Assistive technology provides devices for students/people with
disabilities. Technology has created so many possibilities for disabled learners.
Many years ago people with disabilities have been shut out of participating
events and schools due to their disabilities ( Nielsen, 2011).Some were not
even able to participate in classrooms due to the lack of accessibility or
instructional problems. Today there thankfully has been developed technology to
assist in the isolation of disabled students.
There are many types of assistive technology to aid in learning and
attention issues.
1. Audio players/recorders- helps the child listen
to the recording as the teacher reads them on the pages. There are e-books,
phones, and tablets with text to speech software that could be read out loud to
the child (Nielsoen, 2011).These type of devices can be used for children 2
years of age through adults. It fosters ways of learning through reading and
writing guidance.
2.
Writing supports- Some children have trouble with
writing. This could be used in a forms of writing utensils or a computer
(Nielsen, 2011).Some writing programs come with features that help with
spelling and grammar. Another think to look at is that if a student is having a
hard time with thoughts, some software has word predictors. It would require
the child typing in the first few letters and as the software will generate the
word choices of what the child may be trying to use. This can be used for
children 5yrs and up.
Assistive technology may or may not be culturally responsive. When involving
families to assist with learning, educators would have to gather information
such as strengths, needs and priorities. All of these needs have to be matched
with the family’s cultures for that student to succeed. Consistency would be
key for a family’s culture values.
Any technology can be considered bad technology if not used in the
useful appropriate ways. For example; a child who has a difficult time writing
may use the tablet frequently, but sometimes too much of the tablet can enable
a child to not have strong enough fine motor skills practice to start writing
without the tablet.
Reference
Nielsen, L. (2011). 25 incredible assistive technologies. Retrieved from
http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/09/25-incredible-assistive-technologies.html
Hi Kweshonte,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your Blog. Assistive technology is that valuable learning device that supports students with disabilities be more in touch with the classroom environment and their ability to learn and be part of the learning experience. With these technological devices for children with learning challenges they now have a better opportunity to participate in the class and learn along with the other students in the best way to support them in their style of learning.
Not sure culturally if it matters to the families with children that has learning challenges if their child can learn and be part of the learning experience. You are correct in stating that when the families are involved with their children’s education the success of the outcome for the child is greater.
Sorry, for some reason my blog name was not recognized. Thank you for sharing you post
ReplyDeletehttp://4theloveofchildrenseducation.wordpress.com
Donna Johnson
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