Graphic Organizers

I just discovered a few different websites that offer different types of graphic organizers in a printable PDF format.  See the education oasis and teacher vision websites to choose from a variety of templates.  If you are looking at an applicable iPad app, check out Tools 4 Students.

Storytelling with Maps

Storytelling with Maps is a great online, interactive resource on a variety of topics.  This resource came to me through an email from TCEA a Texas-based technology organization.  I've become aware of some great tech resources by adding myself to their email list.
Storytelling with maps allows you to browse through story maps that have been created by other individuals as well as choose from a selection of templates to create your own story map.
If you are interested in teaching students how to make statistics come alive and relevant using storytelling with maps, here is a 'white paper' that explains what the website is all about:
http://storymaps.esri.com/downloads/Telling%20Stories%20with%20Maps.pdf

To peruse the collection of story maps that have already been created, visit: http://storymaps.esri.com/home/

Universal Design for Learning

Unless you are planning to get this resource as an e-book, today's post doesn't really have to do with technology.  It does, however, have everything to do with inclusion. I am working on one of my last courses to get my special education post-baccalaureate and the course that I am taking currently is one of the most practical.  As a part of the course work, I've just started reading Jennifer Katz's Teaching to Diversity: The Three Block Model of Universal Design for Learning. The author, a familiar name in the ISD, goes into great length to provide some practical strategies for creating an academically and socially inclusive classroom.  Katz discusses everything from literacy and numeracy instruction, thematic teaching blocks that weave social studies and science outcomes, as well as her well-known Respecting Diversity program that taps on the Multiple Intelligences theory.  Rich with anecdotal snapshots of students Katz has worked with, it is a thought and emotion-provoking read.  At a reasonable $30 price tag, you will see how the best of the last 20 years of pedagogical practice can all be woven together to create a supportive and inclusive teaching environment.
Note: the image below is an interactive ThingLink. Please click on the silhouette centered in the book image for a direct link to a University of Manitoba blog post about Jennifer Katz. You can check out her blog here.

Katz, Jennifer. Teaching to Diversity: The Three-block Model of Universal Design for Learning. Winnipeg: Portage & Main, 2012.

Apps Gone Free

If you check Apps Gone Free by the end of the school day, you'll see three free math apps and an interactive space app up for grabs that look pretty worthwhile.  Please have a look!

Accessibility on the iPad with iOS 6 software

Accessibility Features in the new iOS 6 Software

The accessibility features contained in the new iOS 6 software are located in:

>Settings>General>Accessibility

Voice Over
Voice over is a handy narrator, reading everything that is selected on the screens and within an app.  When voice over is turned on, the gestures used to navigate through screens and open apps change. Single tapping any app on your screen will bring up a box around the selected app. To enter the application, double-click the desired app. Swipe three fingers across the screen to move between your app screens. With voice over, you have the option of connecting a Braille device, having your notifications spoken, as well as customizing how the device reads aloud to you.

Speak Selection
Turning on speak selection will enable individuals with reading difficulties to have text read to them.  When speak selection is turned on, an individual can highlight text to be read and select ‘speak’ to hear the text read.

Mono Audio
Allows the user to adjust right and left audio channels to meet the individual’s specific hearing needs.  A must for individuals with hearing impairments when listening to music, videos, or podcasts.

Zoom, Large Text, Invert Colours
Designed for individuals with vision impairments, the zoom, enlarged text, and inverted colour options provide options for individuals with seeing difficulties.  The user has the option of zooming in on what’s captured on the screen, enlarging the print, as well as inverting the colours to maximize the viewing of the screen.

Assistive Touch
The iOS 6 software offers the option of customizing the gestures employed by the user to navigate through screens and apps. If swiping through screens is not manageable, the user can program the device to respond to their own particular gestures.

Guided Access
Allows the user to set restrictions within apps. Turning on guided access will prompt the user to set a restrictions passcode and then create the parameters in which another user can operate. For example, when guided access is turned on, another user cannot exit the current application and that same user may not have access to particular parts of the application.  A triple-click by the initial user will bring up the passcode screen in which a four-digit code can be entered, allowing the user to end guided access.

Note: The iPad 3’s are capable of just a little more, having SIRI, the automated voice control option available with the current iPhone 4S devices.

Here are some links to check out:

Accessibility in iOS 6: https://nfb.org/blog/atblog/whats-new-accessibility-ios-6

Mono- Audio explained: http://youtu.be/X1wCPiS45sU

Guided Access explained: http://youtu.be/N_cPotZ_q4c

Backchanneling

Backchanneling. A word that I hadn't heard of until this past fall at the 2012 MANACE SAGE conference, a great place to brush up on the latest tech use in classrooms. Backchanneling is the student chatter in class when a teacher is instructing. It can range from comments about how boring or pointless the lesson being delivered is to questions relating to the material being presented.  Two web applications have grown out of this concept- Poll Everywhere and TodaysMeet.  In one-to-one classrooms or those in which teachers are already competing with student devices for attention, this may be a viable option to enhance classroom discussion.  The premise is simple: set up a backchannel 'room' with an identifiable name, deliver a lesson or lecture, and have the students provide you with immediate feedback.  It is a way of assessing for student understanding on the fly.  If something doesn't make sense, students can post a question or comment without the anxiety of verbalizing their confusion. It adds to debate in the classroom, allows teachers to respond to questions that may not have surfaced during a lecture or lesson, and could be a great way of monitoring classroom contributions if you have set that requirement up in your course description.  If you're concerned about inappropriate content appearing on your projector screen, save the data that is collected in your www.todaysmeet.com room, print your page and deal with it after class or deliver the content to the appropriate disciplinarian.

Your Starting Point for iPad Apps

Since starting in September as TILT, I have had several requests for iPad 2 app lists from both classroom and resource teachers. Unfortunately, I've had little time over the past few months to create a comprehensive list.  I'm now at the point where I have created an effective information collection system through which reviews and info about a variety of apps is continuously fed to me in an efficient manner.  That is a whole post in itself, but I digress. Since returning from the break, I've started compiling a list of apps to suit a variety of student needs. The lists can be found in the link to my Google doc. It is a working document, so please frequently peruse them.  I'll be updating the lists as I make my way through the 2013 school year.  I hope there are at least a few apps on these lists that meet both your needs and the students with whom you are working.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WFy-jSt3sCqceJFx5CQ6RPzoomBm5plhqhSgv01Q_co/edit