I am so excited because I got to meet with the parent today of the child who I really want to work with for this project. The meeting went wonderfully, and everyone is on the same page and on board with the project. We will be doing a filming of us working with the device either Tuesday or Thursday of next week so that other people can see exactly what we are doing with this project. I also got the parent to fill out the initial evaluation which gave me great background information for the project and some information about how to move forward from where we are right now.
I am going to have to change the third/social scenario, but it makes complete sense because the student does not enjoy restaurants, so the social environment needs to be some place that the child cares about and is motivated about in order to have a great reaction there. His favorite social place is church, and I would love to make him feel more successful and comfortable there in his Sunday School class.
I actually was granted permission to take the device home with me today and have it for two weeks to work with it, learn it and reprogram the device for him to try along with his family and teacher. I am so excited to work with it and learn about how it works and what makes it so difficult. The hardest aspects of the Dynavox are the social aspect and the technological aspect. I am ready to see these challenges right up close and personally these next two weeks.
One suggestion that was made was for me to contact the student's Speech Language Pathologist because she was also frustrated with the device. The progress that the device brings is obvious, but the SLP was not comfortable recommending the device to others because she could not help them when problems arose with the devices. The parent said that this woman would love to have me come in and teach her how to work the device better and make her more comfortable suggesting Dynavox devices for therapy in the future. This would be an amazing outlet into helping the community through helping one person.
Working backwards, on Monday I met with Dr. Wills to plan for the meeting, printed out information for the meeting, sent emails, made plans for the next few steps in the project, and got myself fully prepared for the meeting. The work so far took a great turn in progress today. I am very pleased.
(4 hrs)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Amazing Success Stories and Products
While I was looking on the Dynavox website which is www.dynavoxtech.com, I came across some of the other products that the company is making to help assist people who have difficulties in communication. The company that created the Dynavox series is called Mayer-Johnson. Another device is the Dynavox Xpress is really small and light for traveling and reducing the weight for children.
I also really liked the Eyemax, which is for people who cannot use the touch screen because of the difficulties with the physical motion. The Eyemax is made to be sensitive to the eyes of the user. The sensor is made so that if the student blinks actions will occur as if he or she was touching a button. If the user also stares at one section of the screen long enough, the button will also active like it has been pressed. The EyeMax uses the eyes instead of hands to trigger the buttons.
While reading on the Dynavox website, I found an article about an event called Chatterbox Fun Fair which takes place in Fairfax county of Springfield, Virginia within the public school system. The event takes place one day a year and is for ages preschool through sixth grade who attend Fairfax County Public Schools. These students must all receive some type of Assistive Technology. The families are also invited, and the event lasts from 10 o’clock am until 1 o’clock pm. This is an opportunity for the children to meet other children with assistive technology, play games using the technology, feel important because of the technology, and celebrate who they are as people. The parents take this day to see what other types of assistive technology are available within their school system, to network with other parents of children who also use assistive technology, and to enjoy a day of fun with the family. Some of the entertainment of the day includes a clown, police department, fire trucks, and rescue dogs. This event has been a large success in the community.
Anther amazing story I found on the website was about a group called The Techno Troupe. This group of people who use Assistive Technology met at an AAC workshop at The Center for Creative Play in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. The group then began to meet up once a month to work on putting together the play, The Shoemaker and the Elves under the direction of a speech language pathologist. In the play, there were eight players who used Dynavox devices to speak their lines. The project had been in the works for over a year with lots of hard work by the players, parents, and the director. There were also assistants who rolled wheelchairs across the stage when needed in the play. Because the players were using Dynavox devices, the voices could be programmed to match the characters and changed from the student’s normal speaking voices. Jokes could also be programmed into the devices to bring laughter from the audience. The opportunity for these students to be able to not only speak but to use their voices to pretend, create art, and speak in front of people is priceless. An amazing advantage to this production was that the students were under the direction of a speech language pathologist who knew how to help and what to work on with the players individually in terms of using their own Dynavox devices for communication. The players gained self-confidence, practice in public speaking, and an opportunity to feel special through being a part of this production.
(4 hrs)
I also really liked the Eyemax, which is for people who cannot use the touch screen because of the difficulties with the physical motion. The Eyemax is made to be sensitive to the eyes of the user. The sensor is made so that if the student blinks actions will occur as if he or she was touching a button. If the user also stares at one section of the screen long enough, the button will also active like it has been pressed. The EyeMax uses the eyes instead of hands to trigger the buttons.
While reading on the Dynavox website, I found an article about an event called Chatterbox Fun Fair which takes place in Fairfax county of Springfield, Virginia within the public school system. The event takes place one day a year and is for ages preschool through sixth grade who attend Fairfax County Public Schools. These students must all receive some type of Assistive Technology. The families are also invited, and the event lasts from 10 o’clock am until 1 o’clock pm. This is an opportunity for the children to meet other children with assistive technology, play games using the technology, feel important because of the technology, and celebrate who they are as people. The parents take this day to see what other types of assistive technology are available within their school system, to network with other parents of children who also use assistive technology, and to enjoy a day of fun with the family. Some of the entertainment of the day includes a clown, police department, fire trucks, and rescue dogs. This event has been a large success in the community.
Anther amazing story I found on the website was about a group called The Techno Troupe. This group of people who use Assistive Technology met at an AAC workshop at The Center for Creative Play in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. The group then began to meet up once a month to work on putting together the play, The Shoemaker and the Elves under the direction of a speech language pathologist. In the play, there were eight players who used Dynavox devices to speak their lines. The project had been in the works for over a year with lots of hard work by the players, parents, and the director. There were also assistants who rolled wheelchairs across the stage when needed in the play. Because the players were using Dynavox devices, the voices could be programmed to match the characters and changed from the student’s normal speaking voices. Jokes could also be programmed into the devices to bring laughter from the audience. The opportunity for these students to be able to not only speak but to use their voices to pretend, create art, and speak in front of people is priceless. An amazing advantage to this production was that the students were under the direction of a speech language pathologist who knew how to help and what to work on with the players individually in terms of using their own Dynavox devices for communication. The players gained self-confidence, practice in public speaking, and an opportunity to feel special through being a part of this production.
