When the student is asked to record a journal in grade primary should they be required to do that on loose leaf lined paper? There needs to be clarification of the task. In this instance the child is being required to pull a lot of skills together. What is the intention of the task? Let's think about all of the skills that the student has to do in completing that task. Perhaps we need to consider, that if we are going to ask our students to complete a task with paper and pencil then shouldn't we provide several options for paper types (wider lines, no lines, horizontal lines, vertical lines) and options for writing tools (standard pencils, short golf pencils, markers, small markers, pens). And should an option for keyboarding be available as well, provided that the task is to record an idea or story and not practice letter formation and printing. If letter formation and printing is the task then options for that could be made available as well (doodle buddy, touch write etc. on the i-Pad).
When students get feedback from the people that they respect that validates the work that they have done. Validation is correlated with motivation and a desire to complete the task. Written work that is done in a keyboarding format is visually appealing and gets a positive response from the audience. The student feels proud of the work that he/she has done and as a result feels more encouraged to try it again and perhaps even improve on it.
Sharing of netbook computers among students doesn't make them accessible. When they aren't accessible it makes getting the job done more challenging. If the tools aren't available why would you want to do the job in the first place? If we value the work that our students are doing, why wouldn't we make sure that the appropriate and necessary tools are available to them?
Itunes U is a way to help students complete their tasks. Students can put their assignments into a format that they are able to use. All of the materials that the student needs to use are available to them. This way students actually get the work done.
A few people talked about how i-Pads were a way to eliminate the backpack. This is huge for students who struggle with organization. Life is so much easier if we have everything we need in one place so that we can access it quickly and easily.
Students need to be able to access technology that they need at any time. Sharing these resources with other students and teachers doesn't always work. What would happen in a dentist office if four dentists were all sharing one drill? They wouldn't be very effective in their dentistry work. Patients would have to sit around waiting quite a bit. If each dentist has his/her own drill then they can see a lot more patients in a given day. If each student has their own device then their individual output increases and so does the learning.
The use of online assessments is power stuff. Students receive immediate feedback which is motivating for the student. The teacher can also quickly see which areas need to be retaught as well as what students already know. It can keep things fast paced so that students are connected to their learning and engaged with the process.
I love the idea of bringing students who are using i-Pads together so that they can learn and share with one another. There is a lot of power in the group. When teachers model using AT for their students they help to eliminate any negative stigmas that may be attached to these resources. Teachers should be willing to engage with AT. I love the idea of creating an ITunesU training course for teachers so that they can see what is available to them and their students.
Someone made the comment that teachers aren't willing to utilize AT in their teaching and are not accommodating in their support for their students who use AT. These teachers need to examine their intentions as teachers. They are paid to support their students. It's about the kids not the teacher. Teachers should, in my opinion be willing to take a 'what ever it takes' approach to creating the best possible learning environment for all of their students.
A shift in what we teach and how we teach needs to happen. Teachers need to look carefully at the language that they use in their teaching and the implications of it. For example, when a teacher asks a child to take out a pen and begin writing they are essentially excluding the student who prefers to use a keyboard for their writing. A language shift would be very powerful in this instance. So the teacher would rather say "take out your writing tool" then all students are included.
Tools should match the task. Students as individuals must be allowed to make their own informed decisions about what works best for them. Students should be empowered. Perhaps some teachers are afraid to let go of their power and that's why they aren't willing to embrace AT and UDL in their teaching practice. Teachers perhaps have to re-examine their role. Perhaps some focus needs to go towards BEd programs and how these programs are preparing our teachers for teaching in 2013. Furthermore, Professional development in the areas of AT and UDL seems essential.
A few people talked about how i-Pads were a way to eliminate the backpack. This is huge for students who struggle with organization. Life is so much easier if we have everything we need in one place so that we can access it quickly and easily.
Students need to be able to access technology that they need at any time. Sharing these resources with other students and teachers doesn't always work. What would happen in a dentist office if four dentists were all sharing one drill? They wouldn't be very effective in their dentistry work. Patients would have to sit around waiting quite a bit. If each dentist has his/her own drill then they can see a lot more patients in a given day. If each student has their own device then their individual output increases and so does the learning.
The use of online assessments is power stuff. Students receive immediate feedback which is motivating for the student. The teacher can also quickly see which areas need to be retaught as well as what students already know. It can keep things fast paced so that students are connected to their learning and engaged with the process.
I love the idea of bringing students who are using i-Pads together so that they can learn and share with one another. There is a lot of power in the group. When teachers model using AT for their students they help to eliminate any negative stigmas that may be attached to these resources. Teachers should be willing to engage with AT. I love the idea of creating an ITunesU training course for teachers so that they can see what is available to them and their students.
Someone made the comment that teachers aren't willing to utilize AT in their teaching and are not accommodating in their support for their students who use AT. These teachers need to examine their intentions as teachers. They are paid to support their students. It's about the kids not the teacher. Teachers should, in my opinion be willing to take a 'what ever it takes' approach to creating the best possible learning environment for all of their students.
A shift in what we teach and how we teach needs to happen. Teachers need to look carefully at the language that they use in their teaching and the implications of it. For example, when a teacher asks a child to take out a pen and begin writing they are essentially excluding the student who prefers to use a keyboard for their writing. A language shift would be very powerful in this instance. So the teacher would rather say "take out your writing tool" then all students are included.
Tools should match the task. Students as individuals must be allowed to make their own informed decisions about what works best for them. Students should be empowered. Perhaps some teachers are afraid to let go of their power and that's why they aren't willing to embrace AT and UDL in their teaching practice. Teachers perhaps have to re-examine their role. Perhaps some focus needs to go towards BEd programs and how these programs are preparing our teachers for teaching in 2013. Furthermore, Professional development in the areas of AT and UDL seems essential.
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