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The research evidence in this category is minimal and suffers, undoubtedly, from the same apparent "face validity" of the advantages in "response and navigation." For students with physical and motor disabilities, the advantages of providing alternative tools and assistive technologies is so evident that researchers have not adequately researched their actual advantages for learning. The available research is also widely scattered in terms of the types of options provided (e.g., switch options, overlays, alternative keyboards, etc.). Scholarly reviews are devoted most often to highlighting best practices and comparative techniques.

Experimental & Quantitative Evidence

Alper, S., & Raharinirina, S. (2006). Assistive technology for individuals with disabilities: A review and synthesis of the literature. TAM Board Members, 21(2), 47-64.

Lange, A. A., McPhillips, M., Mulhern, G., & Wylie, J. (2006). Assistive software tools for secondary-level students with literacy difficulties. Journal of Special Education Technology, 21(3), 13-22.

Mechling, L. C. (2006). Comparison of the effects of three approaches on the frequency of stimulus activations, via a single switch, by students with profound intellectual disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 40(2), 94.

Norris, C., Sullivan, T., Poirot, J., & Soloway, E. (2003). No access, no use, no impact: Snapshot surveys of educational technology in K-12. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 36(1), 15-27.

Stoner, J. B., Beck, A. R., Bock, S. J., Hickey, K., Kosuwan, K., & Thompson, J. R. (2006). The effectiveness of the picture exchange communication system with nonspeaking adults. Remedial & Special Education, 27(3), 154-165.

Scholarly Reviews & Expert Opinions

Behrmann, M., & Schaff, J. (2001). Assisting educators with assistive technology: Enabling children to achieve independence in living and learning. Children and Families, 42(3), 24-28.

Brown, M. R. (2000). Access, instruction, and barriers: Technology issues facing students at risk. Remedial and Special Education, 21(3), 182-192.

Caldwell, B., Cooper, M., Guarino Reid, L. & Vanderheiden, G. Web accessibility guidelines 2.0; guideline 4.1 compatible: Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies. Retrieved January 19, 2009, from http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#ensure-compat

George, C. L., Schaff, J. L., & Jeffs, T. (2005). Physical access in today's schools: Empowerment through assistive technology. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins & R. Boone (Eds.), Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 355-377). Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin: Knowledge by Design, Inc.

Judge, S. (2006). Constructing an assistive technology toolkit for young children: Views from the field. Journal of Special Education Technology. 21(4), 17-24.

Lee, C. M. (1999). Learning disabilities and assistive technology: An emerging way to touch the future. Amherst, MA: McGowan.

Lewis, R. B. (1998). Assistive technology and learning disabilities: Today's realities and tomorrow's promises. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(1), 16-26, 54.

Lodge, J. (2000). Will the overlay board survive in the mainstream primary classroom? Closing the Gap, 18(6), 16-17.

Lueck, A. H., Dote-Kwan, J., Senge, J. C., & Clarke, L. (2001). Selecting assistive technology for greater independence. RE: View, 33(1), 21-33.

Male, M. (2002). Technology for inclusion: Meeting the special needs of all students (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

McKenna, M. C., & Walpole, S. (2007). Assistive technology in the reading clinic: Its emerging potential. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(1), 140-145.

Newton, D. A., Case, D. A., & Bauder, D. K. (2002). No- and low-tech tools to access the general curriculum. Closing the Gap, 21(4), 1-36.

Peterson-Karlan, G. R., Parette, H. P., & Center, S. E. A. T. (2007). Supporting struggling writers using technology:Evidence-based instruction and decision-making, National Center for Technology Innovation.

Raskind, M. H., & Higgins, E. L. (1998). Assistive technology for postsecondary students with learning disabilities:An overview. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(1), 27-40.

Research Center, Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd). Using assistive technologies to support writing. Retrieved January 19, 2009, from http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=108

Rose, D., Hasselbring, T. S., Stahl, S., & Zabala, J. (2005). Assistive technology and universal design for learning:Two sides of the same coin. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins & R. Boone (Eds.), Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 507-518). Whitefish Bay, WI: Knowledge by Design.

Thompson, T. (2003). The interdependent roles of all players in making technology accessible. Journal of Special Education Technology, 18(4), 21-28.

Zabala, J., Blunt, M., Carl, D., Davis, S., Deterding, C., Foss, T., et al. (2000). Quality indicators for assistive technology services in school settings. Journal of Special Education Technology, 15(4), 25-36.

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The research evidence in this category is minimal and suffers, undoubtedly, from the same apparent "face validity" of the advantages in "response and navigation." For students with physical and motor disabilities, the advantages of providing alternative tools and assistive technologies is so evident that researchers have not adequately researched their actual advantages for learning.

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article about educational technology tools to try

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article about educational technology tools to try

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Listen to this post as a podcast:
Sponsored by Listenwise and NewseumED

Every January, I launch a brand-new edition of my Teacher's Guide to Tech. As challenging and time-consuming as it is to put this guide together every year, it's also pretty magical. I find myself sitting at my keyboard with a million browser tabs open and it happens-that moment when I come across some idea that someone has brought into the world and I think Holy cow, this is good. The thought that someone saw a problem or a need in the world, and they used code to create something brand new to meet that need-that process, that realization of human creativity, is just incredible to me. I watch as these tools come and go and change over time and I marvel at the people behind them, the risks they take, their willingness to try new stuff and push their ideas out into the world.

I don't think technology is the end-all be-all, and of course it brings new problems into our lives, but just watching the creativity behind these tools makes me so excited to live in a time when so many ordinary people can actually bring their ideas to life and watch those ideas impact the world.

