Practical Application of Assistive Technology in Schools NCSE Research Conference 2017 Tuesday 21st November 2017 Paul Nisbet Director CALL Scotland, University of Edinburgh Paul.Nisbet@ed.ac.uk
CALL Scotland Strategic Leadership Free core Assistive Technologies Assessment and Support for learners CPD and Training Information and advice: books, guides, resources, videos, web site Assistive Technology Loan Bank Knowledge Transfer, research and development www.callscotland.org.uk
Communication, Access, Literacy and Learning our vision Every child / young person in Scotland with a disability or additional support needs has the curriculum materials Assistive Technologies Augmentative and Alternative Communication systems they need - and the support to use them effectively - in order to participate effectively and fulfil their potential through learning and achievement.
Scottish Curriculum for Excellence 'Our aspiration is to enable all children to develop their capacities as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society.' A Curriculum for Excellence: The Curriculum Review Group (2004) http://www.gov.scot/publications/2004/11/20178/4 5862
Scottish Curriculum for Excellence How can you be a: Successful learner - if you can t read books and learning materials? Confident individual - if you depend on others to read to you, write for you or talk for you? Responsible citizen - if you don t have access to information? Effective contributor - if you can t speak, write or communicate? And how do these challenges impact on your attainment?
Use Assistive and Communication Technology! x
Easier said than done? ipads? Laptops? Chromebooks? Android? Windows? MacOS? Apps? Extensions? Accessibility Settings? Keyboards? Mice? Switches? Software? Literacy Support? Computer Readers? Reading Pens? Clicker? Read&Write? Speech recognition? Dragon? Communication Aids? Symbols? AAC? Dyslexia? Visual Impairment? Braille? ASD? Visual supports? H e l p..
https://www.education.ie/en/the-department/action-plan-for- Education-2016-2019/ Irish Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 Our goals are: Improve the learning experience and the success of learners Improve the progress of learners at risk of educational disadvantage or learners with special educational needs Help those delivering education services to continually improve Build stronger bridges between education and the wider community Improve national planning and support services
Scottish National Improvement Framework Our vision: Excellence through raising attainment: ensuring that every child achieves the highest standards in literacy and numeracy, set out within Curriculum for Excellence levels, and the right range of skills, qualifications and achievements to allow them to succeed; and Achieving equity: ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed, with a particular focus on closing the povertyrelated attainment gap. http://www.gov.scot/publications/2016/12/8072
ASN Attainment Gap Primary 7 (age 10-11) ASN status Reading Writing Listening & Talking Additional support needs No additional support needs Numeracy 45% 37% 55% 43% 82% 75% 86% 77% Unknown 1 57% 50% 61% 53% All pupils 72% 65% 77% 68% Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels, 2016 http://www.gov.scot/publications/2016/12/3546/336275
Impact of Assistive Technologies The use of assistive technology to support the needs of special education students has been a revelation and has begun a small revolution in student achievement, so that many students are now able to access, develop and display what they know in ways that have never been possible for them before. Hargreaves, A. & Braun, H. (2012). Leading for all: Final report of the review of the development of essential for some, good for all: p. 53, Toronto, Ontario: Council of Directors of Education
Hargreaves, A. & Braun, H. (2012). Leading for all: Final report of the review of the development of essential for some, good for all: p. 53, Toronto, Ontario: Council of Directors of Education Impact of Assistive Technologies Assistive technologies, the results of this study show, can increase participation, enhance inclusion, develop positive identity and selfconfidence and raise achievement in the community of students with special educational needs.
How should assistive technologies be applied? Assistive technologies have been used most successfully when they are placed in the service of the primary learning goals of the school system. Their greatest impact has been when they have been integrated into classroom teachers practice with all students rather than just providing a form of separate (and sometimes stigmatized) source of support for individual students with identified special needs. Hargreaves, A. & Braun, H. (2012). Leading for all Executive Summary, p.19
Hargreaves & Braun, 2012 Assistive technology is not simply a device such as a laptop or a piece of software. Nor is it a single investment in time and resources. It is as an interconnected system that encompasses planning, professional development, personnel, and equipment. Hargreaves, A. & Braun, H. (2012). Leading for all: Final report, p46
Assistive Technology in schools Access to a digital device Accessible resources Accessibility Software / hardware
Universal Design for Learning Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs. NATIONAL CENTER ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING, AT CAST, WAKEFIELD, MA, HTTP://WWW.UDLCENTER.ORG/
UDL: Multiple means of representation, expression and engagement
Multiple means of representation Reader (human) Computer text reader Text appearance Audio books Talking dictionary Translation Symbolised text Links to glossary Links to more information
Multiple means of action and expression Text Handwritten response Digital text Verbal response Speech Recorded voice Speech recognition AAC & symbols Art, drawing, images Multimedia Video
Multiple means of engagement Routine / variation Choice / direction Group / individual work Relevant activities Learning goals Feedback Self regulation Visual timetables Flipped learning Choice of content and tools
UDL: inclusion by design
