Assistive Learning Technologies
Yesterday I had the opportunity to share and learn with a fantastic group of clinicians to discuss assistive learning technologies. This group included speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, social workers, and physiotherapists who work to support learners and families within the Parkland-region:
- Mountain View School Division
- Frontier School Division
- Swan Valley School Division
- Turtle River School Division
- Parkwest School Division
- Prairie Mountain Health
- Manitoba Education
As my background is as a classroom teacher, and my M.Ed focus was on educational technology, I developed a presentation based on my skill-set. Our Coordinator of Student Services, Jeane Mischuk, was then kind enough to support me in fine-tuning my information to ensure that the tools and demonstrations that I included were an appropriate match to the potential learner needs discussed within this group. Her background in Resource Support was invaluable to me to help ensure that this presentation was an appropriate blend of both tech and student service support.
The final presentation, which was used in conjunction with live demos, can be viewed below:
The following links were referenced through the presentation and can provide follow-up support for those interested in learning more about the resources that were discussed:
Leveling the Playing Field with Microsoft Learning Tools
“This study was designed to evaluate whether Microsoft Learning Tools is useful for enhancing reading and writing instruction and learning. Four 4th grade and four 6th–12th grade teachers from Bellevue School District in Bellevue, Washington participated. We interviewed them and analyzed reading assessment data to gain an initial understanding of whether the product supported learning. Results indicate overall that Learning Tools appears to be a useful digital tool for supporting not only reading, but also writing and other skills for elementary, middle and high school students, who range from struggling to above grade-level in their skills. Moreover, for struggling readers, Learning Tools “levels the playing field” by supporting access to learning materials beyond their reading skills.”
Building an Inclusive Classroom: Learning Tools Help Students Thrive at LRSD
- YouTube Video
Periodic Table of Learning Tools.pptx
- Graphic displaying what learning tools are available within different Office 365/Microsoft Programs
- Online module
- In this interactive guide, you’ll see how inclusive classroom tools from Microsoft can help students read more effectively, improve focus, and work independently at this own pace.
Inclusive Classroom & Accessibility Quick Tips Videos
- YouTube playlist of 40+ videos
Helpful Links for Microsoft’s Inclusive Classroom Experiences
- This page pulls together lots of tools and resources to help you get the most out of Microsoft’s inclusive tools for the classroom
- Used to remove login barriers and facilitate access to computers and programs
- iOS app for low-vision or blind learners
Thank you to our school psychologist, Lisa Hammond, who invited me to speak to this group and thank you to all of the participants who were incredibly supportive!
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