"Cool Things"

This weeks class about "cool things" and ergonomics was extremely informative and enjoyable. I loved how we were introduced to simple objects that many of us had never considered using as an adaptive device. A few of the items that stood out to me were the book opener, formally known as "thumbthing", the condiments fork (which really stumped my group!), and the siftables. When we were informed of the use of the thumbthing, I attempted to try it out with one of my books. I was pleasantly surprised to see how useful and effective it actually was. It surprised me how such a simple, small item could be such an efficient adaptation. The next cooking adaptation that my group and I spent a long time pondering over was the condiment fork. Although it may sound silly, I am sure that many people could benefit from this relatively simple adaptative device. Who hasn't had a hard time trying to get a pickle out of a jar? 

   

The next form of technology that I enjoyed learning about was the siftables. Compared to the other items presented, this would probably be considered a form of instructional technology. However, this technology could be extremely useful and beneficial for classrooms that utilize any type of group instruction. Having the chance to try using the siftables showed how interactive and fun they are to use. I was amazed to see how quickly the cubes were able to interact together to form the write mathematical equation or whatever they were programmed at the time to do. With that said, I do believe that the siftables were sometimes difficult to use due to the screen sensitivity. It was sometimes difficult to move the cursor on the tiny screen in order to select a choice or correct answer which may cause issues for children that struggle with fine motor skills. 

The last item that was touched upon was using the tennis ball as a pointer for the SmartBoard. Although we had discussed this form of adaptation I was glad to see it was brought up again. This is just another example of how there are so many inexpensive and ordinary objects in our environment that could be utilized to assist a child with special needs. This brought me back to our first few classes on problem-solving skills and how we must learn to think creatively and outside of the box. Sometimes the best answer is right in front of us, we just haven't given it a chance yet.