Our Love Affair with iPads Continues...

"Shake it like a salt shaker."

We continue to be happy, excited, and amazed at the uses of the iPad in our classroom.  The iPads have not lost their luster for us and we're continuing to find more educational uses every day!

1. We're examining using the iPad as an augmentative communication device.  We're working with our county communication specialist and trialing other devices, but we're particularly in love with the iPad for one student.  And, the student is in love with the iPad as well!

A bit of background- "Student" started trialing the BoardMaker Activity Pad as a communication device.  This is a low tech device that is not commonly used for communication, but it was the best we could do to start.  He has formerly tried the Tech Speak.  Then, we tried the Dynavox Xpress, my personal favorite.  Another student in our class uses this and I am a big fan.  It's easy to program, easy to use, easy to learn, small, light, easy to carry, etc., etc.  Next, we tried the FRC ComLink.  We were happy with this, but it had more disadvantages for our student than the Dynavox Xpress.  Then, while we were waiting to try the iPod Touch from the county, we received a grant from the BBH Schools Foundation for 2 iPads for our classroom (THANK YOU!).   At that time, we decided to have "student" use the iPad and see how it went.

We thought "Proloquo2Go" would be best, but couldn't put out the $189 it cost.  We also discovered that "student" loved to type and is a great speller, so we decided on "Speakit!" instead.  $1.99 or less is right up our alley!

To make a long story short, we went back to the Dynavox Xpress to see if "student" would access the keypad.

Then, after two days with the Dynavox Xpress, "student" used the device to say he felt "mad."  I thought for a minute and asked him "Do you feel mad because I gave you this talker?"  He typed "yes."

I asked "student,"  "Would you be happy if I gave you the iPad back?"  He typed, "happy."

I handed him the iPad.  He turned it on, swiped to unlock it, found the Speakit! App, and typed "i am happy."

Could it be more perfect?  He advocated for himself.  Done.

2. We've started to "microblog" on Twitter.com.  Students are now typing sentences, with reminders for correct capitalization and punctuation, on twitter!  We attempt to "tweet" regularly, and we enjoy when people tweet us back.  We are also hoping to attract more of our parents to twitter this way as well.  You can follow us @Room5Friends.

3. The iPad is one more tool in our toolbox for SHARING!  Because one "student" often takes one iPad with him to specials classes as his augmentative communication device, we sometimes only have one iPad left in the classroom.  This can only mean one thing- we will need to share!  And what a great tool to learn on!

Here's our action research:  Two students wanting to use the iPad during "choice time," and only one iPad available.  Both students have "engaging in parallel or cooperative play with other students" written in their IEP objectives.  Let's see what they can do.  We placed the iPad in front of them as a type of authentic assessment.  We said, "Now boys, we need to share.  Johnny can play one game, and then pass to Jack for one game."  We proceeded to walk away.

The special education aide and I watched from 4 feet away.  Johnny started with Thomas the Tank Engine Game pack and played one game of Thomas memory.  He slid the iPad to Jack.  Jack played one puzzle on the game pack.  He slid the iPad back to John.  John clicked out and went to the 5 Little Monkeys App.  Both boys delighted in the songs.  When it was over, John slid the iPad back to Jack.  Jack did another Thomas puzzle.  Then, luckily, it was lunch time.  How awesome!

4. We're going to begin reading a chapter book solely on the iPad.  Beezus and Ramona, here we come!  Although we'll supplement this chapter book with many visuals and other activities, we will be reading this book in class on two iPads and a Kindle.  Reading books in more than one medium?  Who would've ever thought that a ten year old with autism would have these opportunities in the year 2011?  Amazing!

5. Motivational Tools.  Honestly, I hope these iPads aren't a phase.  And if they are a phase, they are certainly worthwhile.  Because we are surely getting a TON of learning done while using the iPads as motivational tools.  And, I know some people may say they are expensive motivational tools, but I believe they are worth every penny.

Checking out the iPad while waiting our turn at Therapeutic Horseback Riding

6. The educational apps are limitless.  My student who loves to play "Cookie Doodle" is working on following directions and measuring.  She sees measuring cups, measuring spoons, ingredients, recipes, etc. and must follow directions like "pour the vanilla" and "shake the salt shaker" and "mix the batter."  It's multi-sensory because we do the same thing with the real items in the classroom!  It's a built-in follow up lesson!

