[Patrick Murphy]

Next year i am in a special class so the needs are many and every day very different despite the planning of the routine.

As my children are usually 11 years or older i think that the items i will use are:

IPads:

Voice Typing, Split View, Guided Access, Apple teacher

Apps: Adobe express, dualingo,

Kahn Academy

Laptops:

Shortcuts

Sticky keys etc

Immersive reader: picture dictionary, text size, line spacing, voice selection, voice setting

Dictate

Microsoft Search Coach

Microsoft Speech Coach on Teams and PPT

Microsoft Reading Coach

Balabolka

Math Assistant on Teams

Kahn Academy

Of course in september i will be reviewing and re writing SSPs and i wil start with the SETT framework and the idea that these will all ‘fit’ with the students i will have is not very realistic. September is really a time to get to know my students, and for them to get to know me and many changes are made during this time.

This process should also support our School Self-Evaluation, as offers a professional format to reflect on how we can best learnteach and assess. The SETT model for choosing AT. This SETT model ensures that the process is more professional and helps me to discuss my decisions in a professioal manner and help collegiality and teacher parent relations.

[Patrick Murphy]

Aoife

i have used almost all of your listed items over the past few years in the classroom and agree with your reasoning. I still havent used Kahn adacemy but I think it will be the next one i upskill on and inbed in my practice. it really seems to be a huge collection and a massive asset to any classoom an inquisitive minds.

[Patrick Murphy]

Microsoft’s immersive reader really is fantastic and provides an answer to so many challenges. it is so much more intuitive to use than read write gold and the dreaded dragon naturally speaking software that seems to get recommended. i just wonder if immersive reader will be available to SEC exam students if they become so used to using it in the classroom.

i also loved the reading coach and it id fantastic for short on topic reading practice.

search coach should reall be part of webwise for all children’s digital literacy rather then just for some students – as it is so important these days.

[Patrick Murphy]

i think that you hit the nail on the head with the word ‘tailored’ it is child centred and specifically for that child, in that class etc. i think in the past i was trying to get things to fit. i knew an AT tool and i wanted to assign it to the child. this new SETT approach is more about starting with the child and tailoring the approach around his needs, wants, classroom, tasks and then trialling approaches and reviewing.

[Patrick Murphy]

I like that you provided opportunity for the child to present orally as apprpriate. i forgot to add that to my SETT framework model. it is very important that the AT is seen as part of the classroom, normalised and accepted just as much as non tech answers.

i like doing groupwith with at also as different groups can work around a shared device and the AT is an inclusive tool that all ca share the experience, all can learn and it is a ULD approach (i believe so anyway 🙂 )

[Patrick Murphy]

PART ONE

The SETT framework is a format for processing the collaborative decision-making process and documenting it. It is now becoming more widely used and now considered best practice to determine appropriate assistive technology (AT) and supports for pupils with additional support needs in Irish schools.

The structure of the document is useful in Irish schools to track progress through the Continuum of Support. They both align however the SETT perhaps helps give professional structure to starting the process. This is important having looked at the Cosán framework where the emphasis is on ensuring that all teachers are adhering to professional standards in teaching in Ireland.

Focusing on the specific child, (identifying strengths and needs)

Assessing the environment (checklist p9 https://assets.gov.ie/40645/20f442fa414940f894506ed717d7f635.pdf ),

Identifying the tasks the child needs to access (the priority learning needs) and then

trialling AT solutions – low, medium and high-tech and reviewing is a professional structure for this process. Assessment may include intuitive assessment, planned interactions and assessment events, including studnet voice, parent voice and SNA/professional inputs.

PART TWO

Following the SETT format– 4th class pupil Seán with new diagnosis of Dyslexia

S – The Student
Seán is a sport loving and popular 10-year-old with dyslexia. He is very conscious of his challenges and can attempt to mask struggles with immature behaviours and distractions. He rarely completes much during any independent reading tasks and as a teacher i do not ask him to read aloud in class due to obvious anxiety build up and behaviour avoidance. He struggles with reading fluency and decoding. Seán was previously receiving support at the Class Support Plus level emotional behaviour, but he has just received a diagnosis for dyslexia.

E – The Environment
seán is seated at the front of the class with a support plan focussing on behaviour. Classroom seating is arranged to help lower distractions and allow teacher to remind and intervene as needed. This also works for in class group literacy support. The class has access to 3 laptops, headphones, and an iPad., which is usually used in group work.

T – The Tasks
The tasks that present most difficulty include independent reading and comprehension type questions across the subjects.

T – The AT Tools

MSWord: Immersive Reader– picture dictionary. Demonstrated by teacher on laptop/IWB and build students ability and capacity to utilize it.

Keyboard shortcuts – with whole class (benefit all)

MS Word: Trial digital-coloured overlays and dyslexia friendly font.

MS Reading Coach – short pieces about GAA and World Cup for practice

MS Word – Dictate – speech-to-text for answering
Reflection:

IPad: speak screen, spell check and colour filter

Reflection:

I think that prior to this course and the SETT framework i was trying to fit things to children rather than working from a child first perspective. This process professionalises the steps involved and is very simple to follow.

