Learning, Leading, Teaching, Tech
  • Home
  • Learning
    • Edtech 541 >
      • Vision-Mission Statement
      • Edtech 541 Blog
      • Sixth Grade ELA Lessons >
        • I Am Poem
        • Google Sheets Crowdsourced Qutoes
        • Google Drawings Quote Sticker
        • Google Docs Quote Analysis
        • Instructional Software Lesson
        • Make Your Presentations Sing
        • Video Integration
        • Integrating the Internet
        • Social Networking Community Building
        • Game Based Learning
        • Tech for English Language Learners
        • Science Math Learning Activities
        • Mobile Learning
        • ELL Lesson
        • Software Support Tools
        • Assistive Technologies
      • Resources
  • Leading Training
    • Digital Portfolios
    • EdtechTeam Training
    • Googley 21st Century Writing
    • Follow the Gold PBL Road
    • YouTubular CUERockStar2016
    • OCCUE Techfest 2016
    • Sample Presentations
  • Teaching
  • Tech Edtech Portfolio
  • Contact
  • Googley 21st Century Writing CUE17

EdTEch 541 Blog

Rationale for Assistive/Adaptive Technology

4/16/2016

2 Comments

 
“...the entire work of the field of special education technology can be summarized as searching, trialing, selecting, implementing, and evaluating technologies that augment, bypass, or compensate for a disability” (Roblyer, 404).
 The availability or lack of appropriate assistive technology can mean the difference between having access to learning or not for students with learning or other disabilities. The United States Office of Special Education IDEA Section 618: Data Static Tables provides information about the percent of the population served under IDEA. For example, under Part B Child Count and Educational Environments, item 8. Students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, as a percentage of population, by disability category and state, the percent of the population varied from a low of 6.14% in Hawaii to a high of 11.75% in New Jersey for all types of disabilities (IDEA). However, these percentages only identify those students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), and not all students with disabilities. Hence the number of students who could benefit from assistive technology is significant.  As such, this population deserves and needs to be served and supported. There are both costly and less costly alternatives to serve students learning needs. 


The UDL Toolkit is an excellent place to look for resources to meet student needs (Home). UDL or Universal Design for Learning “is a set of principles that underlie how to develop technology to give all individuals equal opportunities to learn” (Roblyer, 405). The UDL Toolkit is constructed using wikispaces to provide links to resources and assistive technologies that can support students with a variety of learning and other disabilities. Many of these resources would be very supportive to students with learning challenges in a sixth grade English class. In California, approximately 7.6% of students in grades 6-12 have IEPs. Those students could likely benefit from the learning tools in the UDL Toolkit.

I personally am a parent of a 20-year old child who struggled to learn, had an IEP while he was in school, and needed a variety of tools and support (technological and otherwise) to learn. As I supported his progress through the challenging educational landscape, I reflected on story of the boy who finds a bevy of starfish washed up on the shore. The boy is tossing starfish back into the sea, when a man walks up and asks him, “Why are your throwing the starfish into the sea, you can’t possibly make a difference.” The boy replies, “It made a difference to that one.”

While we might not be able to afford all the assistive technologies that are available, many more are becoming available at lower costs. As educators, called upon to serve all children, it is important to make a difference to each one.
References:

Home. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2016, from http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/

IDEA Section 618 Data Products: Static Files. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2016, from http://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepidea/618-data/static-tables/index.html#part-b

​Roblyer, M. (2016). INTEGRATING EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INTO TEACHING(7TH ED.). Massachusetts: Pearson.
2 Comments
Jasmine Quezada link
4/18/2016 08:57:37 pm

Hi Judy,
What a beautiful and well versed reflection! The starfish story, I'm sure, hits close to home for educators, as we truly believe in making a difference. You brought up a great point on students without IEP's and the services received through IDEA. This is often a struggle in schools, students who are not "qualified" to have an IEP yet still need these types of accommodations. Thanks for the insight & food for thought!

Reply
Scott McKee
4/18/2016 10:56:37 pm

Thanks for your blog, I completely agree with your statement "As educators, called upon to serve all children, it is important to make a difference to each one." As far as budgets, we will make it work once we get that first point across. Thank you

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Judy Blakeney

    I am a Middles School Instructional Coach working on a Ed.D. in Educational Technology  at Boise State University, in the 2016 Cohort.

    Archives

    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from TechStage, mikecogh
  • Home
  • Learning
    • Edtech 541 >
      • Vision-Mission Statement
      • Edtech 541 Blog
      • Sixth Grade ELA Lessons >
        • I Am Poem
        • Google Sheets Crowdsourced Qutoes
        • Google Drawings Quote Sticker
        • Google Docs Quote Analysis
        • Instructional Software Lesson
        • Make Your Presentations Sing
        • Video Integration
        • Integrating the Internet
        • Social Networking Community Building
        • Game Based Learning
        • Tech for English Language Learners
        • Science Math Learning Activities
        • Mobile Learning
        • ELL Lesson
        • Software Support Tools
        • Assistive Technologies
      • Resources
  • Leading Training
    • Digital Portfolios
    • EdtechTeam Training
    • Googley 21st Century Writing
    • Follow the Gold PBL Road
    • YouTubular CUERockStar2016
    • OCCUE Techfest 2016
    • Sample Presentations
  • Teaching
  • Tech Edtech Portfolio
  • Contact
  • Googley 21st Century Writing CUE17