Technology @ High Point, vol. 6

Tech for teaching and learning in our new space

Fill Your Toolbox!

Well-implemented technology gives classroom staff loads of tools for teaching students with a broad range of learning styles. The time investment in learning new technology will make teaching easier and assist students in advocating for their life-long learning. This newsletter PD is intended to help you learn new technologies at High Point a little bit at a time, slowly filling up your teaching toolbox throughout this chaotic school year.

This Week's Tech Feature:

iClick Power Mains Controller

The iClick turns the power to 2 plugged in devices on and off using switches or an iPad. The user can use a switch to turn the device on when the button is pressed and off when the button is released or on when the button is pressed and off when it is pressed a second time or on for a set amount of time with each button press. There are also settings to allow for collaborative use so 2 users have to press a button for the device to work.

To find devices that the iClick can control, consider if the device will turn on/off just by plugging and unplugging it.

This device is like the PowerLink, but it offers control through an iPad for more custom control.

iClick from Inclusive TLC

Who is it for?

The iClick power mains controller is for anyone who has difficulty turning devices on and off with the standard controls or for students who find the standard controls confusing or difficult to see.

Setup Instructions

This video will show you how to setup the iClick to control a device..

First setup the device you wish to control:

Plug the item you want to control into the wall and turn it on.
Unplug it from the wall and plug it into the iClick.
Plug the iClick into the wall.

For switch (AKA Sockets) control:

Plug a switch into the switch jacks on the right side of the iClick.
Use the "Mode" button to select "Sockets/SimplyWorks."
Use the "Settings" button to select how you would like the switch to work:

Direct - Appliance/toy is powered for as long as the user touches the switch or the iPad screen- a great way to teach cause and effect.
Latching - Touch once for on and again for off.
Timed (Minutes/Seconds) - One touch turns the device on for a preset period of time. Once you have the LED at the "Minutes" or "Seconds" option, press and hold the "Settings" button until the LEDs light from the bottom of this column up to the choice of time you'd like to select.
Cooperation - Requires two users to work together for the device to turn on and off —great for teaching social skills and co-operative play.
On/Off - One switch turns on the device and the other turns it off
With Sockets control, both devices must have the same settings for use.
When it is powered off and back on, it will remember the settings from before it was powered off.

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For iPad control:

Use the "Mode" button to select "ipad" on the iClick device.
Open the iClick App (see picture of icon above) and tap on the settings cogwheel.
Tap on "No Connected Devices" then tap on the device on the next page.
Go back to the "Settings" page to select how the iPad button will work with the iClick. The options are the same as above except there are some more options for cooperative use. You can also set the color or picture for each button and whether the 2nd button is visible or there is only 1 button. You can set each device separately so they can work differently from each other.

The iClick app also works with switch scanning on the iPad so a student could control devices using a switch to scan to it on the iPad.

Note: The options for "EnvirON" and "Simplyworks" refer to devices we do not have at WISD, so we will not cover them in this newsletter.

Maintenance

The outlets on top of the iClick should be treated like wall outlets with the same level of safety as standard wall outlets. Do not stick anything in them. Keep liquids away from the unit.

Ideas for Using This Tech in the Classroom

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Cooking

Find your favorite pudding recipe. Put the ingredients in a bowl. You could use a switch-controlled pouring cup to measure and add the ingredients. Then connect a handheld mixer to the iClick outlet. Set the iClick to "Direct" control and connect the student's favorite switch. They can activate the mixer by pressing their switch to mix up the pudding. Repeat with cookies, cakes and pies!

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Sailboat Race

Create paper boats in a variety of sizes, shapes and types of paper to race. Place them in a large container of water and use the iClick to turn on a fan to blow them across the water to the finish line. Measure how long it takes them to get across the water and graph the times for all the boats in a class. Can students figure out the winner by looking at the graph?

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Student Jobs

Plug in a light or item (like a Christmas tree) in the iClick and give a student the job to turn it on in the morning and off at the end of the day. Use the wireless iPad connection to make access to hard-to-reach items easier.

Event Information

Tech Demo

Stop by the Media Center this week to check out the technology, see how it's setup, allow students to try it, collect your questions to send to Jamie (jmayo@washtenawisd.org) and improve your confidence in using it in your classroom.

When?