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How to Use Technology to Enhance a Lesson Plan

 How to Use Technology to Enhance a Lesson Plan 

Technology has been enriching our lessons for a long time now. However, we teachers may struggle to use it in the inclusive classroom. In this post, we show you an original plan in which no technology was used:

We present here another version of that lesson plan in which we have used technology to make the lesson more inclusive. You will also find here the reason why we have chosen certain websites: 


ENHANCED LESSON PLAN

Class: 4th form Communicative Goal: Revision Grammar Focus: Revision Vocabulary Focus: Revision Recycled Language: Clothes, colours, and “I’m wearing…” & “He/She’s wearing…” ACTIVATION
In order to include more students, we can adapt this stage and talk about pieces of clothing and their textures, instead of their colour. T: OK, let’s talk about clothes. Today I’m wearing blue rough trousers and a soft pink jumper but my favourite clothes are my red flat shoes. Bauti, what is your favourite clothing item? What are your favourite clothes? S: Mi remera verde! T: Your green T-shirt! Very good! If you touch your T-shirt, what do you feel? S: Mmm, es blanda. T: It’s soft, great! And Oli, what is your favourite item? S: My pink skirt! (T continues asking Ss about their favourite clothes) As regards students with auditory impairments, we can include them by writing everything that is being said in the discussion on a Gdoc for them to read it from the projection screen.
APPLICATION ACTIVITY #1 Focus: Writing Brief Description: Each S will receive a different picture from a magazine. They will have to look at the picture and complete the worksheet:

In order to help students with visual impairments, we can provide them with Lookout by Google, which uses computer vision to assist people with low vision or blindness to get things done faster and more easily. Using their phone or tablet camera, students can increase the worksheet size or use Text mode to quickly skim the text and hear it read aloud. To get a description of the picture, they can use Explore mode which offers information about objects in users’ surroundings. Regarding students with reading difficulties like dyslexia, we can teach them how to use Dyslexia Toolbox, which is a Google Chrome extension that offers a whole host of assistive technology features such as type pads, word prediction, digital overlays and text readers. In this activity, students with this learning disability can find this app very useful since they can write the information to complete the worksheet on a Gdoc and this toolbar will help them with word prediction. Instructions to use this extension:
  1. Search "Dyslexia Toolbox" on the Chrome Web Store and install it.
  2. You are ready to use Dyslexia Toolbox! If you want to change any of the settings, just click on the puzzle button located in the upper right-hand corner of the browser called “Extensions”.
  3. Click on the Dyslexia Toolbox extension.
  4. Slide to lock or unlock the different features.
ACTIVITY #2 Focus: Speaking Brief Description: Students will have to come to the front of the classroom to show the pictures they got and describe what the person is wearing.

In order to include all the students in this activity, Classroom Q can be used. This is an easy-to-use innovative tool that acts as a digital hand-raising device. With this app, teachers can efficiently organize student questions. This system allows teachers to tend to each individual student's needs without interrupting learning. Whenever a student has a query or needs help, he or she can access this tool and write their name. Students’ names will appear in order so that the teacher can attend to their needs in a more organized way. In this case, this app will help the instructor to organize the order of students coming to the front to present their pictures. Moreover, this will diminish students’ anxiety because they will know there is an order to be followed. Regarding students with auditory impairments, Android Live transcribe can offer great help. This app provides real-time transcription of speech into text. The spoken text is picked up by a phone microphone and delivered to an android phone screen using wifi or another network connection. This app can be very useful throughout the whole lesson. In this activity, deaf and hard of hearing students will be able to listen to their classmates’ presentations. Students who suffer from speech difficulties can be offered with Proloquo2Go, which is an Augmentative and Alternative Communication solution for non-verbal people with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and a range of other diagnoses or speech impediments like apraxia and dysarthria. The main aim of the app is to give children and adults with these impairments a voice. Its visual vocabulary allows creating sentences of varying complexity to communicate wants, needs and messages that are more advanced. The app is flexible and customizable and allows choosing from a range of realistic accents for children and adults to match their “inner voice”. Students can use Proloquo2GoThis all throughout the lesson but it can be especially useful to express themselves when they are asked about their favourite clothes and to share their descriptions of the pictures.

Now, let us explain to you once again how and why we made these adjustments:

According to Dr. Serhat Kurt, adaptive learning allows the course material to be customized to the learner, which creates a unique experience not available in traditional classes.

In this lesson, we have applied adaptive learning in that we are taking into account students’ individual needs in order to give them the best chance of learning.  

What are these needs and how can we satisfy them? The term ‘special educational needs’ – SEN for short – is used to refer to learners with a wide range of needs that require special support in the language classroom. There is increasing support available for both teachers and SEN students. The term SEN covers a range of needs. These can include, at one end of the spectrum, cognitive and learning challenges like mild dyslexia and mild intellectual disability, and at the other, severe learning difficulties and autism. It includes learners with behavioural challenges such as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), or other social or emotional challenges. It includes learners with physical challenges like visual or hearing impairments, and those with mobility issues, including restricted movement and motor skills challenges. These very different needs require different levels and types of support with learning. 

In the original lesson plan, there were several barriers which we anticipated. Slow learners and students with short attention spans may have difficulties when working alone or completing tasks on time. Those with visual impairments may not be able to talk about colours or look at the picture nor read the worksheet. Children with auditory impairments may not be able to listen to the descriptions of the clothes. Students who suffer from speech difficulties may struggle when standing in front of the classroom and describing their pictures. Yet, Hockly explains that to support SEN students we should use technology and focus on what our learners can do instead of what they can’t. So we focused on their abilities to find solutions. 

With assistive technology, we managed to make some changes to the original plan. What is Assistive Technology (AT) and why use it? In Delaney’s terms, AT consists of computer software, apps, devices and equipment designed or adapted to help people with a wide range of SEN and disabilities. With AT students can gain confidence and build self-esteem, improve literacy, work independently, show what they know, overcome frustration and tiredness, to name but a few. We used different AT tools such as Lookout by Google, Dyslexia Toolbox, Classroom Q, Android Live Transcribe and Proloquo2Go, which we described in the tailored lesson plan.


Sources: 


  • The authors of this post are Valentina Fernandez and Sabrina Brutomeso. Visit the following website to find the same post: Valentina's PLE.

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