"Low Tech" Presentations & Alternate Access Stations

"Low Tech" Assistive Tech Presentations

I really enjoyed this class and the dollar store assignment.

It was great to see everyone's ideas and refreshing to know

that you can make "low tech" assistive tech cheaply and easily.

Some highlights for me included:

--A pool noodle for identifying personal space or to act as a visual barrier for work

spaces

--A ping pong paddle with red and green sides for stop and go or yes and no

--Jumbo balloons + garland with jingle bells as a sensory ball

--Magnetic pivot light

--The "Reading Buddy"---A manila folder plus plastic duo-tang laminated together

as a way to highlight words on a page (thought this would be good for students with dyslexia)

--A dog chew toy that has a knot in the middle and two loops so it could act as

a ”hand holder” for children with sensory needs who don't like to hold hands

--A foam mat for dice rolling. Again a nice 'sensory sensitive' idea and all around

just nice to not have loud dice on tables in a class!

--Bingo daubers for fine motor development- I use bingo daubers currently with

two of my students and I printed off and they love using them!

--Using cookie cutters for play dough. Another inexpensive tool and could be

made seasonal and fun for students

--The silicone cutting board with an outline of a shoe, velcro and laces for shoe

tying practice I think was a GREAT idea and one that I want to implement as apart

of a life skills bin system that I will be starting with my students next week!

**The second part to this class was going through 8 different alternate access

stations and determining the SETT (Student, Environment, Tasks, Tools) of each tech.

We were asked to comment on each of the stations and take pictures of us trying

the tech out. To remind myself exactly what I was looking for I like the following

framework of questions and picture below used to describe the SETT framework when considering assistive tech.

Here is what we explored:

Station 1 -Headmouse and Onscreen keyboard
S-anyone with limited to no mobility, wheelchair user
E- any classroom or learning environment or a home with access to a computer
T-speaking, communicating, writing, emailing, text, games
T-easy to use as long as you have the chair positioned properly in front of

screen, and depending on dot placement, student would have to practice to

become comfortable with the program.

Station 2- Eye Gaze
S- any person with no mobility in a wheelchair but with
cognitive ability to follow movement and pictures
E-any environment school or home
T-any speaking and communication activity, literacy,
numeracy apps and games
T-easy to use after calibration and fun!




Station 3

Powerlink and Switch Access
Direct-- hold and let go-- you control start and stop

Latch-- start and it keeps going when you let go then you have to
touch again to stop
Timer activities--after set time it goes off on its own

S- student needing practice with cause and effect, following directions-
practicing receptive language skills

E-any classroom or home

T-Anything you plug in, can access through powerlink board--

T-easy to use, nice immediate reinforcement and feedback

Ten things you could plug in and use with a powerlink board

1-Microwave

2-Electric mixer

3-Hairdryer

4-Radio

5-Music player

6-Turning a light on/off

7-Blender

8-Bubble machine   

9-Fan

10-Any toy that is pugged in

Station 4

Onscreen Keyboard and Scanning

This was by far the most laborious and frustrating tech we used.
Much patience required and in order to access this tech,
cognitive ability and significant literacy skills would need to be
there in order for student to accurately use. We found the hover
technology easier to use then the scanning option.

Scanning keyboard

S-student would need high level of literacy skills to choose appropriate letters.

Patience required!

E-classroom, home, any environment with a computer to access

T-writing, navigating the computer, research, reading, communicating

T-better to use slower speed, frustrating as it loses connection, student would

need lots of patience and explicit teaching and practice with technology to make

it work. Attention to task needed

Trackball mouse (with hover capability)

S-would need some literacy skills but there is word prediction so that helps.

E-classroom, home communication

T-writing, navigating the computer, research on internet

T-hover technology was easier to use with mouse, student would need lots of

practice with it to get good at navigating

Expanded Keyboard

S-would need literacy skills and basic knowledge of keyboarding. Good for
student with fine motor control challenges.

E-classroom, home

T-any learning setting with computer access

T-easier to use, much more space for a student with mobility issues to use then

regular size keyboard

Station 5- Sensory Twiddle Muffs

S--any student needing sensory play as apart of programming, use of a fidget

for concentration and attentional issues

E--learning centre, sensory room

T-sensory learning, break time, calming tool

T-easy to use and manipulate in various ways for a variety of students.

Station 6- Ipad switch access

S-student with limited mobility, fine motor control issues who can’t finger point

on ipad

E-classroom, anywhere really

T-any learning activities, different app access, P2G user could use it so eventually

student could use this switch to access

T-easy to use but would need a lot of practice to use, would need to be able

to understand general set up of ipad in order to operate

Station 7- Bluebee Pal

Six activities where a Bluebee Pal could be used...