(4 hrs)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Dynavox Website
On the Dynavox website, there are step by step instructions about how to go about obtaining a device, where to look for funding and the paperwork to fill out in order to begin this whole process. There is also the option of borrowing the device for four weeks to find out if the child could really benefit and if the family is ready to fully invested in the device.
I researched when trainings were going on in the area. There are going to be seven trainings between September 24, 2009 and June 16, 2010 that are going to take place in Georgia. The places are:
East Point, GA (110 miles from Milledgeville)
3 trainings in Stockbridge, GA (93 miles from Milledgeville)
Alpharetta, GA (122 miles from Milledgeville)
2 trainings in Hapeville, GA (107 miles from Milledgeville)
The trainings are free, and people can register online to attend. The times for the trainings are from around 8:00 am until 3:30 pm on average.
While looking at these dates, I was curious about if the dates were doable for someone to give up an entire day, and then I found out that the trainings occurs on week days! Who can give up an entire day of work for this? There are so many factors that make attending trainings difficult for people. I found that all of the dates for the trainings in Georgia are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Because the number of trainings is so limited and on such specific dates, there is not a lot of room for illness, changes of plans, or bad weather.
The upcoming online classes ranged from thirty minutes to an hour. The online classes are also done in two ways. Some are scheduled web classes, and the others are recorded web classes. This way you can still obtain the content without having to be in front of your computer at the specific time that the class is taking place.
While studying the website, I found information about how to deal with taking the device into all situations. To use the communication device in places where the device might be ruined or get wet, people can print out the pages and have them laminated for all terrain.
An interesting suggestion to make yourself use the device was to ask one question each morning to slowly integrate the device into everyday life. I liked this suggestion because then the device does not seem so overwhelming to the student or the parent. Any communication is better than none.
I also found the product list of all of the services that the Dynavox V is supposed to be able to perform. These are:
Pages
Popups
Buttons
Behaviors
Visual Scenes
Active Areas
Predictive Word
Phrases
Wireless Capabilities
Email/internet
Video tutorials-training modules
ebook
(2 hrs)
I researched when trainings were going on in the area. There are going to be seven trainings between September 24, 2009 and June 16, 2010 that are going to take place in Georgia. The places are:
East Point, GA (110 miles from Milledgeville)
3 trainings in Stockbridge, GA (93 miles from Milledgeville)
Alpharetta, GA (122 miles from Milledgeville)
2 trainings in Hapeville, GA (107 miles from Milledgeville)
The trainings are free, and people can register online to attend. The times for the trainings are from around 8:00 am until 3:30 pm on average.
While looking at these dates, I was curious about if the dates were doable for someone to give up an entire day, and then I found out that the trainings occurs on week days! Who can give up an entire day of work for this? There are so many factors that make attending trainings difficult for people. I found that all of the dates for the trainings in Georgia are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Because the number of trainings is so limited and on such specific dates, there is not a lot of room for illness, changes of plans, or bad weather.
The upcoming online classes ranged from thirty minutes to an hour. The online classes are also done in two ways. Some are scheduled web classes, and the others are recorded web classes. This way you can still obtain the content without having to be in front of your computer at the specific time that the class is taking place.
While studying the website, I found information about how to deal with taking the device into all situations. To use the communication device in places where the device might be ruined or get wet, people can print out the pages and have them laminated for all terrain.
An interesting suggestion to make yourself use the device was to ask one question each morning to slowly integrate the device into everyday life. I liked this suggestion because then the device does not seem so overwhelming to the student or the parent. Any communication is better than none.
I also found the product list of all of the services that the Dynavox V is supposed to be able to perform. These are:
Pages
Popups
Buttons
Behaviors
Visual Scenes
Active Areas
Predictive Word
Phrases
Wireless Capabilities
Email/internet
Video tutorials-training modules
ebook
(2 hrs)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tuesday September 22, 2009
I have emailed Dawn the two different forms I made and put together last night.
I set up the printer to print out the forms, but all that it does is print in the excel form. Then you cannot see how the questions are set up. If I had printed the initial evaluation out, I would not have had the scale questions or the yes or no boxes or the multiple-choice questions. So I will have to use my computer to answer the questions when I actually do get to have my interview with this parent finally.
I also called the parent this morning and left her a message reminding her about the meeting today at 2:45 because I knew that I could not call her later to remind her while I am working at school.
The parent called to cancel the meeting and rescheduled for next week the 29 at 2:45. We will see if she actually comes then. If that meeting does not happen or go over well, then I might have to move on to another student as much I want to work with this one, the parent must be involved, invested, and easy to access. It would also be easier to work with a family in Baldwin County and be able to drop by to check in on the progress. I really need to get these initial interviews done very soon. Maybe I could make sure that mine were ready for the teacher on Thursday. I am frustrated that this puts us another week behind for the project. I keep thinking that I am finally going to get to move ahead, and I know exactly what I want to do, but now I have to get the parents on board which is taking forever and is very frustrating at this time.
I emailed Dr. Wills to let him know that the meeting was canceled, and I really hope that he got my message in time. I would feel terrible if he drove all the way out here and canceled something else for this, which is not going to happen. I am not allowed to have my phone at school, so I have no other way of contacting him at this time. I did try my best, which is all that I can do.
I need to figure out what I am going to do with the other time that I am going to work this week. Maybe I can get Cody to go take a great picture of me for the project .I already know that I do not have any great ones on my computer of me by myself that are any where near up to date.
I can also use the help tools for Dynavox online and look up success stories to learn more about the product and how it is implemented.
I want to learn about how a speech therapist recommends a dynavox and sets the parameters for the program. Do the speech language pathologists even know the Dynavox well enough to tell a parent the best mode to use? I would guess that the Speech Therapists are also undereducated about the potential of the Dynavox.
