbers on white labels for each hole, kids toss a cube in each tray and add numbers together on recording sheet or whiteboard.  It is a tactile and fun game that students could use to learn math.  This type of activity can engage students with math difficulties in an unconventional addition game.

 Item #8: Rug Hook

Students who have issues with fine motor skills could use this rug hook to help with pulling a pre-tied shoelace tighter.  Or it could be used to close a pencil case.  A student with a chiari malformation could use this item to help as their fine and graphomotor skills can be hindered.

 Item #9: Shoe Horn

Shoe horn...what to do with this item?  We thought as the photo shows it could be used as a brace or support for student with with tremors associated with essential tremor or Parkinson's disease can sometimes be an arduous task, and at times, near impossible.  This type of stabilization can help overcome this barrier.



Item #10: Stress Ball

Developmental dyspraxia can cause issues in the ability for students to grasp small items such as a pencil.  The item pictured is a stress ball with a pencil through it.  This adaptation could be used to help those with a developmental coordination disorder to function and complete writing tasks that require a pen or pencil.



After completing Task A of assignment #3, Michael Corbett and I have begun construction of an invention that I think will wow your senses...well at least your visual senses :).  The activity today really showed me that assistive technology is everywhere and also that many items in our department stores are not adequate for individuals with disabilities.  Within a classroom environment and certainly from a larger school perspective, I am more conscious of the needs of students who require assistive technology. I also found that it was relatively inexpensive to build an invention that could serve a need within the classroom environment.

Invention day is almost upon us.

Presentation Friday!

Presentation days are meant to create an atmosphere of professional development that is usually not seen unless you are at a teachers convention or teacher fairs.  I look forward to days like this that allow colleagues to share ideas on similar topics.  It was also interesting to see how others interpreted the same student profile that we were assigned.

As presentations were occurring, I was thinking about how my school and teachers address students with special needs.  The technologies that we have been introduced to over the last two weeks has opened my mind to building a plan for students.  In my school next year, we will be building a collaborative response model of intervention for students who need extra assistance.  This model is similar to collaborative models of team meetings that are present here in Nova Scotia.  The hope is to create a model of sharing knowledge between teacher teams at the high school level for students with high needs.  I am hoping to support this model of collaboration that I have seen my classmates employ.  

Further to this, the group presentations that occurred today are very encouraging in that teacher awareness and team building is present at the school level. As a school principal, a model of collaboration is critical to the success of serving our students to the best of our abilities.  Core concepts that I have pulled from today's class include:

1) Collaborative models of student intervention teams.

2) Resume/portfolio construction for students with special needs.

I am looking forward to the final assignment! The trip to the dollar store should prove to be another intriguing assignment.  Time to put on my inventors hat!

Resumes...a different spin??

To paraphrase a colloquialism, "not all resumes are built the same".  The purpose of this weeks activity is to be mindful that resume construction for a low incidence disabled student can take many forms.  

Using the neuro-development checklists helped our group build a portfolio for the student that we were assigned.  I found this activity to be very enlightening in that it connected several key aspects of what students like "Jessica" deal with on a daily basis.  As I reflect on this activity, supporting the resource teacher is imperative to the success of students like Jessica.

Which brings to mind a thought about the concept of pre-teaching especially when it comes to using new technology.  Correctly framing how technology is used and taught can bring about different outcomes to the activity.  I look forward to seeing how others in this course interpreted the use of technology and how it supports the student moving forward.

Choosing the right apps for the right student!

App selection can be a lengthy process as it pertains to supporting students.  The apps that we explored today included book creator, clicker sentences, tools4students and pages.  Although this scratches the surface of assistive apps, the focus of today was to utilize one of these four apps for the case student that we selected in a previous class.

The functionality of these apps for low incidence disability students is critical to teachers. Some core questions that I have relating to these apps are:

1) IPP's - How would these apps be supported within IPPs?  Teachers reading student IPPs of emergent student learners need to be versed in the use of these apps?  Where do we find time to teach EAs and students?

2) Tech support - Teacher pre-knowledge of these apps is important to the success of these apps in a classroom context.  Lindsey was well versed in these apps and that made it easier to build items within each of these apps.

