Low- Tech To High-Tech Ways to Empower Your Student to Write

Low- Tech To High-Tech Ways to Empower Your Student to Write! By Deb Krausse , Katherine Sween

lnstruction, Literacy and Inclusion

Low-Tech To High-Tech Ways to Empower Your Student to Write!

As Occupational Therapists we are frequently asked to help “fix” a student’s writing. Fix is the wrong verb. By providing dif- ferent types of technology tools for those who struggle with written output we offer opportunities for everyone to show their potential as a writer. When we first begin to discuss our students, who are 3-21 years of age and have diverse challenges, we realized that we must first begin by collecting data about our student. Using the framework Student, Environment, Tasks, and Tools (SETT) and guided by the AT Decision-Making Guide, we begin with the col- lection of data. We first must spend time establishing rapport and building a baseline of knowledge. We must learn about their overall cognition, which includes their reading level, executive functioning skills (working memory, focus and self-regulation) genre and content knowledge and their physical capability. We also must learn about the student’s family, their pets, hobbies and high interests; this information is utilized later on when in- troducing the technology.

We dIscovered a variety of roadblocks along the journey in supporting our students. The student’s team—teachers, sup- port staff, parents and the student themselves were included in a discussion so everyone’s perception of the writing task was obtained. At times, there was a mismatch of the perceptions of expectations and the task at hand. So, we needed to find our student’s potential, always assuming competence. We began by looking at the student’s current performance and whether ba- sic mechanics of writing were causing some of the challenges. These may include, but are not limited to: font, paper options, organization of writing skills and body mechanics. In looking at font, we must consider readability for our stu- dents including the size, type and spacing of the font in which the text is written. With the many paper options available, the paper itself could be difficult to access. For example, consider if the paper is single or double spaced, if there are dotted lines in the middle that distract the student or if there is just too little space allotted for a written response.

Deb Krausse has been an OTR in the School District of Janesville for the past 25 years, providing a leadership role as the Instructional Manager for the past 15 years. She has worked with students from 3 through 21 throughout the district and with community agencies to help support student achievement. Deb has been an active member of the Assistive Technology Team and the Janesville Autism Support Team for the past 20 years, providing direct services, consultation and training to support student and staff development. Deb has an interest in presenting district wide, state and national trainings in the areas of Sensory Processing, Autism and Assistive Technology. Her recent endeavors include co-presenting at the Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association Statewide Conference in 2017, AT Across the Lifespan in Florida in 2018 and CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in California in 2019.. Katherine Sween has been an OTR for 28 years. She has worked with students of all ages and disabilities in both school systems, and various organizations located in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. She has been a member of the Assistive Technology Team in School District of Janesville for 10 years as well as a member of the district’s Autism Support Team. She has been a co-presenter at various conferences including; Technology Confer- ence for Special Education, AT Across the Lifespan, WI Statewide School-Based OT/PT Conference, Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association 2016 State Conference, and ATIA 2017,2018, and CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in California. Katherine has also co-authored Writing Composition Part I and Writing Composition Part II for the ATIM (Assistive Technology Internet Modules).

