3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
Candidates facilitate the use of adaptive and assistive technologies to support individual student learning needs. (PSC 3.4/ISTE 3d)
Artifacts:
Artifact #1: ActivInspire Game Templates
Artifact #2: Field Experience with Spec.Ed. Students
Reflection:
The flipchart presented as Artifact #1 is an example of many game templates designed for students with special needs, specifically for non-verbal learners who needed assistive technology to communicate with others. The ActivInspire software allowed the templates to become an interactive tool to helped students communicate with others by dragging and matching objects in flipcharts. The items were represented in pictures and assisted students in communicating their understanding to speech pathologists who worked on individualized communicative goal with them. In this portfolio, the template was saved as a PDF to make it accessible to readers, but the interactivity of the file was lost with the conversion and worked only when used with the ActiveInspire and ActivBoard.
This template was used as a starting platform for many mini lessons developed for special needs students and integrated in self-contained classes to assist learners in development of appropriate communication and small-motor skills. Real photographs and clip art images were used to represent certain vocabulary that was set as an academic goal for students. As the teacher called out the name of each object and gave a one-step direction, the student would use the stylus to manipulate the pictures. Immediate feedback was provided with pre-programmed sound effects: cheers for a successful move or an encouragement to try again if mistakes were made. Students seemed to enjoy having sound effects accompanying their movements.
The unstructured field experience shared as Artifact #2 was an opportunity to work with exceptional children as well. A small group of students with individual academic plans in Speech and Language was exploring different iPad applications that supported their individual goals in articulation and fluency. The recording options in the applications were the most beneficial tools of assistive technology. Allowing students to record their pronunciation practices and identify areas for improvement allowed students to own and progress monitor their learning. Collaborative work with speech pathologists was a learning experience that helped me grow as a coach and develop a deeper understanding of strategies with which digital tools and resources could be used to adapt or assist needs of the diverse student population.
The experiences described above were critical in building stronger relationships between Special Education teachers and me. Usually, learning about technology tools and resources addressed needs of regular education classrooms and most professional learning opportunities were provided for them. The fact that the special education team began asking questions and seeking advice from me made this experience valuable to all members of the school community. Observing special education classes and support consistent implementation of BYOT and other technologies could allow measuring the impact of this work on academic performance of students with special needs. Making an intentional effort to think about assistive and adaptive technology resources should become a norm when designing and implementing technology tools and resources in the classroom. Developing a habit of paying close attention to the diverse make-up of individual classes would increase the impact of technology integration on student academic success.
The flipchart presented as Artifact #1 is an example of many game templates designed for students with special needs, specifically for non-verbal learners who needed assistive technology to communicate with others. The ActivInspire software allowed the templates to become an interactive tool to helped students communicate with others by dragging and matching objects in flipcharts. The items were represented in pictures and assisted students in communicating their understanding to speech pathologists who worked on individualized communicative goal with them. In this portfolio, the template was saved as a PDF to make it accessible to readers, but the interactivity of the file was lost with the conversion and worked only when used with the ActiveInspire and ActivBoard.
This template was used as a starting platform for many mini lessons developed for special needs students and integrated in self-contained classes to assist learners in development of appropriate communication and small-motor skills. Real photographs and clip art images were used to represent certain vocabulary that was set as an academic goal for students. As the teacher called out the name of each object and gave a one-step direction, the student would use the stylus to manipulate the pictures. Immediate feedback was provided with pre-programmed sound effects: cheers for a successful move or an encouragement to try again if mistakes were made. Students seemed to enjoy having sound effects accompanying their movements.
The unstructured field experience shared as Artifact #2 was an opportunity to work with exceptional children as well. A small group of students with individual academic plans in Speech and Language was exploring different iPad applications that supported their individual goals in articulation and fluency. The recording options in the applications were the most beneficial tools of assistive technology. Allowing students to record their pronunciation practices and identify areas for improvement allowed students to own and progress monitor their learning. Collaborative work with speech pathologists was a learning experience that helped me grow as a coach and develop a deeper understanding of strategies with which digital tools and resources could be used to adapt or assist needs of the diverse student population.
The experiences described above were critical in building stronger relationships between Special Education teachers and me. Usually, learning about technology tools and resources addressed needs of regular education classrooms and most professional learning opportunities were provided for them. The fact that the special education team began asking questions and seeking advice from me made this experience valuable to all members of the school community. Observing special education classes and support consistent implementation of BYOT and other technologies could allow measuring the impact of this work on academic performance of students with special needs. Making an intentional effort to think about assistive and adaptive technology resources should become a norm when designing and implementing technology tools and resources in the classroom. Developing a habit of paying close attention to the diverse make-up of individual classes would increase the impact of technology integration on student academic success.