So every year, I choose six of these tools that I think are worth a little extra attention. Before we get to the six-plus the two "honorable mentions" I squeezed in at the end-let's take a quick look at the 2019 guide:

The Tools

1. Equity Maps
equitymaps.com
Figuring out which students participate in a class discussion-and how often-can be a huge challenge. Equity Maps is an iPad app for keeping track of that.

You start by creating a seating chart that shows where students are sitting for a discussion. When the discussion starts, you just tap each student's icon as that student contributes to the conversation. Equity Maps keeps track of how long each student talks so that when you're done, you can get a summary of how often each class member participated, how many were active participants, and whether there was equal gender distribution among those who actively engaged.

Other features add more functionality: There are buttons to record periods of silence, pair-shares and small groups, and even a "chaos" button to keep track of times when the formal discussion dissolved into many smaller conversations. An audio recorder even lets you record the whole discussion so that you can review it later with the map, helping you and your students reflect on the quality of their participation.

Equity Maps would be a useful tool for most grade levels and subject areas-in any class where you want students to actively participate.

2. ProWritingAid*
prowritingaid.com
We have a lot of good writing tools out there, but this is one of the most comprehensive I've seen. ProWritingAid does a really deep dive into the quality of your writing, looking at everything from passive voice to overused words, from the use of clichés to sentence variety. Just compose in the tool itself, copy and paste, or upload a document and you'll get a summary report with all kinds of statistics about the strengths and weaknesses of the piece, plus suggestions for changes when you hover over highlighted places in the text itself.

Here are just a few of the things your summary report will tell you: the readability of your piece based on four different reading scales, the number of times you used certain words, the most unique words in your piece, your average sentence length (along with a graph that actually shows you where sentences of different lengths are placed), how often you used adverbs (which can weaken your writing), and how often you used weak or passive wording. It has a free and a paid version, but you can get a lot of mileage out of the free version.

If you're an English teacher you really need to take a look at this tool-it will reinforce a lot of what you're trying to teach your students, and will draw their attention to individual strengths and weaknesses, which will make it much easier to personalize instruction.

3. Google Tour Creator
vr.google.com/tourcreator
A lot of teachers are already familiar with Google Expeditions, a virtual reality platform that lets users experience hundreds of places in the world in 3D. But what you might not know is that you can now create your own tours using Tour Creator. This tool enables us to create our own tours, using imagery from Google Street View or our own 360 photos, then publish them right into Poly, Google's library of free VR and AR objects.

Students can create tours as part of a research project, use them as a way to reflect after a field trip, or even as a supplement to a creative writing project. They can be used to create tours of your school, your classroom, or your town. If your school doesn't currently have much VR technology, start with an affordable Google Cardboard -just pop a smartphone into one of these and you now have one VR headset that can be used by a small group of students.

4. Great Big Story
greatbigstory.com
Great Big Story's mission statement reads as follows: "We believe there is magic in the world and it's our mission in life to help you discover it. We search for stories showing a sense of optimism for the world...because goodness can grow through the smallest cracks in the sidewalk."

How they help us discover the world's magic is through video: short, professionally produced videos about people and phenomena all over the world, stories that will pique your curiosity and give you the sense of wonder about the world. Videos can be browsed by themes like Human Condition, Planet Earth, and Flavors (yep, all about food), or in curated playlists. There's one on America's oldest female BMX racer, one about a 12-year-old scientist who took on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and one on the accidental invention of the best snack food ever.

Video is becoming a well-respected form of "text" that can be consumed and analyzed as deeply as any print text, so collections like these should become a part of your school's library of options for classroom materials. One word of warning: Although the content on the site has been rated safe for all audiences on YouTube and Facebook, the videos on Great Big Story were not made specifically for a student audience, and some material will not be appropriate for younger viewers. Teachers should preview videos before sharing them with students.

5. GeoGuessr
geoguessr.com
This one is my absolute favorite.

This addictive game plunks you down somewhere in the world using Google Street view. You literally start on some country road and the whole point of the game is to figure out where in the world you are. You can navigate down the road in the app, and you can turn around and zoom in to look more closely at things, but because the game often chooses the most remote locations, you often find yourself traveling for quite a while before you see any clues. Once you do see something-a road sign, ideally, or something at least with language on it-you can start figuring it out.

I don't even know if this is following the rules, but the times I've played this, I've been amazed at the number of resources I ended up pulling together to figure things out: I do Google image matches, use Google Translate to figure out what a language even is, and even look things up on Wikipedia to figure out if I'm on the right track. I've had four or five different tabs open to try and narrow down a precise location, and all the while, I'm learning stuff. I had no idea, for example, that there was an island called Gotland off the coast of Sweden! Or that there's an animal called a springhare in South Africa that looks an awful lot like a kangaroo.

Whenever you think you know where you are, you choose a location on a map, then you're rewarded with a certain number of points based on how close you got. When you get close, it's just thrilling. This would be a fantastic option for early finishers, lame duck days, or even as a reward for good behavior. It's that fun.

6. Webjets
webjets.io
When you first look at Webjets, you might think, "Oh, it's like Padlet." And in some ways, you'd be right: In Webjets, users create boards where they gather items on cards, placing these on a desktop that feels like a bulletin board.

But with Webjets, these cards work even harder than they do on Padlet, and they come in a variety of formats: A card can contain an image, an embedded video, a live Google Doc, an attached file, or a table containing a variety of elements organized into columns. Probably the best feature is that cards can be collected into folders, where the items are listed along the left, and the selected item appears in a larger window on the right. You can keep multiple folders on one board, and all cards can be collapsed or expanded, making it easy to neatly collect large amounts of resources all in one place.

