|
It is so important when planning for students that we give them multiple means to express their learning AND develop strategies and skills that will support them with their executive functioning! Although this video doesn't explicitly directly draw the connections between the checkpoints and the UDL Guidelines, it does discuss options for perception ie: visual vs auditory alternatives. Big shout out to my professor Jenn Skalitzky who is teaching the "Tech to Support Universal Design for Learning". I am so grateful to have a course heavy with video and one that I can make videos and podcasts for. Reading for the Assistive Technology Cert has been pretty rough lately. This course is a welcome relief, and so interesting!
 At the moment, my favorite presentation to do at conferences is the Assistive Tech Toolbox for G-Suite. This is primarily because I am learning disabled adult and my disability is a real piece of business for me every day.
This morning I got very frustrated because I had a schedule emailed to me as an attachment. As I was looking at the dates, time slots and numbers I knew I was going to miss something. For most people looking at a schedule/agenda doesn't generate anxiety. But for me it does, it’s the worst. I often ask my husband Peter to check what I am reading to make sure I have not omitted anything or changed times in my head. (I have a knack for this). This is what happens when you have a reading disability and executive dysfunction paired together in a nasty little couplet. Do you know what it is like to have second guess what you’re reading every time? I do. No matter how many times I read I am almost always missing something. The sad thing is I can triple check what I am reading but unless I read out loud or have something read to me, I will insert words that aren’t there or skip others. Often, I simply can not trust my eyes. I would love to say that I have moved on and accepted myself and the wonderful things that are assets about how my mind functions, but there are still times that I will cry out of frustration because yet again I missed some important detail that was buried in text. A few years ago I would not even mention my learning disability among my colleagues because I was still ashamed that I was so different. It was the Special Ed teachers that I was working with that convinced me to be brave, and openly discuss my struggles and how I modify with technology. It was Jeff Heil’s keynote in Capital Region 2016 that asked “What If ?” And my first thought was “What if Special Ed students openly discussed their struggles?” My next thought was, “How could you ask them to, when you do not?” That was the birth of my GAFE-ing Special Ed presentation which has now taken on many iterations. That is why I am starting the #AssistLearning Hashtag to brand my posts that are Instructional Assistive Technology for Special Education students. Assistive Technology is extremely broad, my little niche is in Instructional Assistive Technology. My main objective is to use my experience as both an learning disabled student and an Instructional Technology Specialist to empower students and teachers with new tools and hacks to make learning more accessible. Technology gave me my voice, it’s time to pay that forward. Oh, and my hack for calendar management? I use Youcanbook.me to manage calendars in 5 different locations that all feed my Google Calendar entitled-"Cronk's Work Schedule". Every time I get involved in heavy scheduling, I will mess it up. Hence, all my calendars are automated around my parameters, they send reminders and follow ups and will also remove an appointment if it has been cancelled. I find the less I am manually scheduling, the smaller margin for error. How to embed videos directly from your Google Drive! So easy, this is a great option for teachers who may have Youtube blocked for students. Now you can download and save videos to your Google Drive so your students can access them. Big shout out to [email protected] who woke me up to the duplicate slide technique.
Big News From Google Classroom!Springhurst CST Referral Form Update
Thanks for your feedback, you can now submit and go back to edit your changes! Click link for a video overview. Draft Back This awesome little extension is fantastic for teachers who are reviewing papers for plagiarism and to get a sense of the workflow of the document. Click link for a video overview. Crafty Text & Crafty Cursor Two of my all time favorite extensions. To get any extensions we need to go to the Chrome Web Store. Click on the link to see a quick overview. Ditch That Text Book Online Conference This online conference is having an encore showing Jan 12-18! There are 6 amazing speakers, definitely worth checking out! Who is Jenn Cronk?
If have not had the pleasure of meeting you, here is a little information about me. New Updates to G- Suite Google Apps has now changed its name to G - Suite. Still the same great tools, repackaged with a new name. Click on the link to read more. Connected Classrooms Workshop Have you been wondering how to get in touch with classrooms around the world? The connected classrooms (Google + Community) Workshop is filled with teachers who are also using Google apps and want work, collaborate, debate and Hangout with other classes around the world. Click on the link to join. FAQ Videos Signing into Chrome Here is a quick screencast on how to sign into the Chrome Browser, which is essential if we want our preferences, bookmarks and extensions to follow us. This is also a very important step for our students who are often jockeying between school and personal accounts. New Google Sites Google site has been updated and now he's showing off it's fancier redesign. This very quick video just goes over some of the highlights. Screencastify Just a very brief overview how you can use the screencastify extension. (one of my favorites!) I have used this to leave great feedback for students without having to leave a lot of texts. This is also a great tool when you want to start flipping some of your instruction, or for students to record themselves speaking in Target languages, or even having a synchronous communication with students from around the world in different time zones. |
 Jennifer CronkI am a technology leader, professional developer, teacher, parent and proud owner of an IEP. Let's talk about some fabulous learning experiences. 
Archives
November 2019
Topics
All
|
Transparently Teaching
RSS Feed
