Assistive+Technology+in+Classrooms+-+JLF

﻿Assistive Technology

//**"Assistive technology is the key to making educational environments inclusive for indivisuals with significant disabilities.**// //**This type of technology is considered a powerful tool for inclusion" (8). **// ﻿ What is Assistive Technology? Assistive technology is a system or support that allows a person with a disability to work around his/her area of challenge. Assistive technology does not provide a 'cure' for a condition or disability; it helps the user to accomplish a task more independently. Well-matched assistive technologies provide solutions for people who experience barriers to learning (or other pursuits) as a result of disabling conditions. Assistive technology (AT) is also known as adaptive technology. However, assistive technology has become the more widely used term for the broad range of supports available to assist people with various cognitive, sensory, physical, communication, learning, and other challenges that limit participation and learning opportunities. (1)

Why do we Need to use Assistive Technology in the Classroom? It is important that educators know about the different types of technology that can be used in the classroom that will help students with disabilities. K-12 educators in Canada are working with greater numbers of special needs students in specialized and general education classrooms. These students have unique learning needs that pose challenges for themselves, their families, schools, and teachers. As teachers it is our responsibility to make sure that these students have the support they need so they can have the best learning experience. Making the school curriculum accessible to all students is a priority for educational jurisdictions around the world. One strategy being adopted with increasing success is the implementation of assistive technologies to support students with special needs. (1)

Advances in technology provide new options for individuals with disabilities to participate in and accomplish tasks. It is important for Canadian educators to deploy enabling technologies that allow all students to reach their potential. Assistive technology helps many students to access information, connect with others, and participate in ways that would not be possible without the use of AT. Continued advancements in the field of computer technology are driving the successful deployment of AT in education. All students need the skills and opportunity to participate in our increasingly information-focused society and economy. The ubiquitous role of the computer is accelerating electronic communication and expanding electronic interaction through desktop, laptop, tablet, and handheld computers. Digital alternatives and the advent of e-commerce, e-government, and e-learning services present opportunities for individuals with special needs to exploit and benefit from these resources through the use of assistive technologies. (1) Most Common Types of Assisitive Technology There are many different types of assisitive technology that can used in the classroom. It would be almost impossible to research all of these support systems and softwares. After discussing assistive technology with numerous teachers I decided to focus on only five specific types of technology that seemed to be the most popular. Kurzwiel Background Information Kurzwiel is one of the most popular types of assistive technology used in classrooms today. Kurzwiel is a reading, writing, and learning software which is used for any student who stuggles in reading and/or writing. (2)
 * 1) ** Kurzwiel **
 * 2) ** Dragon Dictation **
 * 3) ** Smart Ideas **
 * 4) ** Alpha Smart **
 * 5) ** FM System **

In the late 1900s Ray Kurzwiel and his team updated the orgiinal software program to add new features to make it easier for teachers and students to use. His company 'Kurzweil Education Systems Incorportated' developed a new generation of print-to-speech software. This reading software was created to help people who are reading disabilied and visually impaired. This program can scan a printed document and then read the document out loud while highlighting the print as it is being read. (2)

Kurzweil Education Systems is committed to helping schools meet the requirements of 'No Child Left Behind' by providing a software product which promotes inclusion and allows students with reading difficulty the support they need. Kurzweil is a reading, writing, and learning software for struggling students, and is widely recognized as the most comprehensive and integrated solution for addressing language and literacy difficulties. (2) Kurzweil and the Five Components of Reading //Kurzweil technology features support the teaching and learning of skills in all five reading components.//


 * 1. Phonemic Awareness and Phonics/Word Study **
 * Students become aware of the individual sounds in words and are able to recognize the breaks between syllables in words and words in sentences.
 * Through phonics instruction, they learn the alphabetic principle (the systematic and predictable relationships between letters and sounds) and use knowledge of word patterns to recognize familiar words and to "decode" new words.
 * The read aloud features help students recognize the relationships between sounds and letters, word parts, and syllables.

