Using Apps to Increase Learning in Children with Autism

Children with Autism are some of the smartest children on the planet, although often times they have a hard time expressing themselves. It is hard for autistic children to communicate how they feel, what they want, or even simple expressions. By using specific iPad applications children with autism are developing more proficiently than ever before! They finally have a gateway to express themselves, while also being so engaged in what they are doing they are learning at an alarmingly fast rate. The bright colors and sounds in these apps are attractive to these children, and make them want to pay attention and participate more in what they are doing. Another aspect of autism is that most children take words literally, so even if they are able to figure out words, they often have a hard time comprehending because the words do not make sense to them. I believe that using apps is a fantastic way to increase reading comprehension in these students, and I will definitely have many apps prepared in my classroom for when I do have autistic children in my room. Reading comprehension is a huge part of learning, if the child cannot comprehend what they are reading how can we expect them to learn in any other subject? We have to figure out a way to establish a basis of learning for reading comprehension and these apps are proving to be a sure way of success for these children. This is definitely a way to increase 21st century learning skills in students with Autism and that opens up so many doorways of learning for these special students.

 http://www.readingrockets.org/article/tell-me-about-story-comprehension-strategies-students-autism

Nearpod in the Classroom

Nearpod is an interactive presentation and assessment tool that can be effectively used in any classroom. This presentation can include polls, quizzes, images, drawing boards, videos and the list goes on. Many teachers use nearpod to asses their students, but it does not have to be used as an assessment tool. If you wanted to teach your lesson to students and make an interactive poll or video, the students can go through these presentations at their own pace and the teacher can keep track of where each student is and what he/she has accomplished so far. The good thing about this website is that students can not skip ahead of information just to get to the end. The teacher is in control of everything.  This app is really awesome and offers so many options for teachers across America! You can create your own nearpod, or use one of thousands of educational nearpods that teachers have already made. You can use these presentations for any subject, and even take your class on a virtual field trip! Some of the most positive characteristics of nearpod are that it automatically engages and amazes students, shares your content and assessments faster than ever before, and your students can join your nearpod session from any pc or device anywhere! You can have a class study session with everyone in their own homes-how cool is that? I will definitely be implementing nearpod in my future classroom because the opportunities that it holds seem to be endless. I feel like this could make me a better educator because not only can I create my own engaging lessons while incorporating technology, but I can also share ideas from other teachers that have worked in their classroom and adjust them to fit my classroom!


https://app.nearpod.com/market?view=npInit

Digital Portfolios

A digital portfolio is a computer -based collection of student performance and achievement over time. These portfolios are more efficient than a stack of papers in a folder because you can collect so much more information over time and find it easily all in one place. There are many applications for students to create their own portfolio and add additional information to it at anytime they please. Portfolios make classroom learning more accessible, showcase student achievement and learning, and show evidence of growth over a period of time. Students enjoy this because it helps them to be organized, and also gives them 21st century learning skills by learning how to create and operate a digital track of all their school work.  I believe I would really enjoy incorporating digital portfolios into my future classroom if I had an older elementary class, maybe 2nd through 5th grade, The only downside to this is it would probably be difficult to use with the younger students because they are still focusing on learning basic technology skills. I believe student learning will be impacted by digital portfolios because of the amount of time and effort the students have to put into it. They are more focused on their own work because they know it will be in their portfolio from then on. Students can even work together on their digital portfolios increasing student interaction and work ethic. Seesaw is a digital portfolio application that includes three versions:one for the parent, one for the student, and one for the teacher. This app is perfect for a classroom and helps all three parties stay involved and on track of student goals and accomplishments. If you are thinking about implementing digital portfolios into your classroom I would highly suggest trying it with this app first! The results will amaze you, or it certainly did me. 

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-portfolios-art-of-reflection-beth-holland

Student-Led Conferences

One major part of effective teaching is having a constant communication with the parents in your classroom to keep them connected in their student's learning. Parent teacher conferences are a major part of staying on the same page with your parents to better develop the growth of their child's learning skills. Student-led conferences involve the student, parents, and teacher in a way that is presented by the student to show the parents how well the student has been developing over the school year. Parents are more likely to participate in a conference when they know their child will be showing them what they have accomplished, and what their future goals of accomplishment are. In my opinion this is a fantastic idea! I would have loved to be involved in my parent teacher conferences as a student, and I know my mother would have enjoyed getting to see my school work from my perspective. I will definitely use this concept in my future classroom because I believe the stronger your connection with the families in your class are, the more growth you will see develop in your classroom. I also believe the students are more accountable for their grades and actions when they realize they will be the ones reporting to their parents. This develops more student independence and responsibility, but also helps increase student confidence levels. If you choose to use a digital portfolio for your conference, this helps increase the students' 21st century learning skills and prepares them for a future where a digital portfolio is vitally important. "The format is important, but I believe the success of a student-led conference is most determined by how well students are prepared," wrote Laura Hayden, a seventh-grade communications teacher at Derby Middle School in Derby, Kansas, in Letting Students Lead Parent Conferences, an article published by the National Association of Elementary School Principals in Middle Matters.