7. And did I mention the kids LOVE them?  We love the iPad.  LOVE. And we still play with Play-Doh, Moon Sand, blocks, the sand table, other sensory activities.  We still follow real recipes; we still read real books, complete file folder tasks, and shoebox tasks.  We still swing and play outside.  But now, we have more technology to integrate and use.  We have one more tool in the toolbox. 

And we'll keep sharing.  BECAUSE WE ARE IN LOVE.

Challenge Me with Chapter Books!

After reading the book Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, I couldn't help but wonder...

What are my students thinking that they can't express to me?

Is our content watered down?  Are they wondering why we are learning similar concepts year after year, sometimes with the same trade book, the same Brain Pop Jr. video, the same SMARTboard lesson?

What have my third graders been trying to show me, or tell me, that I haven't been listening to?  Have I challenged them enough?

And so...

We started a new adventure.

Chapter books.

Chapter Book #1- Freckle Juice by Judy Blume. 

I wasn't fully prepared, but I was ready to learn as we went along.  I figured the kids would show me what they needed and I would adjust as we went along.  We started with predictions, a picture walk, an explanation of what a chapter book is, a reminder of what authors do, and how famous an author Judy Blume really is.  Homework included "Googling" Judy Blume and writing down other book titles and also rereading the chapters we read during the school day.

We also began to fill out a graphic organizer on EDU Glogster which can be found here-  http://morgank18.glogster.com/frecklejuice-graphic-organizer/

Then, as we read the first chapter and I prompted my friends to have "listening ears," to "keep listening," and to "listen for two more pages," I realized that perhaps we needed more visuals.  Why didn't this occur to me earlier?  I know my students are visual learners, they need visuals, right?  Yep.

This prompted us to create "notebooks."  We added pictures as we read each chapter to make the reading come to life, visually.  We also visually defined the characters, the setting, and some vocabulary.

We also decided that, after reading these short chapters, we should take smaller comprehension quizzes, rather than a summative quiz at the end of the book.  The quizzes were also visually based, using most of the same visuals created for our "notebooks."

Then, we started adding to our e-portfolios.

We added "Wordles" and some "Thinking Stems" that we wrote together in class, then typed individually.

As a final project, we created simple "portraits" of the main character, Andrew.

Lastly, we created a file folder to put in our "Independent Work" area to be able to maintain the vocabulary words we learned with this chapter book.

All in all, I think I learned some valuable lessons from my third graders with autism and Down syndrome here. 

First, USE VISUALS.


Second, REREAD AND REREAD AGAIN.


Third, REVIEW NEW VOCABULARY REPEATEDLY.

Fourth, THEY CAN DO IT!!!

Hooooooray for us!  We'll next be venturing into reading a chapter book on the Kindle for iPad App.  Wish us luck:?

Setting Up Our Classroom- What Does Your Space Look Like?

As I've been setting up our classroom this past week, I've been trying to decipher what the most important aspects of a classroom for students with special needs are.  I suppose it depends on who you talk to.  If you run a strict ABA program, you probably have more one to one teacher table set ups in your classroom.  If you run a DIR Floortime program, you likely have much more space and place more of an emphasis on your play or leisure time area.  I run something called the "Blended Model Method" which includes some ABA aspects, some DIR Floortime aspects, mostly TEACCH based and Sensory Integration driven.  Plus, I throw in the curriculum (or the more appropriate, "standards"), some functional skill work, and social skills. (You can click here for some of the other programs we use.)

Mash all those things up and hope for...

...A student who is able to read, count coins, add, subtract, use the computer for more than just playing PBSKids, respond appropriately in social settings, share toys with friends, and monitor his/her own sensory needs in ANY setting.  Hope for generalization (before 4th grade).

So, what in the world should this classroom look like?

Well, we need a "one to one teacher table" and an "independent work station", of course.  One to one teacher table is where most of my instruction takes place.  I instruct the skills in the content standards at the one to one teacher table.  Then, once those skills are mastered, we move them to the independent work station.  We have one of each, for 7 students. In both one to one teacher table and independent work station, students master activities like shoebox tasks and file folder games.  Here is our shelf of homemade shoebox tasks (as you may be able to see, some are numbered, some aren't.  That was our first attempt at organization in the first year we opened this classroom).

Next, I've attempted to make 3 small group areas this year.  Because our students have been so inundated with one to one therapy, they are not used to working in small groups.  We can also do one to one teacher time on the carpet in a more unstructured space. I believe we need more small groups and more time for problem solving.  Here's one space for that.

We'll use this small group area daily for circle time and calendar skills.  This is the only "cutesy" bulletin board we have, but I believe it's useful as well.  I believe in making the room useful and meaningful to students, not just cluttered with cute.

We, then of course, have to merge my passion for technology with kids with special needs and throw in our computer area.  Because of a grant I wrote 2 years ago, and some foraging, we will have 7 computers in our classroom this year.  That's right, 7.  I will see 7 students, and we have 7 computers.  That, in a word, is awesomeness.  We'll be starting e-portfolios using weebly.com this year! We also have a SMARTboard, Leap pads, Leapsters, a Touch Screen, BoardMaker Activity Pads, etc.

Think we've used up all our space yet?  No way.  We still need a gross motor area, right? 

We also have a ball pit back there, but the swing needs to be removed to use it.  A sand table completes that corner, only because there was no other area for it.  Then, there's our new sensory table.  We're starting off with bird seed on one side and feathers on the other.  I can't wait to see who will make the connection first.

Next, I needed to make sure I had space for each of the 7 students' visual schedules.  A visual schedule is set up for each student each day indicating what will come next.  A visual schedule might have picture icons (we use BoardMaker Plus v.6) to show Circle Time, computer, bathroom, wash hands, read book, Music Class. (In place of picture icons, you could also use an object schedule, photo schedule, or word schedule, depending on the students' level.) Students remove the icons as they finish and place them in the plastic envelope below the schedule.  At the end of the schedule, our day is done (depending on how many icons the student can handle).  Here is an example of an empty visual schedule.  This student's schedule has Legos because I know he loves to build with Lego blocks.

Lastly, I'm feeling a little guilty this year.  We have no play or leisure time area.  I just don't have the room.  We have the toys, we have the games and the puzzles and the strategies to teach kids how to play, but I will have to be really disciplined and structured when we have a leisure time.  We"ll have to give limited choices ("Please choose puzzles or Play-Doh today").  I'll have to make room in our small group areas.

Of course, we'll make it work.  I am thankful to have a classroom (and not a closet).  I am thankful to have a job.  I am thankful that we have the amount of materials and games and puzzles... I am thankful that not one of these students is "self-contained" because we have managed to get them each included at some point during the school day (because they can be, and because they can be successful).

Now, just in case I missed something...

Are there other areas that you would include?  What's your rationale?  What would you do with the other bulletin boards in the room?  Do you have questions about our space?  Your space?  Can I help?

"Leadership Day 2010" (What would I want my administrator to know about technology?)

So, I am trying to participate in this thing I heard about on Twitter called Leadership Day 2010.  

From what I can gather, Leadership Day was started as a way to tell/ask/state what you'd like your administrators to know about technology to actively lead your school building or district to better teaching and learning.  (If this is a misunderstanding of the day or blog expectations, I hope someone will comment and let me know!)

So, I got to thinking... What would I want my administrators to know about technology?

But wait, I am a special ed. teacher, and I would much rather write an entire blog series entitled "What I NEED My Administrators to Know About Teaching Kids with Special Needs."  And maybe sometime I will do that... But, today I'll just revise my question...

What would I want my administrators to know about technology in regards to special education (or intervention) in our school district?

1. Digital Technology CAN be used to DIFFERENTIATE.  Yes, it's true.  "Differentiate" doesn't need to be just a buzz word and it doesn't need to attract all the eye rolling and negative press.  I can have students attending to the SMART board doing letter work while another student is reading an e-book or interactive book created with BoardMaker (Mayer-Johnson) software.  Come watch in my classroom.  My students can use ALL of the technology allotted to us and more.

