Assistive Technology Consultant ICT supporting development of organisational and learning skills of dyslexic pupil Dr Abi James Assistive Technology Consultant Iansyst Ltd abi@dyslexic.com In this talk we are going to look at the types of technology that can be used to mitigate difficulties with organisations and developing learning skills

Organisation & Learning skill development can be affected by: Poor working memory. Poor / slow handwriting skills. Poor decoding skills. Slow processing speeds. Difficulties with sequencing and developing automaticity. Co-morbidity with other SpLD such as dyspraxia, ADHD. Dyslexic pupils and individuals may continue to have difficulties with learning despite good literacy skills due to processing and memory skills deficits. Organisation and learning skills are required across the curriculum and are key to becoming an independent learner. This presentation will look at technology tools that can be used to develop compensatory strategies to overcome these difficulties and enable a dyslexia pupil to participate in the curriculum. It will also look at some of the issues with accessing curriculum resources when literacy and/or organisational skills are poor. We will examine how access to accessible curriculum resources may be able to overcome these difficulties as technology develops in the future.

Can lead to difficulties with: Making notes. Organising thoughts. Time management and day-to-day organisation. Memory. Directions. For example: poor auditory processing skills may lead to difficulties with noting down homework and assignments. poor word retrieval skills may impact on planning and organising written work, oral presentations or even participating a class or group discussion. poor memory and left/right confusion may lead to a pupil taking a long time learning a timetable or school layout which can be a particular issue when transitioning to secondary school.

Example of learning tasks affected: Noting down homework/coursework requirements. Making accurate notes from long text, websites and research materials. Organising thoughts to structuring an essay or report. Expressing ideas and knowledge verbally or in writing. Accurately recalling information in exams. For example: poor auditory processing skills may lead to difficulties with noting down homework and assignments. poor word retrieval skills may impact on planning and organising written work, oral presentations or even participating a class or group discussion. poor memory and left/right confusion may lead to a pupil taking a long time learning a timetable or school layout which can be a particular issue when transitioning to secondary school poor revision skills due to poor reading skills

Using ICT with children with dyslexia: Non-judgemental and motivational feedback Multi-sensory teaching environment Time-saving and editing tools Adaptable and personalised working environment Stories of how technology can help to motivate dyslexic children and develop their self-esteem: http://www.iamdyslexic.com/ http://www.dyslexic.com/kyle/kyleindex.htm

Some examples of technologies in action: Mind / Concept Mapping software. Time Management support. Note-taking support. Accessible reading formats.

Why is Mind/Concept Mapping useful? Concept and mind maps can help higher student performance in: Vocabulary. Writing. Reading comprehension. Note taking. Critical thinking. Higher order thinking. Learning a foreign language. Problem solving. Comprehension & retention of scientific material & concepts. Retention & recall of information. See http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_goudl.html Visual and non-linear environment. Ideas can be communicated without forming sentences. Maps can match the individual's personal learning requirements. Ideas and concepts in a map can be easily rearranged.

With concept mapping software: No limit on size of map. Many tools for improving the presentation of the map e.g. banks of images. spell checkers. text-to-speech. Import & export functions enable the map to be converted into different formats e.g. export a text version to a word processor. plan a presentation or web site by a map & then create it. With a concept mapping computer program you are not limited to a certain size. Moreover you have access to additional tools such as images and pictures, spell checkers and text-to-speech which can help overcome difficulties and make the map much more usable and presentable. Most concept mapping applications also have import and export functions; information can be converted between a visual map (which the creator may prefer to work on) to a linear, text based format for communication to others. Alternatively teachers and support workers may prefer to create text-based outlines but have them automatically converted to a concept map which their students may prefer.

Examples of Concepts maps for organisation

Revision map Mind map of the earth. Created for revision.

Revision map with audio examples French grammar revision map. Clicking on the ear symbols plays a recording of the French verb to help with pronunciation. The students can then record themselves saying the vocabulary and compare to check their pronunciation. Created with Inspiration.

Explaining a maths concept A map explaining how to solve an equation in different section. Colour coding helps the student track the different components of the equation. Created with Inspiration

Framework for a science experiment A template for structuring a report on a science experiment. Digital photos can be added to the map to help with documenting the process. Created with Inspiration.

Group work Some mind mapping applications can be used for project planning and time/work management with tasks linked to Outlook to provide reminders. This example shows a plan for a group science project. The red initials show which tasks have been allocated to which individuals. Created with MindGenius.

Group work This figure shows the same plan but now organised by individual so that each participant can see the tasks they have to do. Created with MindGenius.

