Episode 37: Exploring the power of assistive technologies
Welcome to the Virtual Staffroom, a podcast made for teachers by teachers, and all with a dash of educational technology thrown in.
My name is Joachim Cohen, and today, Yvette Poshoglian and I have hit the road, and are coming to you live from William Rose School in Western Sydney, one very special place.
Yvette Poshoglian:
To begin with. We'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners of Darug land, which we're on today, and to pay our respect to elders past and present, and to pay our respect to traditional elders and anyone indigenous listening today, whose country we are on, or whose country we are broadcasting this live through.
Joachim Cohen:
Joining us on today's podcast is Nicole Parker, principal of William Rose School in Seven Hills. Welcome, Nicole.
Nicole Parker:
Hello. Thanks for coming.
Joachim Cohen:
Oh, we're so very lucky to have you, that's for sure.
And we'd like to start today by just asking you a little bit about yourself, and what your journey's been.
Nicole Parker:
I've been at William Rose now for about two and a half years. I actually came out ... William Rose is a SSP, a school for specific purposes. It's a K-12 school.
My background is that I've come from mainstream settings, originally as a high school teacher and then as a primary school teacher, and I was at Metella Road Public School for a long time, and I was lucky enough to be asked, through EOI, to fill a maternity leave position, and from there it just grew, and here I am now, as a substantive principal from November last year.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Congrats, Nicole.
Can you maybe paint a little bit of a picture for us about William Rose, and what makes it this kind of unique setting. For teachers out there who may have not stepped foot into a special school, tell us about the excellence in sensory and special education delivery that you have here, and also how you see and help the students reach their full potential.
Nicole Parker:
Okay. So William Rose, we're a K-12 school and there are 89 students here, and all the students that attend William Rose are very different. They had very diverse needs, from special sensory needs, we have students who are blind or have vision impairments.
Yvette Poshoglian:
And what does a day look like here at William Rose? Is every day different?
Nicole Parker:
Oh, every day is completely different. So every day starts, all the students come in through our top gates, and we have ... the school's actually divided into three different areas ... we have our juniors and our littlies up the top in our kinder and year one and our junior classes, and then we have our seniors down in a middle section, and then we've got a lower section that our middle schools ... we sort of run on a early years, middle years, and senior years, the way we implement the syllabus and everything here, because you don't have children ... children in K-4, you can have them all sort of achieving at the same sort of levels. So we divide the school up a little bit differently to a mainstream setting. It's very much an early, middle years, and then senior years kind of setting.
The kids interact with each other all the time. Lots and lots of play. All our playgrounds are set up to support sensory requirements, so there's lots of equipment. There's spinning equipment, there's climbing frames, there's different swings that they can go on, there's trampolines.
So even the setting looks completely different. When people come in from a different school, you wouldn't have this kind of equipment in mainstream settings. When I first came in from a mainstream setting, I looked at the equipment here, and I got heart palpitations, because I thought, "Oh, my gosh." But when you see the children climb, they can really climb.
A lot of the kids even are high potential and gifted students. We have students here who can listen to any piece of music they hear and actually play it. We have students here that ... honestly, they can climb anything. They're not scared of heights.
So some of the things that you find coming from a mainstream setting that you might not necessarily see, you see here, it's really wonder ... it's wonderful, it's exciting. It's a bit scary sometimes as a principal, especially when you see them getting around and moving around ... you have really fast runners here. They like to run around the playgrounds and everything. Kids that like to get on the trampolines and jump really high, but they're all doing that as a response to a sensory need that they're trying to fulfill, and that vestibular movement that they need.
So the whole school is set up ... even our classrooms all look different. You can't go into any classroom, they don't look the same, depending on the students in the classroom, will depend on the furniture that we have in the classroom, will depend on what the teachers have on the walls. Everything changes ... the technology in the classroom. We have different technology for different kids. We have older kids that are actually using laptops or desktop computers. We have younger kids working on iPads or specialist communication devices. So everything looks different. Every classroom looks different.
