ConnieS.

Costa

April10,2016

TRYSOMETHINGNEW:DueWeek4
Forthefirstfewweeksofclass,youwillbeassessingcontentspecificATtoolsandusingthis
charttoreportyourexperiencesandfindings.Besuretoprovideanynecessarycitationsor
linksrightwithinthechartsothatotherscanquicklyandeasilybenefitfromyourfindings.
____________________________________________________________________________
ATTOOLSINVENTORYSHEET
Fillintherequiredboxesforeachofthecorrespondingweeks.Saveyourfileeachweekand,
attheendofweek4,submitthisforminBlackboard.
Week1:WritingATTool
NameofATToolevaluated:
GraphicOrganizer(ThinkingMap)
Whatworked?
UsingtheBubbleMap
(paperandpencil)foraprewritingactivity
helpedmyARstudentagreatdeal.Hewas
abletoorganizehisthoughtsandmain
ideasandcraftawellwrittenthree
paragraphessay.

LinktoThinkingMaps:
http://cedarwmu.edenpr.org/rrice/files/2012/03/
ThinkingMapTemplates.pdf

Whatdidntwork?
Motivatingmystudentto
taketheextratimetousethegraphic
organizerwasachallenge.Hejustwanted
tostartwritingwithoutanythoughtor
structure.Heissousedtofailingatwriting,
hehasahardtimeseeingthevaluein
slowingdownandprewriting.Plus,he
claimshedoesntliketowrite...sothis
causedachallenge.

Whatwouldyoutrynexttime?
Becausemy
ARstudentlovestechnologyandfeels
comfortableusingit,Iduseanonline
graphicorganizer.Ifeelthiswouldhelpwith
themotivationissueandwithabuiltinspell
checker,hedhaveaccesstoadictionaryto
helpwithspellingerrors.

Wouldyouusethistoolinthefuture?
Yes,I http://www.inspiration.com/Kidspiration
willcontinuetousethistool.However,asI
mentionedabove,Idalsoliketofindan
onlineversion,perhapslikewasmentioned
inourtextbook,AssistiveTechnologyin
theClassroombyDell,Inspiration,
Kidspiration,orMindview.
WouldyourecommendthistoolforAtRisk
(AR),SN(SpecialNeeds),EL(English
Language)students?
Yes,Iwoulddefinitely
recommendthistool/resourceforAR,SN,
andELstudents.Idobelievethatanonline
prewritinggraphicorganizersuchas
InspirationorKidspirationwouldbeabetter
toolforallstudents.
AdditionalRemarks?
Prewritingusing
graphicorganizers,issomethingthatALL
studentsneedtopractice,notjustAR,SN,
andELstudents.Graphicorganizers,
whetherpaperandpenciloronlineare
greattoolstogetthejobdone.

Week2:ReadingATTool
NameofATToolevaluated:
SpeakTextapplication&ReadingLevelAdjustmentwithin
DiscoveryEducationScienceTechbook
Whatworked?
Thisdeviceworkedwellfor
myARstudent.Hewasabletoaccess
gradelevelcontentthroughthisspeaktext
application.Hewasabletofollowalong
whilethetextisbeingreadtohim.Also,
andIfeelthisisimportant,noone,butthe
teacherandthestudentknowsthatthe
studentislisteningtothetextbookata
belowgradelevelsetting.Sothestudent
doesnthavetofearbeingmadefunofby
hisorherpeers.

LinktoDiscoveryEducation:
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/

Imnotsureyouwillhaveaccesstothis
particulartool...unlessyouhaveaDiscovery
Educationaccount.

Whatdidntwork?
IfeelthatmyARstudent
stillstruggledwiththescientificvocabulary.
Becausehehashadsomanyyearsof
strugglingwhilereading,Ifeelhehasa
hardtimefocusing.Thislackoffocuswas
stillanissue,evenwithhimbeingreadto.

Whatwouldyoutrynexttime?
Idmake
surethathewasfrontloadedwiththe
scientificvocabulary.Also,Idmakesure
wehavesometypeofformalcheckin
systemgoingonsothatIcanmonitorhis
progressclosely.

Wouldyouusethistoolinthefuture?
Yes,
Idusedthisagain...Ivebeenusingitinmy
6thgradeclass.Iveseenalotofstudents
benefittingfromthistool.And,thereisa
Spanishversionofthesciencetechbookfor
myELstudentstouse!
WouldyourecommendthistoolforAtRisk
(AR),SN(SpecialNeeds),EL(English
Language)students?
Yes,Iwoulddefinitely
recommendthistoolforARandEL
students.Itgivesthemaccesstograde
levelcontentandallowsthemtofind
success.ImnotsureaboutthistoolforSN
students.Ithinkitwouldreallydependon
thestudentsdisabilityandneeds.
AdditionalRemarks?
Thisparticulartool
onlyallowsforthereadingleveltobe
adjustedtoonegradelevelbelow.Ithink
havingtheabilitytolowerthegradelevelto
atleast2gradelevelsbelowwouldbeof
greatbenefit.