Example 1 - Hamish My name is Hamish and I am 11 years old. I am going to tell you about my experience using an ipad. I started using an ipad in primary 5 to help with homework and found it so helpful that I started using in school in primary 6. I find text very difficult so use voice activated technology. I can search the web by asking Siri to find websites for me. I then use the screen reader to read them out. Most websites have a button to remove all the adverts and clutter from the page leaving just the important stuff. This makes listening to the websites much easier." "If there is a website but I really like and use a lot I turn it into an app. I did this for the Calibre audio library. I can screen shot things and attach them to my digital note app Notability. Article in Dyslexia Voice, March 2015
Hamish I can send voice notes to my teacher. My favourite new app is a digital dictaphone. It makes me dictate and edit my homework and send it to my teacher via the edmodo app or email. I don t have to write anything. My teacher puts all my homework on Edmodo so I can listen to it on my ipad. If it is a worksheet I can move it to ClaroPDF and fill in the answers using voice-to-text or a voice note. "When I go to high school after the summer, I plan to use the ipad to video science experiments and other lessons. I will use the reminders app instead of homework diary so I don t have to write anything down". I would recommend using an ipad to anyone. Article in Dyslexia Voice March 2015
Multiple means of representation and expressions the power of audio Hamish reads web sites with the Reader View and Speak Screen. Using ClaroPDF, he reads the learning activity with Speak Selection and dictates his answers with Siri, or records with Voice Notes
ipad built-in Accessibility Speak Selection Speak Screen Siri Dictation Prediction Text Replacement AutoCorrect Display Accommodations Posters from CALL: Using the ipad to Support Dyslexia ipad Apps for Learners with Dyslexia
Learning technology ~ 2000 Laptops and devices available for students with ASN were: heavy bulky slow short battery life expensive specialist usually only provided for learners with particular needs, certainly not every learner
Learning technology in 2017 I think that there has been a real improvement in motivation for many of my pupils, several of whom have support for learning needs. The 1-1 aspect has meant that the children have really personalised their ipads and made them work the way they want. They have become important tools for learning in my class with many children surprising me on a daily basis with the types of work they come up with. ipad Scotland Final Evaluation Report, October 2012, p52
Hamish s tools Windows OS Video and multimedia Windows, Dragon Voice-activated technology e.g. WordTalk, NaturalReader Text-to-speech - Digital resources PDF and Adobe Reader Hamish on Windows Voice notes OneNote, Adobe Reader Communication between teacher and student Edmodo, Glow, OneNote Digital notes and jotters OneNote
Digital Learning Resources
Digital Learning Resources - sources itunes RM Books RNIB Bookshare The National Accessible Library Books for All Scotland Database 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 Books for All Scotland Database Downloads Number of individual users
Computer Text Readers http://www.callscotland.org.uk/information/text-to-speech/
Example 2 - Malcolm Age 9, quadriplegic cerebral palsy affecting gross and fine motor control and speech Primary 7 mainstream Drives a powered wheelchair Access computer with a joystick Augments speech with a voice output communication aid
Assistive Technology Laptop Gated joystick with head switch for click Language work with Clicker grids, on-screen keyboard and Co:Writer word prediction Click n type onscreen keyboards DynaVox Maestro communication aid
Literacy support word prediction, word banks, mind maps, dictionary etc Co:Writer Clicker 7 Read & Write
Multiple means of representation, expression and engagement Digital reading books Interactive digital maths books OneNote Digital Jotters Maths in action
From Getting it Right for One Child to Getting it Right for Every Child Develop a solution, test and evaluate with learners How can M access maths textbooks independently? Make them available for all disabled learners via the Books for All Database Adapt the entire Primary Maths series
Books for All Scotland Database
UDL and assessment
Scottish School Assessments Formal examinations sat by most students in Scotland. Traditional paper format. 657,528 examinations sat by 136,889 candidates in 2017. Administered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
Assessment Arrangements Assessment arrangements allow candidates who are disabled and/or who have been identified as having additional support needs appropriate arrangements to access the assessment without compromising its integrity. Assessment Arrangements Explained, p. 1 SQA January 2010, revised August 2016
SQA Digital Question Papers Read questions with text-tospeech Change background and foreground colours Click to tick Type your answers
Reliant on Readers, Stuck with Scribes, or Independent with ICT? 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 Number of Requests for readers, scribes, ICT and Digital Question Papers in examinations Use of ICT only Reader Scribe Digital Question Papers
Voice quality is important many of the students commented that the synthetic voice was of poor quality and was difficult to understand The most common suggestion for improvement to the PDF examinations was to improve the quality of the synthetic voice. Nisbet, P.D., Aitken, S., Shearer, N. (2004) Trial of External Papers in Accessible PDF for Candidates with Additional Support Needs. http://www.adapteddigitalexams.org.uk/downloads/reports/
.. so we licenced high quality Scottish Computer Voices 2008: Heather licensed for Scottish schools 2011: Stuart developed and licensed 2015: Ceitidh world s first Scottish Gàidhlig voice developed and licenced From CALL s Scottish Voice web site All voices by CereProc in Edinburgh
CALL s Universal Assistive Technologies Books for All Database http://www.booksforallscotland.org.uk/ SQA Digital Exams http://www.adapteddigitalexams.org.uk/ Free Wordtalk and other text readers http://www.wordtalk.org.uk/ Free Scottish Computer Voices http://www.thescottishvoice.org.uk/
Summary All learners benefit from Inclusive Digital Learning within a UDL framework. For some learners, Assistive Technology is absolutely essential: without it, they cannot access the curriculum independently. Assistive Technology can raise attainment for learners with ASN.