Beneficial to All - Essential to Some

Sandra Bens, M.Ed.

Understand multimodal teaching and learning

Consider access and equity in education Discuss technology that may be beneficial

to all and essential to some learners

iPod Touch in the Classroom Learning Community 3/19/2010College of Mount St. Joseph

Learning becomes accessible Instruction is received through visual,

auditory, and kinesthetic means Once skills and knowledge are

internalized, students can transfer that knowledge to other subjects or situations

Students can become increasingly motivated to learn when they are successful

Digital learning offers experiences that are varied, interesting and accessible

Beneficial to all Essential to some students

Memory Cognitive processing

Focus Attention and comprehension

Academic fluency Language or print based disabilities

Speaking Hearing Mobility

Education Accessible to all learners despite disability

Compensatory strategies and skills Bypass disability related barriers to learning

Tools for independence Accommodations

Assistive technology Alternative formats

Services Direct instruction Clarification

Mobility – construction Elevators Ramps Automatic doors

Learning – curriculum Layered curriculum Tiered instruction

Computing - tools Software programs Hardware devices Universal computing

Convenient travel Entertainment Travel apps

GPS Currency converter Translator Recorder Real time access

Remote access to home files and functions

Document management Suitable for most environments

Calendars Alarms Contact lists Email Notes National and local news

Weather and directions Web search options Real time access

Sports updates Real time Congress

Screen reading E-reader Text to speech Audio text (MP3)

Speech to text Dictation software

Voice command Voice record

Note-taking

Lifestyle Social networks Family connections

Shared calendar Communication

Community access Learning communities Gaming communities

Business practices Real time conferencing Blogs and Wiki sites Shared calendar

Access and equity in learning Extra time Reader Keyboard

Depth of digital learning Interacting with information in consrtuctive

ways Access to much information about a topic of

interest Changing learning

Are alternative forms of learning effective?

Functions meet needs Real time text and total conversion

What? Why?

Patterns of informal learning Subvert traditional rules set by institutions Negotiate restrictions on access to

information Rewrite rules

Divergent & convergent thinkers and learners Learn uses of technology on their own Reluctant to serve as mentors to peers

Feel confident with skills but cannot always offer explicit instruction to others

Often offer informal lessons or “show what you know”

Demonstrates rather than explains process Allows casual mentorship Encourages collaboration Offers safety buffer

Create environment of Empowerment Efficacy Independence

Guide students to Learn Teach Collaborate Mature

Universal design As learners? As teachers? As a society? As a culture?

Consider Illiteracy – as a national crisis Who will lead? How will they lead? Who will teach? How will they teach? What lies ahead for our students?

Nature of School Change:

Institutions must take responsibility for their own change, evolution, and improvement in response to learner demand and institutional performance encouraged by incentives and regulatory frameworks.

- The World Bank 2003

Competencies Learners Need in order to Succeed in a Globalized Knowledge

Economy: Acting autonomously Using tools interactively Functioning in heterogeneous groups

Hearing: VoiceOver Feature

Built-in to third gen 32GB or 64GB iPod touch Gesture based screen-reading

iHearClear Application Listen to and amplify sound in the distance Enhance clarity of sound and focus

soundAMP R Application Feature-rich hearing aid & recording app Sound processing technology of modern digital

hearing devices Allows user to tune, zoom, and replay audio easily

Signing: Sign 4 Me App

Interactive 3D sign language translator & teacher The Finger Application Animated hand signing

Motor Skills: Dragon Dictation App Speech to text for mobile transcription Message can easily be edited, emailed, or saved Dragon Search App Voice enabled web searching

Speech: Talk to Me App

Interactive text-to-speech generator Entry and playback of text via keyboard “Speak words as you type” Bookmark option for organization and

management of text Web Talk App

Mobile talking web browser Any website can become a spoken resource for

clarity of understanding or focus of attention

Speech: Speak it! App

Mobile talking web browser Any website can become a spoken resource for clarity

of understanding or focus of attention Easily generate and edit text-to-speech passages Save all texts in an internal library

Recall, edit, and repeat to modify text without retyping or reloading

Talking Mail App Type in message Have message spoken and captured as an audio file Email the audio message

Motor Skills: Vocalia App

Hands-free option to perform tasks using the iPod touch

Mac Control: WiFiControl App

Send key commands and retrieve files from a Mac with iPod

Volume Control App Remotely control volume of any Mac from iPod touch Must enable Remote Login built in on Mac OS X

computer iSpeak for Mac

Command a Mac to speak with iPod touch

Apple Learning Interchange iPod Touch. Touching student lives in the classroom

iPod Touch for Meeting the Needs of Special Learners – Web. 2009 Mizuko Ito, Sonja Baumer, Matteo Bittanti, and Danah Boyd

Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning) – Print. 2009

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Technology Assessment and Research Program

A Draft for Discussion – Web. 1992 John Palfrey and Urs Gasser

Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives – Print. 2008 Arnoud van Wijk

Universal Computing advocate "Real-Time Text Task Force" at www.realtimetext.org – Web. 2010

The World Bank Lifelong Learning in the Global Economy: Challenges for Developing Countries –

Print. 2003