Posted on 10/15/2010 11:21:32 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Ray Hart, an 11-year-old West Prairie South Elementary student, works on an iPad. An education app, “abcPocketPhonics,” has helped Ray improve his writing.
On a recent Monday morning at West Prairie South Elementary in Colchester, Ill., Ray Hart, 11, used a stylus to trace a small “t” on an iPad screen. After he successfully traced the letter, the tablet computer made a cheering sound. Ray looked up at his teacher, Lori Thompson, and smiled.
Working on the iPad, which was released by Apple in April, has helped Hart dramatically improve his handwriting and boost his confidence.
“The first time I showed this to one little guy –– and he is verbal –– he was able to start writing letters, and that’s carried over into his paper work,” Thompson said.
Most of the students in Thompson’s special needs classroom have autism, a developmental disorder that makes communication and social interaction difficult.
“We’re always looking for new ways to help our students come up with ways to communicate and be motivated,” Thompson said. “We have another (non-verbal) student who uses an augmentative communication device that’s very heavy and bulky and hard to carry around, so we were looking for an alternative.”
Thompson’s two iPads were received after West Prairie Superintendent Jonathan Heerboth suggested the idea.
“There was an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that talked about iPads as a useful communication tool for children on the autism spectrum who could not otherwise communicate,” Heerboth said. “I knew that Mrs. Thompson had experimented with a similar idea on her iPod Touch.”
After Thompson researched the idea, an Apple sales representative met with Heerboth, Thompson and one of her students after the new school year started in August. Soon, Thompson was able to buy two iPads — at a considerably lower cost than other augmentative communication devices.
“The other devices are from $3,000 to $5,000 dollars apiece,” Thompson said. “iPads cost, depending on how much memory you get, $500 and up.”
Thompson’s non-verbal student uses the iPad with a text-to-speech application called Proloquo2Go. Using this application, Thompson’s non-verbal student can easily participate in class and answer questions by touching the appropriate icon on the iPad, which then voices a response.
“If it’s their day to be calendar helper, they can tell us,” Thompson said. “They can pick the day of the week, they can tell me what the weather is (and) they can participate in the Pledge of Allegiance all by the touch, and that’s very exciting for them.”
Another application on Hart’s iPad called ABC PocketPhonics not only teaches him how to write a letter, but it teaches him the sound. Stories2Learn teaches social cues, something kids with autism find difficult to pick up on. With this application, Thompson can create a simple story using a combination of photos and her own text that shows a specific skill, such as eye contact. If she chooses, Thompson can also narrate the stories with her own voice.
Thompson can create her own pages for the iPad. If she’s doing a lesson on spiders, for example, she can create a page about spiders in about 15 minutes.
“The apps are easy to download from iTunes and some other places as well,” Thompson said. “It’s a lot easier than some of the DynaVox (communication) systems I’m used to programming.”
Many of these applications can also be downloaded onto an iPhone or iPod Touch, and most are inexpensive. ABC PocketPhonics costs just $1.99 on iTunes, for example, and Stories2Learn is available for $13.99. Proloquo2Go, a more specialized application, costs $189.99.
The iPads stay in the classroom and do not go home with the students. They are recharged at the end of the day and, if needed, Thompson updates them with new material.
Kathy Olesen-Tracey, an educator with the Center for Application of Information Technology at Western Illinois University, said current research is showing that the use of technologies such the iPad, and even smart phones like the iPhone, improves student test scores. She cited one recent study that showed high school students who used math applications with smart phones received higher standardized test scores in math.
Tracey says “assistive technology,” like the iPad, doesn’t replace teaching in classrooms, it reinforces it.
“You’re creating an entire network they can tap into,” she said.
The iPads in Thompson’s classroom have been so successful that she wants all of her students to have access to the technology.
“We’re working on trying to write a grant to get a couple more,” Thompson said.
Thank you, I thought of the Kindle but it limits him to just reading. I had thought of the apps but never used any so not sure how they work. Thank you both for your replies.
I was really hoping that the touch would be adequate just on a cost issue. You talked about iOS would that be like the ipad version of OSX? (Im really behind apparently)
I will assume that the ipad would make his school reports and presentations easier and neater. I guess I should go and see about apps and such. When did 11 year olds get so technical, I cant keep up. Thank you much for your reply.
I have a non-verbal autistic daughter who is 9. She has an assistive communications device. I wonder if the IPad might help her as well.
Thank you for replying, maybe I should get ME a touch. I think I might just have to air out the checkbook a little and break down to do it. Sounds like the pad is what is going to work the best. I wish technology didn’t move so fast, I would like to buy something he will be able to use for much longer.
Everyone already uses a Mac so I don’t THINK the flash issue will be a problem. I love the size of the touch, but I have washed his ipod dozens of times and worry that the touch wont hold up as well in the washer. (The backlight doesn’t work anymore but everything else does)
Just to clarify, an itouch is basically an iphone without the phone and and an ipad is a bigger itouch without the phone and camera???
The problems of Flash are inherent in Flash... It expects thing that a touch screen device cannot provide such as simultaneous keyboard input and mouse over events. There is no mouse on the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad devices so there can be no mouse pointer to mouse over an area.
The iPad and iPod touch can both make and receive phone calls using Skype, and since this week, Yahoo Messenger.
MOM, NONE OF THESE DEVICES CAN BE WASHED! Water will void your warranty instantly. You can damp wipe them but don't "wash" them by immersion ever! They will stop working.
If you get him either, get an Otter Box water proof case for it. That's industrial strength protection.
Sorry, I didn’t mean that I do it on purpose. He is a stasher, he always has something stashed somewhere. He sticks it in his pants pocket and forgets to take it out. I was always finding it in the washer after the load. It only took a year before he got me trained to look in his pockets before adding water.
I think Im confused, you can add a keyboard to the ipad but not a mouse? I know it is a touch screen but you cant use a mouse even if you wanted one? Hmm now that I think about it why would I want a mouse? Never mind. Thank you.
I plan to get a Kindle this year to use as an e-book reader, because I think the iPad is too expensive to be used primarily as an e-book reader (which is what I'd use it for). There are too many free e-books available not to. My iPod Touch is still great for watching movies and TV shows in bed before I sleep. I use Handbrake software program to convert from DVD video files to iPod Touch format, and I can store several videos on a 16Gb iTouch (along with Rush 24-7 Morning Updates and MP3 audio files of the show ;) ).
Do you have a Best Buy? Even a Target might have iPads.
Oh, that's a relief, mom. An iPad would be very hard to cram down in a pocket, so that's an argument investor of the larger format.
By the way, for your purpose, you only need the WIFI 16GB version and I suggest you check out the Apple online education store. There might be a discounted price.
Investor = in favor
As far as I can see there is no educational discount for the ipad only imacs and maybe ipods I believe. There are already refurbished ones for $449 though, not much, but $50 is $50.
I had not checked... but, Mom, I always buy Refurbished Macs... there's not a thing wrong with them. They come with the same warranty as the "new" ones... you just don't get the fancy box.
Awwww man, the box is the coolest part of the $500.
(according to my cat)
My cat prefers the fancy bags Apple gives out.
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