ict and inclusion 2009, glasgow

Posted by 4 on the 19th June, 2009

Janette Graham and Andrea MacBeath, based at the ASL Technology Service in Richmond Park School in Glasgow provided their top ten tips (well at least twelve, really) for supporting literacy. They covered Word Prediction such as using Penfriend or Co:Writer; symbol support using Boardmaker; use of WordTalk and a host of others. Not only that but they kindly offered to share their PowerPoint slides for the presentation with others.

Katie Robinson, a teacher at Middlefield, a school in Glasgow for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder,  presented on her use of the SmartBoard with pupils she works with. She has found that Smart technologies offer particular advantages for pupils with ASD. These include:

• being bright and attractive, drawing on the strengths of visual learners
• being interactive, pupils really can "Do to learn"
• allows the teacher to reduce his or her use of verbal language – free from multiple sub-clauses
• easier to focus on, helping when teaching the skills for taking part in a group – such as turn-taking

Katie noted that she had found Education City particularly appropriate software with the pupils she worked with. Problems of positioning the board, using a touch sensitive screen as opposed to the kind that lock you into using a particular kind of pen (options of magic wands, conductor’s batons and such like led to some useful discussion).