Casey’s Class

Assistive Tech

On February 9, 2020

Hello C’s Class

Coming at yeah with another collab with Aria, Kaylyn, and me!

Assistive technology are devices that increase, maintain, or improve students with learning setbacks. It’s easy to think of “assistive technology” as technology itself, but it can be as simple as a pencil grip or as complex as some of the programs that are available in our classrooms today. Assistive technology is all about helping students progress towards their goals lined out on their IEP (Individual Educational Plans). Assistive technology also has goals of helping students learn how to complete a task and help bypass an area of difficulty. Students can listen to audiobooks and avoid reading, and focus on the computer screen as words are read aloud so they can learn unfamiliar words.

So as we, Kaylyn, Aria, and Casey, explore the different ways assistive technology can be used in the classroom, we are going to look at all the different kinds of sources, levels, and devices that can be used.

As said before, technology in the classroom that aids in helping students can range from low to mid to high technological appreciation. Most of the technology that helps students with disabilities is high tech, but as educators it is important to know how these devices can be incorporated within their teaching to promote an inclusive learning environment. Today, we are going to be looking at technology that is beneficial to students with learning disabilities.

First we have Graphic organizers. These help the students who have a hard time putting their thoughts onto paper, as well as the visual learners who need to see their ideas mapped out. While these can be done without technology to allow students to improve their quality of writing, using graphic organizations on the computer can allow students to arrange their thoughts without worrying about order, importance, or categories because the text can be easily changed and moved around.

Next, there are iPad-like devices called Pentop computers that aid in text-to-speech programs and strategy feedback. They are cheaper than iPads and may be a useful tool for students with learning disabilities. Pentop computers can give auditory feedback during math work or writing, and are a vital tool for students with learning disabilities. They can easily provide reminders while a kid is working on a math problem, and can be utilized for its note-taking skills.

Lastly, students with learning disabilities often have a hard time with their development of math. Research states that calculators can almost provide an unfair advantage to those students with math setbacks. Graphing calculators can be effective for the visual data to be seen, but only partially. Math drill programs are said to aid in the developmental process of learning how to solve math questions and increasing motivation in the addition and subtraction skills of students with math disabilities. Math Trek 1, 2 ,3 is an example of a program used in the classroom, as well as many more that are available for teachers to utilize in their diverse classrooms.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post on learning a couple different ways to aid in helping students with learning disabilities! We will talk to you soon!

Catch ya later!

Aria, Kaylyn, and Casey

Taking Care of You!

by Casey Hunt

On February 7, 2020

In Free Inquiry

Hello C’s Class!

I hope you all had a great week and have an even better weekend! So I wanted to pop on here and talk about self-care and taking a break when you need it. Hopefully my tips and tricks will come in handy this weekend so you can have have a little me time.

So it is the third week of my inquiry posts and I wanted to talk about physical self-care again this week as it is really important. Last weekend I moved into my new place! Yay exciting… but my mental health was really affected unexpectedly. Basically I was feeling anxious, OCD, and kind sad at first. ALL of these are sooo normal to feel and so valid always, don’t let anyone tell you different! There were boxes all over my apartment, it was messy, muddy from the rain, and I was looking at it and thinking how in the world am I going to get through all this. Then I started cleaning the place and was so crazy about everything being clean and in the right place and making sure everything was lined up straight and looked visually appealing. Then I started feeling unsure if moving was a good idea… and then I got really overwhelmed and decided to give myself a break. To let myself feel my emotions, to not feel guilty, and to allow myself to be okay with not being okay. So I put away any homework I was supposed to do, stopped unpacking, and sat down on my couch, poured a glass of vino(only if you are 19+..lol) , and watched some much needed chick flicks. YESS this is totally expectable and it made me feel some much better. Sometimes the smallest thing like watching a movie and forgetting about what you should be doing is exactly what you need. I am not saying procrastination is good but sometimes we need a break and girl that is okayyy!

