Why iPads? Special Learning Needs

We use the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to apply adaptive technology and innovative strategies to support learning. In other words, we use technology to differentiate content, process and products for all learners. To learn more about UDL, look to listen to the EdTech Co-Op podcast 22 with Dr. Mark Hofer of the College of William and Mary. Dr. Hofer offers a clear case as to why UDL makes so much sense.

Two other UDL resources are the Center for Applied Special Technology and their publication Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age. Connecting to our efforts to help students build their own "personal learning systems", we can design learning plans (IEP) to include apps and web tools individualized for students to use at school and at home.

If you would like to search for UDL style apps, the following sites provide app reviews. They list many apps that offer a broad range of adaptive technologies to support all of our learners.

• Apps for Children with Special Needs
• One Place for Special Needs

Note: This edition of the iPad Weekly newsletter concludes the sharing of broad ways to use the iPads to support learning. Starting next week, the focus will be on pedagogy and how apps and Web tools can replace, amplify and transform learning. 

Why iPads? Personal Learning System

Students who use technology to access information while using digital "tools" to support their learning develop a personalized set of resources for learning... a "go-to" technology toolbox. We call such a collection of tools and resources one's Personal Learning System (PLS). Students use devices, apps and Web tools to help with small assignments. They also need to be project managers who engage their PLS as they plan for long term assignments while often working as member of a team. Finding and using tools to be organized and collaborative is key to managing one's individual and group learning projects.   

A “personal learning system” can include support tools in a variety of categories. The following are just a handful of options among many.

• Communication- We use e-mail, phones, and social networks to connect with others. Examples: Gmail, texting, phone calls, Skype
• Collaboration- Communicating to share ideas, work on projects and innovate draws upon and develops skills for 21st century learning and the workplace.  Technology facilitates the process of developing, organizing and sharing those ideas. Examples: Google Apps, Moodle (LMS), Mindmeister
• Curation of Information- Personal Learning Systems are more effective with a place to store, organize, and share the information we consume and create. Examples: Google Drive, Dropbox, Diigo, Pocket
• Documentation of Information- We need places and modalities (i.e., voice to text) to record and responsibly cite the ideas we gather from others as well as to make our thinking visible. Examples: Noodle Tools, Evernote, Notability, Siri, Google Now, PaperPort Notes, Google Docs, Audioboo,
• Reference and General Information Gathering- Remember the day when we had a dictionary, thesaurus, calculator and maybe an encyclopedia within easy reach of our workspace? Today we have online versions of each, along with a rich variety of apps on our devices. Examples: language translators, Britannica, iTunes for Podcasts, Chrome Browser with Extensions, one's school library Web site (e.g.,WIS PS Library Web site).
• Task and Time Management- The paper planner and calendar do not provide all the services offered by a web-based event and task management calendar. We can now easily access our time management systems across our computing platforms and integrate appointments and tasks into our e-mail. Examples: Google Calendar, Todoist, Wunderlist
• Tutorials- Developing lifelong learners who know how to learn independently is one of our primary goals. Knowing where to go to not only gather information but to also learn specific skills via online tutorials is so important. Examples: Vimeo Education, Khan Academy

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Why iPads? Consumption

Wifi connected iPads are just like networked computers allowing anyone to use a browser to search the internet and access Web sites. Students at WIS learn that their starting point for inquiry is our PS Library Website with its databases, safe search engines, media sources and lists of helpful, fun Web resources rich in media and text.  

The iTunes App Store is packed with apps that can help students practice and improve specific skills (e.g., language, math, science, etc). The iBooks app connects to the App Store for downloadable books. The Kindle app gives students access to eBooks that can be purchased or downloaded for free. The International Children's Digital Library app is an excellent source to find books in French, Spanish, Dutch and English. Students can also listen to books through the Audiobook and iTunes apps that provide recorded books, podcasts and other audio resources for easy downloading.

Many news and education providers have apps so students don’t have to navigate through a browser to access information. Examples are France 24, BBC and National Geographic.

Social media and news can be gathered from Twitter, blogs and Pinterest among others. Teachers and students can choose topics and questions using their ICL skills to find reliable resources from which they can subscribe to by using iPad apps. A couple excellent aggregator apps are Flipboard and Feedly. Subscribing through Flipboard or Feedly means that one doesn't have to go out on an individual basis to his/her favorite blogs, news sources or podcasts. All the latest updates are pulled into your aggregator app for easy access. See below for a screenshot of Feedly being used for professional development resources.

Consumption of information can be much more than just pulling from resource providers on the Web. Students and teachers can create their own content to be shared for others to consume on their iPads. This Web site is filled with ways to create and communicate one's ideas so think about students as authors (iBook), video producers (iMovie) and musicians (GarageBand). Focusing on multimedia, GarageBand is one of many apps that support music and podcast creation. Try using an iPad app like iMovie to produce tutorials, documentaries, documentation of museum visits, etc. And don't forget about using the iPad camera to record movement and skill attainment in dance, PE, sports team practices, etc. to then provide immediate feedback to one's students. 

Why iPads? Creativity

Think of the iPad as a tool for students to record, edit and synthesize media to then communicate their understanding. Students can record sounds, video, and still images using the Camera, GarageBand and iMovie applications. Each gives our students the power to edit a mixture of images, video and voice recordings to make their thinking visible.

A second way to create videos is through screencasting apps like Educreations and Explain Everything. There are so many ways in which screencasts can be used in our classrooms with students creating videos of number talks, how to's, reflections, thinking routines, etc. Here are several screencasts that a First Grade teacher had her students create. Screencasting is a wonderful technique that easily differentiates instruction by helping students communicate their understanding in an unrestricted environment. Watch Kindergarten student Marco's Spanish screencast on water by selecting the link below the image.  

Marco's screencast on water.

Talk about making thinking visible!

Below is a video podcast using Google Hangouts that shares classroom experiences where iPads were used to facilitate creativity and expression. It includes many lessons learned about how technology empowers students to apply their various literacies as they create and communicate their learning. Note that you need to get past the first few minutes of the video before the participants get down to business. :) The examples are from older students but there are many possibilities for "junior versions" with primary school students.