Progress

It's been a while since I have written a post on the iPad implementation. There is no doubt the kids love them! I chose to follow two students in particular who have been notoriously difficult to engage and to keep on task.

Student A, Intellectual disability, rarely follows instructions, often leaves the classroom and states that its 'boring', only completes work tasks that he considers are fun (PE, Computer, Community Garden).

Student B, Intellectual Disability, Autistic tendancies, is unable to start a task independently, requires constant prompting to stay on task, often 'annoys' other students, rarely finishes a task.

As I explained in an earlier post, I introduced the iPad's into our 'Morning Work' sessions. This work was set as a structured/routined way of starting the day. It also gave the students a chance to learn to organise and manage their own learning time.

An engagement profile/observation was written for each student for a task that they find highly motivating. For student A, the computer, and for student B, craft activity.

Another obervation was conducted for the 'Morning Work' session to compare their engagement levels.

A final egagement obsevation will be carried out on the 'Morning Work' session when iPad's are included.

There has been an obvious change in the motivation levels of students during this time when working on the iPad's is included.

Favourite apps so far

Just a quick post about the apps the students seem to be really enjoying.

•  Puppet Pals. At the moment they are just making up stories as they go. I'm looking forward to using this app as a way of recording their written stories.
• Camera/Video. I don't think I've met a kid yet that doesn't love taking pictures of themselves or watching themselves on screen.
• Photo Booth. They love experimenting with the different filters and pulling all sorts of faces!
• CakeDoodle. The girls love this one! I got this one as a fun way to practice reading and following directions as well as fine motor skills.
• Geared and Geared 2. This one appeals to the problems solvers in my class and the ones with good spatial awareness. They like Geared 2 better, purely because the little hamster flies out of the wheel once you get all the cogs turning! I've seen some great cooperation between students while playing this one.
• Magic Piano. They really enjoy the songbook section where they touch the dots to play a piece a classical music. They sound like professional pianists!

I'm sure there is more, but these are the ones I notice the students playing the most when they have free choice.

Progress so far...

To begin with I decided to incorporate the ipad's into our daily 'Morning Work' contract. 'Morning work' is time where students complete various repetitive activities to consolidate literacy and numeracy concepts as well develop independent work skills. There are three compulsory tasks (spelling words, reading and writing) before they are able to choose another activity. Adding the iPads has motivated students to stay on task so they can choose an iPad activity. Some students, unfortunately, are learning the hard way and rarely get all three compulsory activities completed so they rarely get to choose iPads. Having said that they are making progress and staying focussed for longer periods. One student never completed set tasks, but he is now able to work independently through the contract. At the moment I don't mind too much what they play on the iPads. The apps available to them have all been choosen for various reasons (literacy, numeracy, fine motor or problem solving to name a few). The motivational factor of the iPads is unbelievable and I'm sure in time that will make a difference to the learning of my students.
The next step for me is find ways that I can use the device in small group sessions to target specific skills.

So much enthusiasm!

I don't know what it is about iPad's, but the kids are loving them! They ask me everyday if we are using them today. I haven't really applied any restrictions to them as yet (still trying to get all the apps I would like to start with and working out internet access). They are really enjoying exploring all the apps. They tend to jump around a bit and only play one game for a short time. They girls love CakeDoodle and the boys love taking pictures of themselves in the Photobooth and using the different filters. The silence in the room when they are in use is unbelieveable! So far so good!

We have lift off.....sort of!

I introduced the iPad's to the class today. We talked about some rules around using the iPad's and how to turn them on etc. I think I'm going to have to go over this again and make some posters to remind students. The class had some free time to expore the apps and features of the iPad's. Because I have 12 students and only 4 iPads there is going to have to be some times where students work together and share the device. After today's session I can already see them being a great tool to promote cooperation. Most students sat and waited for their turn, they decided together what app they would check out and they made sure they had equal time. We still had a couple of problems with children not wanting to share and they needed a bit more supervision, but all in all I think it was a very successful time!
Still waiting for the VGA adapter to arrive and for the code to the wireless network. Once the VGA adapter arrives I'll do more explicit instuction on how to use some of the apps and features.