They prepare meals in their classrooms. We have a mini Woolies on site, so that our older kids can actually start to learn their life skills, and transition into work experience programs.
We have really great teachers who run different programs where the kids learn to do life skills. They might be involved in laundry tasks, or housekeeping tasks, or work skills tasks, or anything like that.
So it's completely different. There are laundries in every classroom, the toilets in ... the school just looks different from the minute you walk in.
Yvette Poshoglian:
It's like a technology hub really, because you've got K-12, a whole range of, I guess, different kinds of staff as well. Incredible teaching staff, incredible support staff as well, all working for different needs and purposes for those students, and also to get them out into the world the best way that they can be prepared. So it's a really big job, and there's a lot happening here, Joe.
Joachim Cohen:
Oh, there really is. I think that notion of being a sensory place is so apparent, as soon as you walk in and see the amazing color that's everywhere, the different textures, the fish that are inside the aquarium, and the picture that you've painted, I think, about every single classroom has, I'm sure, got every one of our listeners closing their eyes and thinking what it could look like and imagining.
But we are in a Technology for Learning podcast, and we want to know a little bit about the types of technologies that you've implemented, and there's maybe one piece of special technology that's had a bit of an impact here at William Rose?
Nicole Parker:
Absolutely. We'll talk about that. The telepresence robot.
Joachim Cohen:
Fantastic. Yeah, tell us about it.
Nicole Parker:
So we were hooked up with you guys last year, because we have students that actually have really serious illnesses, and they're quite isolated. And we were using Zoom and things like that to connect with families in their houses, but the technology, although it's good, it didn't actually meet the needs, particularly of this student that we set this up in for particularly, he was actually confined to bed, and is nonverbal, very ill-
Joachim Cohen:
Wow.
Nicole Parker:
... basically, and when we worked with mum a lot, she wanted to connect him but didn't know the best way, and setting up with iPads or desktop computers, trying to access Zoom, just wasn't working, because it's not interactive as such. It's a teacher out the front giving a lesson, or talking to the kids, and the kids not really interacting, them sitting at the other ... I suppose at the other end of the screen ... which this child could not do.
So that's when Learning and Wellbeing had suggested that we reach out to you guys, and get a telepresence robot, because the kids can actually be involved in manipulating the robot, so they can actually ... it's in the classroom, it's like a conduit between the house and the classroom, and they can actually move the robot around, and talk to people in the class, and wave to people, and that's what it was really good for.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Nicole, I just want to ask, because I want to understand how the student was potentially directing the robot. How were they actually able to do that, or were they able to do that themselves from home? Or was mum helping?
Nicole Parker:
Mum was definitely helping, but it was a family. There were two students involved, and mum was definitely helping and really, really ... and it was good to have parents online and on board, but she definitely gave a helping hand with actually manipulating the robot and moving it around.
But the kids in the class loved it. It's two-way, so although they were having a great time at home, the kids in the class were having a great time, because it's this red robot that they named ... and I can't remember the name they gave it ... but they gave it a name in the class, and because it would move around, you could take it so it could look at things in the classroom. So if the teacher wanted to point out something on a board or on a wall or something, the robot could move around and do that. Of course, the kids at this end get a real blast from it, because they're watching a robot move around a classroom which, let's face it, not many kids have seen, not even in mainstream settings, they don't get to see that. So it was really quite ... it's exciting, and we played with it as well, so that was exciting too.
Joachim Cohen:
Yeah, that sounds absolutely fantastic, the opportunity it provided. And I know a lot of our listeners have heard about telepresence before, but for those who haven't, you've painted a really great picture, but it is like a robot in the classroom, a little bit like what some people may have seen on The Big Bang Theory when Sheldon dialed in.
Nicole Parker:
Yes, that's right.
Joachim Cohen:
Yeah. So paint us a bit of a picture. What does the robot look like, and what does it feel like having it in the classroom?
