Assistive Technology/ Disability Assistance

Disability Assistance: Adapting the classroom for students in wheelchairs or scooters.

Knowledge: While I am working at a private preschool and have not been exposed to a 504 plan or IEP, we have had parents in wheelchairs and students that have broken legs throughout the years that we have had to make classroom adaptations to ensure their success in the classroom. This would fall under a 504 plan because we are providing a service that makes changes to the learning environment to enable students to learn alongside their peers. While it is required by the state to have a working elevator for more than one floor, and ramp access to the building, the classroom set up is not regulated.
Application: It is important that from an access stand point that regardless of the weather, the ramp access and entry to the building must be safe and available at all times. When younger children break any part of the lower leg, it is common to have a full length cast due to active bodies and resilience. There have been two scenarios that come to mind. One is a child size wheel chair and the other is a board scooter for the student to sit and scoot their way around the classroom. Both cause a need to adjust the classroom so that they are able to function and participate with peers successfully. This is why all if not most of the furniture at our school is on casters and can easily be moved, rearranged or locked in place. Many tables are also height adjustable. This makes students able to move around the room without bumping into others or becoming "stuck" in one part of the classroom. Students on scooters need assistance getting into chairs and need chairs for higher up tables used for standing. Regardless of injury or otherwise, the ability to adjust standing activities or moving furniture is an easy adjustment that can be done in the classroom where there are materials easily accessible to students to get independently.
Reflection: When students enter the classroom when we have inclement weather, we noticed that the classroom's wood floors became wet and unsafe. To adapt, we used a mat or towel that the student would roll over just as students wiped their feet upon entering. This helped keep the classroom safe from slips and falls. Some furniture needed to be removed to make room and/ or relocated to make room and mailboxes and classroom materials were rearranged for easier access for students who now were sitting a little lower. What I did realize through this limited experience was that children are resilient and when they have the opportunity to still be involved, they adapt and learn new ways of using the classroom. With doctor permission, we were also able to allow child to scoot and move on the ground in designated and monitored areas like dramatic play and library where it was challenging to maneuver a chair or scooter.

Classroom Management

App: Children's Countdown Timer

Knowledge: 
Time management can be a challenging concept for young learners. For a successfully managed classroom, keeping track of time and recognizing the importance of transitions helps make the classroom run smoothly. I notice that students who all want to be in a certain area of the classroom during free-play or at the sensory table for example, have a hard time "finding another activity" while they wait for their turn or act out when they are asked to share. I feel like I am constantly monitoring behavior caused by these transitions and it can be challenging to make sure every students gets equal exposure. Children's Countdown Timer offers a visual aide for students who are not yet capable of understanding the concept of time. I was wondering if this type of app could be explained and displayed in certain areas where time management needs to be monitored and if eventually it is an area of my classroom where I can simply observe instead of it taking up most of my instruction time? And also, how many of you full-day teachers hear "is rest time over yet?"
Application:
The free app begins with a clock that allows you to pick the amount of time you would like to set on the timer and a minimal selection of pictures to choose from. For an upgrade of $2.99 you can unlock many other picture options. I chose to stick with the free app because with about ten choices, there is not a need for a specific picture, one will keep a consistent outcome for students as they learn how to use this. The maximum amount of time that can be assigned in 59 minutes and 59 seconds per picture. The timer does tick like a clock but volume can be turned down so that it does not insight anxiety in students who are listening to a clock timer. You can choose to upload a personalized picture to your profile but it is not a necessity. Once the picture is revealed, confetti will go off and disappear.
Reflection: 
At the beginning, many students would just stare at the color as it reveals the picture and spent less time focusing on what they were doing. I did notice that once they experienced it once or twice, they then would focus on their tasks and check in. What I didn't expect is the amount of self-regulation that would come with using this app. I used this mainly during rest time (which eliminated distractions and movement) but I also used it when introducing a new dramatic play space. Because I wanted all students to have exposure to this area and a limited time frame to work in, I used this app in five minute increments with groups of four students. I would check in closer to the ending and realized that many students would clean up and sharing the space without redirection from myself! No arguments, no extra reminders that it is important to share, no reminders that it will be available for the month (all conversations typically had on a daily basis)! The only down side that I noticed was that it was not able to be used when other apps were opened like music for example. The other is that many of the young students were confused and focused on the changing colors from green to yellow to red because they are not yet aware of these colors representing a stop-light while others recognized this and were aware that the red meant that time was almost up and it was almost time to stop.

Final Presentation

Play below to see my final presentation!