**2. Fluency **
 * Fluency is the ability to read text accurately and quickly.
 * Fluency is improved through repeated,monitored oral reading using a variety of reading materials, and by hearing models of fluent reading.
 * <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'MyriadMM_400_600_','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The clear, natural sounding speech offers models of fluent reading. Students can read along as they hear sample readings of passages repeated as many times as needed using the read aloud feature to check their pronunciation. They can also change the speed at which the program reads, gradually increasing the reading speed as they become more proficient. A
 * <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'MyriadMM_400_600_','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Teachers have found that adjusting the reading speed to prompt students at a faster rate than they tested at has been effective in increasing fluency. Kurzweil also provides access to a variety of print or electronic text, a key element in fluency practice.

**<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'MyriadMM_700_600_','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">3. Vocabulary **
 * <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'MyriadMM_400_600_','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Vocabulary develops through both direct and indirect instruction in the meaning of words.
 * <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'MyriadMM_400_600_','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The study skills features make it easy to highlight, extract, and review new vocabulary words prior to reading.
 * <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'MyriadMM_400_600_','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The reference tools (dictionary and thesaurus) provide immediate definitions for new words during reading and help expand the reader's vocabulary.

**<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'MyriadMM_700_600_','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">4. Comprehension ** []
 * <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'MyriadMM_400_600_','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Instruction and practice in the following reading comprehension strategies is the most effective way to improve comprehension: activating prior knowledge; using graphic organizers to focus on main idea concepts; generating and answering questions; and summarizing to determine what is important.
 * <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'MyriadMM_400_600_','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The highlighting, annotation and extract features offer time-saving support for the identification of main ideas and the creation of graphic organizers and outlines, as well as the generation of summaries.
 * <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'MyriadMM_400_600_','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Text, voice and sticky notes enable both teachers and students to imbed questions within the text, as well as extract key information for answering the questions.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">VIDEOS <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Video #1: A demonstration of how a teacher uses this software in his classroom.

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<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Video #2: A video demonstrating how to use Kurzwiel and all the special features the program has. media type="youtube" key="eeo2rnX4tKA" width="557" height="455" align="center"

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ff00e1; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 180%;">Dragon Dictation <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">What is it Dragon Dictation? Dragon Dictation is an incredible program for students who stuggle in writing. These students can use this program to verbally answer questions, complete written assignments, and/or write exams. Students simply speak into the micophone and the software program types out what is being said. Students may use their verbal skills to compensate for their writing difficulties. This tool enables students with specific writing difficulties to engage with the curriculum and offers positive cognitive and social outcomes and it can be a life changing experience.

Margaret Neilsen from 'The Friends School' discovered, "I was delighted that speech recognition software had become accurate enough to be used with school aged students with literacy problems". This program is extremely beneficial to students and will help ease the frustrations that they might experience.(3) I have seen this program work in a classroom setting and I know how powerful this tool can be for students with writing difficulties. I had a susent in my grade five practice teaching class and he was severly dyslexic. This student would become extremely frustrated daily when he had to complete written work. My associate teacher begain using this program with this student and the results were remarkable. He no longer became frustrated and his grades increased drastically because he was able to do assingments without the barriers he used to experience.

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Students that Benefit from Word Recognition use:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students who struggle with processing and writing problems
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students with specific spelling and writing difficulties
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students with reading and writing difficulties
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students with physical and fine motor problems.

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<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Video #1 Summary: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rhodri Buttrick explains how this voice recognition software transformed his life. He explains," when l was 9 years old, I was given a demonstration of voice recognition/ text reading software. I tried it out and it worked for me. Everyone (teachers, especially) had told me that the software didn't work for children. As my severe dyspraxia/dyslexia meant I wasn't able to learn to write or type, I was getting nowhere in school. It was that trial which helped my parents to decide to buy the software and help me to learn to use it. l used it for my GCSE exams, which I passed with high grades, and am now studying for A levels." (4) This is an incredible story and it is what many students experience when they get a chance to use the assistive technology that is best suited for their weaknesses and/or disabilities that they have.

