c. Selecting ICT Resources

The teacher in the case study is completely at home with the skills behind most of the options we have looked at above. Although she does not have a copy of the CD Writing with Symbols, she is able to photocopy symbols from a rebus book that she has. She uses cut and paste techniques to create worksheets with symbols and text to support some of the learners.

You may not be in the same positions as she is, so we shall look at the options in the context of your school and your experience. Think about the following points as they apply to you:

Using discussion only, and not using any ICT (or other technology) at all.
I have a bit of a problem with this (I would say that, wouldn't I?) in as much as my own experience of working within this area of work is that it is both hugely enjoyable - on its own, without technology - and very challenging for young people. In terms of the objectives set for this case study, using ICT provides the learners with positive self-esteem when they view the final copy of the work that they have produced. Technology can support those who would other wise be fearful of any literacy exercise due to their lack of confidence in themselves.

Use a word processor package to create worksheets of word lists from which the learners could select those relevant to their write up, or a worksheet containing words supported with relevant symbols that the learners would need to include in their write up.
One or similar suggestions to these may be necessary to support the literacy needs of some of the learners. Some learners find it difficult to accept support that they need with literacy skills and tasks involving the creation of written text create barriers to the learner's work ethic. My own opinion is that support in the form of a list of words on a worksheet is readily accepted when the learner realises they have the opportunity to create word processed text rather than that of hand-written efforts.

Use symbols that the learners could cut and paste to illustrate the correct order of events in the meal preparation.
This isn't strictly an ICT option, but it would be if it were carried out by using a CD such as Writing with Symbols where the learner would input all the words relevant to their meal preparation. The activity could be carried out by brainstorm of all the relevant ingredients, equipment and method that could be later rearranged into the correct order using a print out and cut and paste techniques. Alternatively the learner could input the text in the relevant order and avoid using any cut and paste techniques.

Search the World Wide Web to find relevant graphics that the learners could use to support the piece of material that they need to produce.
The World Wide Web is a useful source of graphics that can be copied into Word documents to support the learners understanding of written text, if you do not have access to specialist support materials such as Writing with Symbols package. The problem with using the World Wide Web with SEN is that the sites can display many added sources of information, which distract the attention of the learners. A positive way to support learners to use this resource includes accessing sites with known addresses rather than carrying out search functions.

The following web addresses provide clipart that can be download into students working documents. It maybe an idea to lead the learners through the activity of browsing the different categories of graphics on each of the sites and when you arrive at a relevant page allow the learners to select the graphic that they perceive as relevant to the item that they are describing.

www.clipart.com
This site provides further addresses of some free clip art pages. Take some time to browse these and decide on the most suitable for the learners.

www.free-clipart.net
This site has a search function that allows a particular set of graphics to be found at a time, in this case for example, the word 'food' might be entered.

www.webplaces.com/search
This site allows for an investigation of a number of graphic sites.

Also on the World Wide Web are a number of sites to promote the use of symbols alongside ICT. The following may be of interest if you are going to use ICT more frequently to support the learners needs in the future:

www.widgit.com
This is the home page from the authors of Writing With Symbols that has been referred to in this study. It may be of interest to browse this site to see how the needs of your learners could be met using the software that they provide.

www.makaton.org
This is the site of the makaton vocabulary development project. No resources can be downloaded from this site but orders can be made for the resources that may be suitable for the learners.

Use digital photographs of the learners participating in the meal preparation activity.
This option is only useful if you have access to a digital camera; another alternative if this is not available is to scan in photographs to Word documents. Learners can be encouraged to use the technology, taking photographs of each other carrying out the activity. Pictures can be inserted into Word documents and the learners support to add text to the document where relevant.

Use books, cookery ones in this instance, for the learners to extrapolate information on the activity they participated in.
If suitable books can be found then this option can be used in a similar way to that of the worksheets with word lists and symbols as suggested above.

Use magazines to obtain pictures relevant to the activity that the learners participated in.
This method, although not an ICT option, can be used if symbols packages are not available in either CD format or photocopiable resource. Pictures from magazines can be used next to a learner's word-processed document to support the meaning of the text.

Video the learners participating in the meal preparation activity and create a narration to the footage.
Here learners can be encouraged to develop skills in using a video camera where appropriate. Video footage will be useful to stimulate the learners especially if they are carrying out these written tasks away from the practical situation and with a time element between the two activities.

Illustrate likes and dislikes by placing the names of learners next to pictures of the relevant foods.
This is an optional extra to the creation of word-processed recipe cards but I feel that it nicely rounds of the activity and provides some meaning for the learners. Pictures of the different types of meals created can be obtained from a number of sources - digital photography, scanning pictures and photographs, symbols and learners own interpretation using simple graphics on a Word document. Names of the learners, printed using Word Art for example, can be placed next to the relevant pictures to illustrate the different likes and dislikes of the group.

Paste pictures of the learners next to the foods that they like.
This option would require either the use of a digital camera or scanner to insert pictures into a word document.

Now that you've looked at my ideas about the options available, you need to make your own choices. The teacher in the case study has decided to use all options and to combine two or more in particular sessions over a seven-lesson period. You need to plan to do something of this sort. On the next page, make a copy and fill out the summary to help you get focus on what you will do. I've put in some suggestions - you can use these as you like. Think of some uses of your own, and make a short note on what you will have to do to make it work, what you expect the benefit to be to your pupils, and what difficulties you expect to encounter when you do it in the classroom.

Resources Selected for Work on Creating Recipe Cards