AT can be any item, piece of equipment, or teachermade product that is designed to improve a student’s functional capability or help a student succeed in accessing the general education curriculum
Commercially available mapping software, such as Inspiration, is an example of a high-tech solution to organizational work and thought problems
Clip art, videos, animations, maps, diagrams, and other graphic elements can be found online as well and are useful in assisting students who need visual imagery to better understand the concepts in a lesson
modified meterstick with staples at the centimeter markings for tactile use by those with visual impairments
instructional software program that converts text to speech for students who function at low reading levels; such devices could be used with headsets by students during classroom time
Lahm and Morrissette (1994) identify seven instructional areas in which AT has proven advantageous for use with students with mild disabilities: organization, note taking, writing assistance, productivity, access to reference materials, cognitive assistance, and materials modification
Organization
Light-tech solutions include the use of flow charts, task analysis, webbing or networking ideas, and outlining
I'm proud to say that I know Kathy Shirley, the tech director who has been instrumental in Escondido's success with iPods. She and her district are doing amazing things in my hometown of San Diego, CA.
mobile tech is the single best vehicle for addressing the confidence and practical needs of many of our kids with learning differences
I don't mean to say that the tech itself is the 'difference', what I am trying to say is that the tech -- and especially the personalized and always-on facet of mobile tech -- will provide the connection to the tools, the teachers, and the interventions that will make the difference in a way both unique and also requiring a re-thinking in terms of how we offer relevant services to students with learning differences.
we need to explain to developers what we and our students need from them
Even better, we should be calling for Ed Schools to provide instruction in app making and digital design so that we -- the teachers -- have the capacity to program our own teaching.
we need to push now for an end to the access issues facing all of our schools
Let's make districts come to the realization that mobile devices and mobile access are the point-of-entry for learning right now. Let's put state funded devices in the hands of kids who need them and let all kids bring their own INTELLECTUAL EMPOWERMENT DEVICES to class.