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<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Video #2 Summary <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This video also demonstrates how this program can be extremely beneficial to students. A boy who once struggled to finish his work independly can now do so with the use of this program.

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #d228d2; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 180%;">Smart Ideas <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">What is it? <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt;">This type of software is created for visual learners to help them organize their thoughts. The student using this program can better organize and understand complex ideas by creating interactive concept maps in this easy to use software program.

**__ Example of Mind Map: __**

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt;">The Benefits of this Program:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students with multiple views
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These users can present their information from a variety of persepectives using a mind map, diagram, or an outline.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Encourages creative thinking
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students can use colour, clip art, and even different patterns to organize their ideas.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Enhance presentations using multilevel maps and multimedia
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students can go deeper into ideas with multilevel maps and dynamic multimedia tools.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Clip-art Gallery and Cliplets
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are over 2,000 images in the clip art, organized by subject matter or curriculum topic.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hyperlinks
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students can add links or attachments, files, websites and levels within diagrams.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Save in easy to use formats
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard integration
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Use this software with a SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard for touch control, handwriting recognition and much much more.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I used this program in one of my teaching placements with the SMART Board in the room. As a class we created a mind map when beginning to write paragraphs. We organized the information and this allowed all the students to visually see how to write a proper paragraph and organize their information effectively. The students loved using this program with the SMART Board because it was an interactive lesson and it held their attention.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I used a program similar to this in university. Before I would write an essay I would use a mind map to organize my information to make writing the paper a lot less stressful since I knew what I would discuss about in each paragraph.

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #00ff00; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 180%;">Alpha Smart



<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">What is it? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The Alpha Smart is a durable word processing keyboard that is powered by a battery. These keyboards aremainly used in schools for students who have dysgraphia (trouble producing written language) or other learning disabilitiesthat make penmanship unreadable or difficult to produce. Keyboards have small displays that allow the user to see a few lines at a time, but material either needs to be printed or downloaded onto a personal computer. (4)

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 6.6pt 0cm 11.4pt;">Students that Benefit from using the Alpha Smart Keyboard:
 * <span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Struggle with note taking and writing first drafts
 * <span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Become frustrated with paper/pencil writing tasks
 * <span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Have trouble keeping assignments organised
 * <span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tabstops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Need spelling support and mobility (5)

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">FM Transmitter <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Why FM Transmitter's are Valuable in the Classroom: <span style="font-family: 'RotisSansSerif-Light','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Hearing in noise is one of the biggest challenges for children, and the improvement in speech recognition in noise provided by Dynamic FM is unparalleled by any other advanced noise-management technology. (6)

<span style="font-family: 'RotisSansSerif-Light','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Linda Thibodeau explains, “I evaluated Dynamic FM extensively with a group of children and adults with previous FM experience. Objective tests showed that the Adaptive FM Advantage (AFMA) in Dynamic FM resulted in significant improvements for the majority of participants in most of the speech recognition in noise conditions. Comments from the participants regarding the AFMA processing were that it generally sounded clearer, louder, and easier to understand. For the classroom activities, 100% of the participants chose Dynamic FM". (6) This illustrates that it is effective when using this in the classroom. This also keeps students more focused and engaged while the teacher is talking since they can clearly understand what is being said.

<span style="font-family: 'RotisSansSerif-Light','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The only disadvantage to this type of technology is that some teachers would not like to wear the headpiece all day.

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 180%;">﻿Article #1 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Universal Design for Learning and Assistive Technology <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Leadership Considerations for Promoting Inclusive Education in Today's Secondary Schools <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Jaime Messinger-Willman, Matthew Marino

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Summary: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is an increase in the number of students with learning disabilities in the secondary school classroom. This creates challenges for the students and the teacher in the classroom. This article describes how the Universal Design for Learning theoretical framework can be used with assistive technology to enhance educational opportunities for secondary students with learning disabilities. There are some barriers that teachers experience from effectively selecting, adopting, implementing, and assessing assistive technology devices. These barriers are discussed in this article and solutions have been created to overcome these barriers. .