Week3:MathATTool
Inolongerteachmath,however,whenIdid,Iusedthefollowing:
NameofATToolevaluated:
Mydistrictspreviousmathcurriculumhadanonlinetutor
component.Astrugglingstudentcouldsitandwatchaconceptvideo(stoppingit,replayingit,

etc.)athisorherownpace.Eachconcepthadseveralvideos,beingtaughtbydifferent
teachers(withdifferentstyles).

Whatworked?
Thevideosworkedonmany
levels.Mystrugglingstudentswereableto
workattheirownpacewhilefinding
successlearningtheparticularconcept.

LinktoHolt(thisisnottheexactHoltRinehart
siteweuse,butitgivesyouagoodideaof
whatthelessonsarelike).

http://www.mathhelp.com/how_to/integers_and
_the_number_line/graphing_and_writing_integ
ers/#

Whatdidntwork?
Attimes,studentsstill
didntgraspaconceptaftermultiple
viewingsofavideo.

Whatwouldyoutrynexttime?
Idmake
surestudentshadunderstandingofthe
vocabularybeingusedinthevideos.Id
alsohaveamorecontrolledcheckinwith
mystudentstodiscusswhattheyare
gettingandnotgettingfromthetutoring
videos.

Wouldyouusethistoolinthefuture?
Absolutely!Imissteachingmath.Ibelieve
havingaccesstothesetutoringvideosis
veryvaluable.

WouldyourecommendthistoolforAtRisk
(AR),SN(SpecialNeeds),EL(English
Language)students?
Iwoulddefinitely
recommendthistoolforAR,SN,andEL
students.Theycouldallbenefitfromthe
useofthesevideos.

AdditionalRemarks?
SpecificallyforEL
students,itwouldbeimperativethatthey
haveagoodunderstandingofthemath
vocabulary.Also,Idlooktoseeifthereare
videosintheirnativelanguage.

Week4:CommunicationATTool
Icurrentlyhavenostudents,andneverhavehadany
nonverbalstudentsinmyclasses.However,thisyearIhaveaveryintelligentyoungman
withahearingdisability.Hewearshearingaidesinbothears.
NameofATToolevaluated:
Asnotedabove,Icurrentlyhaveastudentthatishardofhearing.
Hewearshearingaidesinbothears.Therewastalkatthebeginningoftheschoolyear(before
ImovedovertotheschoolinOctober),thatallofhisteacherswouldwearanFMamplifier.
However,tothisdate,noneofushavereceivedthistechnology.
Whatworked?
Asnotedabove,noAThas
beenintroducedintotheclassroomforthis
particularstudent.However,Idomakesure
thathefacesmewhenheisinmy
classroomandhesitsinthefrontofthe
classroomnearthewhiteboardandthe
projectorscreen.Hesitsinagroupwith3
otherstudentsthathelphim,ifneeded.
Whatdidntwork?
Hmm...well...sofarthis
youngmanhasnthadanydifficultiesinmy
classorinschoolforthatmatter.Heis
wellspoken,bright,wasaparticipanton
ourscienceolympiadteamthisyearandis
currentlyenrolledinour6/7compressed
mathclass.
Whatwouldyoutrynexttime?
IftheFM
amplifierhadbeenprovided,Iwouldhave
definitelytriedit.But,honestly,heseemsto
befunctioningverywellwithoutit.
Wouldyouusethistoolinthefuture?
N/A
WouldyourecommendthistoolforAtRisk
(AR),SN(SpecialNeeds),EL(English
Language)students?
Itisdifficultformeto
speaktothisbecauseIhavenotusedthe
FMamplifier.However,basedonthe
researchIhavereadandthevideosIhave

watched,itdefinitelylookslikeithasa
placeintheclassroomwhenachildishard
ofhearing.

AdditionalRemarks?
Ifeelthatbymaking
surethatthisstudentisplacedinaseat
thatfacesmehelpshim.Also,havinghim
sittinginacooperativegroup,hashelped
himquiteabit.Inaddition,Imakesurethat
wehavealotofvisualsbeingusedinthe
classroomsohecanseeaswellashear
whatisgoingon.