3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
Candidates facilitate the use of adaptive and assistive technologies to support individual student learning needs. (PSC 3.4/ISTE 3d)
Artifact: Assistive Technology Plan (ITEC 7445)
Reflection:
Generating a plan to incorporate assistive or adaptive technology was a requirement completed during ITEC 7445 as an Assistive Technology add-on module. For this assignment, it was important to understand that assistive technology helps students to overcome their disability and to reach a level playing field. Many teachers are wary of assistive technology because they feel that it gives students who use it a leg up. However, because these students are starting at a lower point (not necessarily academically, but due to their disability), the technology they use assists them in reaching a common starting point as their non-disabled peers. I worked with John, his mother, the school’s Special Education coordinator, and an Assistant Principal to design a plan for adapting available technologies to allow John to be successful in the classroom during his time in my 10th Grade Literature and Composition class. John has a mild form of Cerebral Palsy. Additionally, the associated difficulty with the fine motor skills needed for writing cause him to suffer from anxiety. The 504 Plan that we developed together called for him to use a laptop or tablet to complete all written assignments, including taking notes, to be able to have additional time on in-class writing assignments, and to be able to submit assignments electronically.
The process of developing this plan allowed me to demonstrate mastery of standard 3.4, which states that candidates “facilitate the use of adaptive and assistive technologies to support individual student learning needs.” Schools need to be aware of and open to the various possibilities offered by assistive technology. A school’s first responsibility is to ensure the possibility of success by its students. When schools deny access to assistive technology possibilities for a student with a disability, they are failing the students they are supposed to serve. The fact that all of the technology needed to support John’s individual learning needs was already owned and used by either John or the school made this process both easy and heart breaking. There was no need in this instance to purchase additional adaptive technology for John’s use or to provide additional training on how to use current technologies to assist John in his effort to be successful. However, the simple fact that some teachers would deny him these tools without a written plan, feeling that it would provide him an unfair advantage, was incredibly sad.
If I were asked to participate in the process of generating a plan calling for adaptive or assistive technology again, I would place more emphasis on teaching the teachers how the student will use the technology to level the playing field. A classroom teacher who is fully committed to student success will work with disabled students to apply assistive technology fully and completely for student success. There are also students who are unaware of how the tools that they frequently use for entertainment can also be used to help them be successful in the classroom and so do not apply their tools to achieve their full potential.
Generating a plan to incorporate assistive or adaptive technology was a requirement completed during ITEC 7445 as an Assistive Technology add-on module. For this assignment, it was important to understand that assistive technology helps students to overcome their disability and to reach a level playing field. Many teachers are wary of assistive technology because they feel that it gives students who use it a leg up. However, because these students are starting at a lower point (not necessarily academically, but due to their disability), the technology they use assists them in reaching a common starting point as their non-disabled peers. I worked with John, his mother, the school’s Special Education coordinator, and an Assistant Principal to design a plan for adapting available technologies to allow John to be successful in the classroom during his time in my 10th Grade Literature and Composition class. John has a mild form of Cerebral Palsy. Additionally, the associated difficulty with the fine motor skills needed for writing cause him to suffer from anxiety. The 504 Plan that we developed together called for him to use a laptop or tablet to complete all written assignments, including taking notes, to be able to have additional time on in-class writing assignments, and to be able to submit assignments electronically.
The process of developing this plan allowed me to demonstrate mastery of standard 3.4, which states that candidates “facilitate the use of adaptive and assistive technologies to support individual student learning needs.” Schools need to be aware of and open to the various possibilities offered by assistive technology. A school’s first responsibility is to ensure the possibility of success by its students. When schools deny access to assistive technology possibilities for a student with a disability, they are failing the students they are supposed to serve. The fact that all of the technology needed to support John’s individual learning needs was already owned and used by either John or the school made this process both easy and heart breaking. There was no need in this instance to purchase additional adaptive technology for John’s use or to provide additional training on how to use current technologies to assist John in his effort to be successful. However, the simple fact that some teachers would deny him these tools without a written plan, feeling that it would provide him an unfair advantage, was incredibly sad.
If I were asked to participate in the process of generating a plan calling for adaptive or assistive technology again, I would place more emphasis on teaching the teachers how the student will use the technology to level the playing field. A classroom teacher who is fully committed to student success will work with disabled students to apply assistive technology fully and completely for student success. There are also students who are unaware of how the tools that they frequently use for entertainment can also be used to help them be successful in the classroom and so do not apply their tools to achieve their full potential.
