[senit] Learning Platforms

In Northern Ireland C2K has provided a VLE for all

David
Based on my experience it would be a very limited range of pupils that could independently create their own messages. However some of the pupils can attach WWS messages to the discussion thread and also access the messages from their correspondents.

Here's some anecdotal evidence from some years ago. I had a 13 year old pupil who had no expressive language apart from vocalisations yet he used to pick up the home school diaries from the table and read everyone's messages!
I knew he could read to some degree so I encouraged him to work on the computer and he loved it - having great success.
When he left school at 19 he joined MSN and somehow found my email address. I used to get messages saying GET ON MSN NOW. However when I did join him in MSN he was waiting to respond to my input rather than initiating anything himself. (He is 22 now)

 What I am saying is that although he wanted to communicate, he was the responder to rather than  the initiator of the conversation. 
The same young man joined Bebo and invited me to his page. I was quite shocked at the responses from others in his page who said he was an oddball and to stay away from him...because he only wanted girls to be his friends. I know that he was trying but had no means to start a conversation.
Do you think that there is a way forward for a young man like this? I felt he needed protected...and yet he has the rest of his life to go through.   I wonder what we could be offering him in a VLE. Who would he be talking to?
 Anyone's thoughts are welcome.
.....................
Norma Perceval-Price

----- Original Message ----
From: david fettes <davidfettes3 at yahoo.co.uk>
To: senit at lists.becta.org.uk
Sent: Tuesday, 29 April, 2008 11:15:46 PM
Subject: Re: [senit] Learning Platforms

Hi Norma,I agree, symbols in a VLE would be important.
It would be better if they were more seamless.Ie all
the uploading and downloading would have to be done in
many cases by the staff, and that decreases the
student's independent use of the VLE & understanding
of the process.It would be interesting to hear some
more examples of how your students have used symbols
in communication exchanges of this sort.
thanks
David
--- N PRICE <normapp at btinternet.com> wrote:

> In Northern Ireland C2K has provided a VLE for all
> schools called LearningNI. It is a container for
> licensed products such as the Pathe News archive and
> Music which is only accessible free from within the
> schools network. There is also a daily newspaper
> produced by Guardian which has KS2 and KS3 extension
> activities. The news is in pictorial format, podcast
> and text. Some of the materials can be used by some
> SLD pupils with a ltitle help.
> 
> The VLE aspect of LNI  that I am especially
> interested in is the Courses. This permits teachers
> to set up courses for other teachers or pupils.
> (Pupils can only be brought into a course by their
> own teacher - so an outsider can not register
> pupils). 
> 
> I regard the discussion area as the most crucial
> aspect of a course because it builds communication
> and links between teachers. 
> When using discussions with pupils we find the best
> way to include all SLD pupils is to attach a Writing
> with Symbols document to a message. This allows the
> recipients to view the document through WWS and
> listen to the message or print it out. (Writing with
> Symbols is licensed for all NI schools).
> 
> C2K are just about to launch a video conference
> facility for schools. This will be a great tool for
> including all those visual learners - especially
> boys. Anything we have tried so far in pilots has
> resulted in tremendous motivation and attention
> including reduction of challenging behaviour.
>  
> Norma
>  .....................
> Norma Perceval-Price
> C2K SEN support
> Northern Ireland
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: david fettes <davidfettes3 at yahoo.co.uk>
> To: senit at lists.becta.org.uk
> Sent: Tuesday, 29 April, 2008 1:00:23 PM
> Subject: [senit] Learning Platforms
> 
> hi can anyone clarify the differences between
> VLE
> MLE
> Learning Platform?
> 
> secondly, where does local PC based software eg
> special needs access & switch software fit into
> any and all of these models?
> 
> what about local access devices eg
> IWBs,touchscreens,
> switches?
> 
> thanks
> David
> 
> 
> 
> 
>      
>
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