1. Reading to the students (Read aloud)

2. Giving the students instructions for an activity

3. Counting practice

4. Practicing the days of the week or months of the year (songs you may do
daily with young students)

5. Leading an art activity

6. Meditation or yoga lead, self-regulation tool

S-any student in classroom, learning centre, resource room, general school
environment

E-any learning activity that requires directions or oral language component

T-kids could use it take a video of themselves reading or doing presentation
and speak it through the bear. Morning message linked through video

T-easy to use and navigate through...would be easy for kids to use with some
explicit teaching and modelling

Station 8- Alternate keyboard

S-anyone with typing capabilities and someone who is working

on an ipad and needs to do writing activity that requires typing

for long time

E-any learning environment

T-any longer writing activity

T-tech was ok but keyboard had some different key placement

and it was small so it would take some time to learn how to navigate

and become comfortable with for longer writing tasks.

P2G Presentations and Dollarstore Tasks

Back at it!!

It was great to see everyone's presentations of their P2G boards. It was interesting to hear different justifications and to see how everyone organized their boards and created specific activity folders for the individual student. It allowed me to think of some ideas for my students who are currently using Proloquo. 

It is clear that modelling remains the most important piece to someone actually learning the "language" of P2G. I also think this is the hardest part right now for me in the everyday use of it and trying to encourage the adults working with the students to constantly use it. 

It is inspiring to see students using it and makes me want to practice and use these techniques as much as I can this year with my students who are equipped with P2G. We are actually hoping to have a PD for staff coming up so we are excited that this is a possibility to get everyone on the same page and feeling more confident in using the program. 

Another part of the assignment and presentations that I found directly helped us write some IPP goals for several students was the writing of the IPP goal for the student in our case study. I love when I can take what I am learning in a course and directly apply it to my everyday work and when it helps with immediate programming!

***Assignment 2- Identifying low tech at the Dollarstore***

Task A

Gloves- can be worn with a cut out pointer finger so a student can work on developing fine motor skills and practice selection on an ipad screen practice for using P2G. 

 Baster- can be used as an alternate tool in an art activity, painting specifically. This could be used by a student with fine motor control challenges with a paint brush. 

 

Gripper Pad- could be used as a door opener for someone with fine motor difficulties. Or could be used as a stabilizer for things at a work station with a student in a wheelchair.

Shower Curtain- could be used a divider between work spaces in a classroom. This could work for a variety of students who require quiet, distraction free workspaces in a classroom. 

Hook- could be affixed to a wall just slightly out of reach so that a student could practice hanging things on it. A student needing to develop gross motor skills and strength development in the arms. They could lift a bag filled with things and loop the bag around the hook, which would in turn also help develop fine motor skills as well. 

 Scarf Sorter- could be used in a sorting activity for a variety of students using a task bin system in a classroom or learning centre. The student could sort many items: pom poms, colors, beads, shapes, numbers, letters, etc. 

Comfy sock- white board eraser! This could be used by a student who is working on developing strength in their hand muscles and a regular white board eraser is too laborious to use on laminated activities. (I've switched to this in the learning centre at the independent task bin system stations and the kids love them!)

 Shower Poof- art paint brush substitute for a student who is developing fine motor skills. This would be an alternate paint tool but would allow the student to enter and participate in the activity. 

Large Popsicle Sticks- could serve as a page keeper in a book. This would be a good way for a student with a visual impairment to be able to bookmark a page. It could also be glued or taped to the page and serve as a page turn a page for a student with limited hand control. 

 

Chew ball and Elastics- could be used as a sensory bin activity for a student. It develops coordination and fine motor skills. It could also serve to work finger and hand muscles for the student.  

Task B

Purchase a few items and design an assistive technology to help someone specific, a real person or fictitious. Refer to the SETT framework.

SETT

Student, Environment, Task, Tools (tech)

My teaching partner (Amanda) and I have a student this year who is Autistic and non-verbal. He uses Proloquo and we are focussing on various goals this term, including several life skills. He still requires assistance for many motor activities, such as dressing, shoe changes, and is mostly independent during his bathroom routine. One area we noticed needed help was the hand washing portion of this task. Each time the student goes to the bathroom, when the hand washing part of the routine occurs, he will get soap and when rinsing, he plays with the water so that it sprays up and thus, gets his shirt and pants wet. He is needing to be changed frequently because of this and so to keep his independence around the routine, we thought we should devise something for him when this assignment came up!

Off to the dollar store we went and thought of this amazing, wonderful and creative, might I add, low tech assistive tech that would help this student to not create a waterfall each time he washes his hands. The funnel, which we cut off the thinnest part of the spout, serves as a nice barrier and the nylon, which we cut on either end, slows the water flow so only a little bit of water is coming out of the tap. We secured everything with a few knots and a couple of elastic bands around each tap to ensure maximum efficiency.

And volia, here you have it!!

Name of this amazing invention--- TBD... :)