Slightly Frustrated

I'm feeling a little bit of frustration this week. The iPad's are all ready to go. I've done my bit and organised some apps to start with, but now I'm waiting for other people to do their part. It would have been nice to start the new term with the iPad's and the students are starting to ask when they can use them. I don't think other people share my enthusiasm.

Decisions, Decisions...

I attended the SERU Special Education Expo last week. I had the opportunity to test drive many apps for the iPad's. I've made myself a quite a long list. Greg O'Connor from Spectronics gave some good advice to avoid Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS). I can see how easily I could be sucked into SOS. I really need to remember what my student needs are and not what looks like good entertainment value. Of course there is an element of entertainment to the iPad, but I don't want the main use of the iPad's to be entertainment. I will use the SETT Framework developed by Joy Zabala to decide on apps. It will help me make informed decisions about what apps will be most useful for my students and hopefully avoid SOS.
I have set up the iTunes account for my class. Currently this is on my personal laptop as the IT guy is concerned that iTunes will slow our network. No one knows for sure. I'm breaking into new territory here! I did make a mistake by using my work email, which was a not a good idea if I happen to leave the school. I have since created a gmail account for the class and have created a new account in iTunes. That way if I leave the school at anytime the email details can passed on without too much trouble.
I have also been thinking about how to introduce the iPad's to the class. I think they are going to need some very specific rules about their use. The class is usually pretty good with the care of technology, but iPad's are a little more fragile than a laptop. I think they are also going to need some free exploration time before asking them to use the iPad's as a learning tool.
As far as the research project goes I'm going to focus on engagement levels. I have collected some base line data, but I still need a couple of more weeks to get a good snap shot of behaviour in my class. I'm going to assume that a descrease in disruptive behaviour will be due to an increase in student engagement. An increase in engagement will increase quality learning time.
My head is still spinning with information. Next step is to decide what apps I'm going to start with.

They Have Arrived!

The iPad's have arrived and in less than a month. Much earlier than I was expecting which means that I have nothing set up. Although I had been looking at apps, I'm really regretting that I never bookmarked some or made a list of the good ones. I thought I had plenty of time for that. I have been trawling through the many posts on iTeach Special Education- iDevices in Special Education. I'm working my way through the Spectronics blog. There is so many to choose from. I have to keep reminding myself that I don't need everything now. These will be devices that I can build on as I learn what the students like and as the needs of my students change. The main focus will be literacy and numeracy, but I'm also interested in using them to create social stories. I'm also interested in incorporting QR codes. I only learnt what these things were a few weeks ago, but the opportunities seem endless.
I'm really looking forward to the sessions I'm booked into at the SERU Special Education Expo. I hope to learn a lot about implementing the iPad's successfully in my class.

Introduction

This blog will detail the implementation of iPad's in a Primary Special Class. A few weeks ago I found out that I was the lucky recipient of a SERU Technology Grant (Special Education Resource Unit). I received funding to buy 4 iPad's for my class. Of course I did a little happy dance when I found out. The kids were excited because I was excited, but they really didn't understand what an iPad was! They are familiar with the iPod touch because occassionally I let them use mine to listen to music. Once they understood what I an iPad was they became equally as excited as me.
My class is a Primary Special Class with 12 students in years 3-6. They have varying degrees of ability and many have experienced trauma in their short lives which adds to the level of complexity. There is a high level of defiant and disruptive behaviour which miraculously disappears when we have access to the trolley of laptops. Unfortunately we share these laptops with 2 other class, so access is limited to a few times a week. They are highly motivated by technology so I think iPads will be a great addition to the learning program.
The class is relatively new to the school (this is it's third year) and leadership was very inexperienced in special education. There is currently no assistive technology in the school although I can see the benefits of specialised programs for many students across the school. I am also new to the school. I started this year. Over the past few years I developed a great interest in incorporating technology into the curriculum. I have attended the Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference twice now and each time I have come back with information that has changed my practice. The potential of assistive technology in my class in huge. I feel that a lot of the negative behaviours that are present are due to a lack of confidence, physical ability and motivation. I am trying my best with what I have, but sometimes technology is the key to success for some kids.
The iPad's have been ordered but demand is high so who knows how long I will have to wait (it's been about 2 weeks already). My posts may be sporadic from until I get the iPad's in my hot little hands!