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Child A has a diagnosis of dyslexia and dyscalculia. Having completed this course I am now aware of the vast array of technology supports readily available to her, using the resources we currently have in the school.
~Immersive Reader will be a game changer, eliminating her struggles with reading particularly longer pieces of text, allowing her to access the curriculum fully.
~She is currently using the TTRS typing programme which is really improving her typing skills. However, for longer tasks she can use Dictate to create her written work and again use Immersive Reader to have it re-read to her so that she can self-check her work. This dictate feature will overcome the barrier with her spelling struggles as this tends to hold her back when creating pieces of written work.
~Using Lens, she can capture text from class books or other sources and have it read aloud through the built-in Immersive Reader. Again this is allowing her to access class content and actively engage with class discussions and follow-up tasks.
~For Literacy, the Write About This app would be very engaging, as would the Light Sail guided reading app. Spelling city would be a great resource also to reinforce her spellings.
~Topmarks and Primarygames.co.uk would be excellent resources for Numeracy development and reinforcement of concepts.
The Inclusive Education Framework is an excellent school development planning tool. Teachers can use this framework to reflect on inclusive practice within the school, identify areas for development and apply autonomy in implementing this plan.
The SETT framework is a clear and efficient tool to assist in identifying appropriate assistive technologies for a child. The child’s Student Support Plan is drawn upon to help identify strength’s, interests and areas of concern. Parents, teachers and any relevant outside agencies will have had input here also. By carefully considering the environment and the tasks which the child is expected to undertake, appropriate tools (no/low tech, medium or hi tech) to support the child can then be identified and implemented, allowing the child to access the curriculum and achieve his/her full potential.
Below is a SETT plan for child A. This is a 12 year old boy beginning 4th class. He has an existing diagnosis of ASD and a more recent diagnosis of dyslexia and dyscalculia. While he has an excellent imagination, he really struggles with organising his ideas and writing is a real struggle for him (both due to his dyscalculia and attention span). Allowing him to choose from a differentiated amount of 3 story starters still gives him a sense of ownership and choice in his work. Using the Immersive reader he can independently read the story starters and then pick one of his choice. The story mountain visual will serve as a reminder to structure his story; introduction, problem, solution. The X-Mind mind mapping tool will allow him to organise his ideas before dictating them. This will eliminate his struggles with physically writing and particularly his spellings. Using the Immersive Reader he will then be able to listen to his draft and make any changes he may wish. This will enable him to complete the task, drawing on his strengths (great imagination) at his own pace and feel a sense of achievement in doing so.
I have a student with ASD, severe dyslexia and dysgraphia. Last year in the SET setting I scaffolded the child to create his own book; gathering ideas using a graphic organiser, writing simple sentences with teacher support, editing and then illustrating. In the coming year, having completed this course I am excited go a step further to guide the child in creating a digital book/project using the Microsoft 365 tools explored. The Dictate feature in Word will be a real game changer for him. He has great oral skills and a really impressive imagination. Allowing him to dictate his ideas and transform these into a completed project (using editing tools to check spellings and grammar which would otherwise cause so much stress for him) will give him such a sense of achievement. Using Immersive reader and adapting the features to his own preferences, he can then listen to, present and enjoy his completed work!
[Call Scotland also has an excellent resource called ‘MyStudyBar’. This is a free downloadable tool bar with lots of excellent features. One of these is X Mind which is a mind mapping graphic organiser and is a fantastic tool to help children to plan out pieces of creative writing, etc. It also has a read-aloud and dictate feature as well as a built-in typing training program]
Cosán is an important framework in that it recognises professional development as ‘part and parcel of a teacher’s working life’. Teachers are indeed life long learners. The profession is all the time evolving and adapting and we too must adapt in order to continue on this ‘pathway’ or journey, affording our students the best opportunities for growth and learning. The framework affords teachers with autonomy, allowing for individual identification of areas for further development.
Immersive Reader is a fantastic resource that I am looking forward to using in the SET setting in September. Allowing students to work independently on differentiated reading tasks at a pace and with supports (eg background colour, text size, etc) customised to their own preferences, gives them a great sense of ownership of their learning. The line focus feature is great in that it takes away the stress that can come with a large piece of text and gives children a sense of achievement with more manageable reading tasks.
I work with a boy with dysgraphia and am genuinely excited to introduce Dictate to him in September. Often times children with these literacy difficulties lack confidence and independence in their work. This will be a brilliant tool to allow him achieve success and focus on his strengths rather than be held back by his area of weakness.
Share point is a great resource for teachers and students. It allows teachers to take away the ‘background noise’ that often exists with large pieces of texts. Using only key, relevant information it is more manageable for students, particularly with disabilities. The addition of visual cues/diagrams also helps aid retention of learned material. As we heard in the video, these can be time consuming to create but are a very worthwhile resource with can be reused over and over.
There is no doubt as to the growing importance and indeed need for assistive technologies in our classrooms today. Although some of us may be reluctant or apprehensive about what this means in terms of our own skills/deficits, we cannot deny the potential of digital technologies for teaching, learning and assessment. The Digital Learning Framework is an excellent tool to inform whole school planning for the SSE process. There are many standards to consider as part of this process, not only for child learning but also for teacher practice. One of the standards in domain 4 stands out to me-‘Teachers contribute to building whole-staff capacity by sharing their expertise’ In this way, the DLF clearly promotes collaboration between teachers and sharing of skill sets. Technology is not always a strong point and admittedly many of our children are more proficient in the use of some devices than we are. Collaboration among teachers cannot be underestimated and this sharing of skills and opportunities for learning among staff is vital so that the embedding of digital technologies in learning becomes a whole school approach.
I found the sample videos on the DL planning website great-practical examples of tablets, etc in use in classrooms for Maths lessons, assessment, etc. Children were visibly actively engaged in their learning, working together and problem solving.
I also admittedly presumed AT to consist of a device such as a laptop or tablet and was surprised to learn of the no-tech and low-tech options which we implement in our classrooms such as visual timetables, graphic organisers, adaptive paper, etc. The emphasis on tools and not just products stood out to me. These tools can help children with additional needs (and indeed every child) work around their challenges while also playing to their strengths.
The SETT model is a beneficial tool in selecting the most appropriate AT for a child with additional learning needs. The student’s strengths and areas of need/challenges are outlined in their Student Support Plan as well as relevant information from outside professionals (educational psychologists, OT, etc) Careful consideration must also be made to environmental factors, tasks which a child will be expected to undertake and the tools he/she will need to carry these out.
I believe that digital technology has a firm place in classrooms to help provide student centred teaching and create engaged thinkers and active learners. I am looking forward to progressing through this course to gain more knowledge and ideas to equip me for September.