Welcome back! 

This week for my inquiry I decided to take a break from classroom integration and focus on how individuals can utilize technology to develop their ASL skills. As I stated in an earlier blog, my experience learning ASL began in Spring 2019 when I took ASL 100 A at the University of Victoria. This classed used an immersion technique where we were unable to speak during the lecture which took place twice a week for 2 hours. My professor, Tim Lane, did an excellent job of teaching us the basics of ASL as well as the importance of deaf culture. However, this led me to wonder how else can a person learn sign language in a fun and interesting way. 

Here are a few interesting ways I personally discovered that can be accessed through the internet!

  1. Applications → When I looked on the app store, I, unfortunately, did not find a huge selection of apps that can help you learn sign language. Nevertheless, here is a link to some of the best apps to practice sign language. There is a range from free-paid premium apps, but I have yet to personally try any and I will let you know if I do find any that I really like! https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/47829-The-best-apps-for-learning-sign-language
  2. Videos → The use of videos for ASL is so important as it is a visual language that relies on physical cues to converse with someone. I have watched a variety of videos and listed below are 3 YouTubers who I think have great instructional videos that could be used in the classroom.
    1. ASL Rochelle  
    2. Signed with Heart 
    3. ASLMeredith 
    4. SouthDakotaSchoolForTheDeaf  
  3. Online Dictionaries → The most helpful resource I found when I was beginning to learn ASL was the use of online dictionaries. In particular, Hand Speak is a great website the provides videos with particular words to show exactly how a human would sign, rather than simply using charts. They also allow you to slow down the speed of videos so you can truly see the intricacies of the sign.

Photo by Edho Pratama on Unsplash

Those are just a few helpful resources that you can use to develop your students and your own ASL skills. I will see you all in 2 weeks as I will not be posting this upcoming week due to reading break!

– Ms. G 🙂