Lesson One Technology Strategy by Megan Bickett

Lesson 1 Technology Strategy

mmbickett — 2014-06-19 18:42:41 UTC

By Megan Bickett

Overarching Understanding- Assistive Technology

mmbickett — 2014-06-24 16:44:11 UTC

Assistive Technology is any item, piece of equipment, or product that increases, maintains, or improves functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

Types of assistive technology fall under 4 main categories: No-tech, Low-tech, Mid-tech, and High-tech.

Question

mmbickett — 2014-06-24 16:48:40 UTC

Watch the video in the box on the left. It shows a little boy using assistive technology. What kind of assistive technology do you remember seeing when you were in school?

[Please respond below this box, in a way that you can best express your thoughts, for example, but not limited to: text, video, photos... Also, don't forget to include your name in your response.]

What if...?

mmbickett — 2014-06-24 16:55:25 UTC

What if assistive technology was not available? What challenges would you, as a teacher face? What challenges would your students face? What would this kind of classroom look like?

[Please respond below this box, in a way that you can best express your thoughts, for example, but not limited to: text, video, photos... Also, don't forget to include your name in your response.]

Apply to real life...

mmbickett — 2014-06-24 16:57:57 UTC

What No-tech, Low-tech, Mid-tech, or High-tech item, piece of equipment or product do you use most often in your school work? In your classroom? At home?

[Please respond below this box, in a way that you can best express your thoughts, for example, but not limited to: text, video, photos... Also, don't forget to include your name in your response.]

Pick 1:

mmbickett — 2014-06-24 17:02:29 UTC

There are 4 categories of AT- No-Tech, Low-Tech, Mid-Tech, and High-Tech. Pick one of the categories and provide an example of an item, piece of equipment, or product that falls under that category. Explain why it falls under that category.

[Please respond below this box, in a way that you can best express your thoughts, for example, but not limited to: text, video, photos... Also, don't forget to include your name in your response.]

VIDEO

mmbickett — 2014-06-26 18:36:01 UTC

Challenge Question

mmbickett — 2014-06-26 18:37:23 UTC

What category of AT does this piece of equipment fall under? Why? What is this piece of equipment used for?

Response: Molly McGinnis

missmolly2332 — 2014-06-29 15:42:28 UTC

I absolutely love this video about Mason. Mason is one lucky student who is given every opportunity to succeed in the classroom. While I was in school I can remember seeing pencil grips, manipulatives for counting, and books on tape being used as assistive technology devices.

Response: Brittany Widner

bwidner1509 — 2014-06-29 22:46:11 UTC

I went to a small school and we did not have many students that used assistive technology. I do remember seeing the occasional pencil grip and wheelchair. I knew about a student that was mute who used a text to speech device. When she wanted to talk, she would type into the machine and it spoke for her.

Celeste Galindo

2014-06-29 23:50:17 UTC

When I was in school, I remember
seeing many different kinds of assistive
technology from pencil grips, math manipulatives, audiobooks, and on screen key boards.

Response: Catherine Spitzer

2014-06-30 00:24:50 UTC

If assistive technology was not available it would be a much different environment and a much more challenging one. Students would not be able to have the independence that they have now. They would need more one-on-one attention and their confidence level might not be as high. It would also impact the students that are non-communicative because it would be much more difficult to determine what they were trying to say without computer systems that allow them to glance at the screen at certain spots to select a word or phrase. Classrooms that have students with disabilities would have many more aids and students would not have the opportunity to learn and grow to be independent.

ResponseCatherine Spitzer

2014-06-30 01:20:41 UTC

I remember a lot of the assistive technology that students used.
My best friend is blind with very low vision. She used a machine
called a CCTV that allowed her to see what was on a piece of paper
on a large monitor screen that she could change the contrast and
the zoom. She also used a braille writer, a book reader, and a braille
note that all allowed her to be more independent and not require
a one-on-one assistant for every class.

Response: Amy Pedroli

amypedroli — 2014-06-30 17:46:30 UTC

In the past I have had to use a few different assistive technologies. When I was young I had to us a pencil grip to teach myself how to hold writing utensils. I also had to use a note card to guide my reading. Additionally I used books on tape, which help me keep up with my classes since my reading was slow.

Response: Amy Pedroli

amypedroli — 2014-06-30 17:48:11 UTC

In classrooms I have observed I have seen many types of assistive technology. Such as in a life skills classes they were learning how to communicate through pressing buttons because their communication is limited or they have a disability that does not allow them to talk. This was a high-tech device. I have also seen pencil grips which are low-tech and large text books which are no-tech. These are the devises I see in classrooms I visit.

Response: Amy Pedroli

amypedroli — 2014-06-30 17:55:28 UTC

I have seen a lot of different devises used in life skills classes I have observed. There are many high tech devises that are interesting to see and teach with. For example when teaching simple math to students there are devices where you push a button and you can record and change the answers. (Change answers via velcro numbers and record button on the bottom.) Here is an example of the one I used:

Response: Amy Pedroli

amypedroli — 2014-06-30 17:59:02 UTC

This falls under High Tech. This piece of equipment is used for communication. This communication device is very high tech and expensive.