3) Teacher prompting - this would be needed to assist the student.  Where do we draw the line to allow the student to explore these apps on there own?  

I look forward to building more knowledge of these apps to construct a resume for a low incidence disability students.

Literacy and Low Incidence Disability

Literacy and low incidence disabilities is the focus of this weeks project.  The task is to build a resume or portfolio for individuals with a literacy and low incidence disability.  As I think about the construction of a resume/portfolio is a very complex task for students with special needs.  There are several questions that resonate with me as we began today's activity:

Questions:

1. Learning effective techniques to help students build a resume.  Are there specific apps that allow for ease of construction based on student skill sets?
2. How to support resource/inclusive education teachers with appropriate technology for use with their students?
3. What are effective strategies for resume writing for students with disabilities?
4. How do literacy skills impact the effectiveness of communication?

Today we had the chance to look at a student profile to build a neuro-developmental checklist.  This activity will allow us to connect to an app that will help our student build a resume/portfolio.  The following items are some salient points of discussion that I hope to discover over the course of the week.

- mother languages - word reading and reading comprehension social routines
- capabilities of students - perception
- valued literacy
- expressing literacy skills - setup for success - challenge them
- Literacy is an intense social skill

This list holds special interest for me as I want to be able to use a similar checklist in my school.  As we continue this activity, I am further interested in developing more effective approaches to literacy development.  The idea of targeting functional academic skills and strength based approach.

Let the resume writing begin!

Proloquo2go - Assignment #1 Day

Today we had the opportunity to build an assistive language board for a non verbal individual based on the following video.  Lisa is a single parent with a 6 year old son.  After watching this video, I had a profound sense of admiration for Lisa as she has made her life what it can be with the use of the assistive technology of Proloquo2go.  These types of technologies are meant to enhance ones life and allow individuals like Lisa to thrive and live.  I can't imagine what it would be like to be without speech, have a child and be going to university.

As we continue learning about assistive technology and its applications to enhancing the lives of those who need it, I can't help but think about the students who are in my school that could benefit from these types of technologies.  The app Proloquo2go is just one of the many apps that can be used by non-verbal communicators.  It provides these individuals a vehicle to express themselves in a society that is geared towards verbal communication.  The idea of using selection sets of text, images and descriptive speech has opened a new world for people like Lisa and her son.

When looking at our first assignment, I had to visualize in my mind how I would build the storyboards and contextualize vocabulary that would be used for my portion of the groups assignment.  It is a unique activity that all inclusive education/resource teachers need to become familiar with.  I strongly believe that the professional development time must be given to those who have the most impact on the student learner.  To that end, inclusive education/resource teachers must be given the opportunity to become fluent in the support of these technologies should the need arise.


Although Lisa is an adult learner, she has many of the same issues an elementary or high school student with the same disability.  As such, the same supports should be available to her as well.  The quote below summarizes the activity and assignment of today but as educators who can effect change in a students life, it is imperative that we do the best we can for those that need it the most.

Communication Skills - Huh...what is it good for...absolutely everything!

Communication skill development is a crucial piece to creating yet another layer to the environments that we create in our schools.  As a classroom teacher, I have to be cognizant of what levels of ability students can bring to the table.  Today we looked at Proloquo2go and its functionality for students with speech deficiencies.  This speech tool can be a comprehensive and very useful tool for the classroom.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is the term used to describe various methods of communication that can ‘add-on’ to speech and are used to get around problems with ordinary speech. 

AAC includes simple systems such as pictures, gestures and pointing, as well as more complex techniques involving powerful computer technology.  Some kinds of AAC are actually part of everyone's communication, for example: waving goodbye; giving a 'thumbs up' instead of speaking; pointing to a picture or gesturing in a foreign country. However, some people have to rely on AAC most of the time.