Nicole Parker:
It looks like it has a head ... so it's got a laptop, as its face almost, so it's got ... and it's really easy to move. The one thing I was scared about, I took it down hallways, because I was really worried ... well, how hard is it going to be to manipulate around a room? It's actually really easy. The controls are really simple, too. I'm not that technologically savvy, so I can say, if I could take it down a hallway and into a room, it's actually quite maneuverable, which I was really surprised about. It can get round tight corners and everything, so yeah, and it literally is on four wheels. It's got kind of a body almost, and then the iPad almost looks like a head, and when we first got it, it flops down.
Yvette Poshoglian:
You've got to wake them up, right?
Nicole Parker:
And you've got to wake it up. I didn't realize you had to turn on. I'm going, "Oh look, it won't stay up," and then I realized, "Oh, once it's turned on, actually it sits up and it's ready to go."
And it's easy. People tend to be a little bit scared of technology. I know, particularly for teachers during COVID, because kids were learning at home for a long period of time, schools had to embrace technology, and there was a steep learning curve for lots of teachers at that time about how they were going to use technology to engage kids at home. I was worried. This is so new and it seems so like a robot, it sounds so huge. I was worried about how it would be embraced here, but it's easy. It was easier than Zoom. It was easier than anything. You literally click a link and it starts up and it just goes.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Incredible. And also to know that the students can effectively have their buddy in the classroom as well, that's a huge mental win for everybody, and for the student at home, who's possibly feeling quite disconnected and out of the scope of the classroom and away from friends. So it sounded like that all worked out okay.
Nicole Parker:
Oh, the feedback that we got from the family was, it was fantastic. They'd been out of school for some time, and what they saw was him engaging with his peers and laughing. The one thing that I got, he was laughing and he was having fun. It was ... I don't know ... there's the educational element of it, but it was the social and emotional connection. That was the connection that was really important for the family, to know that there were people around him, and that he could interact with his peers and have a good time.
He was laughing online and they were having a good time, and we have Morning Circle every morning. Most of the classes here do Morning Circle where they talk about what's happening, and who's in class for the day. To be able to say that they're in class for the day, because they're part of Morning Circle, and they were joining in. Music therapy going on in the classes at the same time, could join in with music therapy, which we run here for the kids, because they love music and they love being engaged. So it was fantastic.
Yvette Poshoglian:
That's great. We might just dial in a bit later, Joe.
Joachim Cohen:
That's a good idea. I love the idea-
Yvette Poshoglian:
I want to come to that.
Joachim Cohen:
... of joining your morning circle, and I absolutely love the way you've painted the picture about the difference between the traditional technologies that we've used, like Zoom, to be able to dial into a classroom and that ability ... I think you were mentioning about the student really being able to lead their experience.
Nicole Parker:
The kids feel part of it. With Zoom and all those others, there's somebody, and it's usually a teacher, leading from the front. The kids might be able to ask questions or put text in a chat. Well, that doesn't work at this school anyway as well. And we did use Zoom to run sessions at school, but for this student, it's almost like they're in the classroom. It's hard to explain, it's-
Yvette Poshoglian:
I think you've done a great job, to be honest.
Nicole Parker:
... they're the robot. It's them running it. They're part of it, so they get to choose.
Honestly, if they want to choose to go and move over to speak to another friend in the class, they can do that. They're in control. So it gives a student voice, it gives a power back to the student, it engages them, and it gives them control over their learning, which they really need when they don't have a lot of control over anything, particularly during that time.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Well, off the back of all this success, and maybe growth in confidence with the tech, what are you going to do next? What are you going to do next with tech here at William Rose? Is there ... have you got thoughts? Have you got hopes and dreams for what might be possible? What can you see happening next?
Nicole Parker:
We're looking at all different things at the moment. A lot of sensory activities with tech, which we don't have here. So tech's used for communication here. We get students that come to the school that don't have a means of communicating. They might be nonverbal. If they're not with a speech therapist, they might not have a device that they use for communication, like a LAMP device or Proloquo, which they actually use. That's their voice.