Through this process of inquiry, I guess I am slowing learning what works for me. It is so important to read that sentence one more time…go ahead I’ll wait. Okay so you read it? I can’t stress this enough that it is what works for ME. I am not saying go out and do exactly what I am doing. I am not a doctor or therapist that is giving you advice. I am simply keeping you updated on my journey and what has been working for me. But is is important to keep in mind that everyone needs a break once in awhile. Whether it is watching netflix and enjoying one glass of vino or going for a run, cooking a healthy dinner, taking a nap….DO what works for you. Be careful though. In order to do self-care and take a mental health day, you need to practice healthy and safe self-care actives. If you are feeling like your emotions are taking over your life, go talk to someone. Phone a friend, family member, or go and seek help. There is nothing wrong with seeking out help. It makes you stronger for seeing that what you are feeling might not go away on its own and that is OKAY!

To be honest I didn’t think my post today would be going in this directions today… But I am learning through this process that the only person that matters is you when it comes to mental health and it is so so important that you do what you need to in order to live a happy life and wake up every morning knowing it is going to be another beautiful day that you get to take on! So stay strong guys, I believe in you! I am also going to link some physical self-care ideas that work for me and maybe some of my fav things!

Anyways, until next week! Have a relaxing weekend and take care of you, boo!

Casey’s favs:

Fresh Grade

by Casey Hunt

On February 4, 2020

In EdTech

Hello Casey, Holly, and Kate here!

Today we wanted to share a bit about a new cool app teachers are using called Fresh Grade!

Keep reading to learn more about this awesome online resource and to discover our true thoughts on this app…

So what is Fresh Grade? First off, this app allows for students to watch their growth over their educational career from k-12 in the form of a digital portfolio/learning journal. If that isn’t cool enough, it also grants access to parents so they can comment and add post to their students profile. If you aren’t convinced by now to use this app, we are hoping it’s just because you aren’t very techy…

Some more sweet features are:

Free for everyone to use (teachers, students and parents)

Create lesson plans and activities

Unlimited number of classes and subjects

Unlimited number of assignments and projects

Attach files (rubrics, links and examples)

Make online groups within your classes

Compatible with more than 100 apps

Unlimited storage

Useful to create and store formative, summative and interim assessments

Create custom assessments for each student

Embed google translate for international students to communicate with teachers and parents

Send messages to parents private or in groups

There is a fresh grade blog!

Online professional development and learning available for teachers

E-books and case studies available

There is an area where your whole school can go onto freshgrade and principals/admins can see (with privacy permission)

Some unfortunate cons…

If parents/guardians or students are not familiar with technology or they don’t have accessibility to a laptop or computer it would be difficult

If parents/guardians don’t feel comfortable having their students information online even though it is private and secure

If you still don’t know what is going on in this blog… here are two videos that hopefully sum up any questions you still might have about Fresh Grade!

Anyways, that’s all for today, hoped you enjoyed our surprise collab.

Casey, Holly, and Kate

Survived My First Run!

by Casey Hunt

On February 2, 2020

In Free Inquiry

Hello C’s Class

Okay so you must be wondering if I survived my run…well obviously because I am writing this blog. But…I not only survived it but I loved it!

I ran 2.61K and haven’t worked out since September! I took my dog with me (I’ll post a pic of him below. He’s the cutest!) Anyways, he is 8 years old and he isn’t the best runner..so I had to pack the run in early because I didn’t want to kill him haha. But honestly if I didn’t take Murphy I would have kept running, it felt so good! Then I signed up for my 10K in April and I’m pretty pumped.

So what are the pros and cons to running? Well let me tell you! The pros are pretty obvious. If you are running outside you get fresh air, get to look at scenery, great for your lungs and heart, helps lose weight, it is decently cheap compared to getting a gym pass, and you feel pretty damn great after you go for a run. So mental health is definitely improved in my personal experience. I honestly felt like for the first time I was running for myself and not because other people were telling me I should run. I was putting my self first and staying at a pace that felt right for me and also listened to some pretty great tunes. Tunes are an essential if you are running…in my opinion!

