https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9 How have you used assistive technology- either professionally or personally? en-us 2022-10-21 16:54:35 UTC 2022-10-31 01:26:39 UTC hello@padlet.com mrjchenteacher https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2352641673 Many assistive technologies are used in everyday life nowadays as you've mentioned above. Everyday I use assistive technologies such as speech to text when I'm in the car, giving verbal commands to Google at home, and using closed captioning when watching shows. In the classroom, I've seen students use digital translators, speech to text typing software, and math tools that helps with solving simple math questions.]]> 2022-10-23 22:13:43 UTC https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2352641673 https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2352902384 I use Assistive Technologies frequently throughout my day, both professionally and personally. Personally, I use speech-to-text features frequently on my Apple Watch and also use an Echo Auto in my car which allows me to control my devices with my voice. In the classroom, I often make sure of my Echo Show 5 to set timers, pick random student numbers, flip a coin, and other features. I encourage students to explore dictation features in Google Docs as they sometimes need breaks from typing. I feel like I rely on various assistive technologies now and would have a difficult time without them! - Joseph Villella]]> 2022-10-24 03:12:53 UTC https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2352902384 kendalbenesh https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2355954043 As others have mentioned, assistive technologies have really become integrated into our daily lives. Just ten years ago, I would not have imagined they would be ubiquitous. We have a Google home centre that is constantly helping us out with music selection, Google queries, and quick weather checks, and I use voice to text daily. I have not integrated Assistive Technologies into the type of educating I do, but I am hopeful this OER will inspire me to think of some ways to integrate it into my work. ]]> 2022-10-25 18:10:22 UTC https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2355954043 justinejohal https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2359875330 I have used assistive technology in my personal and professional life. My husband is a big fan of assistive technology. I am a little more skeptical with the privacy issues that are often brought to light regarding assistive technology. At home, our house is pretty connected through our Google Home. We can use voice command to control our lights and TV. When it was first being set up, I said I would never use it, and that it was a waste of money. However, over time, I found myself using it more and more for some simple tasks, like turning on a light. At school, I've used it to support english language learners by using Google Translate. I also use dictation on the iPads and computers to support students with writing output learning disabilities.]]> 2022-10-28 01:01:28 UTC https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2359875330 msemilyolson https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2361123792 AT is essential to my work where I trial and implement technology with students who have disabilities. For these students AT is a fundamental tool for communication and access. 

It's interesting to consider how we differentiate assistive tech from educational tech or just tech. I've always considered my (frequent) use of Google Home, translation tools, and reminders/calendar on my phone as just technology (not AT), as it's supportive and complementary to my needs rather than fundamental. For ELLs translation support is more fundamental. But as these types of supports become more integrated into most of our days, they seem more fundamental than complementary for all of us as we rely on them more. ]]> 2022-10-28 21:02:05 UTC https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2361123792 zanzithophone https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2362396498 I am somewhat of a Neo-Luddite as I have stayed away from most assistive Technology innovations within our living space (I still read books while my wife downloads them onto her Kobo and makes fun of my reading light). It feels somewhat weird to me to think that there is a microphone on in our house potentially 24 hours a day. But I have definitely seen the benefits of speech to text when it comes to text messages, especially as I am not an adept texter, like my daughter. I also have an Element Bolt cycling computer that can give me directions in real time to a route that I download. I have a friend who travels to Taiwan; he has a working partner there who will send him routes to ride, which he will then download onto his Bolt and go out. So, maybe one day I will immerse myself in this AT... but until then, I will just amuse myself by asking Siri what Zero divided by zero is.]]> 2022-10-30 23:00:03 UTC https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2362396498 https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2362411209 In this topic, I think I'm a bit on the other side of the spectrum in that I rarely utilize any technologies that require intense recording of voice or other bio-generated data (retinal scans, fingerprints). Some individuals are very comfortable using voice-to-text in their phones, home devices or apps. I personally find it very difficult to think that my voice snippets may be out on some cloud forever, so I generally avoid these technologies unless the product offer is something really compelling. However, I do see the value in these applications, particularly for language learning. I was very impressed with some Japanese-language learning apps that allow users to record their pronunciation and compare it to the sample prompt. This type of technology has great potential to enhance language learning for those who are not in an immersive environment, like students in university, who may find it easy to learn to reading/writing part of language learning, but may stumble with the listening/speaking part. Thank you for sharing this overview!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bravolang.japanese]]> 2022-10-30 23:30:18 UTC https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2362411209 https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2362499796 The way that I have used AT in my classroom is by using speech to text software that comes standard with Word on Office 365. Many of the students in my class have issues with their written output and have been developing the skills to use this technology to facilitate their writing. It is not without its challenges however, as students need to pre-plan their thoughts so that they can speak clearly and in a linear manner. They also need to be able to edit the resulting text to adhere to appropriate grammatical standards. ]]> 2022-10-31 01:14:28 UTC https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2362499796 https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2362505313 Currently our company is working towards ensuring all content is WCAG AA compliant. This means that all videos should have audio descriptions, captions, and transcripts, that alt text should be used for images as needed, that typography is used correctly for screen readers, and that everything is designed to be used for those using assistive technology. 
In order to do this, I have downloaded multiple screen-readers in the past to test how accessible our software is, and what may need to be designed differently.]]> 2022-10-31 01:18:56 UTC https://padlet.com/petrokats/84inlii9mid2mcc9/wish/2362505313