App ideas for pupils with SEN

App ideas for pupils with SEN

One useful piece of assistive technology is using SIRI on an iPad or iPhone.  For children who struggle with spelling but can’t use a dictionary of spell checker, SIRI can be used instead.  All the children need to do is ask SIRI how to spell the word they need. 

     
Madlibs is a fun word game that encourages children to create a funny story without having to write all of it.  The app asks for nouns, verbs ending in ing etc

Once all the words have been put in the app generates a story with the words.  There are also different additions of the app such as Hello Kitty and Diary of a Wimpy kid.

The app can be used to support pupils who struggle to create a story or need support learning the grammatical terms.

Recommended age 7 upwards dependent on which stories you choose.

Hairy letters and hairy phonics apps are produced by Nessy.  For those children who need some extra support with learning phonics.  The apps links the graphemes and phonemes and include handwriting practice and word building.

Great for Key stage one and lower key stage two.

This is great for encouraging children to think about how many letters in words.  Children can use a dictionary to look words up to put in their crossword.  The crosswords can be made using any words that fit.

Teacher Well Being

Teacher Well Being

Recently I attended a SENCO conference on mental health and well being.  It was a truly fantastic conference organised by Forest Way Teaching School Alliance.

One of the speakers, Des Hewitt, was very inspiring when he spoke about the importance of looking after teachers mental health and well being.  It made me realise some of the elements in my career that have helped me to keep going.  

1. Connect with others

For me the connection with other teachers has always revitalised me when I am feeling uninspired.  This is mainly through connecting with teachers around Europe through eTwinning.  I know that the network of UK eTwinners and European eTwinners are always there to support and offer suggestions.  I also know that this community holds the principles of education as being collaborative as central.  The ideas and resources that are shared, as well as, the fantastic opportunities I have had through eTwinning have ensured that I haven't become disillusioned with teaching.

2. Learn something new

I have always enjoyed learning and have had plenty of opportunities to be a lifelong learner. In my career, I have been fortunate enough to have head teachers who allowed me to take part in a range of CPD.  Some of my passions are SEN, literacy and iPads.  However, through eTwinning, I have learnt a lot about computing and technology.  I have been able to attend courses at the future classroom lab.  The future classroom lab is in Brussels and the presenters there are so inspiring, with some great ideas for activities to inspire learning in class.  Not only therefore have I learnt new things but the pupils I work with also benefit.

3. Be aware of your own feelings

This is a very personal one.  While working at a different school someone suggested I need more resilience.  This led me to question what resilience is and whether I did lack it.  I think that being aware of my own feelings is far more important.  I was very unhappy at that school and once I recognised this I was able to deal with this.  I handed my notice and moved on to the role I am in now.  I am much happier, although it is not easy.  I am also honest with the people around me and make sure I make time to connect with others in school.  It is really important that we are aware of how are feeling affect our interactions and I hope that I have become much better at this.

4. Get Active

Just before the summer I began running again with a couple of friends.  This is something I know has a very positive effect and is one of the hardest to keep doing. I haven't been as active recently and I do notice this.  I know that to keep positive, running is one of the best things I can do.  However, at the moment I am trying to do either a walk or a run as I have hurt my knee.

5. Do something good for others.

At school at the moment there is a lot of pressure from external advisors.  This is leading to staff feeling quite low at the moment.  Des Hewitt, talked about an NQT who made some well being bags for staff at her school.  It was such a lovely idea that I wanted to try and do something similar.  I contacted a number of educational companies to see if they would be willing to donate anything to my teacher well being bags.  The response was absolutely amazing.  

Thanks to Twinkl, eTwinning, TTS, Worth it projects, Be the Jellyfish, Curve Theatre, Action for Happiness, Education Support Partnership and Nasen for sending donations.

Tomorrow I will be giving these bags out to all the staff in school not just teacher's but every adult who works in school.  I hope it goes a little was to helping everyone feel their contribution is valued and hopefully they will all try to do follow the advice of the teacher 5 a day for mental health and well being.

Pokemon Go in Italy

I have to admit that ever since my children introduced me to Pokemon Go I have been very fascinated by it.  

Anywhere you go that attracts tourists is great for Pokemon hunting and Florence was no exception.  With so many beautiful landmarks, the poke stops are only a few metres apart.  While I am getting somewhat bored with catching Pidgy's Ratta and Sparrow's at home, I decided to give Pokemon hunting a try while visiting Florence.  

Initially I was somewhat disappointed as a Pidgy appeared followed by a Ratta.  However as I stocked up on Poke balls and potions an Evie appeared.  Then I spotted on my nearby list a silhouette of something I didn't have.  After a bit more walking toward the river I had caught a couple of magicarp, then a Pinsir appeared.  I had not caught a Pinsir so was excited to add a new Pokemon to my pokedex.  Sadly after three attempts the Pinsir ran off.  Later that day I discovered Pinsir's are not rare in Florence and by the end of my short stay had caught seven.  

I hatched another egg while walking and was fortunate enough to get a Lapras from it.  My buddy, a graveler, managed to give me enough candy to evolve.

My most exciting catch was Pikachu who appeared near a poke stop while I was sitting enjoying a pizza for lunch.  Then on the way to the airport I caught a Grimer who I had never even heard of before.  I used a raspberry and an ultra ball in the hope it would guarantee a catch which luckily it did.

All in all I think I may stick to Pokemon hunting in tourist places from now on as it is more exciting than the Pidgy's and Ratta's around my house.

Pokemon Go fun for the Summer

During this holiday the app Pokemon Go has dominated my children's time.  Having discussed it with them I realised that the appeal in this game is based on the desire to collect the best, highest rating and rarest Pokemon. If they felt I was going to try and make it educational they would soon switch it off and find something different.
It has however provided plenty of opportunities for discussion and has developed certain skills.
I have seen a number of negative articles and a number of articles that suggest how Pokemon Go can be used in education.  I do not intend to suggest ways it can be used in education, instead I have some reasons why it is a positive app for children to be playing on.

There are a number of crucial elements to this game that children and adults have to understand in order to succeed:

1. You have a choice of starter Pokemon and the all three, plus Pikachu are quite hard to find.  
2. Depending on where you live, you may have difficulty finding interesting Pokemon, unless you leave the house and walk around.
3. The best places to find lots of Pokemon are parks.
4. The higher the level you are on the higher the combat power (CP) of some of the Pokemon you catch.  
5. In order to progress you need to catch a lot of Pokemon as you get more XP for one that isn't in your Pokedex.
6. You need to catch lots of the same to evolve your Pokemon as you need to gain enough candy of each type to evolve them.
7. You can train in gyms controlled by the same team as you, you have to fight in gyms controlled by other teams.  
8. If you gain control of a gym you are rewarded with Pokemon coins.  (you will need these if you run out of Pokeballs.)
9. If you visit 10 different Pokestops in 30 minutes you get a bonus.
10. You have to walk or ride a bike slowly to hatch your eggs.

From my 15 year old to my 10 year old, all are playing on Pokemon Go.  Rather than sitting in front of screens they have left the house and walked around searching for the rare Pokemon.  We have walked along beaches, the Thames, through parks and theme parks searching for Pokemon.  Discussions have involved how many magikarp are needed to evolve if you get 3 candy per magikarp and need 400 candy to evolve.  They also have walked and walked to hatch their eggs.

The reason I like this app so much is that it has got my children out and about, talking to each other about what they have caught and seen.  We have visited places that they would have protested about in the past including some beautiful parks in London.  You can even catch one or two on the London Eye.