I went online and looked up Speech Language Pathologists that I can look into finding out how much they know and use Assistive Technology with their patients in the area.
The Dynavox website itself is incredible and so helpful. There are success stories, videos, online classes on specific topics, and articles to dispel myths about Augmentative Assistive Technology. This is just barely scratching the surface of their website. I will do some more researching and looking on their websites to learn more about what services this company provides the public and the users through the internet.
(2 hrs)
I set up the printer to print out the forms, but all that it does is print in the excel form. Then you cannot see how the questions are set up. If I had printed the initial evaluation out, I would not have had the scale questions or the yes or no boxes or the multiple-choice questions. So I will have to use my computer to answer the questions when I actually do get to have my interview with this parent finally.
I also called the parent this morning and left her a message reminding her about the meeting today at 2:45 because I knew that I could not call her later to remind her while I am working at school.
The parent called to cancel the meeting and rescheduled for next week the 29 at 2:45. We will see if she actually comes then. If that meeting does not happen or go over well, then I might have to move on to another student as much I want to work with this one, the parent must be involved, invested, and easy to access. It would also be easier to work with a family in Baldwin County and be able to drop by to check in on the progress. I really need to get these initial interviews done very soon. Maybe I could make sure that mine were ready for the teacher on Thursday. I am frustrated that this puts us another week behind for the project. I keep thinking that I am finally going to get to move ahead, and I know exactly what I want to do, but now I have to get the parents on board which is taking forever and is very frustrating at this time.
I emailed Dr. Wills to let him know that the meeting was canceled, and I really hope that he got my message in time. I would feel terrible if he drove all the way out here and canceled something else for this, which is not going to happen. I am not allowed to have my phone at school, so I have no other way of contacting him at this time. I did try my best, which is all that I can do.
I need to figure out what I am going to do with the other time that I am going to work this week. Maybe I can get Cody to go take a great picture of me for the project .I already know that I do not have any great ones on my computer of me by myself that are any where near up to date.
I can also use the help tools for Dynavox online and look up success stories to learn more about the product and how it is implemented.
I want to learn about how a speech therapist recommends a dynavox and sets the parameters for the program. Do the speech language pathologists even know the Dynavox well enough to tell a parent the best mode to use? I would guess that the Speech Therapists are also undereducated about the potential of the Dynavox.
I went online and looked up Speech Language Pathologists that I can look into finding out how much they know and use Assistive Technology with their patients in the area.
The Dynavox website itself is incredible and so helpful. There are success stories, videos, online classes on specific topics, and articles to dispel myths about Augmentative Assistive Technology. This is just barely scratching the surface of their website. I will do some more researching and looking on their websites to learn more about what services this company provides the public and the users through the internet.
(2 hrs)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Assistive Technology
On Friday we talked about assistive technology in class a lot, and the teacher told us some success stories about students using assistive technology. I also sent an email to Dr. Wills to remind him about the parent meeting on Tuesday. I need to print out the questions for the parent and email the questions to Dawn. I also watched all of the how to videos that came with the machine so that I can better use the device and understand the functions to a greater extent. Here are some of my notes from watching the videos:
If the device gets wet, then it should be turned off for 24 hrs.
Get serial number off the device to be used as a proof of purchase.
The Speech Therapist is the one who should have set the parameters for the device. This includes cognitive ability options, number of buttons on a page, and so on.
You can use the orange button in navigator to erase phrases and words. Press the orange button, then the item you want to erase.
The Dynavox can be programed to be used as a remote control.
The Dashboard has a hot spot which is the blue corner to activate quick access to chosen pages. This can be pre-programmed for alarms, words, or volume control as examples.
I met with Dawn today, and she looked back over my questions, how they are arranged and so on. I am looking forward to the meeting with the parent tomorrow. To finish up my work for today, I am going to email Dawn the forms and print them out for tomorrow's meeting.
(4 hrs)
If the device gets wet, then it should be turned off for 24 hrs.
Get serial number off the device to be used as a proof of purchase.
The Speech Therapist is the one who should have set the parameters for the device. This includes cognitive ability options, number of buttons on a page, and so on.
You can use the orange button in navigator to erase phrases and words. Press the orange button, then the item you want to erase.
The Dynavox can be programed to be used as a remote control.
The Dashboard has a hot spot which is the blue corner to activate quick access to chosen pages. This can be pre-programmed for alarms, words, or volume control as examples.
I met with Dawn today, and she looked back over my questions, how they are arranged and so on. I am looking forward to the meeting with the parent tomorrow. To finish up my work for today, I am going to email Dawn the forms and print them out for tomorrow's meeting.
(4 hrs)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
I can work it!
Dr. Wills came by to check my work for the meeting on Tuesday. I confirmed for parent meeting Tuesday with the teacher. I emailed Dawn about not having a meeting tomorrow. I worked really hard on the Dynavox today and learned so much more. I created a front page with links to the individual ideas. I actually found that I can create one more area with six ideas inside. This is great news that with expand his vocabulary without confusing him. I still need to :
Contact parent for meeting Tuesday.
Reminder email to Dr. Wills.
Update Dr. Wills on dynavox progress today.
Watch some more tutorial videos. These help a lot.
I am going to finish up my hours for tonight by emailing Dr. Wills.
I was so excited about reading the manual and actually making the device do what I wanted it to do and understanding the information. I was so super proud of myself!!! I really know what I am doing now with the device and feel capable. I am almost ready to work with the child with the device!!! This is awesome. I cannot wait to see how the meeting goes on Tuesday afternoon.
(2 hrs, 15 min)
Contact parent for meeting Tuesday.
Reminder email to Dr. Wills.
Update Dr. Wills on dynavox progress today.
Watch some more tutorial videos. These help a lot.
I am going to finish up my hours for tonight by emailing Dr. Wills.
I was so excited about reading the manual and actually making the device do what I wanted it to do and understanding the information. I was so super proud of myself!!! I really know what I am doing now with the device and feel capable. I am almost ready to work with the child with the device!!! This is awesome. I cannot wait to see how the meeting goes on Tuesday afternoon.