Response: Marissa Gutierrez

marissayg13 — 2014-07-01 00:39:50 UTC

The most common thing I saw at my high school was the use of a translator. Many ESL students had one so they could correctly respond to assignments that were given in class that needed to be done in a timely matter.

Response: Marissa Gutierrez

marissayg13 — 2014-07-01 00:43:14 UTC

The most common High tech equipment I see is the use of an Ipad. Off the top of my head I cannot think of the app used for talking for our non verbal students. They use this to express every day things they need trhoughout the day.

Marissa Gutierrez

marissayg13 — 2014-07-01 00:44:48 UTC

I would almost feel as if I was failing as a teacher to a student. How could it be that there was no way to communicate with students who are non verbal. As I teach mainly children with Downs ipad are a huge help in the classroom.

Marissa Gutierrez

marissayg13 — 2014-07-01 00:46:44 UTC

Pencil grip. This is a low tech device because it can easily be attached to a writing utensil. This is great because it is simple to assemble and really helps students grasp their pencil the correct way.

Marissa Gutierrez

marissayg13 — 2014-07-01 00:50:04 UTC

High Tech- this requires a computer type processor.

Response - Nadia Manasia

nadia_manasia — 2014-07-01 20:19:20 UTC

I went to school in Pakistan and I didn't see much of assistive technology used. when I moved to the states, I was considered an ESL student. with that teachers helped me learn English with computer games and tv shows I watched at home. I was not really familiar with technology for students with disability. The first time I ever saw a student with disability use assistive technology was probably in high school. It was a software used for speech to text and text to speech for students that could not see well. If the student had to turn an assignment in then they would talk to the computer and the computer would put it in text and after the student completed that, the student was able to hear what was typed and make changes accordingly,

Response - Nadia Manasia

nadia_manasia — 2014-07-01 20:29:50 UTC

The most common technology I use is speech to text to help me write my notes out. I also use the reader software for me to listen to my notes for tests while I drive.

Response - Nadia Manasia

nadia_manasia — 2014-07-01 20:36:40 UTC

I would fall apart. It would be so hard to understand student and to help them to where they would be able to help themselves. I would only be able to communicate with one student with disability. It would be so hard for the student to be as independent as they desire. Students would lose hope in learning. Classroom would look disorganized and unprepared which would cause the students to get education.

Response - Nadia Manasia

nadia_manasia — 2014-07-01 20:46:55 UTC

Computers with specialized software such as voice would be high-tech. This would fall under high-tech because it can help in multiple ways like for students struggling to speak or have a hard time speaking or pronouncing words.

Response - Nadia Manasia

nadia_manasia — 2014-07-01 20:54:36 UTC

This device falls under high-tech, because it helps with all forms of communication to express thoughts, needs, wants, and idea.

Response: Kierre Taylor

2014-07-02 20:43:54 UTC

As a student in school I remember the use of slant boards. This piece of technology

would help the student with their writing. The use of this equipment was a big help to the students for traction.

I remember the use of pencil grips to assist the student to improve their handwriting.These two are several different

technologies that were used to assist the students.

Kierre Taylor

2014-07-02 21:05:59 UTC

In my everyday classroom experiences I have used the computer

with applications such as Starfall which is an excellent program are used to teach reading and comprehension; I will usually select a

reading or writing section and monitor for completion and understanding.

Textbooks with limited words are used to facilitate reading and sight words are used to learn new words. I-Pads are readily available for

digital reading exercises and English language comprehension.

Kierre Taylor

2014-07-02 21:14:10 UTC

If this technology was not available I would have to work harder on the content of the lesson.Communication would be a difficult task.

My students who are non-communicative would have a harder time communicating with me or their classmates.The reading aspect of assistive

technology would be effected tremendously without the graphics that are interesting to students to prompt them to read and learn. The use of more paraprofessionals would be

needed to foster more one on one and small groups. The independence of some students would be greatly effected.

Kierre Taylor

2014-07-02 21:26:52 UTC

A computer with special applications is considered high tech. These devices

require more training and are more complicated to operate than low technology items.

Kierre Taylor

2014-07-02 21:30:59 UTC

High Technology because they are flexible items that have various components such as being connected to the internet

and the availability of specialized applications.

Fozia Baig-Response

foziabaig10 — 2014-07-03 00:27:28 UTC

Wow! The keyboard Mason is using is one that I have never seen before! But when I was on school, there were a few AT that I saw too. For example, pencil grips, children with glasses, smart boards, ipads, hearing aids, and more. Now a days, the AT technology is just expanding so im sure there is a lot more in todays classroom then from when I was in school.