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It is important to assess the student’s seating system during their expected time to write. First, we examined if the seat fit, and supported the student so that they had a 90/90/90 pos- ture with or without physical supports beyond that, one must consider breath support for the student and if they have the re- quired muscle strength to sit while writing without additional physical support. Looking to ensure that tone, high or low, does not impact the writing process both initially, and then as the time spent writing progressed. Determining if the students need to access switches or communication devices in order to com- municate/write and if the seating system supports that need. Sensory proprioception issues were also kept in mind. Check- ing that the student’s sensory system is able to processes the information of where their body is in space so that they are able to generalize/adapt the function of sitting in order to use their cognition for writing is vital. Executive function skills must be explored. As writers our stu- dents must be able to organize information, plan, learn, multi- task, remember multiple pieces of information, prioritize, pay attention and initiate the writing process. Establishing what strengths our students have, along with any supports they re- quire in order to be successful with their executive functioning was another vital component to our initial assessment. Also considered was the student’s vision. All too frequently, students own glasses but do not have them. Investigating if the students are color blind, have nystagmus, require large print, colored overlays or even audio text for assist with processing text at their highest comprehension level were kept in mind when gathering information. As we collected baseline data, we began with handwriting and keyboard samples if possible, which included near point copying, copying from a board, creative writing and dictation. An alternative keyboard was considered to offer support if the student was already familiar with that option. Photographs or videos were utilized to help assess the student’s access for work completion. We also obtained classroom work samples in or- der to compare classroom work versus one-on-one work com- pletion. Standardized and informal assessments were utilized if needed, to look specifically at visual motor, visual perception, fine motor, motor coordination and motor planning (praxis) skills. Once a specific writing task was determined as a starting point for the team and all of the evidence gathered, we then be- gan the task of determining which technology supports would be trialed. When implementing technology we always present- ed “low tech” items first. For example, if hand grasp was an is- sue shortened pencils, pencil grips or slant boards might be of- fered. Difficulty with grading pressure while writing might result in a trial of mechanical pencils or pens. If the team found that the paper might be the potential issue alternative paper was offered to trial; paper with bold lines, raised line (which offers tactile feedback) paper that highlights the base of the line, writ-

ing templates or larger spacing between lines. Colored overlays could assist with improving print clarity/print stability. Likewise, if working on a device, such as a laptop, the background color or font color could be altered. Students who require sensory supports with seating might benefit from balance chairs, standing desks or ball chairs. Book stands could be used while the students were laying on their stomach propped on elbows. A clipboard could provide a sta- ble base of support while sitting in a glider rocker, a couch, a beanbag, or walking about the room. We found that although research supports the 90/90/90 principle, when working with students who have significant sensory needs we must endeavor to be resourceful. In this manner we are able to support their sensory system while still having the students be active en- gaged writers. Students whose executive skills required support were intro- duced to visual step by step checklists, video modeling, high- lighting of important steps, graphic organizers and/or interac- tive tutorials embedded into their written work. Specific skills were taught for naming projects and organizing files on their computer. Creativity became a defining feature with our process to en- sure students are able to write. We quickly realized that although these supports previously mentioned worked well with stu- dents working towards Common Core Standards those working towards Alternative Standards/Essential Elements required flexi- ble thinking. We introduced visuals in a different manner so that the students were using curriculum pictures paired with words, their Pragmatic Organizational Dynamic Display (P.O.D.D.) book or eye gaze with visuals on a high contrast boards to indicate their written responses. Single switch, proximity and sequence switches were programmed with vocabulary and became part of the writing process. A combination of a variety of switches in a variety of locations,head/hand/chin/knee/foot, produced success. We found that everyone was an author! Students who were previously not engaged and required direct adult support became attentive, required only intermittent adult support and were able to share opinions, facts and their sense of humor. The next level of supports include software and extensions. Co-Writer is used as a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) tool in our district. Word prediction software and extensions, such as Co-Writer, were reintroduced and explicit instruction offered to students who are limited by their ability to correctly form the letter, to correctly identify a letter on a keyboard or by those stu- dents who have a limited phonemic awareness. Students who struggle, now were able to hear the letter they typed and, for those who struggle with letter formation, were able to inde- pendently recognize that they typed the incorrect letter. Stu- dents are able to create their own topic word bank and hear the predicted word bank choices prior to self-selecting them. Many people have access to word prediction in their everyday life through their smartphone. Providing students access to this in-

