15 March 2014
Assistive Technology
The
common read assignment for reading reflection number three, consisted of two
parts, the video “Universal Design for Learning” (UDL) presented by www.cast.org, and the article “Build an assistive technology
toolkit” by Kelly Ahrens.
The video
about UDL explained the principles for curriculum development that give all individuals
equal opportunities to learn and excel in the class room. UDL further helps provide a design for
creating instructional goals, methods, materials and assessments that work for
all students. Furthermore stating that
there is not a single one size fits all solution but instead flexible
approaches need to be instituted to help customize and adjust the classroom and
lesson plans to incorporate individual needs. The video goes on to explain the necessity
for UDL is that all students lean different and think differently due to how
their individual brain works. Each
student brings a variety of skills needs and interests to learning, the video discusses
that this is because of how our brains perceive and function which is unique as
fingerprints. Three different parts of
the Brain come into play, the Recognition Networks or “what” of learning, the strategic networks or the “how” of
learning, and the affective networks or “why” of learning. All three work in context, and differently in
each person, it is up to the educator to stimulate this triad of process and
engage the students effectively in the classroom. To do this not one type of lesson plan will
cover all needs, but instead there must be a framework that covers all. An example of this that the video uses to
make its point is closed captions on TV or subtitles. Although they might have been designed for
the deaf, or for those who speak different languages they also benefit people
who watch TV in gyms, couples who are on different sleep schedules, and people in
crowded places who would otherwise miss the dialogue, this could be considered
a multiple means of representation so that many learners have access to the
information in a way that it adds to the experience instead of distracts.
The
article by Ahrens takes the ideas of UDL and presents and adapts the principles
of curriculum development that UDL through the use of technology, more specifically
assistive technology (AT). Ahrens discusses
that with the use of AT and developing an AT tool kit, we can use technology to
help instill “independence and confidence in students with special needs.” Furthermore she gives examples of maintain UDL
through the use of technology and an AT tool kit. One such AT tool sited in the article is
Speech Recognition, which converts the student’s speech to written word. As I read this I realized that for me and my dyslexia
a huge AT tool that I used, is something we take for granted today, and that’s spell check. Twenty five years ago spell check was cutting
edge; today it’s excepted and common place and found in most any program, many
of them free. Like spell check I feel that many of the
AT tools discussed in the article will go that same route, and be used by not
only special needs learners, but by the majority of the student
population. Another AT tool that I support
personally is eBooks, and the ability not only to down load thousands
of books that are no longer copy righted for the fraction of the cost of a
normal book, but also of great importance is that most eBook readers have the ability to read aloud
text. Not only does this help the vision impaired but
also, English language learners, and those students with learning disabilities.
These AT tool that Ahrens suggest
bundling into a kit help support UDL and lend that independence and confidence to
many students who would otherwise struggle.
With the use of these technologies learning disabled students no longer feel that school is a constant struggle of trying to catch up to the rest of the class, instead they are a part of the class and in the “main stream” of
learning. I personally remember my Mom
tape recording books, or getting books from the library of the blind so that I could
read along with them, now there is audible.com.
I’m excited as I look towards the future and the use of technology to
assist students with learning disabilities and look forward to using AT and UDL
in my own classroom.
The article and video closely
relate to a number of NETS-S standards.
The first standard, creativity and innovation, is expressed by changing
and adapting the curriculum to be inclusive of all types of learners the
article and video showing both imagination and modernization in the use of
technology. The next standard I feel that is represented
with UDL and AT is standard three researches and information fluency, the
article expresses that teachers have the ability to research and implement AT
within their classrooms, giving their students fluency in the use of said
information provided by the AT. Furthermore with the use of these tools a
student not only become fluent in the use of the technology but in what the
assistance was for in the first place, an understanding of the curriculum and
lesson plan thus engaging the student in the classroom. Lastly standard six, technology operations and
concepts applies. While teachers integrate
AT into their classrooms to aid the student’s ability to perform productively,
the students in turn show their understanding of the concept and function of
that technology.
Ahrens, K. (2011). Build an assistive technology toolkit. Learning & Leading with technology, 39
(3), 22-24.
National Center on Universal Design for Learning http://www.udlcenter.org/resource_library/videos/udlcenter/udl
- video0/
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