Sarah Lenderman

selenderman — 2014-07-03 02:27:50 UTC

Smartboards are something that stand out to me. They came out (or we started getting them in schools) when I started high school. We also used overheads when I was in middle school and elementary school for teachers to lecture us or show us pictures on the board and enlarged.

Charisse Ferrer / Example of High-Tech AT

charisseferrer — 2014-07-03 02:28:02 UTC

Jean is a child with Down syndrome. She uses an iPad to be able to participate with classmates her own age, something that children with Down syndrome 10 years ago would not have been able to do.

Sarah Lenderman

selenderman — 2014-07-03 02:35:28 UTC

I see iPads everywhere. People are using them in college for school work and people are actually using them for their occupation. I have also seen them all over the school system either for a speech to text, for interactive games, or for practicing multiplication times tables. People are even using iPads for reading books on and replacing computers.

Sarah Lenderman- what if response

selenderman — 2014-07-03 02:38:12 UTC

If AT was not available I would see a lot of teachers get creative and find new ways without technology to teach their students. I think that you would see students with disabilities struggle a lot more because of the lack of alterations that can be made without technology. Students who are nonverbal (and cannot communicate with sign language) may struggle as well because there would be a lack of text to speech devices. But I think that humans are adaptive in nature and will find ways to get around these obstacles but it will be very challenging for them. This type of classroom I think would be very similar but just technology would not be used. Instead they would need to use the chalkboard instead of a smarboard, flash cards instead of an iPad app, things like that.

Angela Vogt

2014-07-03 02:51:16 UTC

I didn't use a lot of assistive technology when I was younger but I do remember using more in high school. For instance the smart board is something that my math teacher used in class every day to go over problems, homeworks and practice tests/quizzes. I also used a lot of recording devices in high school and college to record my teachers lectures. This allowed me to play back the lectures when I was at home working on the homework or studying for a quiz/test.

Sarah Lenderman - pick 1

selenderman — 2014-07-03 02:54:39 UTC

Pool noodles are the most common type of equipment that I see at the pool used most often and used by a variety of people. This would fall under the category of low-tech. It falls under this category because it is easy to obtain and inexpensive. It is just a simple tool that can be used to help children or adults with swimming.

Angela Vogt

2014-07-03 02:55:24 UTC

The most common piece of equipment that I used most often in my school work, classroom and at home would have to be the iPad. There are just so many apps that I use to help me stay organized, write out notes, and study for test and quizzes. It's small size is also very convienent.

Angela Vogt

2014-07-03 02:59:07 UTC

If assistive technology was not available I think that the classroom would be a much different place. I think that quality of teaching would not be as affective without assistive technology because they would not be able to differentiate the instruction to the extent that they are able to because of the technology that we have in the classroom today. I think it would be hard to meet all of your student's needs without the technology that we have in place today.

Angela Vogt

2014-07-03 03:07:47 UTC

Smart boards are an interactive collaborative learning tool that would be considered high tech because of it's capabilities and supports.

Sarah Lenderman- challenge

selenderman — 2014-07-03 03:11:54 UTC

This falls under high-tech equipment because it has speech to text technology and uses certain icons to portray the way a person is feeling. It also has alternative mouse options which make it useful for a wide range of disabilities.

Angela Vogt

2014-07-03 03:12:32 UTC

This would fall under High tech equipment because it provides alternative communication for its users. This is a speech to text technology that allows it's users to use the different icons to communicate feelings, needs, wants, ideas and more.

Response: Nanako Kaieda

nkaieda24 — 2014-07-03 04:10:09 UTC

The video about Mason is really nice!

I have not seen that keyboard before but it is great that he has the AT for his use.

Some AT that I have seen in my class/school was pencil grips, book reader (the top was transparent yellow or blue to see what line you were reading), computers, etc. I have used many of these when I was in school to help me with my studies.

Response: Nanako Kaieda

nkaieda24 — 2014-07-03 04:15:49 UTC

I see many schools using ipads or computers (high-tech) for assisting student's learning. While I was also observing at schools, I have seen many students use bookmarks as a reading guide as well (low-tech). I also have seen the buttons that Amy has mentioned in her post. at one of the life skills class that I have observed, they were doing a presentation on animals that they have researched. One of the students had the buttons exactly like the picture that he used to press to tell the animal name and the "roar" that the bear made.

Response: Nanako Kaieda

nkaieda24 — 2014-07-03 04:20:45 UTC

The classroom will look VERY different from what we see. The teacher will be required to be more creative and will have to take a lot more time out of their schedules to plan and put in to place a system for each and every student's needs. The students will also have to be more flexible and will probably be pushed even more to achieve well.

Response: Nanako Kaieda

nkaieda24 — 2014-07-03 04:27:06 UTC

This would be an example of a high-tech AT. (a powered/motorized wheelchairs) I have seen a student when I was in high school that had this and I remember him being very sweet and had a great big smile all the time.