Webjets would be an excellent, flexible tool for any kind of group project or curation task, whether it's done by you or your students.

Honorable Mention

YoTeach!
yoteachapp.com
If, like me, you were completely devastated when the backchannel tool TodaysMeet shut down last year, you'll be happy to know that you can have almost the same experience on YoTeach! Just set up a free room, give your students the URL, and everyone can come on in and chat just like they did on TodaysMeet. What's even better is that you can password protect your room, participants can add pictures and drawings in the chat, and rooms don't appear to ever expire.

ClassroomQ
classroomq.com
This simple website solves a problem that so many teachers have: students waiting for the teacher's attention. Rather than have them wait with their hands up or get off-task, they can add their name to a digital queue, adding a note about what they need if they like. The teacher sees the names in the order they were submitted, and once the student has met with the teacher, their name can be checked off with a single click.

Where to Get the Teacher's Guide to Tech

Single-User Licenses:If you just want a copy for yourself, you can get a copy at Teachers Pay Teachers or on Teachable.

Multi-User Licenses: To get the guide for your team, school, or even district, you can save a lot by getting multi-user licenses. I offer the deepest discounts for these on Teachable.

Purchase on Teachable
Purchase on TpT
*Since the publication of this post, I have become an affiliate for ProWritingAid, which means Cult of Pedagogy receives a percentage of any subscription that comes through my links. This relationship was not established until after I wrote the post, and my decision to choose ProWritingAid as one of these six tools was not financially motivated in any way.

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Listen to this post as a podcast: Sponsored by Listenwise and NewseumED Every January, I launch a brand-new edition of my Teacher's Guide to Tech. As challenging and time-consuming as it is to put this guide together every year, it's also pretty magical.

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article about technology and student agency

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article about technology and student agency

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February 2019 | Volume 76 | Number 5
The Tech-Savvy School Pages 12-18

Will Richardson

Siddharth Mandala was just 12 years old in 2012 when the brutal rape of a woman in Delhi, India, by six men on a transit bus made international headlines. At 15, he set about to "create something that could stop people from becoming victims of rape" (Mandala, 2017).

His invention, which he called the ElectroShoe, is a type of footwear that with one kick can instantly deliver a powerful electric shock to a perpetrator and simultaneously send an alert to police and family members. Siddharth created a circuit board within the shoes that uses the owner's footsteps to charge itself; as the user walks, it generates energy that is then stored in a rechargeable battery.

"The invention process was an uphill climb as I ran into countless problems," Mandala wrote. He had to teach himself programming. His prototype failed 17 times. He was nearly electrocuted-twice. When it finally worked, he said he felt like a superhero.

As with many entrepreneur stories, it's not so much the product that's interesting, but the journey behind the creation of it. In this case, that journey is a model for how our students are making and learning in the modern world.

A Whole New World

Siddharth's invention would not have been possible without the freedom to pursue a solution to a problem that deeply mattered to him.

That creative freedom, or "agency," is a key aspect of almost every deep learning experience that we have in life. Our ability to decide on our own terms what, when, and how to learn leads to learning that "sticks" far more than when we are given little or no choice. And when that agency is amplified by the integration of modern technologies, we have a potent mix for solving real problems in the world, benefiting real people in powerful ways.

That mix is rarely as potent as it can be in most school settings, however. Access to technology is no longer the issue-nearly every child in the United States has Internet access at school today, and most are provided with tablets, laptops, or smartphones (Herrold, 2017). Instead, the question is about what we are encouraging kids to do with those devices. Do we fully understand the importance of agency and technology in a learning context both inside and outside the school walls?

Siddharth Mandala is just one example of a student who had the freedom to pursue a passion that helped him learn and improve the world. Many others are going above and beyond their school learning:

Anna Salvatore, a 16-year-old from Pennington, New Jersey, created the High School SCOTUS blog (https://highschoolscotus.wordpress.com), which keeps tabs on the latest court cases, and, among other things, publishes interviews with judges at various levels of the system. She now has four other student collaborators from around the country.

As a high school sophomore, Aaron Westbrook designed and printed a 3-D prosthetic arm to replace his own forearm, which was missing from birth, and then, for his senior project, created another for a seven-year-old girl.

13-year-old Emma Yang developed a mobile app called Timeless that allows Alzheimer's patients to recognize people through automatic artificial intelligence-based facial recognition technology, an idea sparked by her grandmother's struggle to remember names.

These students pursued their own passions outside of the school day and curriculum in ways that led to powerful, important learning-and significant contributions to the world. And they are also examples of the power of technology when used in the service of projects that are self-determined, ones that matter to the learner.

Adding Agency to the Classroom

In many circles, the phrase "voice and choice" has become a popular term for creating options for student learners. Voice and choice advocates say they want more freedom for students to select a path to a particular learning outcome. However, this often does not include allowing them to select their own outcomes in the first place.

That's a crucial distinction, because true agency is the freedom to choose what to learn as well as how to learn it. Curriculum matters, but only to the extent that it is used to support a student's inquiry. In neglecting this aspect of independent learning, many schools are missing the opportunity to give students true agency over their learning. Author and educator Sean Michael Morris (2017) offers a compelling description of agency in a school context:

Agency does not give us power over another, but it gives us mastery over ourselves. And an education that does not encourage or facilitate this agency is not an education. An education that convinces us of what needs to be known, what is important versus what is frivolous, is not an education. It's training at best, conscription at worst. And all it prepares us to do is to believe what we're told.

