Museum of Assistive Technology Presentation By Emily Harayda ETT 101 November 1 st, 2016
Did you know Students with special needs and learning disabilities could benefit from, and may need specialized instruction to reach their full potential? Here are some tools that may be of benefit to you and your students to ensure everyone is given the best possible education experience.
For writing Concept Mapping Mind Mapping helps students during the brainstorming process to not only capture their ideas, but to structure and organize their ideas. This can be a great way for students with learning disabilities to visually see how all of their ideas are able to connect and fit together, and therefore come together to make a well thought-out and organized paper. One great resource I found with this that can be used with your students is MindMup. The link is https://www.mindmup.com/?utm_camp aign=elearningindustry.com&utm_sourc e=%2fthe-5-best-free-mind-mappingtools-for-teachers&utm_medium=link If you have a free membership with MindMup you get an unlimited number of maps, no account login, you are able to save your maps for six months, and export your maps. Some of the concept mapping software out there also allows students to toggle between a web and an outline so they can choose which one is best for them. (Example of concept mapping shown to the left)
For writing Word Prediction Software Word prediction software makes an educated guess on the next word the user is typing, based upon the first letters of the word they have already typed. This can be of great benefit for those who have physical disabilities affecting their typing, a slow typing speed, or trouble with spelling There are also certain software s that are capable of remembering words you have previously typed so they will come up in the future when you hit the same letter (This can be useful with names especially). One great option for this is Co:Writer by Don Johnston. Some of the features that are available are speech recognition, ios keyboard, and vocabulary support. These downloads can be purchased at http://donjohnston.com/cowriter
For writing Text-to-Speech Software A text-to-speech program really comes in handy if you have students who have poor reading skills. This program reads aloud what the student has written either word-by-word, sentence-by-sentence, entire paragraph, or the whole document. NextUp.com offers software that I would recommend for use in the classroom. Not only does their software read your work back to you, but it also is read back in a somewhat natural voice which can really help when it comes to finding errors. The speed of the voice can be adjusted for students based upon what they are comfortable with. This allows the students to hear their work out loud in order to proof read it to correct both syntax and spelling errors that they could have normally overlooked.
For writing Talking Spell-Checkers Talking spell-checkers are almost an advanced or specialized version of text-tospeech software. Talking spell-checkers read aloud all of the mis-spelled words and then proceed to read aloud every suggestion that the word could be. If students have a hard time with spelling this is great software to have because they can make their choice on the spelling of the word based on how the word sounds. This also comes in a little handheld device that can be used anywhere.
For reading Recorded Books Recorded books can be of great benefit to students who have trouble reading and comprehending what it is they are reading, but are able to understand material of their grade level. When a person reads the book aloud it helps the child to comprehend and decode what it is they are reading, that way they are able to understand the story just the same as their peers.
For reading High Interest-Low Level Books High interest-low level books come in handy when you have students who are able to understand material at their grade level but they have not yet mastered the skills to read on their own. http://www.highnoo nbooks.com/indexhnb.tpl The link above leads to a website called High Noon Books that offers a wide array of high interest-low level books. A great resource to keep in mind if you find yourself with struggling students. This presents age-appropriate content to them at an easier reading level so they are still able to enjoy the same assigned class stories as their peers.
For reading Scan/Read Systems Scan/read systems are a combination of a scanner, computer, speech output, and optical character recognition software. It reads printed text aloud, while also displaying on a computer monitor. The software highlights the text on the screen while it is reading in order to help the student keep up with the reading. Users scan the pages that are going to be read, and from there the software turns it into an electronic file. For larger books, such as novels, there are often times websites that provide text files that are already converted into e- text.
For communication Assistive Learning Devices Assistive listening devices are tools used to help with acoustics in the classroom. They are broken down into two categories: personal amplification systems and sound-field amplification systems. A personal amplification system consists of a student wearing a small receiver with ear phones or ear buds and a sound output device. A sound-field amplification system is when the teachers voice is heard throughout the room using speakers. Augmentative communication devices have text-to-speech, or just speech technology. They can range anywhere from homemade picture boards to computerized systems that range up to thousands of dollars. Sound-field amplification system Personal amplification system
For computer use. Assistive Input Devices Keyboard Labels Usually have a higher contrast and larger letters and can be adhered to a regular keyboard. This can be used for students who have difficulty distinguishing the keyboard. Another option is keyboard labels that leave unnecessary keys blank to make it less confusing for students with learning disabilities. Keyguards Are a great tool when trying to teach students how to type and only press one key at a time. It is a metal or acrylic cover that has holes for all keys. This comes in handy when you have students who experience poor fine motor skills. Pointing Devices Are typically used for physically disabled students who have a hard time with isolated finger movement. This allows them to press the keys necessary to successfully use a computer. Onscreen Keyboards Is a display of a keyboard on the computer monitor that can be used by simply clicking on a letter with the mouse, or leaving the mouse over the letter for a certain period of time. This is great for students who had limited movement of their hands or limited muscular control.
Assistive Output Devices Touch Screen A touch screen typically uses icons and graphics for you to physically touched as opposed to a mouse and keyboard for a regular computer. These are great to have when you have younger kids who can t yet type, a physical impairment, or trouble controlling the mouse. Customizable Keyboards Can be created in order to satisfy a students individual needs. You can program a key to enter in an entire word or just specific text to allow students with physical disabilities to use a computer. Expanded Keyboards Have larger keys and larger print that traditional keyboards. This is a great tool for children that have a physical disability and therefore lack fine motor skills. Mini Keyboards Are just the opposite of an expanded keyboard. It is smaller in size, allowing students with motor impairments that restrict their range of motion to type. These also come in one-handed keyboards as well for those who may have more dexterity in one hand than the other. Single Switch A single switch is designed for students that have a severe physical disability and are not able to use any of the other output systems. A highlighter moves from item to item and when it hits the item the students want to select they perform the single switch (flexing a fist, turning their head, pressing their foot, etc.) Screen Readers Speak the content on the screen for those who are visually impaired or easily fatigued from magnified screens. This tool is essential if you have students who are blind; this way they can do all things their peers are doing on the computer as well.
For the gifted and talented. For the gifted and talented For English Language Learners Using technology with your gifted and talented students can be of great benefit. It allows for differentiated instruction that is able to address their own unique needs. This allows students to remain engaged with their peers by working on their appropriate levels of challenge. One child could be working on their firstgrade reading skills on a website, meanwhile your gifted student has passed the first-grade level and is on to third grade, and still engaged. On top of all of this, teaching your gifted and talented students tools such as email and video chatting/conferencing allows them to connect with their peers or friends who have similar abilities to them. Technology can be crucial when working with students who do not have English as their first language. It allows for comprehensible input using visuals, hands-on activities, vocabulary, and cooperative tasks. They can do activities on language software programs in order to become more comfortable not only speaking English, but understanding it as well. Another way technology comes into play is helping the teachers that have English learners in their class. They are able to use technology to address the language diversity and barrier they are finding in their classroom and it also offers many ways and articles on how to deal with this diversity.
Using some of the recommended assistive technology tagged along with good teaching strategies can really make a difference when it comes to reaching the potential of your students.