Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Assistive Technology


    After completing the module on assistive technology and reading chapter 15 in the textbook, I have so much knowledge on assistive technology.  I remember when I was doing my student teaching I had a student who used a portable keyboard to complete his assignments.  I did not realize then that for this portable keyboard to be used by a student it took a lot of training and meetings with the Implementing Team.

   There are several different types of disabilities that student deal with every day.  There are several methods in technology today that help students with disabilities to receive the same education as regular education students.  Students with mild disabilities can have problems writing a paper, therefore they can use voice recognition to help them with an writing assignment instead of writing on paper.  Students with a more severe disability need the lessons broken down. www.ablenetinc.com  is a great resource to help students with severe disability.  Students with physical disabilities can use an alternative to using a keyboard by using switches for controlling and getting input to the computer.  Teachers may have a student with a sensory disability like hearing loss.  The teacher can use a wireless microphone and the student can wear a receiver that amplifies the teacher’s voice as a form of assistive technology to help the student hear her clearly.   Students who are at risk of failing can use websites like www.brainpop.com to improve their learning.  Gifted students can create web pages and engage in self-directed research.

     Assistive Technology is a great resource to aid in the success of students with disabilities.  Reach One Teach One with assistive technology.

1 comment:

  1. Great Post. I think we don't realize how important assistive technology is. I was mentioning one of my students needed a simple pencil grip,but it was not documented in her IEP. That made such a huge difference once I realized it.

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