Wednesday, April 30, 2014
I am writing this entry as I am listening to the recording. I was not present for the class that night. I will now do the classroom activities myself. I am catching up for a night missed. This blog entry may be finessed later.
Assignments
5 Critiques on 5 Assistive Technology Assessment Models - at the end of this post..
1.
Last webinar Presentation - New Apps for Learning Disabilities.
Angela Delorey
Lacee Lajeunesse
Christine Scallion
The following is some of the main points I took away from the presentation.
See alot of LD in the classroom. "There aren't any icons to click" student looking up at chalk board. basically stating that much of our basic classroom technology still utilizes 18th century technology (at least with the chalkboard) - I'm not doing any more worksheets until someone invents the ipencil or ipen.
LD Definition - refer to a number of disorders which may affect the aquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or non-verbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning.My addition to this - A processing disorder. tend to have limited strategies to draw upon or can be inflexible in strategy use.
Technology is allowing kids with ld to achieve.
current available technology - most utilized in schools
ea or peers
lower level texts
kurzweil on a desktop with earphones.
scribing by ea or teacher
use of graphic organizers
dragon dictation
all of the above are very teacher intensive.
Apps reviewed in the seminar.
ibooks
readiris
vbbokz
prizmo
puffin
qwiki
iwordq
paper helper
papernote notes
book creator
panther math paper
panther calculator
long division touch
sticky notes sticky
dropbox
Favourites by this group;
Book Creator
combines photos video and text
in app voice recording
text size can be manipulated based on need or preference.
Paperport notes - for written ouput
digital note taking tool to combine documents
Dragon speech recognition
record audio over notes for struggling readers and writers.
scanned documents can be converted into editable text.
search and bookmarking tools
Prizmo - reading accessing information.
scan anything - an ad poster, note document, etc.
input through the iphone camera, camera, or from other apps.
export as pdf to icloud, google drive, etc.
text to speech with an adjustable speaking rate, where each word is highlighted while it is read aloud.
scan and read multiple pages of a document.
technology is helping student to get his assignments done.
Two questions from this groups survey;
1. What technology are you using in your classroom today?
smart boards
collaborative programs
byod
ebooks has increased male reading - more boys.
garage band
pocket band lite
star fall
tumblebooks
red rocket readers
2. Do you see this technology being beneficial to students and for students?
What they have learned - these apps can be accessible to all. they were not surprised by the number of apps available for students with LD, but were surprised at how each app could help students in multiple ways.
2 goals for the near future;
1. give teachers the support they need to explore and implement the apps
2. give students additional tools to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of content being explored.
Barb's presentation
Assistive Technology: the past, the present, and the future.
1. The Past - a lot of desks, a lot of paper , stand and delivery model.
small print photocopy activity, short answer questions.
Still very common
2.The Present
Classrooms of today will have - ld, add, vision, adhd, mobility, and even some physical disabilities
use of assistive technology
Kids use Kurzweil to complete the Bell assignment.
Ipod with an italk. many years ago.
hand held magnifier to access
text to speech
ebooks
ipad touch
smart board, clickers
daisy digital book document players
weighted pencil
weighted vest for calming.
optical character recognition - text to speech, dragon dictate.
Assistive tech is about providing access to a task and improving performance. When they do assessments.
look at skill sets and needs of students
the environment where it will be used - students and secondary users
the task the student is asked to perform
the characteristics of the technology itself - ease of use - simpler is better.
these factors are constantly and continually affected by each other and also by time.
how is the student affected by time.
- takes longer to complete tasks.
- everything changes and things change.
- learning needs change
- students grow up and get bigger
- social changes - adolescence, friends, etc.
- substitute teachers - transitions are not seamless.
The present - the ipad and ipod are fully accessible mobile devices.
Siri
Ipad air
The past - very expensive.
The present - everthing can be done with the ipad - $400.00
Apple tv and Airplay
investment in 21st century training is critical
relate alex bell to steve jobs.
3. The Future
Let's prepare for tomorrow. We have a convergence of technologies.
Assistive technology is about providing access to a task and improving the performance of an individual with a disability.
Five assessment models for choosing the right Assistive
Technology - overview and (limited) evaluation
1.
Matching
Person and Technology
The first model I have found is usually
referred to as “Matching Person and Technology”. Within this model are
considerations such as;
i.
The
expectation of the user - students, teachers, and parents.
ii.