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creased their length of sentences, their overall length of writing, and the complexity of their vocabulary. Offering software/extensions that enabled the student to have text read aloud provided our students with the ability to hear information at their comprehension level, which seldom was at their independent reading level. Once the students had access to material at their comprehension level and of interest to them they, in turn, exhibited significantly improved enthusi- asm with their writing. When accessing Snap and Read, which our district utilizes as a UDL tool, the text is able to be translat- ed to multiple languages. The material the students are reading can be pulled into an outline from a variety of formats. This is incredibly helpful for students who struggle at organization of the content material and their thoughts regarding the reading information. Inspiration and Kidspiration are two options to consider for graphic organizers. These programs allow students to create graphic organizers including webs, concept maps and even Venn diagrams using picture symbols along with words. Through the use of both formats (verbal and non-verbal) our student were able to reduce their cognitive load and thus, retain and recall more information. First Author software was offered to students who were chal- lenged with increased learning difficulties. This program pro- vides specific lessons that are working towards standards based or, alternative based standards in writing. The students have access to multiple choices, or they can create their own topics. After choosing a topic they begin writing with the support of built-in accommodations like word banks and picture prompts which are generated automatically. This was instrumental in im- proving the written output of not only students with learning difficulties, but those with physical disabilities. Clicker 7 software is a program that can assist the students with organizing their ideas to help them prepare for writing. The students are able to use their own voice to record notes and also practice their sentence prior to typing it out. In this manner, the teaching staff are able to hear if the sentence has the correct format and provide additional support or instruction with sen- tence structure through alternative grids. These different types of grids are dependent on the support that the students need. The grids are able to be formatted so that the students must se- lect one word/phrase/picture from the first grid before they are able to move onto the second grid, the third grid and so on to compose a complete sentence including punctuation. The stu- dents are also able to see and hear pictures symbols paired with words, single words, or even entire phrases. Students can hear their writing read back to them with a child’s voice. In our district as Occupational Therapists, we worked in col- laboration with our teaching staff during reading and writing instruction. Curriculum that provided specific scripted lessons, which was able to differentiate and provide alternate methods to write, was offered to students who were working toward al- ternative standards. This curriculum prepares the students for

alternate assessments, along with collecting data. Unique Cur- riculum provides alternative formats of graphic organizers and journaling. The students may access a series of curriculum pic- tures paired with words to answer a journal question/create a graphic organizer on a Smart Board, a tablet or via paper. It was important when using the paper pencil method that we em- power our student to be as independent as possible along with providing instruction on how to complete the activity. Step-by- step visual checklists were used. The students understood that the first thing on a paper was their name and if they were not able to print their name, they became independent in locating, correctly orientating (for correct letter directionality and loca- tion on the paper) and stamping their name with a name stamp. Journal sentences could be pre-printed with the student only self selecting the ending, or the sentences were printed for them while the student watched. The adult took great care to verbal- ize every letter, along with capitalizations and spaces between words. The students were always responsible for ending punc- tuation. For our students who continued to struggle with writing or who had already experienced so little success with writing, we looked to voice to text through the Google Docs, Co-Writer or iPad applications. Dependent on the quality of the students speech this tool could provide a startling success and reframe the student’s own perspective of themselves. When using voice to text, we were diligent with instruction of complete sentence and paragraph formation along with punctuation. The students were also taught how to use other technology tools to listen to the text as it was read outloud back to them. This was so they could identify if the words transcribed were accurate and if the sentence was complete. Our district continues to increase access to technology through one-to-one technology options and the option to bring your own device. Even with the increase in accessibility, it is im- portant to make sure our students have the right technology for their needs. Therefore, our district has a variety of options available to our staff to try with our students. Chromebooks, Thinkpads and iPads are the common tools that our schools use, varying on the grade level being taught. With Chromebooks, we have a variety of different extensions that can be added to sup- port student access. Several have been discussed in the para- graphs above, which include word prediction programs, voice- to-text, word banks and google drive access for easy sharing to name a few. Thinkpads and iPads offer touch screen access with wireless keyboard or mice support. We use a variety of modified keyboards to help support student access, which may include larger or smaller key sets, color coded letters, or wireless. We also use our student’s Augmentative Communication devices to serve as their writing tool. As long as our students can get their ideas down through communication, we also try to access it for academics. If a student does not have an Augmentative Com- munication device, but still needs an augmentative communica-