2.  I need TIME to learn the new digital technologies that are going to help my students learn.  I do NOT need time to vertically align the K-12 Ohio Math standards that are about to be tossed out the window and replaced by the Common Core standards anyway.  I do NOT need time to listen to another text book publishing rep.  I do NOT need time to sit with colleagues to complain about "teaching to the test" and aligning standards to text books.  I NEED TIME to learn new digital technologies that can be applied to lessons that are needed in the classroom that might extend the learning and thinking of ALL students.

3.  When it comes to assistive technology, we could use MORE TRAINING.  I know that we can call the county specialist.  I know that I can do all the reading and research on my own time, and I do.  But I could use more training in this area and I believe my colleagues could too.  Every AAC (Augmentative Assistive Communication) device that a student has is different and I learn how to program it on my own time.  I learn how to use it on my own time.  I teach myself how to teach my student how to use his device.

4.  Twitter, Facebook, Nings, and other Social Networks are vital to my professional development as an educator. So, why do you keep blocking things that I need access to in our school setting?  Why can't teachers have access?

5.  Do you have any idea how CRUCIAL the BoardMaker software is for a special ed. teacher?  Do you know how it works?  Do you know the cost?  The accessories?  The benefits?  This is, by far, the most important piece of technology in teaching my students and helping them learn.  The possibilities here are endless.

6. Why aren't you holding more teachers accountable for teaching 21st Century Skills to our "Digital Natives?"  It seems to me that SOME teachers are getting away with using overhead projectors with transparencies that have problems filled in with Sharpie!  They are making copies of worksheets from 20 years ago instead of finding new ways to teach antonyms and synonyms.  They are relying on the SMART board to be a glorified TV screen.  They barely check their email and could not imagine what they would do in the computer lab with more time. 

7. I graduated from college in May 2003 and we were making webpages then.  It is now July 2010 and there are STILL administrators, teachers, and other staff who do not have websites or blogs.  WHY?  Why don't YOU have an administrative blog or Facebook page?  Why aren't you on Twitter?  Are you hiding something?  Don't you need a PLN?  Don't we ALL need a PLN?

8.  Do you have an iPhone?  An iPad?  An iTouch?  How could that device make life easier for someone with special needs?  Someone who doesn't speak?  Someone who needs life defined with visual icons or photos?  How could your iPhone or iPad change a life?

9.  Please make a plan.  Please make a plan on how we can move forward with technology in our building in a concrete and realistic way.  Please encourage every teacher to have a plan.  (For example, from a list of 5 digital technologies, every teacher in the building must choose one, learn to use it, and show how to integrate it into his/her teaching by the end of first semester.  Each teacher could share his/her use of the technology thus building a repertoire of technology uses in the building.) Make some sort of plan for growth and hold everyone accountable.

10.  Students with special needs are digital natives now too.  They can often use the computer with better accuracy than the digital immigrants.  They can create e-portfolios, click from homepages, use Flip Cams, access SMART boards and SMART Responders, use Google Images and Google Maps, play educational games, access movie clips on You Tube, type spelling words, write stories, create graphic images, etc. etc. etc.

Teaching (and Differentiating) with Technology 2010

Last week I taught a technology class for teachers in our district called "Teaching (and Differentiating) with Technology 2010."  While I was discouraged by the low attendance of these FREEEEEEEEEE classes, I was also encouraged that maybe the few people that attended might begin playing with and using the technologies that we worked on.  Also, one administrator came, so I was really encouraged by that!

Seems to me that, in a district where we boast about our high test scores and student successes, more teachers, administrators, and staff members would be interested in learning about tools that would help them become more efficient, effective teachers.

Regardless, here's a run down of the classes that we offered:

1. Blogging and Homepages (Setting up your own blog through WordPress or your own Homepage using Protopage).  What are the benefits of using a blog or homepage?  What are the differences?  Step by step set up.

2. A Re-Introduction to the SMARTboard (After 3 years of having SMARTboards in our classrooms, you'd think we've have the Basics down by now.  This was the most highly attended class.)

3.  Social Media for Education (By far, I was most excited about teaching this class.  6 people came.)

4.  Beyond the Basics: SMARTboard Tips and Tricks

5.  Flip Cameras (Even teaching this class seems silly because they are so easy and self explanatory, right?)

6.  Digital Storytelling

7.  Google Apps (Oh how I wish more people had attended this!)

8.  Where do you find this stuff?  Web Exploration time (I showed the 5 people that came how to use Wordle, then spent the next hour re-teaching Twitter and explaining our new email.)

