the Incredible Ipad: a Versatile Device for a Diverse Classroom

On any given day, in any given classroom, there is a lot happening.  From the first bell in the morning, to the final bell of the day, the school day moves at a hectic pace.  In the junior high setting in which I work, the bell sounds every 42 minutes, excusing one class of students and ushering in a new group.  Each new group that crosses the threshold of my classroom brings with them a varying mix of interests, needs and abilities.  

The video focused on the adaptability of a standard Ipad.  The video featured children ranging in age from toddlers to teenagers, with a wide variety of abilities and needs.  It demonstrated that in our classrooms, we do not necessarily need 25 different pieces of technology to meet 25 different students needs.  It can be as simple as offering one piece of technology that can be used in 25 different ways according to situation and need.  The portion of the video that spoke to direct selection showed this.  Tyler was a teenager shown in the video with gross motor impairment.  Despite the limitations of his physical abilities, he was able to access the same device that probably most other students in the classroom where using: an Ipad.  In place of a touch of a finger, Tyler employed the use of his tongue to select, swipe and type on an Ipad; this allowed him to surpass the obstacle of the inability to use his hands for typing or clicking.    

There are multiple apps available for the Ipad, as we saw in the video, that are designed to help students increase their written output.   The Keeble Keyboard app, and also the Clicker app we saw can help students who struggle with phonetics or matters of correctness, as well as students with LD maximize their ability to express themselves through writing without being bogged down with the mechanics of spelling out letter for letter the words for which they are searching and losing the momentum of their thoughts along the way.    

      

Of all of the exciting prospects posed by these Ipad apps, modes and options, eye gaze draws the most interest from me.  Although we had been previously introduced to eye gaze technology, watching it in action again still amazes me.  The possibilities it presents and the doors it opens for people with impaired use of their arms and hands are numerous.  Eye gaze creates a situation by which students with severe physical disabilities are empowered to communicate and express themselves, and develop a sense of independence and autonomy.  

When considering my practice as a languages teacher, the Siri speech to text piqued my interest.  I can see this feature being beneficial to my students on many levels.  Most of the courses I teach are designed for students to acquire French as an additional language.  This feature can help them connect letters to their phonetic sounds in French, as well as helping students move from oral proficiency to written proficiency.  In addition, the composition of my classes are becoming increasingly culturally diverse as well.  I currently teach many English as an Additional language students.  In the near future, there will be Syrian refugee students joining our school and  Siri speech to text can be a tool, when used in conjunction with translation apps, that could hopefully make their transition their transition into our classrooms less intimidating and more enjoyable.