Microsoft Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Creative Teaching – Seven Inspiring Educators Using Microsoft Technology

Paula — Fri, 06 May 2016 10:52:13 +0000

Educators who model Creative teaching with technology in the classroom are inspiring to their peers, and their students. They set an example of what is possible and they nurture an engaged and inclusive classroom. When teachers take an approach to learning that’s outside of the box, it sparks a great love of discovery and learning in our children, especially those with unique or special needs. Instead of staring at a page in a text book, children can explore in new, interactive ways. Creative teaching can help nurture all children’s strengths, and Microsoft is front and centre building inclusive programs and classrooms. Last week I shared a bit of information about my daughters and their unique challenges at school. I told you a bit about the ways in which Microsoft is embracing technology and helping to create an inclusive classroom. This week I want to share several examples of creative teaching and specific ways that Microsoft is building a brighter future for all children, especially those who have special needs. Creative Teaching with Microsoft The teachers below are embracing Microsoft and its powerful technology to help give kids with special needs a learning environment which allows reading to come alive for them. By using technology and creativity, these educators are able to inspire children to do more, engage more, and learn more. Seven EDUCATORS Using Microsoft Technology Creatively in the Classroom OneNote and Reading Kaylyn Dorland, a grade 2 teacher at Queen of Heaven Elementary School in Milton, ON is helping her kids more easily master reading with OneNote from Microsoft. Her students can space out letters and words to make them more appealing to the eye and easier to read. In addition, the dictate feature allows the kids to record their ideas as fast as they say them while brainstorming. Teachers can also help students improve fluency by having the children record themselves reading a sentence and then comparing that recording to the original sentence. OneNote and MinecraftEDU Jim Pedrech, Department Head of English and Canadian & World Studies at Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School in London, ON combines MinecraftEDU and the OneNote Classroom app to help students create their own survival narratives. The children play MinecraftEDU for 10 to 15 minutes a day and then write an entry about their experience. This creative teaching approach helps kids who struggle with longer writing task because each daily entry builds on the one before. So before long, these kids have a longer, ongoing narrative. I don’t have to tell you if you are a parent how incredibly popular Minecraft is. By tapping into that experience and meeting kids where they are at culturally this teacher based in my city is creating an engaging classroom experience. Both of my girls would light up if suddenly told they could play Minecraft at school then create a story about it. Actually that gives me a great idea as a parent. My daughter would happily choose this as a creative writing assignment. Skype Leah Obach, a Grade 1 teacher at Hamiota Elementary School in Hamiota, Manitoba uses Skype to interact with special needs students. Because it’s an audiovisual communication platform, Skype is well suited to all communication levels in her classroom. When the class Skypes with someone, some students may only wave or say hello at the beginning of the conversation. Some students may prepare questions. Meanwhile other students may actively interact with whoever is on the other end of the Skype call. Web 2.0 Kevin DeForge, Principal at St. Dominc Fine Arts School in Calgary, AB is working with the teachers in his school to make technology an advantage rather than a distraction. The focus of the school is to combine technology integration with inquiry and project-based learning. This allows students to use Microsoft technology to help them take an active role in their own education and learn at a pace that suits them. OneNote for Older Students Sarah Howard, a grade 10 history teacher at Lauren Hill Academy in Montreal, QC uses OneNote to help students at different learning levels access the curriculum in a way that allows them to understand it. The integrated organization, learning tools, and collaborative features allow her students – many of whom have special needs such as autism, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and auditory processing challenges – to learn in a fun and creative way. [tweetthis]Check out the many ways in which @MicrosoftEduCA is helping to inspire educators to build inclusive classrooms.[/tweetthis] Minecraft Brian Aspinall, a grade 7/8 teacher at Indian Creek road Public School in Chatham, ON, uses Minecraft as a creative teaching method to help improve math skills for special needs students. One student in particular was able to use Minecraft to better understand math concepts like growing patterns to help him ace his final exam. Again with Minecraft!! I love that. I have personally seen many children on the autism spectrum relate to gaming and Minecraft in a really positive way. If that can be used to build real life math skills, or to engage a learner who might not think they are good at math, then that’s a really clever means of building math literacy. Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text Technology Hella Richter-Glinos, Genius Hour teacher at Millwood Junior School in Etobicoke, ON uses Microsoft technology as a creative teaching method to help her students with limited literacy or language skills better realize their potential. Using text-to-speech, students can access information on websites that might be above their reading level. Then, the assistive technology of speech-to-text can help those students better realize their ideas and thoughts on the page. Creative Teaching with Microsoft – A Game Changer for Special Needs Students Creative teaching using Microsoft technology is a game changer for both special needs students and their teachers. With programs like OneNote, MinecraftEDU, Skype and more, students who would traditionally have a tremendously difficult time with education now thrive in an environment that uses technology to help them fully realize their potential. With Microsoft technology and the creative teaching efforts of educators across Canada, children can overcome their educational roadblocks and be their very best. [tweetthis]Visit microsoft.ca/accessibilityworkshop to find an upcoming event near you.[/tweetthis] Educators interested in learning how built in accessibility features in Windows and Windows-based applications like Office and OneNote can be used to create personalized learning are invited to attend a free Accessibility Workshop. Sessions are being hosted at locations across Canada in May. Visit microsoft.ca/accessibilityworkshop to find an upcoming event near you. This post has been sponsored by Microsoft and as such I was compensated. This is an issue that speaks to my heart as a parent.