9.  BoardMaker Plus v.6 (Mostly for Special Ed. teachers/ Intervention Specialists, but some reg. ed. folks showed too, thank goodness!)

10.  Grant Writing for your Technology Needs

Shake What the District Gave You

On Friday I was charged with the task of "telling others about what you do in your classroom, and then telling them about the ways you've gotten extra money for your classroom." 

Hmph.  And I'm supposed to turn that into a presentation and give it to a group of my peers?  Awesome.

The presentation was Friday morning and my presentation turned into something named "Shake What the District Gave You."  The title was supposed to be funny.  Before the presentation, other teachers actually asked me what the title meant.  Crap.  Couple that with a question asked by one of our teachers, "So, how did you get picked to give this presentation?"

Then the keynote speaker was all motivating and awesome, so I wasn't quite sure how I would follow that.

I'd given presentations before but not to a group of teachers from my own district...

So, here's what I talked about.  Plain and simple.  Look at all the stuff the district gives us for free and here are my favorite of all the technology "tools" we have-

(And all the links are on my other blog page- Miss Kolis' Room 5 Blog- http://staff.bbhcsd.org/kolism- you can go there, find March 5th Tech Inservice Waiver Day in the right hand column, and get all the links...)

1. http://www.delicious.com/-  Delicious is a social networking tool that the district suggests we use.  If we all used it, we could all be connected through websites and "share our toys."  Delicious takes all your "favorites" or your "bookmarks" and puts them in one place on the web.  Delicious also allows you to tag your websites so you can sort them for yourself.  You can also share them with other users.  I learned how to use this over the summer of '09, and I think it was a little behind the times then... When I asked if I had "sold" anyone on Delicious, I saw 3 heads nod.

2. http://www.twitter.com/-  Twitter in education is still pretty new, especially in our district.  And sure, we all hear it, "who wants to share what they are doing in 140 characters or less anyways?"  And, "I don't need anyone to know that much about my life..."  But what if you can connect to organizations that you do care about, read 140 characters, and see if you want to read the article they are pushing.  That's the part I like about Twitter in the classroom.  I can read updates from Autism Speaks and from ModelMeKids and from the EDPressSec. And, I can tell the parents of my students what we did that day in 140 characters.  And some of them do care.  Cool.  I might've sold 1 person on this.

3.  Blogging.  As you can read, blogging is my favorite new hobby.  And the parents love it.  And other educators can use it.  And it gives me a written record of what I did in my classroom that week.  Before my blog, I was mediocre at Parent Communication.  Before that, I was horrible at Parent Communication. Blogging has single handedly changed my world of communication.  And to think that, when I started college in 1999, teacher websites were just coming on the scene.  And the majority of teachers in our district DO NOT have a blog or webpage.  Btw, we use Word Press for Blogging through the school... and I obviously use Blogger.  These seem the most simple to me.  And simple is good for teachers who need more hours in the day.

4.  Last, I talked about BoardMaker Plus and the whole family of BoardMaker software.  I think the company of Mayer-Johnson could hire me.  I dream about working for them because I already promote their products.  I showed the high tech (inserting BoardMaker software into SMART Notebook software and making interactive boards and books) uses of BoardMaker, but I also showed the low tech side (file folder games, visual schedules, mini-schedules).  Plus I found the best site to pair with BoardMaker called AdaptedLearning.com.  I'm not sure how I survived without it.  (I heard about it by following Mayer-Johnson on twitter!)

5.  I, then, concluded my presentation with discussion about HOW to get the things you want IF the district doesn't provide them.  My first suggestion- Ask someone.  My second suggestion- Ask someone else.  My third suggestion- Write a grant.  It't not as hard as you think.  I shared easy grants to write and offered myself and my former work to all of the members of the audience.

All in all, I'm not sure that I sold anyone on anything.  But, I succeeded in the fact that I made it through the presentations without embarrassing myself terribly.

I also did that with the help of the keynote speaker.  He was 100% himself in his presentation to over 300 teachers.  And so I thought, I can be myself.  And be comfortable in myself.  And say what I say.  And do what I do.

So I did.

Now, go Shake What the District Gave You.