Assistive Technology - Too Difficult!

Entry #7

Many students, especially special education students, need accommodations. General education teachers are responsible for providing those accommodations while the students are in their classrooms. What many teachers do not realize is that just because a student does not have an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or a 504 Plan that does not mean they cannot receive accommodations. Have you ever had a student do poorly in your class? Oftentimes accommodations that teachers provide can help that child be more successful. Many teachers are probably familiar with assistive technology devices such as AlphaSmarts, FM receiver, Braille keyboards, etc. These devices are typically purchased for students who already have IEPs and who are not performing successfully in the class and therefore need assistive technology in order for them to do better academically. This process is not the simplest process because it must be proven that the student is not academically performing at a satisfactory level, then the assistive technology that would best suit the child has to be decided upon, then the IEP team has to meet and approve the device and put in the IEP (Monica correct me if I am wrong!). What if a teacher simply wants some type of assistive technology for any student in her class? Is there an easier process to go through than this one?

According to Diane Forte Barfield in her article Addressing the Special Needs Student through Technology, assistive technology is described as “something like makes life easier for persons with different abilities”. I love that definition. It isn’t something that makes life easier for persons with disabilities; it makes life easier for persons with different abilities! Assistive technology once “referred only to prosthetics and orthotics (but) now refers to anything from a modified pencil to a high-tech customized computer system”. My favorite part about this article is a section about general education students. Many teachers find it a hassle or find it unfair to accommodate students; however, “the amazing part of using technology to address the needs of students with other abilities is that the students who are considered ‘average’ or able to complete the class work without adaptations benefit as well”. The article then goes on to provide specific examples of how technology can benefit all students. Another important section of this article goes on to describe other important components of assistive technology. “Assistive technology, while designed to improve the lives of students and adults with disabilities or differing learning abilities, can go far beyond reaching just the students who have identified learning difficulties. It can reach all learners and learning styles. Teachers who investigate the options of assistive technology through professional development or individual study and make the effort to adapt for a few have found greater participation, involvement, and success for all of their students and a renewed feeling of power and possibilities for those who struggle.”

The Top 10 Classroom Technology Strategies are provided by the Florida Instructional Technology Training & Resource Unit. These technology strategies are as follows:

1. Digital text – digital textbooks, Auto Summarize in Microsoft WORD, enhancing the digital text, etc.
2. Text-to-speech utilities – anything that converts digital text to audio or spoken text
3. Word processors (talking word processors included) – word processors are great for editing text, copying and pasting tools, and ability to quickly format and reformat a passage of text; with talking word processors students can quickly catch their mistakes when writing
4. Word prediction software - word prediction software “provides support in word selection, construction, and spelling, helping students to concentrate on the overall writing process”
5. Cognitive organizers – enables students to make graphic representations of their thoughts or the content they are learning
6. Interactive learning environments – games and activities that are individualized at each students’ level
7. Effective reading software – can help students with phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, auditory processing, etc.
8. Internet access – a multitude of amazing tools are here
9. Alternative keyboards – different types of keyboards are available according to student needs
10. Accommodations permitted on a Florida state achievement test (not applicable to us!)
    Now that we know what the top ten classroom technology strategies are, we can look for FREE technology to support this! Most of the examples under each of these strategies are items that must be purchased; however, I have found several websites where things can be downloaded for free or where interactive games and websites are listed!

Websites

• Session review: Free Web Tools to Enhance Access to the Curriculum
• Teaching Special Kids: Online Resources for Teachers (go to the section called “technology sites for students with disabilities”)
• Web Toolboxes: Free Tools
• Assistive Technology and Special Needs

After reading the title of this blog you may not have felt as though the content was really applicable for what you do, especially if you are a general education teacher who rarely has a special education student in your classroom. However, I hope if you have gotten to this point you now realize how important technology is for assisting ANY child and their learning! My first two years of teaching were spent as a special education teacher and any time a child could not keep up with the “norm” the teacher automatically referred them to the special education staff. While some of these students were correctly referred, others could have simply been provided with accommodations that would have made them more successful in the classroom. Just because a child is doing poorly in your class does not mean that they MUST have some type of learning difficulty. In order for a child to receive the same accommodations that they receive in class on important tests (state mandated, grade level benchmarks, etc.) they must have a 504 or an IEP, but it is important to remember that these tests are not everything. If a child is learning and making strides in your classroom even with the use of accommodations that may be provided with technology, then you have accomplished your goal! In her blog Technology for a Diverse Net Generation, Lynelle said the following: "As educators we struggle with reaching all students, closing the gap, effectively teaching diverse students and the way we're losing control over the content we used to own." Hopefully you now realize that assisitve technology is a simple measure we can use to overcome some of these struggles. I also hope you now realized that implementing technology into your classroom as an accommodation is not a hassle, a long drawn-out process, unfair, or even expensive. By providing you with these few “starter” websites, I hope that I have made the process a simpler one for you.

Issue: How can teachers make it simple to use technology to make learning easier for students with different abilities?

Solution: There are a multitude of free resources available through the Internet that can be used as a means of assistive technology.