Obviously, that's a characterization of agency that challenges the systems and structures of most schools today. But it's arguable that for students to thrive in an increasingly complex and uncertain future, Morris's version of agency is closer to what classrooms should aspire to in the modern world. In a world that increasingly privileges a person's ability to learn over her ability to carry knowledge around in her head, creating the conditions for agency in classrooms is a requirement, not an add on.

Our students know this. At a moment when some surveys show that only about a third of high school juniors are engaged in school (Busteed, 2013), students are increasingly pushing back against the highly regulated systems and structures of school that constrain agency. They feel increasingly disassociated from the ways in which they learn outside of school.

Sam Levin was one of those dissatisfied students. In 2012, as a high school senior, he founded The Independent Project, a school within the Monument Mountain Regional High School in Barrington, Massachusetts, that focused on student-driven learning. Through this experiment, Levin wanted students to be able to pursue learning on their own terms. He sees student agency as an absolute, especially as the problems we face as a global society, such as climate change and large shifts in economic and political systems, become more complex. Students at The Independent Project used technology to create videos and podcasts around passion projects, which they then shared on the Web (Tsai, 2013).

In an article in The Washington Post, Levin says:

People talk about giving students a voice. A seat at the table. If we're going to solve these problems, we're going to need more than that. ... Give them real agency in their own education. ... Let them learn things that have real meaning to them. Make them the authors of their curriculum (Strauss, 2014).

Making students true authors of their own curriculum has never been easier, given our advances in technology. In Invent to Learn, authors Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager (2013) write that there are three primary affordances from modern technologies that can be applied to the classroom. First, with fabricators and 3-D printers, we can make real things when we need them for unique purposes that no one else may ever share. Second, we can use small, simple circuit boards and electronics to do physical computing, such as connecting devices to the Internet or creating robots, games, and home appliances. And finally, programming has become mainstream, which, according to Martinez and Stager, may be the most important development of all when it comes to understanding the world around us.

In a blog post, Stager writes:

The act of computing gives children agency over an increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated world. When every child owns a personal portable computer, they are able to construct knowledge "anytime anywhere,' learn-by-doing, and share their knowledge with a global audience. Computing bestows agency upon learners and allows them to embrace complexity while exploring domains of knowledge and demonstrating ways of knowing unavailable to adults just a few years ago (Stager, 2017).

In other words, this moment is increasingly about expanding the opportunities for students to get outside both the curricular and classroom boxes most schools currently put them in.

Agency and Technology in Classrooms

So, how can schools tap into students' creativity and ambition to help them take control of their own learning? What does the combination of transformative new technologies and student agency look like in schools? The answers to these questions are already taking shape in some schools.

In a conversation during a leadership workshop last fall, Vice Principal David Truss of Inquiry Hub, an innovative secondary school in the Coquitlam School District, British Columbia, told me that his students spend about half their time working on projects that they initiate, design, and share with the world. One such project, VoteMate.org, is the brainchild of senior Laef Kucheran, whose interest in politics led him to create an easy way for voters to compare candidates in their local elections. On his site, candidates can upload information on their views and platforms, share contact information, and even chat with potential voters. This year, Kucheran plans to use the site to support the provincial and federal elections in Canada as well.

My colleagues at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School outside of Atlanta are helping students use the latest in virtual reality technology to try to change the face of pediatric rehabilitation in a local hospital, among other things. Students visited rehab centers to get a sense of what projects might improve a child's experience there. In one instance, students developed a virtual reality game that the young patients could play while exercising.

"We created our VR Lab to do good things in the world, and our students have the freedom to figure out what that means in terms of their own interests," says teacher Marie Graham, the director of the lab.

And finally, in Christina Classen's classroom in Colorado Springs District 11, students select a problem or a cause that they see as important and work to solve it or raise awareness. Christina, who is an alumna of the master class program, Change School, that I run, has given her students agency to learn about immigration, teen suicide and depression, local laws governing pit bulls, and police brutality.

"When kids have a say in what they learn about and can exercise that agency around how to do it as well, they are way more invested and they are much more passionate and driven about getting the work done," Classen says. "And the technologies they use to do research, to interview people, and to produce end products are what take the projects to a much higher level."

Making Room for Agency

It is not easy to move toward a classroom environment that is built on the combination of giving students the freedom to pursue topics that matter to them and providing the technologies they need to create meaningful, beautiful, and important work in the world. We aren't used to students having that much freedom. And to be honest, we're also not used to putting the true potentials of technology in the hands of children. Both challenge the cultures and the roles of teachers that are prevalent in most schools.

Traditional systems and structures were built for a type of classroom experience that is teacher-controlled and mediated by a very narrow vision for the use of technology. Despite the growing ubiquity of devices, giving students the freedom to use those devices for learning of their own design is complex on many levels, not the least of which are ensuring safety and appropriate use. A shift in practice requires a great deal of time to build norms and trust, as well as to create a very different, coherent vision around what learning is and how it can happen in classrooms.

The first step in moving toward more student agency in general is for leaders, teachers, and parents to acknowledge and articulate the fact that learning only occurs at depth when the learner has choice. That we don't base more of our practice on that reality leads to much of the dissonance kids and teachers are experiencing in schools today. But such a shared vision requires extensive, and in some cases uncomfortable, conversations that require months-if not years-of intentional planning.

Second, we need to create conditions in schools that give students more space to roam when it comes to learning. The trend toward Genius Hour and maker spaces is an encouraging start, but true agency that leads to deep learning requires that we move beyond providing just an hour or a space. It requires reimagining the classroom. It also requires reimagining the role of the teacher to become more of an expert on learning than an expert on any particular subject. On an eye-opening visit last summer to the Haeata Community Campus in Christchurch, New Zealand, I saw K-12 students working almost full-time on self-determined projects, meeting when necessary in small groups with teachers who served more as mentors and coaches than as instructors.

