Scherer Table

This table continues along the lines of assessment of Assistive Technology.  It seems like a nicely organized tool for evaluating whether or not a particular assistive technology is appropriate for a given student.  It is similar to a rubric, which most teachers would be familiar with and comfortable using.  It has an easy setup and a provides a clear visual representation of the assessment process.  This is definitely something I would feel comfortable using.

May 9

This week our class featured three presentations focused on Assistive Technology Assessment Models.  We were all asked to prepare a power point presentation describing four models and three of my classmates presented their power points for the class.

The four I choose were:

The SETT Framework http://www.joyzabala.com/
Education Tech Points http://www.educationtechpoints.org/
The Chambers' Consideration Model
The HAAT Model http://www.teachingat.info/constructs/human.html

All models had their individual approach, but all four involved a team approach that takes into account the needs of the student, the strengths of the student and the environment where the student is functioning.  It is important for the appropriate technology to be matched with the student and the process should include periodic reviews to ensure the technology is still appropriate.

Assistive Technology in the Workplace

As teachers, our focus is typically on students in the classroom, and that makes sense.  While looking through youtube videos I came across the one below that addresses the topic of assistive technology in the workplace.  I think it is excellent that new technology allows students to be more successful in class.  I am also excited to think that technology helps them gain independence in their adult lives and gives them the ability to support themselves in the workforce. 

May 2

This week’s class began with two excellent presentations.  We were given a solid description of the challenges students face and were shown a number of interesting apps.  I am always impressed by the presentations my fellow M.Ed. students are able to create.

I learned a number of interesting and valuable things during this class.  When having students work with iPad apps and other assistive technologies, it is important to have a preferred activity to do afterward in order to ease the transition away from the iPad.  One of the presenters referenced the distinction between the technology being a tool as opposed to being a toy.  Learning should involve fun, but fun has to involve learning.

I also found it interesting to hear about how students on the Autism spectrum sometimes relate better to virtual reality than actual reality.  This makes sense because my wife has a cousin with Autism and he really enjoys little videos on DVD or his iPad and is much more interactive with them then he is with other people.  It is too bad that this type of interaction does not always transfer to real life.

April 25

This week's class featured a number of excellent presentations focusing on various apps and programs designed to assist people with special needs.  What really stood out for me were some of the apps that use the device's camera to identify objects.  There were apps designed to improve mobility of visually impaired individuals (ie: what is in front of me?), as well as helping them identify objects around their home/workplace (ie: what is in the fridge?).

One group spoke about an app designed to translate sign language.  As they said, there are a number of apps that are designed to help people learn how to sign, but the technology is getting close to being able to motion capture someone signing and translate to text.  A quick Google search found the following information about such an app being created by British researchers:

UK Researchers Plan Mobile Real-Time Sign Language Translation App

Jenna's 60 Minutes clip

I really found the 60 Minutes clip from Jenna’s blog this week interesting (April 18th).  There is a student at my school who is visually impaired and he is a very talented, self taught drummer.  It has been nice to see him be successful and really nice to see others students interact with him and acknowledge his skills.

I had never really thought of this type of situation as providing an opportunity for the person to interact with others.  Very inspirational for sure!   

Jenna's Blog

IRISPen

An exchange student we had a few years ago used a translator somewhat similar to this.  It looked more or less like a highlighter and it scanned written documents and provided translation.  It seemed to work reasonably well and the technology had likely gotten better in the 2-3 years since he was here.

IRISPEN 6 - Overview