Class Presentations

In tonight’s class we watched four different presentations.  Each presentation introduced us many different apps that would be helpful to use from students and were all well done.  For each presentation, I will share one or two things which were highlights for me.
The first presentation was on physical access to mobile devices and was presented by Allan, Farnoush and Toni.  One of the apps which was shared that I loved was Tunewiki.  The aspects of the app that I liked are that it will show the lyrics of songs on that are being played in a small box at the bottom of the screen.  This app will sync with your iTunes account and is affordable since it is free!  Another aspect from the presentation which I liked was the cases that were shared.  I have never seen those types before and I think they would be useful in schools.  I especially like the iGuy cases as I think students would like them too.  So often teachers are bringing in their own ipads and itouches for students to use and at least these cases would offer some protection.

I found the presentation on apps in action for early learners, presented by Sherry, Lloyd and Kenny, very interesting.  Although I agree that there are benefits to having young children use apps especially when there are developmental challenges, I also worry about having children using technology too much.  I believe strongly that play time and social interaction with others children is extremely important.  For children who are struggling with interacting I think that assistive technology is essential in helping to break barriers for them.  I just believe it is important to find a balance.  The highlight of the presentation was the video they shared of the one year old using the spelling app.  I think this demonstrated how engaged children can become at such a young age.  It also demonstrated how she was able to navigate the ipad without any difficulty which reminds us as educators that the sooner we have students using technology the more comfortable they will come with using it.

The presentation on communication disorders was given by Barbara, Nicole and Jenna.  The highlight of this presentation for me was the apps on articulation.  I find that many students struggle with articulation and it was helpful to learn about some apps that can support them with this challenge.  I especially liked the app Match to Say.  I like that it could be a single or multiplayer game.  I think it would be engaging for students and would also take away some of the stigma or embarrassment that students may feel when working on proper articulation.  Overall, I like that this presentation gave information on many different apps.  This allows me, in the future when I may have an ipad, to have many different avenues to explore.

In the final presentation of the night, Setz, Mary Jo, and Karla looked at apps that can help students with severe autism.  Although they demonstrated some very useful apps, the highlight of this presentation for me was the video that was shown (I have included the video below).  This video demonstrated how the ipad can be used to help students with severe autism find a voice.  I thought it was extremely powerful to see real life situations where ipads are being used in schools to help make connections with students.  It was really telling that one teacher has estimated a child’s ability as much lower than reality because of an inability to reach the child; however, though the use of the ipad apps he was able to get a much more accurate picture of the child’s ability.  It seems unbelievable that the addition of the ipad, and the apps it supports, can have such a life changing affect on children with autism and their families.  It really brings home to me the importance of trying to bring more ipads into school and training educators to use the effectively.