"You can instill independence and confidence in students with special needs by finding free tools and working with your IT department to streamline the process for creating an assistive technology program" (22). Assistive technology is a great device for students with disabilities which allows for dreams to come true, for students to learn and so much more. There are many different devices that assist student learning that fits directly with them. For example, computer and voice controlled devices for students who have cereal palsy or even a device that goes off of eye blinks and eye brow movements. The assistive technology device that stood out as most interesting and useful was the device that went off of eye brow movements. The child could not move any parts of his body except for his eye brows and they created a device around his needs.
The most interesting device I found useful and interesting is the device where the student used eyebrow motions to pick words on a screen as well as communicate with others. The type of learning activities this assistive technology provides access for a student with exceptional learning needs. This device allows the student to communicate with others, allows him to learn by reading on the screen as well as using his eye brows to select different options. If I have a child with learning disabilities in my classroom and needs this high of assistive technology having access to these types of devices will be a great help. It will allow my students to communicate with me and the other students about what we are learning in class. This device address exceptional learning conditions, it allows the student to communicate without talking, learn new things and express himself. If I have a child with learning disabilities in my classroom and needs this high of assistive technology having access to these types of devices will be a great help. It will allow my students to communicate with me and the other students about what we are learning in class. If I already have a background of knowledge in assistive technology it will help me as a teacher in my future classroom.
Reference:
Conley, Kate. (2012, June/July). Learning and Leading: Build an Assistive Technology Toolkit. Pg 22
Anna,
ReplyDeleteWhen I watched the assistive technology video, I also found the communication method through an eyebrow sensor to be fascinating. A few decades ago, a child who only had muscular control of his eyebrow would most likely never have held a single conversation with someone in his entire life. It is sad to think about this, but it shows how bright the future is for students with disabilities. Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, and it is gradually making its way into the classroom.
Some people are very opposed to having technology such as computers brought into the classroom. They think it will just cause a distraction for the students. However, I think that the pros definitely outweigh the cons. A simple computer can greatly assist students with a wide range of learning disabilities. Programs that read text out loud can be a huge benefit to students who have dyslexia or other learning disabilities that make it hard to read. Computers can also very accurately take words that a student is dictating and transform them into written text. Now students with little to no motor control in their hands can finally get their own ideas easily written down. I think that assistive technology should be welcomed into classrooms with open arms. If it helps the students learn, then it belongs in the classroom.
-Scott