(2 hrs, 15 min)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Learning the DynaVox
Today I watched tutorials about how to work the dynavox and read about how to make new pages on the dynavox. That is what I am going to have to become very good at in order to program the dynavox so that the student can use the product without being overwhelmed by the options of buttons. I also came up with possible categories and specifics for the words that in each category that the student can use to communicate in many social situations. I will write more about this tomorrow. I also created a mock page to be able to show what I want to do with the dynavox system.
(2 hr, 15 min)
(2 hr, 15 min)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Program Planning
Today was a great surprise. When my cohort leader came to visit me at placement in the school, I asked him to take a look at the Dynavox and see what he thought. In the past, Dr. Wills has programmed Dynavox before and has a great background for helping with this project. We ended up working on the machine for over an hour and a half straight. We made a plan for how to format the Dynavox to best suit the student, and the teacher agrees with the decisions we made. I am going to make a model and plan for the symbols and vocabulary that we want to use. The problem with the technology right now is that it is too advanced for the student at such a young age. I am going to have to reprogram and reroute the already existing pages. I will also add my own pages to be customized for the student to have available without having an overwhelming amount of choices. This will help the teacher and parents not to feel so overwhelmed by the technology, too. I am studying up on how to link pages from manuals and tutorials so that I can continue to work on the Dynavox and create a profile that will work for the student's actual needs at this time. It is also very important to me that the student has personal photos as symbols, so the meanings are clear and applicable for the student. The sections I have decided on are Needs, Social, School, Home, Outside, and Extra. The next step will be to decide what six symbols are the most necessary and useful to represent each category. Too much choice at this point for the student would be detrimental to the project. The best would be to only have four symbols, but that is not an option with the machine. I enjoyed setting up the basic content like sounds, voice, and backgrounds today. The machine was a lot more challenging to change users, settings, and controls than I ever thought it would be. I understand that this is because it has so much possibility for the student as he or she gets older. The initial frustration and fear would be hard to overcome for someone who is not interested, technologically inclined, or determined to make the technology work. The belief in its potential to achieve success is vital to working with the technology. I was very encouraged by the work and progress with the technology today. Dr. Wills is also going to come with me to the parent meeting next week to help legitimize the scholarship, my personal background, and what I want to do with this project.
(2 hrs, 15 min)
(2 hrs, 15 min)
Monday, September 14, 2009
Interview with the President of Dynavox
I finished typing up all of my questions tonight for the initial interviews in Google Forms.
http://www.theautismlife.com/interviews/interview.joe.swenson.dynavox/
I came across this awesome interview that really gave some great ideas and insight into what the company does and understands about its own product. These are all quotes of the President Joe Swenson.
"The AAC market is so small, that it’s very expensive to provide direct sales consultant coverage across the USA. We know that less than 10% of the children who would benefit from a DynaVox-like device ever get a device, and for the adult population, the penetration is even worse."
"The device has the flexibility and power to grow with the individual for years."
"More recently, that age had dropped to 3 or 4. Janice Light's research has demonstrated success using high tech AAC with kids as young as 9 or 10 months. There is no upper age limit either."
"One mistake is starting to program the device without having a clear idea of the end goal. This can result in more work (programming and then reprogramming or programming something that already exists somewhere else on the device) and pages that are not organized well. A second mistake is spending too much time programming new vocabulary and not spending enough time teaching individuals how to use the vocabulary that is already on the device. A third mistake is not doing enough modeling with the device as a teaching strategy."
(1 hr, 15 minutes)
http://www.theautismlife.com/interviews/interview.joe.swenson.dynavox/
I came across this awesome interview that really gave some great ideas and insight into what the company does and understands about its own product. These are all quotes of the President Joe Swenson.
"The AAC market is so small, that it’s very expensive to provide direct sales consultant coverage across the USA. We know that less than 10% of the children who would benefit from a DynaVox-like device ever get a device, and for the adult population, the penetration is even worse."
"The device has the flexibility and power to grow with the individual for years."
Key V Features:
· Rate Enhancement Features
· InterAACT page-sets – supporting both language use & literacy with a solid framework, structure & vocabulary
· AT&T Natural Voices
· Forward-firing speakers with increased output
· Email (free DynaVox account)
· Text messaging (via Bluetooth)
· Internet Access
· Environmental Control
· Drag-n-Drop Editing
· Boardmaker Bridge
· Digital Image, Video & Sound Import
· Digital Image, Video & Sound Import
· Speaking Dynamically Pro Included
· On-Device How-To Video Tutorials
"More recently, that age had dropped to 3 or 4. Janice Light's research has demonstrated success using high tech AAC with kids as young as 9 or 10 months. There is no upper age limit either."
"One mistake is starting to program the device without having a clear idea of the end goal. This can result in more work (programming and then reprogramming or programming something that already exists somewhere else on the device) and pages that are not organized well. A second mistake is spending too much time programming new vocabulary and not spending enough time teaching individuals how to use the vocabulary that is already on the device. A third mistake is not doing enough modeling with the device as a teaching strategy."
- We conduct training seminars called DynaVox University across the country for Speech Language Pathologists and Assistive Technology specialists
- The Yellow School Bus Tour has focused on training education professionals to the advantages of AAC
- We co-sponsor events across the country called a "Voice for Living" focused on families with a non-verbal loved one at home
- We have also been very aggressive in promoting AAC through our web-sites (I invite you to check out our website at dynavoxtech.com and watch the DynaVox testimonials).
- We are also involved in every major national and most state Assistive Technology Conferences
- Lastly, there is still no substitute for having local sales consultants across the country.
