The End of my Journey

Well my journey through my assistive technology class has come to an end.  It has been extremely informative for me.  I have learned first and foremost how to set up and maintain a blog.  Publishing videos and pictures have become second nature for me.  I have also learned how to publish a link and how to edit HTML. 

I have learned about so many different types of technology like speech to text software that I am using on an Ipad in my classroom allowing my student to successfully write his papers.  I am using various websites for my students in math that they are thoroughly enjoying.  We have order several sensory items for my autistic students t that I have encountered in my website exploration. 

The really great part about my blog, is that I will be able to refer back to my postings and use the blog as a resource.  

Assistive Technology and the College Transition

The transition process from high school to college for a student with disabilities is a tedious process.  The student is responsible for providing the university or college with all the necessary information needed to receive accommodations and assistive technology.  The individual must not only have an IEP but also an evaluation stating the student must have these accommodations and technology in order to participate in the college program.  If the student does not follow through with all the necessary paperwork he will not be admitted to the post-secondary institution.  This is why we must teach our students how to advocate for themselves.  We must educate them on their disability and what they need in order to be success.  The process of transition from high school begins in middle school with the ultimate goal being independence.

ADA versus IDEA in higher education

                The differences between the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) can be seen in higher education. IDEA is applied from primary through 12 grade however it is not in effect in higher education (Dell, Newton, and Petroff, 2012). No one in our country is entitled to a higher education.  Although a student may have an IEP in high school, he/she will not have one in college.   ADA on the other hand states that an individual with disabilities cannot be excluding from attending a post-secondary institution if he or she qualifies. In other words, if a student is handicapped, and in a wheelchair, he or she cannot be excluded from staying in a dorm.

Reference:

Dell, A. G., Newton, D. A., & Petroff, J. G. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom (2nd ed.)Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

AT Implementation - TATN

A second site that I investigated was Texas Assistive Technology Network (TATN). TATN consists of representatives from each of the Texas Education Services Centers, and the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Region 4 Education Service Center (ESC) in Houston, TX provides statewide leadership for the network. Through a comprehensive planning process, the TATN has developed a framework for statewide collaboration. Priorities in professional development and technical assistance focus on providing training, products and services (http://www.texasat.net). The website is set up with modules each addressing a particular area of the process. A few of the modules are the Consideration Module, the Legal Module and the Administration Module. Another section of the site is AT Resources which include instructional materials, podcasts and webinars. This site is a great resource for IEP teams researching the use and implementation of assistive technology for a student.

           

 

 

Reference:

http://www.texasat.net

Assistive Technology Implementation Resources

The next two posts will focus on two sites as resources for Assistive technology implementation.

The first site I explored was Otap . This site has various electronic text links available to assists individuals in reading. These materials range from classic literature to current newsletters, journals and magazines. Many of these materials can be downloaded for free. I explored a link called Lit2go. This website is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go . I continued to explore the site and choose the book The Count of Monte Cristo.  The home page was titled with number of pages, keywords and the division of the chapters. Upon clicking on a chapter the narrator began to read aloud while I read the text along with him.  This site provided various collections, genres, authors and books that can enable a student with reading disabilities.

                       

 

References:

http://www.Otap-oregon.org

http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/

Designing an Augmentative Device to meet Social Demands

 

A child is very successful with the use of an augmentative while in school.   This device must be adapted in order for the child to use it in the community.  As discussed in the previous post, appropriate social vocabulary must be added to the device.  The family must include the student in the decision making process as the use of the device is put into place.  The school can teach the parents who will then teach the extended family how to interact with their child.  The use of this device in the community may be a challenging especially for those who have no knowledge of this type of technology. Parents must be prepared to advocate for their children in order for communication device is to be accepted.




Reference:
 Dell, A. G., Newton, D. A., & Petroff, J. G. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom (2nd ed).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Augmentative Devices in the Home and Community

The development of the use of augmentative or assistive technology in the home and the community promotes independence for students with disabilities.   A student who successfully uses this technology at school needs to be encouraged by family members to also use it at home.  The student must be encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities that will enable him to us the device in the community. The device will need to be updated in order to include vocabulary that correlates with the activities in which he is involved. In order for this transition into the community to be successful there must be a strong working relationship between the family and the school.

Reference:
              Dell, A. G., Newton, D. A., & Petroff, J. G. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom (2nd ed).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Integrating Augmentative Devices in an IEP

In the previous blog we addressed learned helplessness for students with disabilities.   This post will touch on the importance of developing IEPs that will appropriately provide students with disabilities the technology they need in order to be successful.   Once a student has been determined to need assistive technology and the proper equipment has been put in place the IEP must be written in order to include it.  In writing the goals for a student the IEP must remember that the augmentative device is the basis for achieving a goal.  The use of this technology must span both academic as well as social situations in the school day.


Reference:
 Dell, A. G., Newton, D. A., & Petroff, J. G. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom (2nd ed).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Eliminating learned helplessness in the classroom

         Learned helplessness is the belief that our own behavior does not influence what happens next, basically a student feels that he/she has no control over the learning process, and, therefore, gives up trying. Learned helplessness takes the form of passivity as students with disabilities are unable to participate fully in classroom activities. Teachers need to identify it and provide support in order overcome it.  The use of augmentative communication will enable a passive student to fully or even partially participate in an academic setting. Here are some tips for overcoming learned helplessness:

• Build a daily expectation of communication through activities like picking a book to read.
• Construct a daily report that must be communicated by the student to his parents.
• Allow natural consequences to occur and provide avenues for repair.
• Provide a choice that requires a student to use his or her augmentative devise.

In my classroom, our student is encouraged to use is augmentative devise when he needs something or want to go somewhere in the building.  This device empowers him and eliminates frustration.

Reference:

Dell, A. G., Newton, D. A., & Petroff, J. G. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom (2nd ed.)Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Websites and Resources for Math

I decided to use the Google search engine and explore educational websites and resources that can be used in mathematics.  I went to a site called www.educatorstechnology.com. It consisted of 20 free web tools and mobile apps available in math for teachers beginning with kindergarten up to pre-calculus.  I am so excited about this site because it has some really great tools that I can use in my classroom but also can be used with my high school son  Mathtv is a site that uses tutorials to explain how to complete a problem. This site is for high school students.  Mathsframe provides 190 interactive free math games for computers as well as iPad’s.  Any type of free math worksheet you can imagine is available through Math drills.  Aplusmath provides free games, worksheet and flashcards that are available for educators and parents.  I did not realize that there are so many free sites available for teachers to use.  This technology enables students with disabilities to find a style of learning to suit their needs.

                     

                     

 

References:

www.educatorstechnology.com

www.mathtv.com

www.mathsframe.CO.UK

www.math-drill.com

www.Aplusmath.com