Assistive Technology: A Lifeline for the Future

     In the Whitney Houston rendition of The Greatest Love Of All (YouTube, 2010), she beautifully serenades her audience with an important message: "I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way."  This message is a timeless reminder that children are our future; they deserve the best education the world has to offer for a successful future.  As we move about in the 21st century, it is critical to ensure that students, specifically those with disabilities, receive the appropriate and best education possible.  Preparing students who need assistive technology will ensure better opportunities for their future.  To do this, the education departments worldwide must be mindful of the assistive technology available and implement it in the classrooms of students with disabilities. 

     Technology in the classroom is a great help not just for students, but for teachers as well.  Watching movies pertaining to a lesson, viewing PowerPoints of a lesson, and listening to audiobooks are a few of the many different ways teachers use technology to attract students and keep them engaged.  Additionally, it is also a good alternative to the traditional textbook method.  Implementing assistive technology in the inclusive classroom would be accommodating for all students, disabled or not.  If the disabled students have the necessary means they need to participate in the class, they will not be a distraction to their classmates and the teacher will have more time to spend on the lesson.

     The National Center for Learning Disabilities (n.d.) states that, " Learning disabilities do not go away with time.  However, assistive technology can help children with learning disabilities leverage their strengths and work around or compensate for specific learning problems.  These supports can be key to helping users become more independent in school and throughout life---on the job and in activities for daily living." With this statement, it is possible to understand just how critical AT is in a disabled individual's life. In the video, Assistive Technology:  Enabling Dreams (Edutopia, 2005), elementary teacher George Rehmet asserts that the earlier students with disabilities are introduced to assistive technology, the more proficient they will be with the tool.  He goes on to assert that AT prepares them to focus on the lessons. In the same video, Sheryl Burgstahler of the University of Washington asserts, "Technology has changed all of our lives, but for these students technology truly changes their life and the opportunities that they'll have in the future." This is also another example of how AT continues to be a critical aspect and a positive change in these individuals' lives.

     As a teacher, I would ensure that my lesson is accommodating for all my students.  A few examples of how I can accomplish this is by:

1. Supplementing a video or film in place of reading a text.
2. Closed captioning a film shown in class.
3. Implementing audiobooks.
4. Having in-class review sessions before tests.
5. Offering additional time to take the test for students with disabilities.

     AT gives individuals with disabilities a sense of normality because it enables them to do almost anything their peers can do; it is their lifeline. A sense of normality offers them a chance at having a successful life.  By being aware of the availability of assistive technology, teachers and parents can work together to ensure the success of the child and his or her future.

Works Cited

Edutopia. (2005, February 2). Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams [Video File]. Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

National Center for Learning Disabilities. (n.d.). Assistive Technology. Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/assistive-technology-education

YouTube. (2010, September 27). Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All [Video File]. Retrieved October 17, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYzlVDlE72w

[Untitled photograph of children using a smart board] Retrieved October 17, 2014 from http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/images/stories/large/2012/09/16/af1f0a85.jpg

[Untitled photograph of children using laptops in a classroom] Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jC1_NAP9sm8/UEuMUf6GICI/AAAAAAAABOc/7khAOcUpF4E/s1600/IMG_1637.JPG

[Untitled photograph of children raising their fingers in a classroom] Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://ak.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/2390780/preview/stock-footage-cute-children-raising-their-fingers-in-the-classroom.jpg

Technology in the Classroom using Coconut Vowels

            Once assigned to the Beta group, my group members and I immediately discussed our ideas on how to go about our first project.  We knew we wanted the game to be educational, exciting, and most of all, engaging.  We each came into class with a game and although each of us liked the others game, we couldn’t decide on a game. When we did, I felt that we were settling for something that was less than the standards we agreed on. This was probably the most difficult task our group had undergone.  Providentially, using the site Ramon chose, I researched more games to choose from and found Coconut Vowels, which was the perfect fit for us.  Majority of our group members are English for Education majors so the content of the game was not only educational, but also enticing for us.  I felt that, with the connection to the coconut and the fact that we live on an island, the title of the game itself would entice our audience. We practiced and helped each other when it was the other's turn. By the end of the class period, we were Coconut Vowel masters.  One main aspect that I especially enjoy about the game is that it includes the Common Core State Standards right below the game window on the web page. According to Darrell West and Joshua Bleiberg (2013), the standards make instruction easier for teachers.  They also asserted:

Having a single set of standards eliminated redundancy and conflicting guidelines.  Furthermore universal adoption of common standards will support future technological innovations that aid teachers.  From a technical perspective, standards facilitate the development of new technologies.  Innovators can focus on developing tools that better serve students rather than solving technical challenges of interoperability created by multiple sets of standards (West & Bleiberg, 2013).

With this assertion, one can understand that the standards were implemented to benefit teachers and students by implementing the use of new technology tools to continue to help students excel.

            The technology tools my group and I utilized for the educational game project were Emaze for our presentation, PhotoBooth on the Apple MacBook Pro was utilized to take our group picture used on our presentation, and Gmail was utilized to email the link to the game to our classmates. I hope to be able to use Coconut Vowels in my English content area when I teach my students how to spell.  The game is designed for the 2^nd grade level, however, I believe I can modify it and create a similar game for the secondary grade level.  I consider this game to be appropriately educational and engaging for 2^nd graders and additionally for older children as it even captured attention from all the students during our presentation. Many of them wanted to retry the level to obtain a higher score.  For myself, this was a sign of victory in achieving our goal of engaging our audience. Many of the students also interacted with each other on what words to make with the given letters.

            In the classroom, peer interaction may involve peer tutoring, which gives satisfaction to students because they are able to help peers without the aid of the teacher ("Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students," n.d.).  Peer tutoring also allows teachers to spend more time teaching the content without having to repeat his or herself, which allows more time for students to work. By implementing technology in the classroom it allows students to: concentrate on the lesson at hand, enthuses and engages student learning, allows students to learn at a convenience, and lastly prepares students to be successful in their futures (Huneycutt, 2013). Coconut Vowels is an excellent aid to teach students how to spell while implementing technology in the classroom. With the help of the online interactive game, it will help myself, as a teacher, to teach students differently from the traditional textbook method, yet still ensuring content comprehension.

Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2014, from website:
https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html

Honeycutt, Timothy. (2013, October 8). Technology in the Classroom:  The Benefits of Blended Learning. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from National Math + Science website:
http://www.nms.org/Blog/TabId/58/PostId/188/technology-in-the-classroom-the-benefits-of-blended-learning.aspx

West, D. & Bleiberg J. (2013, May 7). Five Ways Teachers Can Use Technology to Help Students. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from Huffington Post website:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/darrell-west/five-ways-teachers-can-us_b_3228851.html