If you have an iPhone or and an iPad I strongly suggest you add AppsGone Free. You download it from your Apps store (free) and it updates apps that have been made free for a very limited time.
0 Comments
Word cloud tools let you make a picture from a list of words. What I like about it is that it separates the grammar/syntax component of language. For any student, there are times where this is ideal. Go to the links by clicking on the logos. Several YouTubes sites (just search by the logo name) will show you how to use the tool itself. ********************************************** I am going to talk about one way I have used it SUCCESSFULLY with my students. By successful, I mean the students like doing the assignment. All students completed the assignment and met at least some part of their goals. Students demonstrated creativity. ********************************************** Using word clouds for personal information. This is an assignment that exceeded my expectations. The task was to have students describe themselves. (Getting to know you) I divided students into pairs. For my program I had peer tutors paired with Extended Core students. With the peer tutors (regular education students) I created a word bank. The word bank was divided into nouns verbs adjectives. We included school based vocabulary and age common activities along with personal attributes. The bank was put on the wall. Then the peer tutors modeled asking "interview" or "getting to know you" questions. The students reversed it by asking them. The answers were circled and copied onto a work sheet. The pairs went to the Wordle website and wrote the words. Each student was given 10 minutes (Yes being creative does take time! So honor that) to create their word cloud. I wish I had captured the conversation that ensued. Beyond exposing them to guided practice in expressive writing and descriptive writing let alone personal information development, the students let the visual aspects of the written language come to the forefront. Fonts are a true key to who you are. Colors and layout took on higher level thinking skills. Emphasis on certain attributes is equally higher level thought. But best of all, they talked to their partner and the others around them. When I printed and posted them ongoing conversation continued. Even after a full semester, both sets of students look at those word clouds and use them for conversation starters. ******************************************** I have included my "lesson guide" for using it within a project. Here I use it within our monthly placemats. The guide was for my planning so with Showme (last post) it DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT! But you get the idea. ********************************************* I hope Speech Pathologists will consider using these in therapy because it allows you to explore metalinguistic variables and I use the font size for intonation contour practice. I am exploring websites with the students. With our limited amount of time together, we only begin to explore subjects that may be of real interest to your student and you. The first website is Wonderopolis ... yes that really is the name. http://wonderopolis.org/ Wonderopolis has a wonder every day. Have you ever wondered about something? Today's wonder was about emergency calls. One was about the wisest bird. To date; 822 wonders. Each wonder starts with a small video. Then ... make sure you scroll down and do to the text about it. In our classroom, we use iPads to highlight the information and select read to have it read to us. However you may read it with your student or have them read to you!. On the iPad we also select words that are unknown. We hit read so we know how to "say it". Then we hit define and it pulls up a dictionary for "what it means". Then we read it in the sentence (word in context) If you have an iPad at home set it up to do this in your settings. If you have one and don't know how ... Let me know and I will walk you through it. Below I have included how I apply wonderpolis to my program and below that an example of using it. As you see I did not post anything yesterday. The reason is not only due to traffic congestion to and from work but also I was getting congested. I know for all teachers, but especially special education teachers, this is cause for terror. Nothing is worse, well maybe there are things that are ... however nothing seems worse than when you are sick and you have to prepare for a sub. Finding a sub that will come to your program is hard. Finding one that works both for them and your students/staff ... PRICELESS. Then preparing the step by step directions for that sub takes so much time, you may decide to just drag yourself in and go to work. Thus the sick teacher gets even more run down and sicker with students who in turn are sick. Not a pretty scenario! ******************************************** However I found a tool that certainly makes it less arduous. I use Showme.com! The hardest thing to remember is that you have to go to the computer site to sign up. FREE yes FREE. You make the lessons on the iPad. How do you get the app? Click on the white apple logo in the black rectangle next to the sample lesson about theorem with your iPad. ******************************************** So now all you have to do on this page is click on the "showme" lessons I created to show you how I used it to prepare for a sub. Remember if you want to learn how to use Showme go to tutorials on the website or links. Another great place for tutorials is YouTube! http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=lBsvNya I like this app because: It is quick. It is easy. The students hear me. Everyone hears the same thing. Less time. Of course in special education, and in most classrooms you have the agenda for the day written up front. This is an extension of that agenda. I have the app logo for Showme on the bottom line of the class iPads. It works for both all versions of iPad. ******************************************** I also have provided mini lessons for back up. Again, the showme lesson allows the sub to have a fall back option. Turn on the iPads with head phones. If you don't you will have a robot convention in your room! http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=mpgsE9A For the itinerant support faculty here is a way to have the students still have a therapy session. Use it for creating lessons for review of what you have done. You are there in voice ... for the SLP that is so important, right? For me, there are two ways to use a PLN; personal and professional. Lately, the two seem to get muddied and as I go looking for information for my class on recycling, I find I have "wandered off" and am now looking at homes in Iceland. BE AWARE, these networks are just that. Nets that work together. They combine categories of topics and allow you to seamlessly go from one to another. My advice is: Set a timer and when it goes off, re-evaluate if you are "on-topic"! Otherwise give in to your wandering and enjoy the journey. You will learn a lot but whether you will apply it professionally??? At home, it's your time so have fun.
******************************************* I also divide networks into two types, those I go to for information, and those that come to me. The ones that you go to means that they do not send you e-mails, newsletters, or updates on topics or discussions. The ones that come to you send you things at your request, daily, weekly, monthly according to guidelines. ******************************************* Last basic concept for a PLN: There are stages to becoming part of a PLN. What ever you want to call the stages there seem to be 5: 1 Observer you go to a website and read or watch it 2 Novice you say or post something at the website 3 Active Regular you post information regularly and share 4 Leader you become someone to watch or read by others 5 Graduate you leave the group and stop giving input ******************************************* Your levels of participation will change as your life changes. A PLN is always changing. The best PLN is the one you control. Just like the timer for searching sites, set a time line to re-evaluate your stages in your PLN. If you don't it will get overwhelming and too time consuming! ******************************************** Here are some sites I use as I began my professional PLN: I suggest start with 2 at a time then add and drop as you become familiar with them. I started with 3 that come to me: Flipboard and Zite and LinkedIn (excellent subgroups for special education interests) and then from there they led me to others. Just put your cursor on the logo and click. You will go to the site itself! If you do you have gone from observer to novice! Hi! I am Heather Logan Weiler. I am the person behind SPED TECH. I added this blog because I was lucky enough to have been accepted into and actually complete an endorsement program in Instruction System Design & Educational Technology (ISD/Ed Tech). Upon completing this program, I found I was asked by colleagues to "help" them to integrate tools into their class curriculum or how to get something to work. So I decided to start this blog. Being in special education, I was so surprised at how quickly the regular education curriculum moved. I also saw how many tools were really fantastic; but I just could see how they would integrate in a meaningful way for my students. This blog's purpose is to show how to use tools in the special education setting. I will add links for the tools themselves. It is up to you to learn their basic set up. Word of Advice: PRACTICE at least 5 times before you try it with any group! When I refer to tools, I am talking about websites and or applications and software that you can use in your programs. I also will talk about hardware tools such as iPads, computers, cables, and document cameras. Rule of thumb, if you can pick it up and plug it in or turn it on ... that is hardware. And hardware breaks! So I hope you will check back here from time to time and see how I am using system design with educational tech tools for special education students. My next post will be on PLN or Personal Learning Network. See you then! |
SPED TECHteacher using tools that help students. Archives
March 2013
Categories
All
|