Finally, we need to engage in some important conversations about assessment as it applies to student-determined projects. Without question, for example, helping students learn how to self-assess will develop a much-needed skill that will serve them throughout their lives.

Every day, all around us, kids are using modern technologies to follow their passions and to share the amazing results of those pursuits with global audiences. The more we can bring those learning experiences inside of school and help students do even more important work with us than they can do on their own, the more prepared they'll be for a fast changing, increasingly uncertain world.

› Do you agree with Richardson that "true agency is the freedom to choose what to learn as well as how to learn it"? Why or why not?

› Why is technology so crucial to student agency? Why aren't more schools embracing the potential of the two?

› Think of a time you've used technology in the classroom to enhance student learning. Could you have done something differently to give students more control over what and how they learned?

References

Busteed, B. (2013, January 7). The school cliff: Student engagement drops with each school year. Gallup.com. Retrieved from https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/170525/school-cliff-student-engagement-drops-school-year.aspx

Herrold, B. (2017, September 19). Analysis: 94 percent of school districts nationwide meet federal high-speed internet access targets. Government Technology: State & Local Government News Articles, Emergency Management. Retrieved from www.govtech.com/network/Analysis-94-Percent-of-School-Districts-Nationwide-Meet-Federal-High-Speed-Internet-Access-Targets.html

Mandala, S. (2017, May 19). Meet the 17-year-old boy from Telangana who invented a unique device to prevent rape. The Better India. Retrieved from https://www.thebetterindia.com/101253/siddharth-mandala-electroshoe-nirbhaya

Martinez, S. L., & Stager, G. (2013). Invent to learn: Making, tinkering, and engineering in the classroom. Constructing Modern Knowledge Press.

Morris, S. M. (2017, August 20). Once a fearsome murderer invaded a Zen master's home. [blog post]. Retrieved from www.seanmichaelmorris.com/once-a-fearsome-murderer-invaded-a-zen-masters-home

Stager, G. (2017, September 28). Caution: Chromebooks. [blog post]. Retrieved from http://stager.tv/blog/?p=4145

Strauss, V. (2014, April 16). Students don't need a "voice.' Here's what they really need. The Washington Post. Retrieved from www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/04/16/students-dont-need-a-voice-heres-what-they-really-need

Tsai, C. (2013, February 13). If students designed their own schools. YouTube. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=19&v=RElUmGI5gLc

Will Richardson is a former public school educator of 22 years and currently a speaker, author, and parent. He is the cofounder of Change School and Modern Learners.

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February 2019 | Volume 76 | Number 5 The Tech-Savvy School Pages 12-18 Will Richardson Siddharth Mandala was just 12 years old in 2012 when the brutal rape of a woman in Delhi, India, by six men on a transit bus made international headlines.

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video of myths about assistive technology

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Video: 5 Myths About Assistive Technology

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Is it cheating to use assistive technology? Does AT give kids an unfair advantage? AT consultant Jamie Martin unpacks these and other myths.

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3-min tutorial about speech-to-text on a cell phone

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3-min tutorial about speech-to-text on a cell phone

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Did you know that nearly every mobile device offers text-to-speech? In other words, your phone can actually read to you what's displaying on the screen. For kids with reading issues, this can be extremely helpful in everything from doing research for school to browsing social media.

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3-Minute Tutorial: How to Use Text-to-Speech on a Mobile Device

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Did you know that nearly every mobile device offers text-to-speech? In other words, your phone can actually read to you what's displaying on the screen. For kids with reading issues, this can be extremely helpful in everything from doing research for school to browsing social media.

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video about differences between assistive tech and ed tech

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video about differences between assistive tech and ed tech

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By: Teresa Loos , EC-SEAT Scholar Part of teaching children with special needs includes providing them with a least restrictive environment in which they have access to the curriculum, opportunities to participate, and can be supported and accommodated in their education. As an educator, I live by Universal Design for Learning and the National Association of Education for Young Children and the Division for Early Childhood's Position Statement on Inclusion , which ensures that children with special needs have access, participation, and support. When people think of assistive technology, the assumption is some sort of device they can use. However, according the Assistive Technology: principles and practices, assistive technology is a broad range of devices, services, strategies, or practices that can be implemented to eliminate or alleviate problems of an individual with special needs (Cook & Hussey, 2002). Assistive technology can also be low-tech and does not require a d

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Assistive Technology vs. Instructional Technology - Three Questions with Dr. Therese Willkomm

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By: Teresa Loos , EC-SEAT Scholar Part of teaching children with special needs includes providing them with a least restrictive environment in which they have access to the curriculum, opportunities to participate, and can be supported and accommodated in their education.

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Apps for Kids with Special Needs and Learning Disabilities | Common Sense Media

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Find apps, games, and other tools to help kids with special needs and learning disabilities acquire and improve skills from communication and reading to math.

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website of assistive technology resources in NH

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website of assistive technology resources in NH

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The Institute on Disability is the lead agency for New Hampshire's statewide Assistive Technology Act Program: Assistive Technology in New Hampshire, or ATinNH. The program has two major activity areas:

1. Training, Education and Outreach: AT Trainings, Classes, and Workshops and AT Policy

2. Assistive Technology Services: Equipment Demonstrations, Loans and Refurbishing/Reuse

Therese Willkomm, Ph.D. serves as ATinNH Program Director. Please contact ATinNH staff at 603.862.4320 or atproject@unh.edu. You can also learn more about ATinNH on our website: www.atinnh.org.
ATinNH is funded under the provisions of the Administration for Community Living (ACL) through grant 2001NHATSG02.