[Patrick Murphy]

the framework is really ensuring that best practice is across the board and while different teacher may focus on or choose to improve in some areas others will determine a need in another. teacher know what areas they have an interest in developing competency in from the huge range of cpd available from our education centres, ncse, oide and others.

[Patrick Murphy]

I love the ideas in this activity. i have in addition used magicschools to change the reading ability to have different versions of the same novel chapter for different groups. all working on the same activity but different versions available based on different abilities and interests.

[Patrick Murphy]

Part one

I opened Mr Stink by David Walliams and using Microsoft Lens I took a photo of page one of the book. I then saved it to Microsoft office. On my laptop I opened office and copied the text. I then opened the Reading Coach App on Microsoft and created a new practice single passage and named it Mr Stink page one. I saved this as a reading coach practice. I entered the date and created a link. https://coach.microsoft.com/join/815321

This is a lovely activity for homework or for a small class activity to embed learning in school. The child can use the link and repeat the activity until satisfied with results.

Part two

Fundamentally we are living through an era of change and for teaching to remain relevant, engaging, meaningful and ultimately successful we must ensure that we are up to date on the latest ideas, resources and thinking. I completed my entire schooling and my first few years of teaching entirely with blackboard and chalk (with some ultra-modern green-roller-board and chalk, and of course the overhead projector and marker!). Times have changed and the resources are so much better. Lessons are now learning experiences and children are presenting with different abilities and backgrounds. CPD is needed to keep up with the change and ensure we are offering the best education we are capable of giving our learners. Lifelong learning for teachers rather than a necessity is a fantastic resource and fun entrance to open all the possibilities for our modern classrooms

[Patrick Murphy]

i agree and made great use of microsoft lens on my own phone to upload text from school mini novels, comprehensions etc  to microsoft work and then open on my work laptop with full immersive reader instantly. it is great

[Patrick Murphy]

i agree it only seems to work for a few in a noise classroom with children who often have  speech difficulties and conscious of others around them, it is however a huge improvement on the Nuance Dragon Naturally Speeking software.

[Patrick Murphy]

Microsoft have really made some huge improveemnts  in the area of accessibility and i think that it really blurs the line between inclusive technology and accessible technology (AT) which is fantastic and really enables UDL in a classroom. Not only are these tools high tech interventions but they are now there for all to make all environments accessible.
I loved the immersive reader, dictate, check accessibility, translate tools in addition to spell check. i intend to use these just like i would use spell check in the classroom to show all children the features and make it part ad partial of my IWB displayed ork. The features with immersive reader in particular the picture dictionary are fantastic and for CLIL i can ask what the word might be in Irish and the picture dictionary shows the Irish word also.
I have used my phone with the Microsoft lens app to photo a page or pages from the novel and save it to MS Word. The on my laptop i can open this and have the text from the novel on my IWB with full features of imemersive reader etc,
Forsome  particular students i will definitely enable sticky keys, toggle keys and filter keys.  short cuts are also fantastic and wile helpful for students who need it they are also a benefit for all students using laptops and a skill for life and can be UDL in application.
I have never used the mouse features but i have worked on targets around mouse skills using some of the many mouse skills practice websites.

[Patrick Murphy]

Bridín

i think that our SSE process needs to be updated really, the focus is still very in line with content objectives of the 1999 curriculum and the PLC and PMC and perhaps AT implementation are highlighting fact that that is no longer where we are, classes are unique, children are unique, settings unique and a one fits all approach is no longer seen as the best approach. AT needs to be part of the whole SSE as does UDL and inclusive approaches to learning, teaching and assessment.

[Patrick Murphy]

I agree Caire. i think that reading this opens our minds to how far we have already come along the drive to AT integration, perhaps we focus too much on the hi-tech and forget all the inclusive methods of low and medium tech that we are already implementing in our everyday classrooms

[Patrick Murphy]

Hi
firstly I wanted to point out that I am really enjoying the course and this is my first course with Teachnet.
When reflecting on the potential of AT and the options outlined in this module and inparticular how they can potentially impact on the school SSE process, the standards and domains that most obviously come to mind from within the DLF are Domain 3 in the teaching and learning dimension. Within the teaching and learning dimension the third domain: Teachers individual Practice has the following standard:  The teacher responds to individual learning needs and differentiates teaching and learning activities as necessary.
I believe that these fit perfectly with the effort to ensure that ICT and AT are best utilised for all students including those with SEN
The SSE process is very focussed upon improving literacy and engagement in our plans, and AT tools and visual supports should be integral to this. As a teacher in a special school where AT are widely used it is still see  as a separate policy – The AT Policy, and not an integral part of the schools whle school approach to inclusivity and addressing teaching and learning within the literacy and numeracy focus.
The statements of effective practice: Teachers facilitate pupils’ active use of a range of digital technologies to address individual learning needs and the statement of highly effective practice: Teachers reflect on and enhance pupils’ active use of a range of digital technologies based on their individual learning needs must be read with the levels of AT in mind. Not everything is hi-tech! Low tech solutions and approaches are something are used so widely but perhaps do not get recognition deserved.

[Author]

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