Blog Post #12

When a child has a disability teachers have to reinvent the way they approach the class from time to time. As the world progresses, technology becomes more and more relevant and helpful. Technology can assist children with or without disabilities; however, it helps students with disabilities in an astonishing way. It was not until this semester that I actually got to see assistive technology in a classroom setting. Due to my EDU 400- Exceptional Child and Youth I was able to go to the Learning Tree and see assistive technology used. I was shocked at how simple yet efficient technology can be for these situations.

GreatSchools.org lists many types of assistive technoloy available for teachers today. Here are a few of them:

• Alternative Keyboards
• Electronic Math Sheets
• Graphic Organizers
• Portable Word Processors
• Talking Calculators
• Word-prediction Programs

As a teacher I feel that at some point, depending on my students, I could potentially use all of the above technology. In general assistive technology is useful because it helps create an equal environment among all students and minimizes student struggle. I feel that in my class the most useful would be the electronic math sheets and the talking calculator. With math, students sometimes struggle more with writing it down properly than the actual mathematical process. Therefore, if students could use an electronic program that kept everything organized they could learn in a more efficient manner. As for the talking calculator, I believe these would be better for doing work outside of the classroom. A talking calculator helps students know exactly what they are typing and helps reduce input errors. I say that these might be best used outside of the classroom because it could potentially be distracting and chaotic if 20 students are using them at once.

The list above is only slightly scratching the surface in regards to the different types of assistive technology. As a teacher, one should never shy away from technology if it can benefit students.