I pad - the tool for all

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=FGU1ELjS7bQ&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DFGU1ELjS7bQ

As I type this on my I pad mini I realize that I under utilize this tool.  I have learned more about it's uses since I have started back at school.  It can be a great word processor.  I can share you tube videos.  I can write my blog.  I can search for pictures and upload them onto my blog.  I can e mail a friend or text my daughters.  I can put together my grocery list and check my bank account balance.  The apps are never ending it seems and if you are willing to look for an app to teach you how to cook - it is

probably out there.

It seems that technology as we see it advances our abilities and saves us time.  For a child with learning disabilities it can bring everyday tasks that we take for granted, to their finger tips literally.

For the younger children with physical difficulties the ease of point and swipe offers them access

to activities that they would have been excluded from - like telling the teacher what you want for

lunch.  The "Speak it" app says what you type.  This can help the non verbal students that have

the ability to process but cannot verbalize.  Polo quo to go was a bit pricey but offered much in the 

way of flexibility and customization.  The prices of some apps can be a deterrent but for the most

part these apps seems to be affordable.

"Gage speaks:" is a wonderful story of how parents have supported their child with Autism and the growth he has made.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=VZwKqEccDWY

The I pad has multiple uses.  It can be a tool for learning and communicating but it can also work 

as a reward for effort or work completed.  It is interesting that most children are not afraid of it and

actually prefer it as opposed to a person as an aide.  Maybe it is the non judgmental aspect

of this tool - as the one student used "Furry Friend" to try and fix his clarity of speech.  There is no

disappointing a machine and you are in control and in charge of how you do and what you do.  It is a machine for 1 that is a machine for all.

I would love to be able to offer this option to a student that could really benefit from all its powers. I am not sure of who that student is but using the SETT framework maybe I will be able to identify one soon.