What is assistive technology?
Assistive Technology is basically any form of technology that is used to help people with disabilities. It can be in many different forms, and is often used in schools. It is important for teachers to be aware of the available assistive technology which may aid their students with disabilities.
How is it used?
Assistive Technology is used to help disabled individuals to accomplish tasks that are challenging or even impossible to complete otherwise. They can address physical and mental disabilities, including learning disabilities in reading, writing, math, and any other challenging subject or aspect of school. The functions or assistive technology range from wheelchairs to audio books, which is what I chose to focus on.
What are resources for the focus that you chose?
I used http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?109, http://www.pluk.org/AT1.html, http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/948-reading-tools.gs?page=1, and http://portal.johncooper.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=WPpakw HC0AY%3D&tabid=452&mid=1868. The first two were more broad. They helped me wrap my head around the whole concept of assistive technology and what it includes. The second two helped my focus on audio books. How will you keep up on this complex, evolving arena?
I will definitely look into some blogs that discuss audio books and other forms of assistive technology because I think it is extremely helpful to hear from a parent or teacher's perspective. I greatly enjoyed the pages that I visited above, and felt they were the best at informing and explaining about the product.
How will you incorporate this awareness into your teaching?
I will be on the lookout for warning signs of disabilities in my students, and I will also assess students when possible on their reading, writing, and basic functions like their hearing or speaking. I think that at a young age, it can be hard to tell at a young age if something is wrong, but with individual attention, I think that these things can be detected or ruled out.
I like your assistive technology tool audio books. I also used this on my blog. It is amazing the multipurpose some tools can provide such as an iPod. Using an iPod will also allow the student to have assistance without appearing to be abnormal. Many students do not want assistance if it makes them not fit in with their peers. I think teachers need to keep this in mind when finding appropriate assistive technology tools for students. A confident student will try harder and be more successful in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI love audio books and I have used them in the past. The problem I always had was storage. They always got mixed up or put back wrong, the cords got tangled CDs started skipping. That's why I'm so happy that we now have audio books for purchase on computers, ipods, and electronic readers. They really are an awesome way to help audio learners be able to improve their reading skills.
ReplyDeleteI think audio books are great I use them when my littel boys goes to bed. I play him the audio books of Harry Potter. They are easy to get and now with any kind of MP# player they don't take up as much room as they use to.
ReplyDeleteJessica, I really enjoyed the pictures that you posted on your blog for assistive technology. I also liked the idea of audio books for students, and that you talked about the parent and the teachers perspective about them. Good points about being aware and frequently assessing your students, sometimes we think students are just complaining or trying to get away with something but if a problem persists its very important that we find a solution.
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