Assistive+Technology+Assignment

Assistive Technology Assignment


 * 1) 1. In viewing the websites and videos, I learned that there is a large amount of assistive technology out there, but the biggest impediment to student’s being able to use it is educators and school systems not making themselves aware of what is available. It is the professional responsibility of educators to seek out methods for teaching students who may benefit from assistive technology, and in today’s inclusive classroom, this would put that responsibility on most every classroom teacher. Sites such as the Schrock guide were very helpful for providing lots of resources and information about assistive technology for use in lessons categorized by content.


 * 1) Since I plan to teach secondary (either middle or high school) it is my hope that often- times students with special needs will have already been matched to some forms of assistive technology before they get to my classroom, but I realize this will not always be the case. I may be in a school system with less awareness of and resources for such technology. Also, the student may be new to my school district and coming from somewhere that assistive technology was not provided or made a priority. I was really impressed that despite his disabilities, the young man who was a high school musician was able to use assistive technology and to take at least 4 Advanced Placement courses. He was able to communicate orally whereas some students, such as the students with cerebral palsy were not. The communication technology used by “Ellen” revealed me to just how capable she was intellectually, therefore, for her, her major educational challenge was with communication. Also in the Edutopia video the college student stated how her mother had to advocate for her high school to provide her with a laptop and for her, just having a laptop to use made a huge difference in her ability to complete college preparatory work. I was excited to see the young elementary students in one of the videos learn and communicate despite severe disabilities. I was especially interested in all forms of communication assistive technology since learning and demonstrating what one has learned is so much about the ability to communicate.


 * 1) Assistive technology provides limitless opportunities for students with special needs. Technological devices and programs can bridge the gap of these student’s physical limitations, helping the student reach their educational potential. Just as the elementary school teacher suggested in one of the videos, one of his special needs students could grow up to be an important physicist, scientist, etc. because they will have been able to accomplish the necessary content course tasks with the help of technology. Assistive technology changes the educational outlook for a large number of students who would have previously been prevented from learning and advancing academically (and in every other area of life).


 * 1) I have not observed or known anyone who used assistive technology in school or everyday life other than hearing aides or motorized wheelchairs. I would enjoy visiting a classroom such as the elementary school class in one of the videos where the students were using technology in the form of keypads with icons and voice/talk devices, and also middle and high schools (since I will be a secondary school educator) where assistive technology is being used in content classrooms.

5. I come away from this assignment with much optimism about the way assistive technology will be able to help ALL students succeed in my own content courses. Many disabilities need not be an insurmountable challenge for my social studies students given the opportunities provided by new technology. The larger issue will be acquiring, matching the appropriate technology to the student, and learning as a teacher how to use these tools. Sometimes, special education professionals accompany special needs students to their inclusion classes. If special education teachers are available, I will be working with these professionals on issues of assistive technology. If special para-professionals are not available it is very helpful to know about resources available online and at brick and mortar facilities. I was really interested to learn about one such resource in Maryland, the Parent’s Place, at [|www.ppmd.org]