             

- See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin112.shtml#sthash.tpcvMiMP.dpuf

Student Response Systems

 Have you ever noticed that when teachers ask a question only a small percentage of the class volunteers to answer? Most of the time the same group of students will be the ones ready to answer, and the rest of the children sit and wait to hear the response. This is a problem many teachers feel like they can't fix because they don't know how to get all students engaged in the lesson.  A Student Response System (SRS) is a wireless response system that allows teachers to request information, and for students to respond by using a "clicker" or hand-held response pad to send his or her information to a receiver as an answer. This new idea is working so well in classrooms across the country! This system hold every student accountable for giving a response to the question without embarrassing them in front of everyone if the answer is wrong. Using an application such as Plickers or Socrative, the teacher gets immediate feedback to her device which tells her each student and their answer. The information is also displayed on the board for the class to see but does not tell which student gave which response. It shows how the class responded overall, 12 students answering A, 6 students answering C and so forth. I believe students really enjoy this because they feel like they are an important part of the class and they want to get the correct answer so they try harder than before. I would use this concept in my own future classroom because I want all my students to have an equal opportunity to learn, and what better way to insure that than holding them accountable? Every classroom is different, but I believe that there is a student response system designed to incorporate all classrooms. This also gives students an edge on 21st century learning skills because it is incorporated in technology. 

                                                                                      http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/03/seven-good-student-response-systems.html#.V0nOOJErKM8

                                                                                       

                                                                                                    

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality is a virtual way to get students highly connected and engaged with the information they are learning. Augmented reality simulations are like an educational video game for the students, but they are so interested in the material the students may not even realize they are actually learning. This digitally innovative concept brings a picture to life using a three dimensional application on an iPad or tablet. I believe this would be such a positive thing to use in my future classroom to motivate students to explore information on an entirely new level. If I had a 3D virtual tour of the inside of the human body, I may have loved science instead of being constantly confused and behind everyone else in school. This can impact student learning in such a powerful way by giving them an actual tangible representation of everything in the world around them. There is so much to explore with these apps it is unbelievable! This concept would be perfect to use in an elementary classroom because of the fun and exciting nature, and it also helps develop 21st century learning skills that so many children struggle with. For the most part children are fairly good with technology, but having something come to life at your fingertips would engage even the most challenged children.  These types of learning experiences really foster the needs of visual learners. An awesome Augmented Reality app to use is Aurasma; by using this app you can bring almost anything to life in your classroom. 

Want more information about using Augmented Reality in your classroom? Check out this website for useful material and ideas! 

 https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-11-02-how-to-transform-your-classroom-with-augmented-reality

Improving Social Interactions among Students with Autism

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a brain disorder that comes on at a very early stage in life. This disorder is usually diagnosed by the age of 4, and is a lot more common in everyday life than most people think. There is a great deal of research on what actually causes Autism, but truthfully the cause is still unknown. One common characteristic of this disorder is that children have a hard time socially interacting, and expressing what they want verbally. To improve this interaction, teachers across America are implementing a strategy called social peer training or (peer buddying) and the results have been phenomenal. The objective of this strategy is to teach children with Autism social ques to better help them respond appropriately to situations and conversation. By placing an autistic child with one or two non-autistic children, it not only helps the autistic child better develop social skills; it helps the non-autistic children learn how to socially interact and assist children with special needs. This will also develop children's 21st century skills by allowing them to interact together using different forms of technology. Student learning is greatly affected by this strategy, and I really wish someone would have thought of this idea sooner.  I believe that I could greatly benefit from using this strategy in my classroom. Not only will my students be learning with each other, but I will also be learning from my students. Autistic children require a lot of intervention, and this is a way to let students help students instead of fully relying on the teacher. Students learn so much more from their peers sometimes than we could ever wish to teach them!

This link shows a study done in an inclusive classroom on peer buddying! 

http://foa.sagepub.com/content/29/4/206.abstract