Think Tank Tickle group: using a class blog Dannika and Sarah

They think that it can be used for students to catch up on missed work, keep parents updated, put the entire year plan on the website, and post monthly calendars of what is going on at the school.

You can also use it to post tutorials and resources for your students and their parents. This way if a student missed an instruction or if parents don’t know how to help their students with something they can learn how to do it. You can organize the blog using different pages for different subjects and then just a page for general information.

You can also use it as a way for parents to just see what is going on in your classroom, so they can keep up to date. You can also post passwords and login information for different websites. You can also create a space for what assignments are on and when they are due.

This is a timely resource to create but once you have created it, this is a resource that you can use year after year. You can also create some of your own sources to put on the site but you can also use different generative AI sources and already created videos from YouTube and maybe even find sources on Teachers Pay Teachers.

How can seesaw be used in the classroom: Kenna, Josie, Lauren

They talked about why, where, what, who, when, and how Seesaw can be used within schools. Some key featuresare user-friendly, multimedia documentation, and real-time feedback. It involves students in their own learning because they can access their own learning. To set it’s IP, teachers will create a class and then invite students through a class code or a QR code. Teachers can track assignments and make announcements.

96.35% of people find Seeaw very helpful for assessing students learning. It helps connect everyone in a student’s life who wants to see what that student is doing and can celebrate them. It allows teachers and parents and even other students to give feedback on assignments, the students must share it with other students first in order to be able to give feedback. It also stays with the entire school year so once a parent signs into their student’s account they can access it all year.

The main draw back of this is that Seesaw is an online app which means the information can be at risk of a leak. It also means that in order to access this app and check in your students progress you have to have access to a device and that isn’t something that might be possible for every one.

Class Dojo: Carter, Conner, Eva

For Teacher: In class Dojo you can create different chat groups for different presentations or assignments and it creates a group for the students that the teacher can monitor and create one for the student’s parents. It will help you create lesson plans on the fly. It has different games that you as a teacher can handpick for your students and you can keep them in a game. When you post something you can create a class event, and put a place for parents to sign up for chaperones this way it is all in one place. It can be very overwhelming as a teacher since there are so many different pages and places to go. As a teacher once you are registered through your school you can see what other teachers are using Class Dojo and message them about what they are learning.

For Parents: There is messaging for you and the parents, that you can always go back and read. It can tell you different dinner table prompts so that they can ask their kids what they learned that day. It allows for parents to see how and what their students are doing. There isn’t as much to offer parents as there is for teachers and students.

For Students: there are different places called Dojo Islands where students can go to different islands, it is super gamified. There is a cap out around the intermediate grades. It does have a portfolio so that a student can look back on their work. It allows students to create their own avatars. It also allows students to message the teacher if they have a question. It allows teachers to give students instant feedback which can help promote students to work more efficiently. It is enclosed with just the students in their class which is nice although it is more limited.

Inclusive technology in the classroom

By Barbra, Mya, Graham, and Savanna

assistive technology: a range of tools, devices and strategies that help students complete their work

What is a screen reader? It is something that reads the text on the computer and creates a auditory or produces a kinesthetic version of the text for those who have visual impairments but this does not help users navigate through the computer screen. You can either increase or decrease their speed, but images can be hard to explain and hardware can be expensive.

AAC Devices/Apps

Augmentative and Alternative Communication is used when people struggle with their speech or are non-verbal. Single-meaning pictures: picture=word, Alphabet-based systems: spelling, and Semantic Compaction: multiple symbols=words. AAC devices can run either up into the high 1000 or they can be somewhat inexpensive it just depends on the route you go.

LetMeTalk and AVAZ are both different AAC apps, a major pro is that both are free and easy to download. LetMeTalk does have some weird presets and doesn’t require a setup/sign-in. AVAZ allows you to pick out lots of different choices and not as many presets. With AVAZ you only get so many free tries until you reach a certain point and then you need to pay to use certain features.

There is a difference between deaf and Deaf, if someone says they are deaf that just means they acknowledge that they have hearing loss but that they don’t associate with the deaf community. Whereas if you identify as Deaf it means you are fully emersed in the deaf community.

Technonlogies for bilingual students:

Duolingo is a great app/website that helps you learn and maintain the language that are learning. It is great with inclusive graphics and has amazing gamification

Babbel: is another app that is super easy to set. You do get the option to be paired with a native language speaker to help your learning. This site is more about learning the language versus using gamification and unfortunately has a start-up cost.