So tech here, we've actually brought a lot of tech in to support families that way through the school, and actually teach families that, because that communication is really, really important. But we're also looking at other things, like how we use tech to be more interactive, how do we engage them? How do we have virtual environments set up?
I'm looking at a lot of things at the moment on virtual fish tanks and virtual floors and virtual walls, so that kids can actually be involved in sensory activities with technology in the classroom. I don't know what you've got going on in that area, but-
Joachim Cohen:
We're going to have to talk, Nicole, that's for sure.
Nicole Parker:
... looks quite expensive.
Joachim Cohen:
Absolutely. We're the problem solvers, and I think we'd love to tackle that challenge with you, and that's what we're going to give you next.
If you had a magic wand, and we could use technology to solve a problem that you might have, or problem that you could see, what would you do with your magic wand?
Nicole Parker:
I'd love the technology to be available to all students. There are lots of equity issues, and they don't even come at a school level. They come before that. A lot of the technology that the kids require here, even the cost of wheelchairs, an electric wheelchair, we're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. So you've got kids and families that are coping with disability, that actually require lots of money and lots of funding to actually just participate on the same basis as their peers anyway. And it costs a lot of money.
I don't know how it's solved, but getting some equity into it. Communication is so important to us here, and the telepresence robot ... because it allows us to bridge those gaps ... but there's not an infinite supply of money or technology out there. So I'd love to be able to say that every student comes into the school, they've got a way and means of communicating, they can use technology to do that, that would be great.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Well, you've got an incredible insight here from this setting here, Nicole, and I think even all the different assistive technologies that your students use, the classrooms that you are developing, they are incredibly inclusive. They're becoming more inclusive.
What are maybe some wisdom that you might be able to share with teachers and principals who are listening, how they could maybe make their classroom settings or school settings more inclusive with tech? Is there something even basic that you could maybe throw at them, and we'll get them to think about?
Nicole Parker:
I think for teachers, and it's probably my background a bit too, just don't be scared of it. When innovations come up, just try it. Just embrace it and try it, because some of the things, I find that taking that initial step about going, "I know this is out there," but you tend to think, "Is it going to be too hard? Is it more work?"
One of the things that a lot of people think, "Is it going to be something more? Is it going to be something new that I have to learn?" It's not as hard as it seems. The hard work was done in the background with you guys. The easy part was getting a robot delivered, chuck it in a classroom, and sending a link.
So I think to make classrooms inclusive, technology is really, really important. It actually brings everybody together, and it makes those connections, but not to be scared of it. If something new comes out, just give it a go. Just give it a whirl. Just get in there and try it out. See what happens.
Joachim Cohen:
Oh, wow. I tell you what, that is the best message that we could absolutely finish on today, Nicole, and we're going to challenge every one of our listeners out there, to just go and give technology a try, see what magic it could make happen, and you might be excited about the opportunities that it provides your students inside your classrooms.
Thank you so much for your time today, Nicole.
Nicole Parker:
Thank you.
Joachim Cohen:
And thank you for everything you do, every single day.
So Yvette, we have come to the end of another edition of the Virtual Staffroom, and as we do, does your school have an amazing story to tell, like William Rose School? Would you like a visit from the Virtual Staffroom team to tell your story, and maybe also to get your students some podcasting tips from our amazing producer, Jacob? We can't wait to hear from you.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Speaking of, this podcast has been produced by Jacob Druce, the master, with the assistance and coordination of the T4L team members behind the scenes.
Stay awesome everyone, always reach for your true potential, and keep pushing through those barriers. Dream big and thanks for joining us.
Just a little note, please be aware that all views expressed by the podcast presenters, that's us, are our personal opinions and not representative of the New South Wales Department of Education. Discussions aren't endorsements of third party products, services, or events, and please note that as much as we sound like it, we are not experts in legalese, tech speak, or anything in between, we're just passionate people, keen to boost technology for learning in the classroom, and to help build the skills in your students, and for you to solve the problems of tomorrow. Do your due diligence, read further, and if we've got something wrong, let us know. We too, are always learning and always improving.