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tion mode of instruction, our district utilized the PODD system. The PODD system is a book that contains words and symbols through a systemic sequence and categorization system to sup- port communication between people with complex communi- cation needs. With the use of this system, students are able to get their needs and ideas represented in a way that supports writing. For some of our students that have limited access to writing, we provided them with iPads and app access, which include apps like Explain Everything or Book Creator, which allow stu- dents to tell a story through a sequence of pictures, collages and/or words. Clicker Connect is an app that allows for students to access words, phrases and/or pictures to help build sentences and paragraphs with structured support as designed. We have used QR codes to help students log in to computers, as well as access to instructional tools. In utilizing a student’s iPad, one of the features most over- looked when writing is the camera. Through the use of the camera a student could create a pictorial graphic organizer. The students can be taught to take picture of the steps in a science experiment, items they see on a field trip, or even curriculum visuals (pictures in books or pictures of the specific items in their P.O.D.D. book). In this manner, we are supporting their working memory so that when it comes time to write about an experi- ment, an experience, share an opinion or state facts the students can reference their pictures. Clicker Connect is another application which, like the Clicker 7 software offers different levels of supports for students so they can be independent writers. Our students are able to have ac- cess to premade sentence grids that can offer pictorial supports paired with words, parts of sentences (phrases) or single words to build sentences with. The difference is iPad application vs. software. QR code readers are another way to offer alternative forms of writing. The students can either supplement their writing projects or the QR code can be a “stand alone” form of writing. For example, a middle school student we worked with had to complete a project on pyramids. He did type out some factual information to be placed next to his pyramid model but then placed a QR code that had a school appropriate video on pyr- amids linked to the code. Another method of using QR codes would be for the students to scan the code and receive a step by step video model of how to use their technology. This has received positive feedback not only from the students, but also the staff that are in the classrooms. In this manner everyone has access to how to use the technology. Snap Type is an application that allows the student or teach- ing staff to quickly take a picture of a worksheet and then, in- stead of using a pencil the student is able to type, with the word prediction that comes with the iPad’s keyboard, or use voice-to- text to complete the worksheet. Just airdrop, e-mail or save the completed worksheet. It is easy and quick for your students to

use and learn. GoWorksheet Maker is another application that modifies worksheets. In this app, the teacher must take a picture and then modify the worksheet before sending, via a whole range of op- tions including broadcasting, to the students. This application is different than Snap Type because it allows the teacher more modification options. Some of them are creating text-to-speech, so the students are able to hear the story, question, and answers read to them out loud. It also allows modifications so that the teacher can create multiple choice answers, drag and drop an- swers, word banks, image answers and links to videos. Students continue to have the option to type their answers and use voice to text also. This application is used in our district with success as our students, who require additional support for reading and writing, can sit in their classroom with headphones/earbuds and still be completing the same worksheet as their peers. Popplet is an application that we use for creating graphic organizers. For those students who struggle with organization and working memory this app allows them to insert words, up- load images and even create their own drawings. The students are able see the ideas connected, via the app’s graphics and can change colors, bold important words and underline. For our stu- dents who become anxious at the thought of composing a writ- ten paragraph it provides the visual security they need. The final application that is used frequently in our district for students working towards the alternate standards/essential ele- ments is Explain Everything. We instruct our students, via a visu- al schedule or video model, how to launch the app, open a new project and then take a selfie as their signature. They then first use the camera feature to take pictures paired with words from their curriculum, or their communication device (P.O.D.D. books or an AAC device). After students indicate they are finished with their composition, they are to complete the final step of writing; they are asked to type. This may look like random rows of letter typing at first, but when we give meaning to their letters then the students begin to understand phonics or whole sight words. (This was from the First Author Curriculum.) We give meaning by underlining a letter/group of letters and stating, “it looks like you are writing___, this is how I spell ___” and then type that word(s) stating each letter out loud. By just using this appli- cation on a three times per week basis we were able to show consistent progress with all of the students. For example, one non-verbal student on the Autism spectrum moved from typ- ing three or four rows of what appeared to be random letters to independently answering a specific “where” question. He did this by self-selecting a visual of the post office (from his P.O.D.D. book), which is always paired with the word underneath (post office) and then independently typing “fedx.” Amazing! In our classrooms we have a question written in large bold font for all to see, “Who here is an Author?”The answer is “EVERYONE.” Once we determined the technology and tools our students could access, we provided instruction and trial periods while data