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Assistive Technology New Hampshire (ATinNH)

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The Institute on Disability is the lead agency for New Hampshire's statewide Assistive Technology Act Program: Assistive Technology in New Hampshire, or ATinNH. The program has two major activity areas: Training, Education and Outreach: AT Trainings, Classes, and Workshops and AT Policy Assistive Technology Services: Equipment Demonstrations, Loans and Refurbishing/Reuse

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article about assistive technology and UDL

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article about assistive technology and UDL

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Assistive technology (AT): products, equipment, and systems that enhance learning, working, and daily living for persons with disabilities.

Get started learning about assistive technology and the ATIA:

1. What is assistive technology?

2. How do you choose the right assistive technology?

3. Who pays for assistive technology?

4. What is the ATIA, and how can it help you find out about assistive technology?

5. Can you attend an ATIA conference and what will you learn?

6. Can you attend an online ATIA webinar?

What is assistive technology?

Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.

AT can be low-tech: communication boards made of cardboard or fuzzy felt.

AT can be high-tech: special-purpose computers.

AT can be hardware: prosthetics, mounting systems, and positioning devices.

AT can be computer hardware: special switches, keyboards, and pointing devices.

AT can be computer software: screen readers and communication programs.

AT can be inclusive or specialized learning materials and curriculum aids.

AT can be specialized curricular software.

AT can be much more-electronic devices, wheelchairs, walkers, braces, educational software, power lifts, pencil holders, eye-gaze and head trackers, and much more.

Assistive technology helps people who have difficulty speaking, typing, writing, remembering, pointing, seeing, hearing, learning, walking, and many other things. Different disabilities require different assistive technologies.

Find more about specific assistive technologies at the websites of ATIA members and ATIA Alliance Partners. Professional organizations in the field also have helpful websites. For more links, see AT Resources.

How do you choose the right assistive technology?

Most often, the choice is a decision you make with a team of professionals and consultants trained to match particular assistive technologies to specific needs. An AT team may include family doctors, regular and special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, rehabilitation engineers, occupational therapists, and other specialists including consulting representatives from companies that manufacture assistive technology.

Find out more about how various professionals can help you at the websites of their professional organizations:

Service organizations and manufacturers offer important information as well. Start with the list of ATIA Alliance Partners.

Who pays for assistive technology?

The answer depends on the technology, the use, and the user. Many kinds of AT may cost you little or nothing, even for some very expensive items. Some examples:

School systems pay for general special education learning materials as well as technology specified in an IEP.

Government programs (Social Security, veteran's benefits, or state Medicaid agencies) pay for certain assistive technology if a doctor prescribes it as a necessary medical device.

Private health insurance pays for certain assistive technology if a doctor prescribes it as a necessary medical or rehabilitative device.

Rehabilitation and job training programs, whether funded by government or private agencies, may pay for assistive technology and training to help people get jobs.

Employers may pay for assistive technology that is a reasonable accommodation to enable an employee to perform essential job tasks.

Other sources of funds in states or communities include private foundations, charities, and civic organizations. The ATIA's Funding Resources Guide provides sources and resources to investigate as prospective options.

What is the ATIA, and how can it help you find out about assistive technology?

The ATIA is a not-for profit membership organization of manufacturers, sellers, and providers of technology-based assistive devices and services. ATIA members are active in providing assistive technology for the gamut of disabilities:

Autism spectrum disorders

Blindness and low vision

Deafness and hard of hearing

Computer access problems

Communication disorders

Mobility impairment

Mounting systems

Learning disabilities

Cognitive disabilities

Web accessibility

Augmentative and alternative communication devices (AAC)

ATIA members are not primarily focused on architectural products (specialized elevators, lifts, ramps or grab bars), transport products (wheelchairs and motor vehicle adaptations), prosthetic devices (artificial limbs and eyes), and hearing aids.

Find out more about the assistive technology products and services provided by ATIA members by looking at their websites, listed in the ATIA Membership Directory.

ATIA members possess an exceptional storehouse of experience and knowledge valuable to meeting the unique needs of persons requiring assistive technology. They have broad experience adapting their products to individual situations and helping local practitioners find one-of-a-kind solutions for consumers with disabilities.

The ATIA Conference, held annually since 1999, showcases products and services for the assistive technology community-from users to educators to industry and government professionals. In addition, the ATIA sponsors working groups through which its members work to advance industry standards as technology changes, and to find new ways to disseminate information about those advances to professionals and the public.

The ATIA and its members develop online webinars that provide continuing education about assistive technology for practitioners and interested members of the public.

Can you attend an ATIA Conference and what will you learn?

Everyone is invited to attend the ATIA Conference, to take advantage of the same broad range of learning opportunities that practicing therapists, teachers, and other industry professionals receive.

You can learn how to choose from the best existing technologies and get a first look at new ones as well as cutting-edge academic research. Teachers can learn proven ways to use AT in the classroom. Hands-on workshops teach more advanced ways to use specific products. In community forums, practitioners, persons who use assistive technology, and their families can discuss issues with manufacturers and professionals.

For some, the most exciting part is the Exhibit Hall, where you can try a full range of products, including new and developing technology. For others, the best part is meeting other people who are facing the same difficulties, sharing stories and helping each other.

Can you attend an Online AT Education webinar?

