Mme Boddy and Mme Wintle’s Grade 5 students have just finished reading aloud “Out of My Mind”, written by Sharon M. Draper. This incredibly powerful novel recounts the trials and tribulations of a spirited girl determined to share her voice and brilliant mind, but who is often dismissed due to her diagnosis: Cerebral Palsy. Melody refuses to be defined by her exceptionality, and one incredible tale ensues.

In conversation with Mme Boddy, Mme Madeley made a connection like no other!

Last week, Apple highlighted several areas of focus at their October Event. They chose to kick-off the whole thing by debuting aspiring editor, director and cinematographer Sady Paulson’s latest work…

Mme Madeley shared the video with students, who were not only mesmerized by Sady’s gifts, but also by the way she was able to tell the story of the power of technology, most notably with regards to Accessibility Features built therein.

Students were able to make connections between Sady and Melody, the character from their recent read-aloud. They were speechless, and realized even more so the importance of various devices that enable the voices and “hidden gifts” possessed by so many incredible people!

The Grade 5s discussed unique ways that technology was used throughout the novel and in Sady’s commercial. They made note of what Accessibility Features were being used, by whom and how they were being used. To say that they were amazed would be an understatement.

From there, the Grade 5 students started to tinker on school iPads. Mme Madeley guided them through the various Accessibility Features, many of which were featured within the advertisement. Some of their top picks included “Speech-to-Text” and “Speak Screen” – swiping down from the top of the screen with two fingers, prompting any/all content on their screen to be read back to them. They were also impressed with “Zoom” and “Magnifier”. Zoom is a built-in screen magnifier, whereas Magnifier works like a digital magnifying glass (using the camera on the device).

They continued to dabble, challenging Siri to fulfil their requests in multiple languages – which she completed with very few hitches! They will certainly be sharing their newly acquired knowledge with friends and family!