(1 hr, 15 minutes)
Planning
Today, I edited emails, planned scenarios, typed questions, and made up questions for the initial interview and later on to track progress. I also was able to talk to the parent on the phone today. I have set up a meeting with them for next week. I am excited and nervous. I think the phone conversation went as well as it could have. This project throws a lot in people's faces very quickly. As a parent, I am sure this is a lot to take in at one time. If I get the opportunity to work with the device for testing, learning, and programming purposes, I want to see the physical, emotional and social ramifications for using the device at a restaurant, at a home game night setting, and in a classroom at college with the teacher's permission of course. Teachers also need the opportunity to learn on the device as well. How are the next generation of teachers expected to know everything about the devices to help their students when the time comes. My friends in the Special Education Cohort would all love to learn more about the technology and how to use it to its greatest potential.
Here is a scenario that I would love for the child and family to go through and see what happens.
Make sure to have the Dynavox with them.
Let the child choose the restaurant.
Child orders by himself or tells parents what he wants.
the child has the opportunity to ask for extras like napkins, straw, or ketchup.
Asks to be escorted to the bathroom.
Has the ability to ask or be asked if he or she wants to play outside if appropriate.
The child can verbalize when he or she would like to leave.
While at the table, the child can carry on table conversations.
Keeping in mind that all communication must be made or attempted through the use of the Dynavox.
In reflection:
What did the child choose to point to rather than use the dynavox for?
How did everyone feel about the outing as a whole?
Would they want to do this again?
What were the issues with the Dynavox?
Was the child happy or frustrated when using the device?
How can the issues be addressed?
Was the device in the way?
How did the public react to the device?
Did the child have the words he or she needed?
Did the Dynavox help his verbalization skills?
I want to ask the teacher a lot of questions tomorrow about what she would like to accomplish for the student through using the Dynavox in school. I am actually going to take the teacher's initial questions tomorrow to get her answers and move forward with the school aspect of the project.
Here is another question that I want to ask her tomorrow.
Would she care if I worked with the device and the student while at school during down times?
After typing up all of the other initial questions for the teacher and student into Google Forms, I realized that I did not make any questions for the parent which is the very important third aspect of this project as a whole.
What does the family hope to accomplish with the Dynavox at home?
What do they want to change?
What do they like about not having to use the device?
How did they obtain the device?
What would make the device more appealing?
How long have you had the device?
Do you know how much the product is worth?
How did you obtain the device?
What is your background with technology?
Have you heard any success stories about what this device can do?
What stopped you from using the device?
How frustrated are you?
What did you think the teacher would do with it?
Are you willing to learn the device?
What situations would be best to start using the device?
What is your background with Special Needs?
How have you learned about the disabilities?
(1 hr, 55 min)
Here is a scenario that I would love for the child and family to go through and see what happens.
Make sure to have the Dynavox with them.
Let the child choose the restaurant.
Child orders by himself or tells parents what he wants.
the child has the opportunity to ask for extras like napkins, straw, or ketchup.
Asks to be escorted to the bathroom.
Has the ability to ask or be asked if he or she wants to play outside if appropriate.
The child can verbalize when he or she would like to leave.
While at the table, the child can carry on table conversations.
Keeping in mind that all communication must be made or attempted through the use of the Dynavox.
In reflection:
What did the child choose to point to rather than use the dynavox for?
How did everyone feel about the outing as a whole?
Would they want to do this again?
What were the issues with the Dynavox?
Was the child happy or frustrated when using the device?
How can the issues be addressed?
Was the device in the way?
How did the public react to the device?
Did the child have the words he or she needed?
Did the Dynavox help his verbalization skills?
I want to ask the teacher a lot of questions tomorrow about what she would like to accomplish for the student through using the Dynavox in school. I am actually going to take the teacher's initial questions tomorrow to get her answers and move forward with the school aspect of the project.
Here is another question that I want to ask her tomorrow.
Would she care if I worked with the device and the student while at school during down times?
After typing up all of the other initial questions for the teacher and student into Google Forms, I realized that I did not make any questions for the parent which is the very important third aspect of this project as a whole.
What does the family hope to accomplish with the Dynavox at home?
What do they want to change?
What do they like about not having to use the device?
How did they obtain the device?
What would make the device more appealing?
How long have you had the device?
Do you know how much the product is worth?
How did you obtain the device?
What is your background with technology?
Have you heard any success stories about what this device can do?
What stopped you from using the device?
How frustrated are you?
What did you think the teacher would do with it?
Are you willing to learn the device?
What situations would be best to start using the device?
What is your background with Special Needs?
How have you learned about the disabilities?
(1 hr, 55 min)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Preparations
On Thursday night, I got the opportunity to attend one of the forums that fit with my schedule. The turn out for the earlier one was much more successful. I talked with Dr. Wills about how to present the information to the parent and planning how the conversation should go. I tried to contact the parent but did not get a response at all. This has been frustrating because I am at a point where I need to either move forward or try a new angle completely. Dawn and I our weekly meeting on Friday where we edited the proposal, added initial questions, gave her access to the blog, and she taught me how to use Google Forms which is now my best friend. The program is amazing and is allowing me to set up questionnaires to study the progress made by the student, parents, and teacher. I am making one for the initial testings and adding some other questions to make a general questionnaire to use for tracking progress, spotting growth, and determining what is not working. The questions convert into a spread sheet, and the answers can be tracked from week to week to measure growth and progress. So at this point, I am waiting to hear from the parent and talk to them about the possibilities. While I am waiting to move forward, I am setting up the questionnaire, and planning situations to use the technology for testing.
(2 hr, 35 min)
(2 hr, 35 min)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Initial Evaluation Possible Questions and Random Thoughts
Initial Evaluation and Questions
Questions for the Student:
Can the student turn on the device?
What does the student call the device?
Does the student even like the device?
Can the student carry/work with the device?
Can the student get the device home and back everyday?
Observations of the Student:
Questions for the Teacher:
What can the teacher think she can use it for?
Can the teacher work any parts of the device?
Is the teacher willing to learn the device?
When does she want to learn the device?
Is the teacher willing to incorporate the device into the daily activities?
Which activity would the teacher want to use it for first?
How does the teacher feel about the technology?
Why?
What is her experience with the technology?
How did the teacher obtain the product?
When did she get the product?
Where is the product kept in the classroom?
How much does she think the product is worth in monetary value?