Different types of AAC

• No-tech communication does not involve any additional equipment - hence it is  sometimes referred to as 'unaided communication'. Examples are: body language, gestures, pointing, eye pointing, facial expressions, vocalizations, signing.
• Low-tech communication systems do not need a battery to function and include: pen and paper to write messages or draw; alphabet and word boards; communication charts or books with pictures, photos and symbols; particular objects used to stand for what the person needs to understand or say. This is sometimes referred to as 'aided communication' because additional equipment is required.
• High-tech communication systems need power from a battery or mains. Most of them speak and/or produce text. They range from simple buttons or pages that speak when touched, to very sophisticated systems. Some high-tech communication systems are based on familiar equipment such as mobile devices, tablets and laptops, others use equipment specially designed to support communication. This is sometimes referred to as 'aided communication' because additional equipment is required.

Frequently asked questions

What reading and spelling skills are needed?
Some people use spelling to create messages, but good reading and spelling skills are not essential for AAC because there are powerful systems based on using symbols, pictures, photos or objects instead.

What is the best kind of AAC system to use?
There is no ‘best’ type of AAC system. Each system has its own pros and cons; the most suitable one for an individual will depend on their abilities, needs and personal preferences. Many people have more than one AAC method, and choose which to use depending on the listener and the particular situation.

What about people who can’t press keys?
There are lots of solutions for people who would have difficulty physically operating a piece of equipment. Accessibility options include a keyguard, a pointer, a switch to control a scanning system or even an eye gaze controller. 

How do people get the AAC system that they need?
There are many options so it is a good idea to get specialist advice in order to identify the most appropriate AAC system or systems. The starting point is usually to contact the local speech and language therapy service. They may be able to help, or may refer on to a specialist AAC service.

These questions are some of the FAQ's that I have about the uses of assistive technology and the apps that accompany them.  More food for thought!

Summer Conference -

Summer conference is always a day of opportunity to continue learn and enhance ones teaching practice by taking the opportunity to listen to different perspectives of respected colleagues, professors and researchers.  I am always intrigued by this day as it is my second summer at Acadia and this year had its own spin on the content that was presented.

The sessions that I attended each held pieces that I could add to my teaching and leadership practice moving forward.  The first of these sessions was presented Dr. Michael Corbett, a well respected Acadia teaching alumni who is now in Tasmania.  His discussion focused on the improvisation of globalization and its impact on the rural countryside.  I find that this topic was very useful for me in that it highlighted some salient points of where I teach as well.  I teach in a rural high school on the outskirts of a bustling industrial city in Alberta.  My town serves a community of both the agriculture and oil and gas industries.  Although, we have much more economic prosperity than our cousins here in Nova Scotia, Albertans are still faced with same challenges with policy, as an example.  Dr. Corbett discussed the need to piece together a "third space" that was intersubjective, mutable, emergent and political in nature.  This statement is very prudent because as a school leader, the flexibility to deal with emergent situations is critical to the success of a school and how it serves its community.

I also found that Dr. Corbett's discussion about interpretive capacity and its inter-connectedness with neo-liberalism to be very fascinating as he discussed the need to break the mold and to "trust the learner to make something valuable."  This statement resonated with me in that one must be mindful of the community dynamics they serve and to make decisions that best serve the needs of the students.

The next session was led by Joanne Syms on "Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in Schools".  The takeaways that I pulled from this session revolved around the concepts of gender expression where policing this expression has become an integral piece of department of educations across the country.  Alberta has something very similar to the Guidelines for supporting transgender and gender non conforming students and these types of documents are meant to build awareness and educate those who are resistant to the obvious changes within our society.  I found it very interesting about the following stats in that schools in Nova Scotia are more forward thinking than they give themselves credit for:

GSAs - stats...grade 7-12...164 schools in NS...104 have GSAs.  54/84 high schools have GSAs

I found these numbers although not perfect to be very enlightening.  The last piece I took from this discussion was the aboriginal piece of a two-spirited perspective when it came to transgendered students.  In my school, we have a significant lesbian population of first nations students and it is an accepted cultural norm of which I feel very fortunate about.  The acceptance that I see on a daily basis regarding gender identity is very refreshing, given my school is in a very rural Northwestern Alberta setting.