ATIA members and Alliance Partners provide a wealth of valuable information through the Assistive Technology Online Professional Development Program, both live and recorded. In Live Broadcast webinars, the audience can interact with the presenter. Webinars are also recorded and archived so people who cannot attend a Live Broadcast can access the information.

Webinars are primarily geared toward teachers and practitioners, who can use them for continuing education credits. But they can also be helpful for users, parents, and other members of the public who have learned the basics of assistive technology and want to learn more.

Explore upcoming live webinars as well as archives of recorded webinars here.

Learn more about AT

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What is AT? - Assistive Technology Industry Association

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Assistive technology (AT): products, equipment, and systems that enhance learning, working, and daily living for persons with disabilities. Get started learning about assistive technology and the ATIA: What is assistive technology? How do you choose the right assistive technology? Who pays for assistive technology?

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Most of the experimental studies on providing options in the mode of physical response are concentrated on the improvements to learning made possible by providing keyboarding and voice recognition options for several types of students: typically achieving students, students who have high incidence learning disabilities (e.g. dyslexia) or students who have specific writing disabilities (e.g. dysgraphia). In contrast, there are no experimental research studies that show evidence of improved learning for students with severe motor disabilities. This is remarkable since the advantages of physical and motor options (e.g. expanded keyboards, single switch devices, or other assistive technologies, etc.) for students with physical disabilities are typically considered the most enabling of options. These advantages are undoubtedly considered so self-evident that adequate experimental studies - on learning - have not been conducted. Scholarly reviews and opinion pieces are primarily limited to reports on comparative techniques and technical advances for mobility and dexterity rather than improvements in learning.

Experimental & Quantitative Evidence

Bangert-Drowns, R. L. (1993). The word processor as an instructional tool: A meta-analysis of word processing in writing instruction. Review of Educational Research, 63(1), 69-93.

Crealock, C., & Sitko, M. (1990). Comparison between computer and handwriting technologies in writing training with learning disabled students. International Journal of Special Education, 5(2), 173-183.

Dalton, D. W., & Hannafin, M. J. (1987). The effects of word processing on written composition. Journal of Educational Research, 80(6), 338-342.

Dalton, B. D., Herbert, M., & Deysher, S. (2003). Scaffolding students' response to digital literature with embedded strategy supports: The role of audio-recording vs. writing student response options. 53rd Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference.

Geoffrion, L. D. (1982). The feasibility of word processing for students with writing handicaps. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 11(3), 239-250.

Goldberg, A., Russell, M., & Cook, A. (2003). The effect of computers on student writing: A meta-analysis of studies from 1992 to 2002. Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 2(1), 1-24.

Hetzroni, O. E., & Shrieber, B. (2004). Word processing as an assistive technology tool for enhancing academic outcomes of students with writing disabilities in the general classroom. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(2), 143.

Higgins, E. L., & Raskind, M. H. (1995). Compensatory effectiveness of speech recognition on the written composition performance of postsecondary students with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 18(2), 159-174.

Jones, D., & Christensen, C. A. (1999). Relationship between automaticity in handwriting and students' ability to generate written text. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(1), 44-49.

Jones, I. (1994). The effect of a word processor on the written composition of second-grade pupils. Computers in the Schools, 11(2), 43-54.

Joram, E. (1992). The effects of revising with a word processor on written composition. Research in the Teaching of English, 26(2), 167-193.

Lange, A. A., McPhillips, M., Mulhern, G., & Wylie, J. (2006). Assistive software tools for secondary-level students with literacy difficulties. Journal of Special Education Technology, 21(3), 13-22.

Langone, J. (1996). The differential effects of a typing tutor and microcomputer-based word processing on the writing samples of elementary students with behavior disorders. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 29(2), 141-158.

Lewis, R. B., Graves, A. W., Ashton, T. M., & Kieley, C. L. (1998). Word processing tools for students with learning disabilities: A comparison of strategies to increase text entry speed. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 13(2), 95-108.

MacArthur, C. A. (1998). Word processing with speech synthesis and word prediction: Effects on the dialogue journal writing of students with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 21(2), 151-166.

MacArthur, C. A., & Graham, S. (1987). Learning disabled students' composing under three methods of text production: Handwriting, word processing, and dictation. Journal of Special Education, 21(3), 22-42.

Owston, R. D. (1992). The effects of word processing on students. Research in the Teaching of English, 26(3), 249-276.

Quinlan, T. (2004). Speech recognition technology and students with writing difficulties: Improving fluency. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(2), 337-346.

Roberts, K. D. (2005). The use of voice recognition software as a compensatory strategy for postsecondary education students receiving services under the category of learning disabled. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 22(1), 49-64.

Rosenbluth, G. S., & Reed, W. M. (1992). The effects of writing-process-based instruction and word processing on remedial and accelerated 11th graders. Computers in Human Behavior, 8(1), 71-95.

Stoner, J. B., Beck, A. R., Bock, S. J., Hickey, K., Kosuwan, K., & Thompson, J. R. (2006). The effectiveness of the picture exchange communication system with nonspeaking adults. Remedial & Special Education, 27(3), 154-165.

Wetzel, K. (1996). Speech-recognizing computers: A written-communication tool for students with learning disabilities?. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 29(4), 371-380.

Wolfe, E. W., Bolton, S., Feltovich, B., & Niday, D. M. (1996). The influence of student experience with word processors on the quality of essays written for a direct writing assessment. Assessing Writing, 3(2), 123-147.

Scholarly Reviews & Expert Opinions

Access Board. (2001). Section 508: New federal standards. Closing the Gap, 20(1), 1-34.

Balagopal, S., & Young, P. (Dec. 2001/Jan. 2002). Increasing independence in inclusive settings. Closing the Gap, 20(5), 1-16.