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was collected. We may begin with keyboard instruction when appropriate, but for some, it was visual instructions for login ac- cess and steps to open or begin the program. For our beginning students or students with more limited access, we modified how to sign in, while our more advanced students were taught how to name their work, save their information, and file it, along with emailing and/or sharing their work for teacher access. We expanded writing considerations to encourage student participation by introducing high interest areas to their writing repertoire. We also supported their learning styles by using first, next, then boards, sequence boards, journals and pen pals that facilitated writing skills within the classroom and on a personal level. In order to gain the greatest success with our student’s writ- ing skills, we needed to empower not only our students, but our staff members. We provided training to our teachers and support staff on the technology and tools needed per individ- ual students. This included visual supports and sequencing for student and staff access. We made sure to check back often with staff and students to help modify, provide additional training and suggest adaptations based on the assignments or tasks re- quired. We also worked with our students to make sure they were comfortable advocating for their technology and/or tools when working on classroom assignments or tasks. Our final em- powerment technique was to make sure that our students and staff had a back up plan. We know that technology fails, gets taken away, or modifications are not made in time. When this happens, teachers need to have access to other options so that students can continue to complete assignments and increase their confidence with writing skills. Finally, we realized that although our job description stated Occupational Therapists, we were salespeople. We needed to sell the technology to the team members. The teachers need- ed to be reassured that it wasn’t “cheating” if their student used technology. The student’s frequently required introduction of the technology in a non-academic setting, where we could uti- lize information previously learned about their family, their pets, their hobbies and their high interests. Other methods to facili- tate student engagement in writing were mad libs, pen-pals or even entries to contests ( with parental and school district ap- proval). Parents required reassurance that it would take time, it would take patience and we might need a “do over” if the first tool used didn’t work. In conclusion, even though there may be barriers for our stu- dents to overcome there are many tools and strategies that we are able to provide. We must strive to remember the answer to the question posed in our classrooms, “Who here is an author?” EVERYONE! Our job and goal is to support and empower our stu- dents so they can show us their true potential.

A publication through the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative http://www.wati.org/free-publications/assessing-stu- dents-needs-for-assistive-technology/ Assistive Technology Decision Making Guide A publication through the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative http://www.wati.org/free-publications/assistive-technolo- gy-consideration-to-assessment/

Book Creator Free https://bookcreator.com/

Clicker Connect for Ipad Crick Software $32.99 per individual license https://www.cricksoft.com/us/clicker/ipad/clicker-connect

Clicker 7 for Windows or Mac Crick Software $495 per computer license https://www.cricksoft.com/us/clicker

Co-Writer Don Johnston Inc

$4.99 per month individually or $0.50-2.00 per student annually https://learningtools.donjohnston.com/product/cowriter/

Explain Everything $6.99 per month for individual plans $11.99 per user, per month for team plans https://explaineverything.com/

First Author Don Johnston Inc $699 per classroom https://learningtools.donjohnston.com/product/first-au- thor/

Google Docs https://www.google.com/docs/about/

GoWorksheet Maker $39.99 per Ipad https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/goworksheet-maker/ id1074020582

Resources: Assessing Student’s Needs through Assistive Technology

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Inspiration Inspiration Software

$39.95 per computer license http://www.inspiration.com/

Kidspiration Inspiration Software $39.95 per computer license http://www.inspiration.com/Kidspiration

Pragmatic Organizational Dynamic Display (PODD) $270.00 per CD-ROM

Popplet $4.99 per Ipad http://popplet.com/

QR Codes Free www.qr-code-generator.com

SETT Framework Publication by the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative Free http://www.wati.org/

Snap and Read Don Johnston Inc

$4.99 per month individually or $0.50-2.00 per student annually https://learningtools.donjohnston.com/product/snap-read/

Snap Type Free http://www.snaptypeapp.com/

Unique Learning System $528.10 per license https://www.n2y.com/unique-learning-system/

Word Bank Don Johnston Inc

$3.99 per month individually or $0.50-2.00 per student annually https://learningtools.donjohnston.com/product/word-bank/

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