December 5, 2012 - Presentations

December 5, 2012

This was the first night for the class to present their individual projects/case studies.  We also had the opportunity to visit the grade 6 presentations and their use of technology in school.  The first 3 presentations were by Darcie, Emily and Stephanie.  The student Darcie described, Mary, is in grade 10 and has a vision impairment. Mary is a strong advocate for herself. In the past she had used such technology as Kurzweil. Her newer AT centered around an iPad and the various apps that can used to aid her in school. Mary is able to use the Iscan app to scan documents for her to read and enlarge. Overall, the iPad device seems to be the now and future device for Mary to use. It is a mainstreamed device so Mary will feel comfortable using a device as many other students use, just in a different way. I found the presentation by Darcie excellent, with lots of energy and knowledge of her student. I also enjoy learning how AT is working for students in high school opposed to my setting of elementary school.  The next presentation was by Emily.  Emily presented a case study about a grade 3 student - named E. E loves arts and crafts and enjoys using the iPod. Her AT assessment recommended Clicker 5, Razkids and the iPod touch with various Apps. Emily discussed how E was using some of the Apps in school to aid her in the school setting. I could relate to Emily and her experiences with using various technology, finding out which ones work and which ones are not optimal for the student. I have found at the elementary level that there is a time period where the student is learning how to use the technology and then using the technology to learn. During that process it can be interesting depending on the student, their capabilities and their behaviour. I really enjoyed Emily's presentation. :)  The last presentation of the evening was by Stephanie. Stephanie's case study was about a man named Paul. Paul is a 25 year old male who is in an adult facility that Stephanie works at. He has epilepsy and has seizures. These seizures are lessening his cognitive abilities after each one. Stephanie has been working with Paul since 2005. Paul is a huge fan of Star Trek and considers himself an author.  Paul use to lie in bed for most of the day. Now he is using the computer and the iPad. Stephanie has done a great job matching the technology to her user. I loved the visuals used for Paul for him to gain independence when using the computer and the iPad. Similar to the first presentation I found it really interesting learning about an older student (adult) using technology to aid them in everyday life.  Way to go Stephanie!!  Great presentation :)  After the presentations we were lucky to have the opportunity to participate in the viewing of the Grade 6 students and their use of iPads in their classrooms. I found all of the presentations really interesting, particularly the ones done by students that I had the privileged to work with last year.  It was great to see the use of the iPads being used to the fullest by the grade 6 team for their students. I always find it so amazing how much students grow in their use and knowledge of technology from elementary school to the middle school setting. It is an amazing journey they are continuing for the rest of their lives.  Awesome!!!