Tuesday 13 November 2012


Reflection

November 7, 2012

Tonight was a night of “newness”!

Barb shared her new iPad Mini! Cool!!

Tonight, we were introduced to iTunes University.  What a great place to go for Professional Development!  I can see myself using this resource on Professional Development days to work with the staff or as part of our Professional Learning Communities.  What a wonderful source for information in the area of Universal Design for Learning, (UDL).   The best part about the sight, besides the information available, is that it is simple to access and it is free!!!

The night of “newness” continued when Barb had us bring a handout from school and determine its accessibility or inaccessibility for all learners.  She then introduced us to the applications below and sent us off on a quest, a challenge to use these applications and adapt the handout so it is accessible for everyone!

Scan to PDF lets you take a picture of something and converts it to a PDF document that we can than manipulate.  Once you have the item in a PDF format you can then send it out, open Type to PDF and presto… you can now write on the scanned document.

Prizmo is also another app we took a peak at.  Once again, you just take a picture and it operates like Kurzwell.   Now you are able to edit, scan and have it read aloud.

Pages is a word processing app that allows me to take my Prizmo scan and paste it into a word processing application called Pages.  It will read aloud, increase the size and define words.

Pic Collage is a free app that allows you to add a photo from a camera or the photo library.  With a little manipulation you can add text through dictation and email it off to your teacher or publish to your library.
 

After fiddling with the applications, I have to say I was amazed at how these simple programs can make learning easier for students with learning difficulties.  We, as educators, are headed in the direction of “paperless” classrooms and complete inclusion for all.  All we have to do is put the tools in the hands of educators and students.  Once teachers see the benefits of this type of assistive technology they will be converts for life.   I know I am excited to take my learning back to CAMS and share the success of these applications with everyone. 

3 comments:

  1. I agree that it is amazing how these apps can make such an impact on a student's day. I am excited to see how we begin to transition into the "paperless" classrooms and how more information becomes accessible to students.

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  2. Thanks Janet! Can't wait til you open your new iPad! Have fun

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  3. I completely agree that iTunes University is a great place to go for Professional Development. I love that it provides a range of courses with access to free videos, audio lectures, presentations and books that are just a tap or click away!!

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