Well my friends, it has come that time. I have come so far on this journey through exploring Assistive Technology components. I have learned so much information and I hope you took something from it as well.
Back in September when I first started in this class and blogging, I was a rookie. I didn't know what a blog was nor did I really know what Assisitive Technology really meant. But together with your support, we made it on our way to explore many areas that were unknown to us. We became familiar with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Computer Access, AT and The Writing Process as well as AT and Math.
In exploring these many different areas of Assistive Technology, I learned how to incorporate UDL concepts into lessons that I currently was using to make sure all types of learners in my classroom could be accommodated. Even though I learned some tools that I can use, I was also surprised by how many concepts I was already including in my lessons. This makes me feel great about the knowledge that I apparently had coming into this class which I didn't give myself enough credit for. I learned about the crucial role the IEP plays into facilitating instruction with the use of the Assistive Technology. Learning about all the teachers and/or staff that's required to make up the IEP team was also very eye opening to myself. I did not know that so many bodies were there to assist and each could look at the IEP from a different perspective. It's nice to know that sooo much faculty is there to help out and assist in this process. As a future classroom teacher, knowing all of this information will help to strengthen my instruction positively. I will fully know the roles that myself and others play into the IEP process so that I can ensure myself, parents of my students, and others that I'm doing the best that I can to make sure they are successful in learning and moving forward academically.
In looking back on some of my earlier posts, I became familiar with proper terminology right away. I used UDL wording in my very first post welcoming myself to the blogging world. Along the way, I continued to use this terminology so that my followers could get used to and become familiar with this language. At the very end of my blogs including this one, my very last one, I still maintain some of the lingo.
Well, it has been real. Thank you again for following me on this amazing journey. Until we meet again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As we all know, our technology has come so very far in the past decade alone. Even though the very first apple product has been around for over 30 years, apple itself has taken on a new role alone with creating fun, innovative gadgets that can do so much for people, especially students with disabilities. Gadgets like the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, etc. can provide visual supports to those students who have cognitive disabilities, autism, or students who have difficulty with self management and personal organization. Their lack of these skills alone has been successfully addressed through the use of visual supports such as picture schedules and activity sequences, which are sequential, pictorial representations of events or tasks that cue a student to complete them.
Programs on these devices such as iCommunicate, Boardmaker, Pogo Boards, and PowerPoint can be used to create social stories. These stories are teacher (or parent) authored that are written to help a student who has autism learn "the social information he may be lacking".
Visual supports are key to helping students, especially those with severe disabilities learn and function properly. These products alone greatly support the use of these supports.
Resources:
Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012).Assistive Technology in the Classroom:Enhancing the School Experiences of Students with DIsabiltiies. New Jersey: Pearson. (Original work published 2008)
While students in grade school Pre-K to 12 are legally bound to have support given to them if they require, this is not such the case once they move on to college. Colleges are not obligated to provide assistive technology and accommodations, however, most still do for those that would benefit from the use of it.
Assisstive Technology can be used to help college students during classes and testing situations and in completing assignments. All of these assistive technology tools can be helpful to college students if they meet the following criteria:
- Easy to use and easy to customize
- age appropriate
- students own choice
- match the specific task and environment
- access easily
- Training and technical support are provided
Resources:
Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012).Assistive Technology in the Classroom:Enhancing the School Experiences of Students with DIsabiltiies. New Jersey: Pearson. (Original work published 2008)
After having the chance to look at and review a few websites in terms of Assistive Technology resources, I found this one on the Oregon Technology Access Program (OTAP) website. On this website, I found some very helpful and useful resources. The site provides a brief overview of what it's all about as well as providing important links and documents to supporting assistive technology within the IEP process (as we have mentioned in earlier blogs).
Check out the website to see for yourself:
As a continuation of my previous posts talking about AT & Math, we will continue our discussion. Just like meeting the needs of the child in the classroom are important, so are meeting the needs at home and in the community.
To help transition this process from school to home, school personnel must provide direct instruction to the parents, who in turn can teach other family and community members to interact with their child. Due to the fact that some of these systems can be quite complicated to operate, consideration should be given to the current level of the family members' familiarity with computers and technology and their willingness to learn, prior to deciding on the most appropriate system. This will allow the school staff to plan the most appropriate home supports and expectations. It's very important for the family to feel comfortable with the system and to understand the impact that communication practice will have on future success.
Teachers can also facilitate positive experiences with novel communication partners through school wide special activities or assemblies and through planned field trips in the community. In this case, the devices can be programmed to ask specific questions and guests can be directed toward the augmentative communication device user to answer a question. This will enable the student to practice interacting with unfamiliar partners.
Resources:
Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012).Assistive Technology in the Classroom:Enhancing the School Experiences of Students with DIsabiltiies. New Jersey: Pearson. (Original work published 2008)
As a continuation to my previous posts from my blogs so far, we will be continuing the discussion of AT & Math. As any one would might think, supporting the use of the Augmentative Communication Device for students with disabilities is important. However, what they might not have known is that supporting this device outside of the classroom such as at home and in the community is just as important.
When a child uses their system other places, it reinforces the communication skills learned in school and helps to generalize them to other settings. This can require the expanded consideration of family involvement, issues related to culture, and the identification of places or activities in which the student is active.
The development of a working relationship between school and home is crucial to the success of augmentative communication. Both of these environments can reflect different and varied communication demands and coordinated efforts can significantly increase the likelihood of effective communication.
Resources:
Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012).Assistive Technology in the Classroom:Enhancing the School Experiences of Students with DIsabiltiies. New Jersey: Pearson. (Original work published 2008)
As everyone is well aware by reading my blogs over the past few months alone, IEP's are crucial to students with disabilities education. We will now switch our focus over to talking about Augmentative Communication and the role in plays into an IEP.
Once it has been determined that a student would greatly benefit from the use of the device, the components of the system should be outlined in the IEP. It also should include the use of the augmentative device into the IEP. This means, how the device will be used to facilitate instruction and learning for the student should be included and outlined in the IEP itself. The students goals and objectives should assume that his or her participation and evaluation will be achieved through the use of the augmentative communication system.
When constructing an IEP for a student who uses augmentative communication, it is important that the student's use of the system is integrated within and across the school day, including both instructional and non instructional periods. The IEP must include clear statements reflecting the student's communication needs across the environments and descriptions of how the specific features of the system will be used by the student.
When developing IEP goals, it is important for the team to remember that the augmentative communication device is not an IEP goal in itself but rather a means to accomplishing a goal.
3 Goals to consider: Communication, Instruction/Academic, & Social Interactions.
Two additional components to consider:
- list of the augmentative communication services to be provided by related service personnel (speech/language pathologist, occupational therapist)
- identification of the party responsible for device maintenance and operations(general up keep)
Resources:
