Adaptive and Assistive Technology
- 1. Adam Klepper BSU EDTECH 541
- 2. Students with Cognitive Disabilities Young people with cognitive disabilities often struggle in keeping up with the volume and level of reading in the social studies. Reading pens can be used to great effect. These devices read scanned text out loud. Aiding the student in reading comprehension and speed. Reading pens allow those with cognitive disabilities great independence and, therefore, the ability to learn at their own pace and quicken their progress. An adaptive technology to address the reading needs of the cognitively disabled is Fast Forward Literacy software. Fast Forward is sometimes adopted by entire districts and allows students to work at their own pace and gives individuals the scaffolding that their reading level requires for improvement. The program is not only designed to enhance phonics and literacy, but also to enhance attention and long-term memory, which can be areas that need care amongst some the cognitively disabled.
- 3. Students with Physical Disabilities Students with physical abilities are often hampered in conducting daily tasks necessary for academic success such as typing and in-class note-taking. Word to text programs, such as DragonFly Naturally Speaking, convert voice directives and narration on the computer screen. This allows the manipulation of the entire computer, including word processing, without the need of keyboard and mouse. In-class, where voice recognition software is inappropriate, a digital voice recorder and audio notetaker allows the student to capture the content of class, convert it to text, and narrate side comments digitally.
- 4. Students with Sensory Disabilities These students have either vision or hearing disabilities, which assistive technologies can help overcome. For the blind, screen and digital book readers allow students to access books and research the internet including graphics. Braille keyboards are also an important component asset in order for a blind person to fully utilize computer technology. For the deaf, following the course of conversation and debate in the classroom can be difficult. The assistive technology of amplification systems can overcome this obstacle. The teacher wears a wireless microphone, which able-bodied students can speak into, and deaf students wear audio receivers allowing for the full integration of the sensory disabled student into the class.
- 5. At-Risk Students Assistive and adaptive technology can aid at-risk students with written expression and also allow the creation of culturally relevant summative assessments, which provide greater academic motivation. At-risk students often have difficulties in written expression. Word prediction software predicts the word the user intends to type. Such software “prompts kids who struggle with writing to use proper spelling, grammar, and word choices, with fewer keystrokes,” according to Stanberry and Raskind (2010). Museumbox.e2bn.org allows student to put digital items into a museum display complete with multimedia and hyperlinks allowing for culturally relevant and personal summative products that demonstrate student learning.
- 6. Gifted and Talented Students Such students need to be engaged in self-directed research and given a wide variety of options regarding how they demonstrate their learning. EDSITEment is a clearinghouse of high quality lessons containing thinking processes of a high intellectual level in a number of disciplines. The site doesn’t dictate a specific course of study, thus, allowing gifted and talented students the opportunity to explore their own research interests within a discipline or subject at-large in a vetted learning environment. Digital Vault (http://digitalvaults.org/) is a product of the National Archives in Washington, DC and allows users to organize, arrange, and present various digital resources from the collection in order to demonstrate learning and impart knowledge.
- 7. References Microsoft Accessibility (2014). Assistive Technology Products. http://www.microsoft.com/enable/at/types.aspx National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (2011). Assistive Devices for People with Hearing, Voice, Speech, or Language Disorders. http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/assistive-devices.aspx Roblyer, M.D. and Doering, A.H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Stanberry, Kristin and Raskind, Marshall (2010). Speech Recognition Software Programs. http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/963-speech-recognition-software-programs.gs Stanberry, Kristin and Raskind, Marshall (2010). Word Prediction Software Programs. http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/966-word-prediction-software-programs.gs Stanford University Office of Accessible Education (2014). Frequently Used Assistive Technology Tools. https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae/node/2839 Stefanini, Gina (2013). Assistive Technology for Social Studies. http://assistedtechnology.weebly.com/social- studies.html