So what are the cons? Well if you don’t like running DON’T RUN! Who cares if people say you should go for a run, if you don’t vibe with it then don’t do it. You’ll end up feeling anxious and probably push yourself because of peer pressure. If you do like running but still push yourself you can get injured…so don’t do that! Here is a resource so you can check out for more pros and cons.. also it will link you to a bunch of other awesome articles! Click HERE

This past week I have moved into my own place! Yay exciting, but it has taken me away from running… so I will be getting back to it this week and exploring my next self-care activity… so stay posted! Also Bought this cool running belt to put my phones and keys in when I run!

Anyways, back to unpacking my boxes. Have a good week class!

PSII

by Casey Hunt

On February 2, 2020

In EdTech

Hello Casey’s Class

It has been a hot minute since I last posted! Sorry to keep you all hanging… So this week I wanted to share a bit about my field trip to PSII and my thoughts on how this school works and my personal pros and cons!

Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII) is a high school this is very different than the “normal” high school that most of us probably went to. When you walk in there is a big open space where everyone is working on a computer, chatting, collaborating, and working on projects that they chose. Then off to the sides there are a few small rooms with glass windows and then at the back there is a quiet room. So basically in a nutshell this school is super cool. Instead of it looking like a typical school, the space is much like an office where everyone is working and has a place. Anyways I am sure you don’t care what it looks like and just what to know why the heck this school is so cool and my thoughts.. right?

PSII, like other BC high schools follow the BC curriculum however, they do it a little differently. Each person in the school is set up with an individual learning plan made by the student and teacher so that the students can facilitate their own education… cool right! Then, based on what passions, interests, and or questions a student has on a topic(s) they get to build their education around those ideas which is also known as inquiry based learning. So how does PSII ensure that students meet the BC requirements? Well… students will participate in a class in each subject once a week. For example instead of a normal high school making you do 1 million hours of math a week and confuse you then you fail because you have know idea what the heck is going on… PSII makes you take one math class each week which then allows students to comprehend the info and or allow them to set up one-on-one meetings with a teacher to ask questions to ensure they fully understand. Students will have check-ins to see about where the teachers think they are on the scale of you know B+,A-,A,A+ you get the point. And then, what’s even cooler is that students get this feedback and are told what they need to do in order to get their mark up and they get to decide whether or not they want to go the extra mile. So have I convinced you yet to check out this school? Well I know it sounds pretty great so what could my cons be? As you all know, I have a lot of experience working with individuals with diverse abilities. This school, although really awesome in what they do, they don’t really do special ed. So although it is an inclusive school where learning is tailored to the students.. if you look close it isn’t that inclusive. A lot of my clients need a structured routine, rigid schedule, and one-on-one support. On my visit I did ask this question of “how does this school support people with diverse abilities?” The answer I got was great however not 100% what I had hoped. For individuals who have autism who are lower on the spectrum and for those with anxiety and or depression thrive in this environment. However the school did say that they aren’t set up to be specialized in special education. But since everyone gets an individualized plan and can set up a strict schedule for themselves and make one-on-one meetings with teachers, it can be a great space for these individuals to grow and thrive in.

So this school is super awesome and the students that I talked to are so passionate about their schooling and the teachers are rockin it! So my question I leave here with you all is, how can we use the ideas that PSII is implementing but also collaborate to make it accessible to everyone’s individual needs?

Check out below PSII’s competencies and core values!

Wow that was a long blog… thanks for stickin it out with me! Until next time C’s Class.

Inclusive Tech

by Casey Hunt

On January 30, 2020

In EdTech Inquiry

Hello bloggers, Aria, Casey and Kaylyn here!

For this EdTech project we are teaming up to explore our Inquiry question:

“What are some technologies that can provide support to students with learning disabilities?”

We chose this question because we are continuously learning how to make our classrooms more accessible and inclusive for every student who walks in the door.

Casey’s Class here, I wanted to quickly tell you about my experience with working with individuals with diverse abilities. I got the opportunity to work in an inclusive classroom supporting a student with autism and once I built a relationship with this student I became his respite worker outside of the classroom. I also worked as a behavioural interventionist for a year with an adult with autism who was working at the level of a primary student. Through these opportunities, I have seen what an inclusive education classroom can do for children with autism but also children with different learning abilities. Although the classroom isn’t for all individuals as like my older client, myself and my group members believe in doing everything we can in order to support and include each student in the classroom. Now back to the group!

Especially now, in our tech-ridden society it is so important for us as future educators to know the tools that are available in helping all students be successful through their educational journey.

We are really interested in finding ways to help kids who have troubles communicating. Such as students who have autism, down syndrome, dyslexia, anxiety, ADHD, or speech impediments. Stay tuned as we will be diving into this topic next week!

Adios amigos,

Kaylyn, Casey, and Aria

Self-Care Journey

by Casey Hunt

On January 22, 2020

In Free Inquiry

Hello Casey’s Class!

So my last inquiry blog I left you all on the edge wondering what I ended up choosing for my project… Well maybe not the edge but anyways I am doing it on wellness and self-care. For my actual first blog about my topic I wanted to talk about the different categories of self-care and my rough ideas on how I think I want to take on this journey.

Everyone might have their own types of self-care or think that there aren’t any specific categories and you just do what feels good. Hey if that’s working, get it girl! Or anyone I should say… Self-care isn’t just for girls, ya’ll should all be practicing it! So back to my categories.

Basically I will be focusing on:

Physical self-care

Emotional self-care

Psychological self-care

Spiritual self-care

Professional self-care

My goals are to try each category for 2 weeks, see how balancing out my self-care with different types affects my well being, determine what practices work or don’t work for me, which ones can be done on the go, and overall how I feel by putting myself first. I will be researching different practices and documenting my journey as I go along.

For my first week I will be focusing on my physical self-care. With the New Year here I am ready to start some healthier choices now that my health is back in check. I signed up for a 10k with the fam… wish me luck… I want to start running this week. It is in April so I need to start running now so that running is hopefully a self-care practice and not something I end up dreading. At least I could walk the 10k right? I know, not the point. Anyways, next weeks blog I will let you know how my running journey is going and some benefits to running and some down falls. I will give ya’ll full disclose on my journey and my honest thoughts. Also check out the awesome movie trailer below. If you want to be inspired and motivated to start running or just want a good movie to watch, well both count as self-care so go for it and treat yourself!

Anyways, that’s all for tonight. Keep posted to make sure I am still alive after my first attempt at running.

-C’s Class

From Schools to Criminals

by Casey Hunt

On January 22, 2020

In EdTech

Hello C’s Class,

I wanted to start this blog off today with what I did in last weeks class and then I will go into a bit of what I did today! Basically I am going to talk about a school and then on how we are pretty much all criminals… That escalated quickly. If that sounds interesting keep reading.

So as I was saying, last week I watch an interesting documentary called “Most Likely to Succeed”. To sum up the movie from at least my stand point it was about a school that did things a little differently. It was a school based on inquiry and student directed learning. First I will say that the idea of this innovating school is a really great idea. I think that we are on the right track if society is coming up with new ways to revamp the education system. Although I don’t completely agree with this idea of student directed learning and this sense of freedom within the class without structure… I definitely can see the benefits and for some students this would be a game changer for their educational experience. Yes, stepping away from a rigid strict curriculum and leaning towards a curriculum in which the students chose what they want to learn is ideal. How can we teach while keeping students motivated if they don’t care about what they are learning? So why don’t I agree completely with this idea you might ask? Well fun fact is that I get to work with individuals with autism and I love it. These smart and talented individuals have taught me a lot about how every single person brings different abilities to the table and that everyone learns differently. What I have learned is that we can’t as a society take education and put it at two extremes. Right now you either have strict classes, tests, and a rigid curriculum or you have the complete opposite and have freedom, student choice, and inquiry based learning. Where is the middle ground? The individuals with autism that I get to work with would never be able to work within a no structure environment. But on the other hand I know many people who can’t work in a strict environment. So what are we to do? How can we take two polar opposite ideas and compromise to ensure everyone has equal opportunities to get an education? Just some thoughts to hangout with, but anyways on to my next point.