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Building an Inclusive Classroom With Microsoft

Paula — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 10:52:19 +0000

Technology has the power to make lives better. The right technology can help us break down barriers, stay in our homes longer, or tackle health challenges head on. In schools, technology has incredible potential to help build ability, to help every child transcend barriers to education and achieve a bright future. Microsoft Canada is working to help every teacher embrace technology and build an inclusive classroom. My daughters are amazing girls with many strengths and a few challenges. They both fall squarely within the 3.2% of Canadian children aged 5 to 14 affected by a limitation related to learning. That statistic comes from the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey by Statistics Canada. We know kids like mine with special needs are at risk in the classroom. But with technology, and with the support of educators and policy makers, partnering with brands like Microsoft Canada, we can help to build an inclusive classroom that enables all students to make the grade and feel confident while learning. Falling Into The Gap With my computer and my smartphone I run a consulting business that allows me to be available to my family at home. I have Crohn’s Disease and my kids both have unique needs and challenges pertaining to learning. It is imperative that I have a flexible workplace. I get called often by the school, or by my children from school. Or I should say, I used to get called a lot. Before we had any technology or IEP’s (individual education plan) I was called a dozen times a week. Teachers and support staff didn’t know how to support my younger daughter when she acted out because she couldn’t understand a lesson, or when she failed to comprehend the unwritten nuances of socially acceptable behaviour in school culture. She was not having a good day, they’d say. Come and get her. That happened at least once a week. It was hard on all of us and my daughter’s confidence was eroding slowly. When my other daughter was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, and a math learning disability, I would get calls from her having anxiety attacks in school. Nobody knew how to manage them, or how to help her. Sometimes I talked her through them by phone and reminded her to do her breathing or positive self talk. Sometimes I had to also pick her up. Both of my girls missed a lot of school. It was heartbreaking. In theory, each of my girls was in an inclusive classroom. In reality, their programs, and classes had a long way to go. There was a big gap and my kids kept falling into it. When You Know Better, You Do Better Fast forward to this year. Both my girls are gadget girls. Both often use technology in school to help them overcome challenges. We first recognized that my older daughter could use technology to help her when she was about 12. That was the year we bought her a tablet to use at school, to take pictures of homework assignments and keep a schedule of when assignments were due. That simple action, with supportive technology, helped her to get through that grade. This year in grade nine at high school she is confident, engaged and she really enjoys learning again. There are no anxiety attacks at school. She gets great grades and has as much support as is necessary to help her succeed. The difference is dramatic. My younger daughter, who just turned 12, uses speech to text software at school to help when she is unable to write or type on a computer. Now that I know all of the features available on a Microsoft Surface I have a goal of getting her one for individual use in her classroom. The built in audio app on a Microsoft Surface would work well for her. There are school resource computers she uses daily. Both of the girls use Microsoft One Note and Office products frequently. Powerpoint is in the rotation too. [tweetthis]These Microsoft tools are helping to build an inclusive classroom.[/tweetthis] I know there are still many ways we can do better for my daughter and for all the kids who learn differently at school. We have work to do to close this gap for all our children, but progress is happening. The World Health Organization’s World Report on Disability estimates the number of children under 14 living with disabilities ranges between 93 and 150 million. Whether the disabilities range from vision, hearing, mobility, dexterity, language or learning impairments – children need access to assistive technology during their learning years. In fact 87% of Canadian teachers agree that technology has the potential to empower personalized learning, according to the study Parents and Teachers on Education. The study, commissioned by Microsoft Canada, also revealed nearly 9 in 10 teachers agree that technology has the potential to cater to student special education needs. However, only 60% and 65% respectively agree that this is being used effectively right now. I agree with that because I see this gap as a parent. We can all do a better job supporting students with special needs in the classroom. Microsoft Canada is doing their part to make sure students with special needs have access to technology in education. Microsoft Canada believes in empowering teachers with free tools and specialized training to help empower the inclusive classroom. Teachers across the country, like Elizabeth MacArthur, from Nashwaasksis Memorial School in Fredericton, New Brunswick, are embracing technology in the classroom to “level the playing field” for all students. Elizabeth and her colleagues have seen significant improvement in student learning outcomes since introducing Surface tablets in the classroom. “Trying to meet all their needs at the same time is proving to be a challenge, not just for me but many teachers in the profession,” says Elizabeth MacArthur, who is a grade 3 teacher at the school. Elizabeth has watched as struggling learners discover a new sense of self-esteem and self-confidence with their Surface + OneNote solution. Children who had difficulties communicating with paper and pencil are able to record their thoughts through the built-in audio recorder. With more students actively engaged using technology, the school has also seen a reduction in behavioural problems. That is a great outcome for any school. Tablets help with a wide range of learning styles. Without the technology teachers like Elizabeth MacArthur indicate that students are being left behind. That can’t happen. We have the ability to do better and to build every child’s strengths and change their future. When we know better we can do better. Free Microsoft Workshops to Help Build an Inclusive Classroom Now, teachers and other educators who want to learn how to better use technology to build an inclusive classroom, can attend free workshops put on by Microsoft across Canada. Educators interested in learning how built in accessibility features in Windows and Windows-based applications like Office and OneNote can be used to create personalized learning are invited to attend a free Accessibility Workshop. Sessions are being hosted at locations across Canada in April and May. Visit microsoft.ca/accessibilityworkshop to find an upcoming event near you. [tweetthis]Learn how you can take part in a Microsoft workshop for educators to help build an inclusive classroom. #specialneeds[/tweetthis] This post has been sponsored by Microsoft and as such I was compensated. Education and technology and building an inclusive classroom is an issue that speaks to my heart as a parent. Stay tuned next week to see how seven educators across Canada are using assistive technology to improve the lives of students.

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