What are some of the success stories with the technology that the teacher has heard about?
Is the product intimidating?
Is the manual easy to understand?
What are the problems with the manual?
What does her Paraprofessional think about the technology?
Is she willing to work with it?
Observations of the Teacher:
Questions for me to ask myself:
Are all of the parts available with the device?
What parts are available?
Is the device programmed and programmed well?
Random thoughts of today ☺
I need to learn the device.
Can Dr. Wills teach me how to program/work one?
Where and/or how can I get a hold of one to use/learn on?
Is this even possible?
Should I try living with a Dynavox for a day? An hour? Can a use one?
This would be a fabulous experience to learn how the technology feels to live with it! I would kill to have that experience!!! I wonder if the child I want to study with would allow me to use the technology for a day since he is not using it himself at this time.
Set up meeting with parents.
I need to set up a meeting with the teacher and parents with a scholarship person/adviser/official person who presence would make it all seem much more legitimate to everyone involved.
(1 hr)
Questions for the Student:
Can the student turn on the device?
What does the student call the device?
Does the student even like the device?
Can the student carry/work with the device?
Can the student get the device home and back everyday?
Observations of the Student:
Questions for the Teacher:
What can the teacher think she can use it for?
Can the teacher work any parts of the device?
Is the teacher willing to learn the device?
When does she want to learn the device?
Is the teacher willing to incorporate the device into the daily activities?
Which activity would the teacher want to use it for first?
How does the teacher feel about the technology?
Why?
What is her experience with the technology?
How did the teacher obtain the product?
When did she get the product?
Where is the product kept in the classroom?
How much does she think the product is worth in monetary value?
What are some of the success stories with the technology that the teacher has heard about?
Is the product intimidating?
Is the manual easy to understand?
What are the problems with the manual?
What does her Paraprofessional think about the technology?
Is she willing to work with it?
Observations of the Teacher:
Questions for me to ask myself:
Are all of the parts available with the device?
What parts are available?
Is the device programmed and programmed well?
Random thoughts of today ☺
I need to learn the device.
Can Dr. Wills teach me how to program/work one?
Where and/or how can I get a hold of one to use/learn on?
Is this even possible?
Should I try living with a Dynavox for a day? An hour? Can a use one?
This would be a fabulous experience to learn how the technology feels to live with it! I would kill to have that experience!!! I wonder if the child I want to study with would allow me to use the technology for a day since he is not using it himself at this time.
Set up meeting with parents.
I need to set up a meeting with the teacher and parents with a scholarship person/adviser/official person who presence would make it all seem much more legitimate to everyone involved.
(1 hr)
Update
I need to catch the blog up because I have been working but the blog does not show the progress that has been made. I went to the school and observed the student that I want to use for the project. This was I learned about when the technology is not being used, I watched him to learn his personality. By interacting with him, I learned what his abilities are and how the technology would benefit him. These 5 hours of observation on two different days gave me a great overview of him and what a perfect candidate he would be for the project! Because I have not attained formal consent to use him with the project yet, I will refrain from giving details or any distinguishing characteristics about the student. At a later date, I may be able to give my reasons for believing his a perfect candidate and in what ways I see the technology helping him to improve his life in all aspects and not just at school.
On Friday I had the weekly meeting, and it was very encouraging and productive. After the meeting, I went home fixed up the proposal, changed things around, and added sections and facts to improve the concepts and impact for the project. Because of how awesome and encouraged I was, I asked for the name and phone number of the parent in case I get the go ahead from Dawn and Heather to move forward. I really am curious to find out how the proposal went. I also made a time sheet/log with Excel to better calculate how many hours I have already worked for each week since I am putting in the hours at really random times and in awkward increments.
(7 hrs, 30 min)
On Friday I had the weekly meeting, and it was very encouraging and productive. After the meeting, I went home fixed up the proposal, changed things around, and added sections and facts to improve the concepts and impact for the project. Because of how awesome and encouraged I was, I asked for the name and phone number of the parent in case I get the go ahead from Dawn and Heather to move forward. I really am curious to find out how the proposal went. I also made a time sheet/log with Excel to better calculate how many hours I have already worked for each week since I am putting in the hours at really random times and in awkward increments.
(7 hrs, 30 min)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Second School Placement Experience
Today I have been observing in the classroom of my field based class. I watched the main student really well to be able to determine opportunities that the student could use the Dynavox. I found many lost opportunities like when the child needed to answer any question in class. He could tell us what he wanted to play on outside, if there were programmed pictures into the Dynavox for him to choose from and if the Dynavox was around for him to use. He loves to say a few individual words every once in a while, and these could be much more frequent with the technology. He is also very “monkey see, monkey do”. This makes me think that he would do a great a job of hearing and repeating what was going on in the classroom and life, if he heard it on the Dynavox .
I also have encountered my first round of fear for what will happen, if I try to incorporate the technology into the classroom and change how an experienced teacher runs their formal classroom. I feel like I would annoy the teacher by always saying something to the effect of “we could use the Dynavox for that” or “Could they try the Dynavox with this assignment?” I really feel like the child should pick up the technology the second the class begins and never put it down. I don’t understand the idea of not using the system at all or for only really specific situations allowing the child to go use the communication device.
The classroom I am in just got a brand new computer yesterday. The problem with that is that the technology guy came to teach the teacher how to work it for like 5 minutes and that was it. After he left, we decided to use the new laptop to watch a sign language program called Signing Times. It was a Sesame Street-like program that explained the signs, showed the signs, reviewed the signs with music, and entertained the children. I want to learn how expensive the program is. I really liked it because the adults could learn the signs with the kids, and this fostered much better communication. After 30 or so minutes on the program today, we could communicate so much better with both of our non-verbal students. We learned a lot of signs like Good morning, bed, clothes, pajamas, toothbrush, brush, Wake up, floss, shirt, pants, shorts, comb, friends, and so many more. These really are only a few of the signs we learned. I believe we only watched two lessons worth.
