Ask and Ye Shall Learn

Overworked and underappreciated.  An Educational Assistant can make a world of difference in a classroom.  I was lucky to spend 5 years with 2 of the best out there.  I was thrilled when I heard Brenda took on an Itinerant position with our board that allowed her to pursue her skills and interests in technology.  She was our 'go to' person in the classroom and now has a chance to help so many others with her expertise.  Ever willing to help out, she agreed to answer a few questions for me.   I'm glad to have had the chance to learn from her again.  My big takeaway from this is to remember that it is so important to hear about other viewpoints in this large world of education.  

Assistive Technology Interview with Brenda Alexander

LD Itinerant Resources

Educational Assistant

1)  Question:  How can students receive (eligible) Assistive Technology support?

A referral by a school SERT for a student needing support on equipment can be made through the SERS system. It goes to our program leader, consultant who then decides if a teacher CYW or EA is required for support. Depending on the needs a schedule is set up between the school and person in to support. EAs are under the supervision of the teacher on the LD Team assigned to the school and work with them to provide support.

2)  Question:  Can anyone get AT professional development?

Most PD offered at our board is designated for teachers only. An EA can register but will only be contacted if there is an empty space in the class. This contact is sometimes the same day as the course and many EAs with families can't make changes to schedules that quickly. Occasionally PD is offered on designated PD days. These courses have a small number and with  900+ members in our association many EAs are unable to secure a spot. Being part of an LD team I have been included in all training offered to the teaching staff on our team.

3)  Question:  What is the most sought after AT?

Currently our team is supporting GAFE( Google apps for education). We also support Kurzweil, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Wordq and others.

With the availability of chromebooks in almost every classroom our team have been supporting both staff and students with Google Apps this past school year.

Students respond well to programs and apps that use voice to control them or to input information.

http://goo.gl/yl7p9V

4)  Question:  What tools do you need more of?

The best tool we could have is well trained EAs , the students are directly supported by the least trained individuals.

I would like to see all students with a chromebook and with instructions on how to use all apps and extensions. For LD students the laptops run more smoothly, that is less connection drops on wireless, easier setup for apps and with all passwords etc . Having individual laptops for LD students ensures they can always access equipment to complete assignments. Kurzweil is still a more reliable software program than the many apps needed by a student to complete the same tasks.

A tool I would like to see is an easy way to convert paper into a file for use with applications currently available to our students.

Example. Kurzweil scanned files cannot be read or written onto with Read & write for Google.

5)  Question:   What tools are being replaced with online (free) application)

Organizational tools. EX. Symbaloo
Graphic organizers using Mindomo
Calendars for itinerant staff to report schedules to admin
Student planners. Google calendar used in many LD Congregated classes