Economic considerations – from Barb’s
presentation we see that many stand alone features that have not converged with
other technologies tend to be expensive.
iii.
Environmental considerations – space,
accessibility, size, etc.
iv.
Preferences of the user – based on needs and
initial limitations
v.
The background of the user – how receptive to AT
they have been
vi.
Family background and expectations –
considerations that must be included – how receptive to AT have parents been –
cost, etc.
Much of what I have researched
includes terms such as Milieu, Person, and Technology which are assessed
through questionnaires. Milieu will look at the setting in
which the AT is to be used. Person will consider factors such as
temperament and attitudes of the user. Technology addresses the technology
itself in respect to cost (funding) and design (accessibility). Through the
proper data collection process of interviews and questionnaires the desired
outcome is that the matching of person and technology will result in a
beneficial learning environment and not a premature abandonment of
inappropriate AT.
2.
Lifespace
Access Profile for Individuals with Severe or Multiple Disabilities (LAP)
This model is
targeted towards those individuals with severe disabilities. LAP uses a set of
assessment protocols that address the potential user of the AT across 5 key
areas:
i.
Physical Resources - this area examines the
individual’s general condition and motor capability to operate and access
switches.
ii.
Cognitive Resources – the ability to understand
natural cause and effect interactions and the ability to communicate.
iii.
Emotional Resources – tolerance, and
adaptability to situations
iv.
Support Resources – the degree to which family
members and professionals (EPAs) have training and the time to implement the
AT.
v.
Environmental Analysis – exploring and analyzing
an individual’s participation and interaction within certain environments (home,
work, school) and the use of the AT in said environment.
3.
SETT
SETT is best
described as a framework that focuses on 4 areas – student, environment, tasks,
and tools.
i.
Student- identify abilities and needs
ii.
Environments – physical environments as well as
instructional environments.
iii.
Tasks – the activities the student is expected
to perform.
iv.
Tools – AT devices and services.
The outcome
sought within this framework is the appropriate match between student, task,
and technology within the setting (environment) that the AT is to be used.
4.
Education
Tech Points
This model centers
around 6 “Tech Points”. Each Tech Point identifies when AT should be considered
during the special services planning process.
i.
Tech Point 1 – Referral – the process of
identifying students in need of services.
ii.
Tech Point 2- Evaluation – looks at when the
student needs AT – during instruction or during assessment.
iii.
Tech Point 3 – Extended Assessment – trial period
for AT devices.
iv.
Tech Point 4- Plan Development – documenting the
consideration of AT within a student’s program plan.
v.
Tech Point 5 – Implementation – student training,
staff training, equipment management.
vi.
Tech Point 6 – Periodic Review – review the data
from the implementation phase and determine appropriate changes.
As with the
previous models, Education Tech Points main desired outcome is that the AT
allows the student access to the curriculum and to meet the goals or outcomes
of the student’s program plan.
5.
Wisconsin
Assistive Technology Initiative (WATI)
The purpose of
WATI is to provide a comprehensive assessment process of the proposed AT and
the needs of the student. There are 10
sections to this model
i.
Section 1 – an overview of the AT assessment and
planning process
ii.
Section 2 – providing all the assessment forms
iii.
Section 3 – AT for writing and computer access
iv.
Section 4 – AT for communication – within this
section the needs of 3 groups of users; the alternative language group, the
expressive language group, and the supportive language group are addressed.
v.
Section 5 – AT for reading, studying, and math
vi.
Section 6 – AT for recreation and daily living
vii.
Section 7 – AT for positioning and seating
viii.
Section 8 – AT for vision and hearing
ix.
Section 9 – Fitting the AT within the student’s
program plan.
x.
Section 10 – Laws and funding
The outcome of WATI is to match the
appropriate AT with the student’s IPP and provide access to the curriculum.
Final
Comparison –
I am not a policy and procedures
expert but I have read enough to see that each of these assessment models
ultimately seeks the same outcome – the proper matching of the AT to the
person, the person’s needs, the abilities of both support persons and
professionals to help the individual utilize the AT, and the best fit in terms
of longevity of use and practicality within the environment it is to be used.
Certain approaches such as MPT are more student centred than say WATI which
seems to focus more on the program planning and service delivery aspects of AT
incorporation but they all appear to converge at the same end point. I would
say that each one could be utilized in any educational setting but one may be
more applicable than the other based on the policies, procedures, and
protocols, of individual school board’s special services departments and board
mandates and department of education goals in delivering curriculum.
