Week 7: Technology and the law

Throughout this semester the central theme of my blog has been assistive technology. With that being said, I know how to use, implement and make changes to these devices; so this weeks readings were very interesting for me. They were interesting because I never realized how many laws there were for providing assistive technology to students with disabilities.  The fact that there are several laws just reinforces the notion that assistive technology is extremely important in the classroom.

Both sites provided a summation of the legislation behind the funding associated with assistive technology. A few pieces of legislation caught my eye. The “Tech Act” of 1988 provided federal funds to states to develop training and delivery systems for assistive technology devices and services. It required states and territories to develop statewide, consumer-responsive programs of technology-related services for individuals with disabilities of all ages. Moreover, this was the first act of its kind to insure funding. This act was further strengthened by the implementation of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990 and 1997.

These acts are essential to individuals who suffer from impairments that require assistive technology but also staff that works with these individuals. I have several students who have very expensive DynaVox devices that help them in their day-to-day communication. I strongly believe, without these pieces of legislation their families wouldn’t be able to pay for them. Our classroom assistive technology specialist often calls the justification process for these AAC devices “creative writing.” I talked to her about the process and says that she can have a justification sent be 2 or 3 times until it’s approved. Nevertheless, students will still benefit from the device no matter how many times the justification needs to be written.

Week 6: Technology for Sensory Impairments

The incorporation of assistive technology does not remove a sensory impairment, it can help remedi­ate its effects so that a person is able to use a computer with full or nearly full functionality. Just because a student may have hearing loss, or vision impairment, doesn’t mean they cannot learn math like the rest of their peers.  They just may need technology to help them along the way. 

Both the articles and websites specifically concentrated on the types of assistive technology available to students with vision impairments.  I found the Microsoft website to be very fascinating.  I use Microsoft applications regularly, and consider myself pretty knowledgeable about the software. I also found the tips on iOS very insightful. I use Apple products everyday and have seen some of the things mentioned in the guide but never knew what they did. My hope is that more teachers read these quick guides because in a world where students with disabilities are mainstreamed in general education classes, the more knowledge teachers have about assistive technologies, the better the students will learn.

The webinar by Nathalie DeWit was long but extremely helpful when it came to incorporating different types of assistive technologies for students with multiple disabilities and visual impairments. She looks at certain types of iPad apps, switches, and many more different options. I can use many of her ideas in my classroom this year. This year, I have a student who is legally blind.  The student wears glasses to help with his,, but is still in need of additional services. Currently we are doing our best to adapt materials for him. We get enlarged textbooks, have ZoomText software available on a computer and try to write in only colors he can see. He has been largely successful in our class due to these implementations.

Week 5: Technology for Gifted and Talented Students

Unlike the past few weeks this class, I have very no experience with gifted/talented students. I found both readings this week really opened my eyes to fact that a child can have the potential to reach higher levels of accomplishment even while dealing with the affects of a learning disability. In order to do this, it is necessary for many gifted and talented students to use assistive technology.

The Virtual Learning article provided a nice glimpse into what gifted and talented student has to experience. Previously, I always assumed a child labeled as “gifted,” was at a much higher level as the rest of the students, and therefore needed to be challenged.  I never associated “that child” with also having a disability that they were trying to overcome. 

In the article, Sean was described as having low-vision, and therefore required the use of a computer to increase his ability to read text. The use of this type of assistive technology allowed Sean to build confidence and excel in the classroom.  Without this form of assistive technology, he may not have been given the opportunity to read more advanced texts simple because he could not see it. 

As educators it is our job to reach every student and make sure that each one is successful through differentiating our instruction on a daily basis in all subject areas. By broadening our teaching we can accommodate al types of students. Both articles call for merging technology with advanced curriculum can allow teachers to reach those students are well above the rest of their peers with limited teacher involvement. One way to merge technology with curriculum is by implementing a Web Quest. This instructional method allows a student to work with most or all information around a given topic using the internet and other computer resources with specific guided instructions from the teacher. Depending on what is being studied in class you may also allow your students to take a virtual trip through a museum such as one of my favorite museums, the Natural history Museum in D.C. and equip them with a viewer’s guide (The hope Diamond, most famous diamond in the world is located on the second floor. Be sure to check it out). I believe that the possibilities are endless when it comes to using technology to enhance and enrich our curriculum and daily lessons.

Week 4: Technology and Communication Impairments

This week we look at how technology can help students with disabilities communicate. Choosing the most effective communication device for a student with communication impairment should be left for a speech pathologist. However, I am a person who with students with communication impairments on a daily basis. I look for the most effective way for students to effectively communicate while building independence and confidence. These devices are very expensive and deciding on the correct one for a student is critical. As pointed out in the NIDCD article there are several types of assistive devices available, ALDs, AAC, and alerting devices. These pieces of assistive technology help students who would otherwise be silent in the classroom become an active participate.

I’ve been fortunate to experience two of the three. I’ve seen and worked with ALDs and AAC devices. During student teaching I had a student who needed a ALD device in the classroom to hear me.  As the ASHA article points out, a FM system is a device that uses radio signals to transmit amplified sounds. This student had a cochlear implant. As far as teaching wise, I was not hindered. I had to wear a microphone while I taught. At the time, I thought the device was awesome, I was able to see a student who couldn’t normally hear me, become an active participate in class through this FM device.

Communicating with an individual with a communication impairment can be as simple as utilizing a PECS system or more involved with a touchscreen device such as a Dynavox or a Tobii eye gaze system. Both forms of AAC are very effective and help grow independence and confidence. PECS can be made through numerous software offerings. I tend to favor Boardmaker due to the simplicity. Entire lessons can be made through Boardmaker. Additionally, PECS are utilized in Unique learning system and News-2-you newspaper, both of which are utilized in my room. News-2-you newspaper also is also offered on some AAC devices such as Saltillo, PRC, Jabbla, and MyTalk, which is a great help to a student. Both of these PECS learning venues offer a wide variety of PECS and even offer text to speech, which is of great importance to my class. Also, in my class, I have two students who use a DynaVox device to communicate. This touchscreen device can also be operated via a head mouse. The use of an AAC device like a DynaVox helps greatly for a student communicate and express their minds. While it takes a long time for both staff and student to get use to these devices they are worth it as the benefits outweigh the cons.

Utilizing communication devices to bridge the gap in a communication impairment is critical for the growth of a student. As always these devices need to be selected carefully so a student can build independence and confidence.