Note-taking Support: Tablet PCs Pupils can benefit from capturing notes electronically. Text can be edited to correct for any inaccuracies, added to if content has been missed and accessed with assistive tools such as speech recognition and mind mapping. Tablet PCs, which can capture handwritten content, have been used in schools and being seen as more practical than a desktop PC and interactive whiteboard. See the Tablet PC evaluation report by BECTa and the OU (http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_02&rid=13667). A trial of Tablet PCs and OneNote with dyslexic Engineering students at HE found that the ability to gather information and store it in one place, use colour throughout their notes easily and correct any in-accuracies led to better quality notes and improved time management of assignments.

Using Audio to support note-taking and revision Audio recordings have been used for a long time to support memory and note-taking in class. Digital recorders now store a large number of high-quality recordings. These can also be used for personal dictations that can be transcribed using speech recognition software. Applications such as Audio Notetaker or OneNote enable notes to be attached to audio recordings. Audio Notetaker also enabled students to edit recordings and then export them to a MP3 player (e.g. iPod or mobile phone). This is particularly useful for helping with revision as notes or personal recordings can be re-listened to at any time. Devices that support video can also show flash-cards alongside the audio. Podcasts are also a useful learning tool and suit learners who prefer audio content. These can be re-listened to on digital recorders and phones as well as MP3 players or computers. Schools are increasingly using student-created podcasts as a way of students demonstrate their knowledge.

Time Management support Electronic calendar can provide reminders and task management tools (e.g. Windows calendar/Outlook Express or Outlook). Most phones have reminder tools and some have calendars that can be synced a computer or online calendar. You can now also get watches that can have reminders set via a computer (e.g. Timex Ironman Datalink). Other units, such as VoiceCue, allow recorded messages to be played as a reminder. Web/Phone based reminder services are also appearing. ReQuall use voice recognition technology to recognise the contents of the reminder you are setting via a phone call. It will then email or text you at the appropriate time.

Learning platform include calendar tools Learning platform include calendar tools. RSS feeds can be used to automatically send alerts and reminders to parents and/or pupils

Accessing Text Providing curriculum materials in an electronic, accessible format enables pupils to alter the display to suit their needs to hear them read aloud. Audio books and DAISY books enable pupils to access content above their reading ability. Electronic versions can be annotated with voice or text notes for future reference. However there are many issues relating to the availability and production of materials in alternative formats.

Harnessing Technology and the future Increased availability of technology in the classroom. Evidence that technology in the classroom can provide motivation and independence. Example: using mobile phones to support the curriculum. Government initiatives are to moving schools towards integrated technology provision in the classroom, online e-learning and personalised provision. We are now seeing schools investigating in 1 laptop/netbook per pupil. Mobile phones in school is a controversial issue but schools are now piloting what applications they have in the classroom, led by BECTa. Mobile technology such as Smart phones offer opportunities for dyslexic students to access assistive tools and provide a level playing field for their learning.

Mobile Phone Uses in Class 1 Timing experiments with stopwatch. 2 Photographing apparatus and results of experiments for reports. 3 Photographing development of design models for eportfolios. 4 Photographing texts/whiteboards for future review. 5 Bluetoothing project material between group members. 6 Receiving SMS & email reminders from teachers. 7 Synchronising calendar/timetable and setting reminders. 8 Connecting remotely to school learning platform. 9 Recording a teacher reading a poem for revision. 10 Accessing revision sites on the Internet. 11 Creating short narrative movies . 12 Downloading and listening to foreign language podcasts. 13 Logging into the school email system. 14 Using GPS to identify locations. 15 Transferring files between school and home. Fifteen useful things students did with mobile phones from Hartnell-Young and Nadja Heym (2008) “How mobile phones help learning in secondary schools”. Published by BECTa Uses in red are those that may help dyslexic pupils overcome difficulties they encounter.

Assistive Tools on Mobile Phones Speech tools for reading aloud documents, web pages and text in photos (e.g. CapturaTalk). Specialist spell checkers and dictionaries (e.g. SpellEx). Mind mapping applications (e.g. Inspiration). Access to accessible curriculum resources (e.g. Audio notes or podcasts, DAISY books) . Smart mobile phones are now also a platform for assistive tools. This is a developing area. Given the relative low cost and widespread ownership of these platforms these application may be a more cost-effective and practical solution to get assistive tools to all pupils who can benefit from them in the future.

The Future Important that technology planning & use in education: Considers the needs and requirements of pupils with S.E.N., e.g. Accessibility of virtual learning platforms. Benefits such technology provides for pupils with S.E.N. Additional training and strategies required to access these benefits. e.g. Lexdis project on e-learning in H.E. Lexdis project: http://www.lexdis.ecs.soton.ac.uk/

Contact: Abi James iansyst Ltd, Fen House, Fen Road, CAMBRIDGE, CB4 1UN. 01223 42 01 01. abi@dyslexic.com ianl@dyslexic.com