Putting it All Together and into Practice

            I really enjoyed all the case studies presented over the past two weeks. It is truly remarkable what students can achieve with assistive technology. I enjoyed learning about all the different scenarios, struggles, and successes presented. This was a great way to put into practice what we have learned throughout the course. I must say this has been one of the most practical courses and projects I have every had to do. In addition, it was nice to learn about how assistive technology works at different grade levels. It is very interesting to me that the iPod and iPad was presented over and over again as being successfully implemented during these case studies; and at all grade levels. I learned about Hyperstudio from Dave and could see myself trying this out in the future…. when it is available in schools. I enjoyed Heather’s implementation of many types of assistive technology, some of which were not even “technology” such as sandpaper and movable blocks. The progress made by Bill’s student with the use of the iPod is really unbelievable. I found Lydia’s story really pulled on the heart strings. She share a very inspiring story. I can not even begin to imagine what it would be like to go through 40 years of your life not being able to read and then learning about the many programs that can support you.

            I think that we all could empathize with Vida when she shared the frustrations they had with access to technology. As well as the program functions that did not work for Connie and Stacey. If we are all to move forward in this field of assistive technology we really need to have it assessable and working or else students will become disengaged.

It was so great to hear these real life stories and learn about how teachers are introducing students to assistive technology. It goes to show how much AT can change independence and output for students with difficulties and challenges.  

Further understandings of Writing

During class 10 we continued learning about and working on our understanding of the writing task analysis. This process is even more complex than the reading process as you need all the tools required in the reading process plus more fine motor skills to pick up, hold, and write with the pencil or pen.  This class was really interesting as we were guided through this process and presented with real examples of students who struggle with reading and writing in school through the viewing of several video clips from MissunderstoodmindesLd. It was really useful to hear both student’s voice as well as the parent’s voice and opinions about school struggles.

            This week we had to write a whole summary with our non-dominate hand. I used a pencil this week instead of a pen and actually found it much easier to write with. This is proof that just changing the writing tool could be a stepping stone to helping students with the writing process.

            We had a discussion about students working with scribes. Students may have the assistance to complete readable work but they do not have their independence when they use a scribe. There are still may barriers in our schools that are preventing students to move from having a scribe to using technology. As well, in my case study you will learn that the student I present about produces the most work with a scribe. I do understand that there are many factors at play here. Is the scribe writing exactly what the student is saying? Is the scribe prompting the student for more detailed answers? Is it the scribe that motivates the student to move on to the next answer? Only with more practice and time with other devices will I learn the answers to these questions. To assist students who have written output difficulties we learned about several voice to text programs. We practiced voice recognition even using our own computers. Unfortunately once again I ran into problems with my old dinosaur of a computer, it would not pick up any voice.