Another way technology has been brought into this classroom is through music. The kids especially with Downs Syndrome love to sing, dance, and sign to music. This gives these students a way to learn things like the days of the week, the months, the rules, their colors, and more while not sitting at a desk. Kinetic motion is involved in the learning process, and they learn better like the chart in my last post said through doing, seeing, and hearing. Bringing music into the classroom is something that I feel is a necessity. Of course too much reliance on technology takes out the personality and individuals from the learning process. There is a balance to be struck between using too much technology and not using enough. No matter how much technology is involved there needs to be multiple people involved in the process of learning. No one wants to learn by him or herself when he or she is stuck in the corner on a computer for long periods of time. There must be interaction and lots of participation by everyone in the learning process.
(1 hr, 10 min)
I also have encountered my first round of fear for what will happen, if I try to incorporate the technology into the classroom and change how an experienced teacher runs their formal classroom. I feel like I would annoy the teacher by always saying something to the effect of “we could use the Dynavox for that” or “Could they try the Dynavox with this assignment?” I really feel like the child should pick up the technology the second the class begins and never put it down. I don’t understand the idea of not using the system at all or for only really specific situations allowing the child to go use the communication device.
The classroom I am in just got a brand new computer yesterday. The problem with that is that the technology guy came to teach the teacher how to work it for like 5 minutes and that was it. After he left, we decided to use the new laptop to watch a sign language program called Signing Times. It was a Sesame Street-like program that explained the signs, showed the signs, reviewed the signs with music, and entertained the children. I want to learn how expensive the program is. I really liked it because the adults could learn the signs with the kids, and this fostered much better communication. After 30 or so minutes on the program today, we could communicate so much better with both of our non-verbal students. We learned a lot of signs like Good morning, bed, clothes, pajamas, toothbrush, brush, Wake up, floss, shirt, pants, shorts, comb, friends, and so many more. These really are only a few of the signs we learned. I believe we only watched two lessons worth.
Another way technology has been brought into this classroom is through music. The kids especially with Downs Syndrome love to sing, dance, and sign to music. This gives these students a way to learn things like the days of the week, the months, the rules, their colors, and more while not sitting at a desk. Kinetic motion is involved in the learning process, and they learn better like the chart in my last post said through doing, seeing, and hearing. Bringing music into the classroom is something that I feel is a necessity. Of course too much reliance on technology takes out the personality and individuals from the learning process. There is a balance to be struck between using too much technology and not using enough. No matter how much technology is involved there needs to be multiple people involved in the process of learning. No one wants to learn by him or herself when he or she is stuck in the corner on a computer for long periods of time. There must be interaction and lots of participation by everyone in the learning process.
(1 hr, 10 min)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Proposal Time
Today I worked on writing up a proposal and finding a template to format the proposal with it.
I am also working on reading another article that Cara Meade sent me.
I found out today that Dr. Wills knows how to program a Dynavox which thoroughly impressed me and might come in handy at some point on this project. I will type up any interesting notes from my reading tomorrow.
(1 hr)
I am also working on reading another article that Cara Meade sent me.
I found out today that Dr. Wills knows how to program a Dynavox which thoroughly impressed me and might come in handy at some point on this project. I will type up any interesting notes from my reading tomorrow.
(1 hr)
Grants and Products
http://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst14.htm
"Big Mack": A single switch/button device available from AbleNet (1) which allows for 20 seconds of record time. Approximate cost is $89.00.
There is also a more expensive one that is around 200 dollars.
The Big Mack allows for a single recording to be played whenever the button is pressed.
The one piece of information that I cannot find about a big mack is how a person says multiple things with only storage for 20 seconds. I am beginning to think that the messages can be switched out, but I do not know this for sure. This is just from what I gathered today.
Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA): Children can express themselves with the assistance of any visual representation mode, or visual cues placed on a "simple" voice output communication aid/device. Many children with autism are motivated to communicate by use of these devices, particularly by the auditory feedback immediately given as they use the device. Use of VOCAs have proven effective in teaching a child the cause/effect of language through activities which are stimulating to him.
http://www.ucp.org/ucp_channeldoc.cfm/1/14/86/86-86/2938
United Cerebral Palsy Website
At this website I found tips for how to get grant money. There is quite a bit of money set aside for assistive technology. I also am beginning to realize that a lot of children already have the technology but are not using it. Here are the two main points that stuck out to me as different than I had originally thought.
A trial of a recommended device is essential. If you can borrow the device for a "real-life" trial at home, school, or work, you can determine its effectiveness. There are technology resource centers that may loan equipment. Some equipment suppliers or manufacturers also make "try-before-you-buy" equipment loans.
The way in which you plan to use a device will dictate your funding options. If a device is necessary to a student's highest functioning in the least-restrictive school setting, then the school should write the need for the device into the student's IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) and fund the device. If the device is necessary for work, your state's division of vocational rehabilitation should help. If the device is medically necessary (essential to attaining or maintaining health or to replace lost or non-functioning body parts), private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid come into play. If a device is necessary to enable a person to live outside an institution, a different government program may be the source of funding.
(45 min)
"Big Mack": A single switch/button device available from AbleNet (1) which allows for 20 seconds of record time. Approximate cost is $89.00.
There is also a more expensive one that is around 200 dollars.
The Big Mack allows for a single recording to be played whenever the button is pressed.
The one piece of information that I cannot find about a big mack is how a person says multiple things with only storage for 20 seconds. I am beginning to think that the messages can be switched out, but I do not know this for sure. This is just from what I gathered today.
Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA): Children can express themselves with the assistance of any visual representation mode, or visual cues placed on a "simple" voice output communication aid/device. Many children with autism are motivated to communicate by use of these devices, particularly by the auditory feedback immediately given as they use the device. Use of VOCAs have proven effective in teaching a child the cause/effect of language through activities which are stimulating to him.
http://www.ucp.org/ucp_channeldoc.cfm/1/14/86/86-86/2938
United Cerebral Palsy Website
At this website I found tips for how to get grant money. There is quite a bit of money set aside for assistive technology. I also am beginning to realize that a lot of children already have the technology but are not using it. Here are the two main points that stuck out to me as different than I had originally thought.