In my tech class today we started off by watching the documentary “RiP! Remix Manifesto Documentary”. Basically to sum up what this docu was about is we are all criminals… LOL JK… Maybe. I want to be able to explain to all of you what this movie was about but honestly there was so much info I don’t know where to start. Incase you’re wondering (my prof) I was paying attention the whole time.. I promise. Basically what really stuck with me is that all of us at some point have probably used something from the internet without being allowed to. Have you downloaded music without paying? Or maybe a movie or picture? Well shhhh because no body needs to know that it is a hefty fine. We all have Spotify or Netflix now so we’ve mostly moved on. But to sum up my learning I got from this docu is cite your work people! Make sure you can use something before you take it. Educate yourself on how to take someone else’s property in the right way. If someone was to take my words from my blog and say they were there’s I would forsure sue them.. No honestly I would laugh because if you think my blogs are worth stealing then can we be friends? Anyways, just be smart and stop stealing. A cool tip if you are getting images off the internet is to search for your image and then change to usage rights under “tools” boom cite that and you aren’t a criminal. My prof also gave us a cool website to use for images that I absolutely love and can give all credits to for basically all the images I will post on here. Check out Unsplash for free pics!

Anyways that’s all for today. Check out C’s Class for more info on my wellness journey this week.

Wellness

by Casey Hunt

On January 14, 2020

In Free Inquiry

Hello C’s Class,

This session is a bit different than my regular blogs. I am starting a free inquiry project that will allow me to explore a topic of my choosing. I am pondering the thought of doing my project on wellness. This would incorporate health, nutrition, and self care. I believe that is is extremely important to take time and practice wellness in you daily routine. I am not exactly sure how this will become my inquiry project but.. I have till Thursday to figure it out sooo wish me luck!

Doing an inquiry project is honestly kind of hard.. I am faced with choosing any topic I want… Um I have a lot of interests and passions that I want to purse so how am I supposed to choose just one thing to focus on! Well I’ll tell you this. Being in school, working, and dealing with everyday life really burns a person out. So I’m thinking that wellness might be very beneficial for me to focus on… lol

My question though, is what wellness or selfceare tips and tricks actually work? There are so many out there and lots of them cost money but are they worth it? So my journey would be about focusing each week on one kind of wellness/self-care activity and provide you all with my experience and thoughts on each one. We will see what my prof thinks and I’ll get back to you on my plan of action!

Anyways, that’s all for today. Check back next week for more from C’s Class.

Getting Your Life Together

by Casey Hunt

On January 14, 2020

In EdTech

Hello C’s Class,

I wanted to chat with you guys today about organization. If you are feeling unorganized and looking for a techy way to get your life together… Well then I have a tool for you!

Today I made an account with Trello.If you haven’t heard of this website before basically it allows you to create different lists and checklists for things you have to get done in your life. For example you could make a list for say homework. You would title your list “homework” (obviously) and then within that box you can create a check list.. ex. english paper, math sheets, art project… and so on. You can also make it more a general to your life and make lists for chores, groceries, bills.. the list can go on. I mean I don’t know what you all got going on it your life but Trello can definitely make it seem like you have your life together. Fun fact you can also download Trello as an app and then have all your lists on your phone. Lets be honest we all have our phones on us so download this stuff!

So you must want to know my thoughts on this site. At least I’d assume since you’re on my blog… I think it can be really beneficial to any who likes to stay organized with an app. If you’re anything like me you won’t get things done unless you actually write it down somewhere or put a reminder on your phone. So hit this site up and get organized! If you aren’t a fan of technology well get off this blog and go buy yourself a journal.

Anyways, that’s all for this session today. I’ll be adding another post later this week so if you are in a snow storm like me, stay in and check out my next session.

-C’s Class