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Key Points:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As a teacher it is our duty to make sure we create a learning environment that motivates students to reach their full potential. We need to ensure that we provide the proper support systems to students with diverse needs to make sure they succeed. With the increased number of students with learning disabilitied in schools we continue to search for ways to educate these students effectively. One way to help secondary students compensate for the continued academic underachievement that is so prevalent with secondary students with disabilities is through the use of assistive technologies such as text-to-speech or word prediction software (Kurzweil and Dragon Dictation).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Assistive technology is represented on a continuum ranging from low-tech devices (example: pencil grips, highlighters, reading guides, magnifying lens, and slant boards for writing) to high-tech devices such as text-to-speech software and laptop computers. Teachers need to decide what type of assistive technology students need based on their individual needs. Two students who may share the same learning disability do not necesarily need the same type of equipment or software.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Barriers <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are numerous barriers prohibiting special education teams from making appropriate assistive technology selection decisions, such as:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Inadequate knowledge about the different types of assisitive technology creates a huge barrier for students and teachers.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The lack of professional development opportunities. Many teachers have limited time to explore, experiment, and study these different devices. When the school board does provide information sessions about the different types of assistive technologies, they have a limited time period and an overwhelming amount of information.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">How to Overcome Barriers: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Edyburn (2000) has established a four-phase process that secondary IEP teams can use when considering AT for adolescents with disabilities: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Selection <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Acquisition <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Implementation <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Integration <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Conclusion: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students with disabilities who are fully included in secondary classrooms continue to struggle to make adequate yearly progress toward their educational goals. Teachers can use assistive technology to enhance the academic, social, and behaviour outcomes for students with disabilities if the barriers can be overcome. Therefore it is neccesary for the school to make workshops and programs avilable for teachers to learn how to properly use these programs.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">focuses on planning, locating, reviewing, and determining which technology will meet the individual instructional needs of the student
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">prompts the teacher to preview, evaluate, and obtain the technology for the student.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">encourages the teacher to think about how to organize and create training opportunities for the successful use of the technology application.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">specifically focuses on using the technology within the learning context
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">includes several factors: linking the technology to the curriculum, managing student access and use of the technology, assessing the effectiveness and usefulness of the technology, and continuing to examine how the technology tool can be extended and used through the student's learning within a variety of contexts

**<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Article #2: ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Benefits of Assistive Technology <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Mary Sagstetter

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Benefits of Assistive Technology:
 * Students have greater control over their own lives and learning
 * Students are able to participate more fully in activities in their home, school, work, and in their communities.
 * Increased independence
 * Experience new opportunities for interactions and communication

<span style="background-color: #000000; color: #808080; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">References <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1- Hopkins, Janet. (2004). //Assistive technology to support students with special needs//. Retrieved from http://www.curriculum.org/tcf/teachers/projects/repository <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2- //How does kurzweil 3000 support reading instruction and no child left behind?//. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.kurzweiledu.com/files/NCLB.pdf <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3- //Dragon naturally speaking case study//. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/downloads/thirdparty/DNS-Case-Study-Friends-School-121208.pdf <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4- Ellis-Christensen, T. (2010, September 09). What is an alphasmart. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-alphasmart.htm <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5- //Spectronics inclusive learning technologies//. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/catalogue/11579 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6- //The new fm standard for schools//. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.phonak.com/content/dam/phonak/b2b/C_M_tools <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7- Messinger-Willman, J, & Marino, M. (2010). Universal design for learning and assistive technology. //National Association of Secondary School Principals//, //94//(1), <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8- Sagstetter, Mary. (2000). Benefits of assistive technology. //International society for augmentative and alternative communication//, Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=19973200&site=ehost-live <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9- //Kurzweil technologie//. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.kurzweiltech.com/kesi.html