Day 1

Class One: AT- Access to Literacy April 22, 2017

  • We began the day with class introductions using three new apps: Chomp, Videoscribe, and Telligami. It was an extremely fun way to get to know each other and learn apps that could be utilized in our classrooms as well. I could see using these apps in the classroom for many purposes, class introductions, character sketches from novels, and biographies on historical people to name a few.
  • Next we watched the Ted Video, The Myth of Average, and while I had seen this video previously, it always gives me insights into my own teaching. The biggest takeaway from this video was the quote, "You design classrooms for nobody, when you design on average". It reminds me of how important it is to take all students' learning styles and capabilities into play when designing lessons. Whether it comes to teaching style, materials used, or how students show knowledge. The video also reminds me of an old poem I heard when I was younger called The Starfish.
Picture of a beach with two starfish. Poem about how no one was helping the starfish and then someone came and helped one starfish. It made a difference to that one.

  • We got the chance to look at various accessibility features that could be used to help students with various learning challenges. Some examples are voice over, typing feedback, zoom,  and touch accommodation to name a few. While I was aware of most of these features, it is always nice to have a refresher. 
  • We ended the class with a partner activity to show what we know about various critical terms in AT using 12 new apps to show our understanding.  While I loved this activity, I found myself feeling rushed. It made me think about how my students would feel using these apps in the classroom. We have to ensure we give students enough time to feel comfortable with the apps they are being asked to utilize in the classroom so they feel safe and confident with the final product they are possibly sharing with classmates. That being said, I had tremendous fun learning about these apps and the possible ways they could be used in the class. I still don't feel 100% confident that I know all there is to know about using the apps, but will continue to play with them in the future weeks.

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