The last session dealt with a panel of individuals representing three separate intergovernmental agencies.  The topic of discussion was the importance of highlighting the work of these agencies to best meet the needs of the students, parents and communities we serve.  Areas of interest from this presentation was a discussion of restorative approaches in education whereby school boards, mental health and site based leaders can come together to serve our communities better.  Phrases such as collaboration, horizontal changes, navigating crisis to effectively support students were the three nuggets that I found to be the most salient points of this last session.

The day was filled with conversations and pieces that can be built into any school board and I found myself envisioning the steps that these organizations are taking and what my own equivalent organizations in Alberta are doing.  I feel that Alberta utilizes much of what Nova Scotia's DOE is embarking on now and its nice to hear different perspectives of other educational officers.

A great day of learning and reflection for me today.

Universal Design For All Students

Using adaptive technologies to enhance the classroom is critical to developing an environment of quality learning.  The purpose of creating this environment is to engage students and staff in looking beyond what they have for established teaching practice.

The Ted talk (http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/The-Myth-of-Average-Todd-Rose-a)  below discusses the concept of the myth of averages and that we should not "pigeon hole" students into fitting a norm.  Students are jagged and bring different sets of skills to school everyday.  Todd Rose, the speaker within this Ted talk wants teachers to build practice that is adaptable and I would definitely concur with him.


In my school, we are in the process of creating a quality learning environment by engaging students in the practice of such things as formative assessment and technology integration of a one to one model.  Technology is a core component to creating this environment and even restructuring a classroom with new desks can create the necessary changes to build on student achievement.


The question was asked, "how much of this problem of classroom environment is just bad design?"  When I answer this question, it revolves around the following ideas of:

1) Nurturing individual potential – every single student has a jagged learning profile.

2) “Average destroys talent” – educational environment needs to be able to challenge

3) Design to edges -  a bold move to produce a “game changer”

These salient points of discussion stem from the Ted talk and our class discussion today.  It is important to recognize that students need to be engaged to enhance performance and that this is possible through creating adaptive learning environments.  Technology such as iPads that can definitely support the ability of students with varying learning profiles to meet the outcomes of the curriculum. 

Items like and apps like 1) Poll Everywhere.com – creates word clouds  - instant feedback and 2) Book creator, are just a few of the adaptive technology pieces that can enhance the classroom.  It is up to the school leader and classroom teachers to build environments where students can thrive and explore the disciplines that are offered at any specific school.

The learning continues...:)

Meet and Greet Activity - 5 Ways to use Tellagami in a classroom

It is important to understand that classrooms are meant to be places of learning for all and the rapid growth of the technology that we see today makes producing a quality learning environment for any student is now possible.  I look forward to learning more about assistive technology during this course to fuse what I am doing in my school as a school principal and in my classroom.

Today we were given a brief tutorial on the showbie.com content management system.  I am impressed with the content management ability of this site.  It has multiple tools to design and load material. I look forward to using this platform to create content for this course.  As someone who values technology, this is yet another tool that I can add to my technology toolkit.

In our opening introductory activity we were tasked with pairing up and using an assigned app to introduce ourselves to the class.  The app that we chose was called Tellagami.  The functionality that this app offered was straightforward and easy to use.  I feel that technology must have the seamless ability to engage students immediately and this app certainly did that.  I also found that app could have multiple usages within the context of a classroom.  The following list includes some ideas of what could be used in the classroom.

5 Ways to Use Tellagami in the Classroom:

Activity #1: Video Introduction Activity

Activity #2: Physical Education Lesson

Activity #3: Recite a famous poem or speech

Activity #4: Speak in Spanish, French, Mandarin or any language

Activity #5: Take a trip back in time or into the future.

I have included the following blog post from a teacher in Texas named Candice.  She gives a positive analysis of the Tellagami app and includes a brief synopsis of the other functions of this app as it pertains to creating an opportunity via Tellagami to engage students.

http://innovateinstructinspire.blogspot.ca/2014/06/tellagami.html


I look forward to learning more about assistive technologies over the next 12 class days and take what I have learned back to my school and province.

Cheers,

Ken

Acadia part two

Heading into my last two courses of my masters degree in educational leadership this summer.  I'm excited to meet new colleagues and experience new sites and sounds of Wolfville and the rest of Nova Scotia.