A trial of a recommended device is essential. If you can borrow the device for a "real-life" trial at home, school, or work, you can determine its effectiveness. There are technology resource centers that may loan equipment. Some equipment suppliers or manufacturers also make "try-before-you-buy" equipment loans.
The way in which you plan to use a device will dictate your funding options. If a device is necessary to a student's highest functioning in the least-restrictive school setting, then the school should write the need for the device into the student's IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) and fund the device. If the device is necessary for work, your state's division of vocational rehabilitation should help. If the device is medically necessary (essential to attaining or maintaining health or to replace lost or non-functioning body parts), private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid come into play. If a device is necessary to enable a person to live outside an institution, a different government program may be the source of funding.
(45 min)
Class info
In class the other day we were talking about Universal Design and Assistive Technology. I found the topic to be very informative and pertinent to the project at hand. Here are my notes on the subject from class.
Universal Design vs. Assistive Technology
The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without adaptation or specialized design.
There are two pyramid models Dr. Wills used in class. For Universal Design, the technology is made equally available to all people. This is especially prevalent with sidewalks, wheelchair accessibility and such. For assistive technology, the wide varieties of technology are used for one person's specific needs to be met.
Issues and Barriers:
awareness and training
Costs
Effort and Time
The future
This topic also connects to the idea of multiple intelligences. There was a graph in class that said:
People generally retain:
10% of what they read
20% of what they hear
30% of what they see
50% of what they see and hear
70% of what they say
90% of what they do and say
This just goes to show how important it is for technology to involve the whole person in learning. Technology can do a great job of incorporating multiple ways of learning into one lesson when used correctly.
(15 min)
Universal Design vs. Assistive Technology
The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without adaptation or specialized design.
There are two pyramid models Dr. Wills used in class. For Universal Design, the technology is made equally available to all people. This is especially prevalent with sidewalks, wheelchair accessibility and such. For assistive technology, the wide varieties of technology are used for one person's specific needs to be met.
Issues and Barriers:
awareness and training
Costs
Effort and Time
The future
This topic also connects to the idea of multiple intelligences. There was a graph in class that said:
People generally retain:
10% of what they read
20% of what they hear
30% of what they see
50% of what they see and hear
70% of what they say
90% of what they do and say
This just goes to show how important it is for technology to involve the whole person in learning. Technology can do a great job of incorporating multiple ways of learning into one lesson when used correctly.
(15 min)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
In the Real World
Wow. Today was an incredibly busy and productive day. This was my first day of field placement. A woman walked up to me and asked about service projects, and I explained to her what I was working on with this project. It turns out that she is the Technology person at the prek school where I am student teaching. She was incredibly interested and is willing to send home surveys to parents, hold a forum, a workshop, or anything else this project might need in the future. This connection will be nice to have for the future. This conversation led to my host teacher asking about the project. Then she told me that two of her three students have assistive technology. Well, having been with the students all morning, there was no sign of the technology. I am not at all blaming the teacher because she is doing a great job. A few minutes later, she pulled out a DynaVox and set it in front of me! She said that the parents had brought it in because they only used it to play games on it and was hopeful that the school could use the technology better than they were in the home. This item of technology is worth $8420! It is hidden in the classroom because no one knows what to do with it or has the time to learn the technology, implement it, or teach the family and child to use the product. I loved the opportunity to mess with the technology and get used to how it works and see all of the parts that make it up. I also had a chance to read the Manuel and learn some of how to work the product. I then asked to take the Manuel home and learn more in order to teach the teacher, parents, and student. Even if the student cannot be one of my cases because of certain situations, I love the chance to learn the technology, how it can be used, what all it can do, and how to help this family. I do not want such an precious tool that could give this child such independence not to be used for the child's benefit. I am very excited to see a real live situation were I could make a difference and see the need for this project that is not a statistic on paper!!! Even if this does not work out with this child, today greatly encouraged me on this project.
When I got home, I called my favorite Special education educator and resource person who helps teachers fix their classroom problems. She knows the PEC and DynaVox systems quite well and gave me some tips.
Take pictures using the DynaVox to allow for personal situations. This also allows the child to tell who he or she wants to play with or work with specifically. Even as detailed as asking for the "purple crayon".
If the student is in higher levels of study, the technology can be categorized by subject content to give specific answers to classroom questions.
She also encouraged me to look into an item called a Big Mac.
I signed up for an online catalog for Speech pathologists at her suggestion called SuperDuper. Their website was quite impressive which I explored this afternoon.
I was encouraged to talk to a speech pathologist to find out what is on the cutting edge with technology in speech communication.
I also found a "Go talk 9+" for $199 which is much simpler and basic technology.
I also downloaded all of the prices for all DynaVox technology and extras to buy with it. I do realize that this is the top of the line, but I needed to know what was the most expensive in the area of AT.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication is what these types of devices are called.
(2 hrs, 30 min)
When I got home, I called my favorite Special education educator and resource person who helps teachers fix their classroom problems. She knows the PEC and DynaVox systems quite well and gave me some tips.
Take pictures using the DynaVox to allow for personal situations. This also allows the child to tell who he or she wants to play with or work with specifically. Even as detailed as asking for the "purple crayon".
If the student is in higher levels of study, the technology can be categorized by subject content to give specific answers to classroom questions.
She also encouraged me to look into an item called a Big Mac.
I signed up for an online catalog for Speech pathologists at her suggestion called SuperDuper. Their website was quite impressive which I explored this afternoon.
I was encouraged to talk to a speech pathologist to find out what is on the cutting edge with technology in speech communication.
I also found a "Go talk 9+" for $199 which is much simpler and basic technology.
I also downloaded all of the prices for all DynaVox technology and extras to buy with it. I do realize that this is the top of the line, but I needed to know what was the most expensive in the area of AT.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication is what these types of devices are called.
(2 hrs, 30 min)
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