Duerstock, B. S. (2006). Accessible microscopy workstation for students and scientists with mobility impairments. Assistive Technology : The Official Journal of RESNA, 18(1), 34-45.

George, C. L., Schaff, J. L., & Jeffs, T. (2005). Physical access in today's schools: Empowerment through assistive technology. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins & R. Boone (Eds.), Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 355-377). Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin: Knowledge by Design, Inc.

Peterson-Karlan, G. R., Parette, H. P., & Center, S. E. A. T. (2007). Supporting struggling writers using technology:Evidence-based instruction and decision-making, National Center for Technology Innovation.

Quenneville, J. (2001). Tech tools for students with learning disabilities: Infusion into inclusive classrooms. Preventing School Failure, 45(4), 167-170.

Sanderson, A. (1999). Voice recognition software. A panacea for dyslexic learners or a frustrating hindrance? Dyslexia, 5, 114-118.

Sitko, M. C., Laine, C. J., & Sitko, C. (2005). Writing tools: Technology and strategies for struggling writers. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins & R. Boone (Eds.), Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 571-598). Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin: Knowledge by Design.

Wadsworth, D., Donna, F., & Knight, D. (1999). Preparing the inclusion classroom for students with special physical and health needs. Intervention in School and Clinic, 34(3), 170.

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Most of the experimental studies on providing options in the mode of physical response are concentrated on the improvements to learning made possible by providing keyboarding and voice recognition options for several types of students: typically achieving students, students who have high incidence learning disabilities (e.g.

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Interact with tools and environments that make learning physically accessible to all.

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information about a digital system for students requesting a teacher's help

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information about a digital system for students requesting a teacher's help

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A powerfully simple tool made by teachers, for teachers ...

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and it was indeed necessity that launched ClassroomQ, a website designed to give teachers a more efficient way of assisting students in the classroom. The idea was rather simple: to digitally "queue" up students in need of assistance through the use of an internet-ready device. When students needed assistance they would simply click a button and the teacher would be notified immediately on their device, effectively making something as prevalent and "established" as physical hand-raising obsolete. Students would even be able to leave the teacher a comment, making the whole process even more efficient since a teacher could then quickly take care of simple problems.

When the idea presented itself to co-founder, Kyle Niemis, a science teacher in the South Brunswick School District, he was convinced such an app or website already existed. Search as he did, he consistently came up empty-handed, but where others would have given up he took matters into his own hands and contacted fellow do-it-yourselfer and teacher, Dan Martinho, a music educator in the Wall Township School District. Kyle and Dan had crossed paths once before while both worked in the South Brunswick School District, at an in-district technology professional development session, no less. Kyle remembered how Dan had a small side business developing apps and websites and thought he may be able to help make this idea come to life. After a meeting and several chats over the phone, the two embarked on an almost one-year journey to create what would eventually become known as ClassroomQ.

"The response to ClassroomQ has been nothing short of overwhelming," says co-founder, Dan Martinho. "When Kyle approached me with his idea I knew it had merit, but as with any venture like this I didn't know if others would feel the same way." Kyle and Dan attribute much of the popularity of ClassroomQ to its simplicity, something they made a main tenet throughout the development of the site. They wanted to create something teachers could implement in the classroom immediately, without the need for tinkering, professional development, or time wasted explaining how it works to students. The student dashboard of the site simply consists of two buttons: one for requesting assistance and one for canceling the request, with a comment box should the student need to leave a comment. On the teacher end, just a list of students needing assistance and any comments. The teacher receives an alert whenever students in class need help and in what order.

While refreshingly simple and easy-to-use, the site has had some major implications in the classroom, both in the United States and abroad. Teachers have reported a reduction in anxiety and a calmness in class due to knowing students who need assistance are queued up and will eventually receive their help. The ease with which students can ask for help also encourages quieter students or students who are less apt to raise their hand to ask questions and/or request assistance. Teachers have reported increased productivity in class while using the site: not having to have their hand raised frees up students to do other work and teachers are often able to troubleshoot more problems and quicker. The site also features the ability to export each session so teachers have a record of who asked for help and how many times help was requested by any student, complete with any comments. Having such a record of student interaction and engagement in class was not possible before ClassroomQ and can be very useful in developing IEPs, parent-teacher communication, lesson planning and reflection, etc.

One of the most requested features for ClassroomQ is the ability for teachers to respond to students. The site currently features the ability for students to leave teachers a comment but not vice-versa. "We didn't want ClassroomQ to be a substitute for actual, face-to-face interaction, but instead something to enhance in-class instruction," says co-founder, Kyle Niemis. "There already exists several chat apps and websites that can accomplish this." Even without this ability, the site is transforming what instruction looks like in many classrooms throughout the world. Just one of the many examples of how the right technology can change something as universal as raising your hand.

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Classroom Q - Efficiently Organize Student Questions - Flipped Learning Network Hub

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A powerfully simple tool made by teachers, for teachers ... They say necessity is the mother of invention, and it was indeed necessity that launched ClassroomQ, a website designed to give teachers a more efficient way of assisting students in the classroom. The idea was rather simple: to digitally "queue" up students in need of [...]

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information about a digital backchannel for student responses

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information about a digital backchannel for student responses

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PALMS Backchannel Chat | The new alternative to Todaysmeet

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Optimize access to tools and assistive technologies

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Optimize access to tools and assistive technologies

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Vary the methods for response and navigation

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Vary the methods for response and navigation

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a video about a young child who uses assistive technology

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a video of a middle school student presenting to an audience

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Including Samuel updates -- from Samuel himself