Assistive technology helping children with learning disabilities

    When we look at technology use in the classroom, the “usual” tools we think about are computers and tablets.  These devices can help educators and students in teaching and learning, but we, as educators, must remember that all students don’t learn the same and some may have disabilities or impairments that make it hard for them to learn with these tools.  Some children may have difficulty processing language, some may have problems organizing, or computing when it comes to math or decoding and comprehending reading.

    This is where Assistive Technology (AT) comes into play.  AT can include; video/audio support, alternative keyboards, audio books and publications.  The website http://www.readingrockets.org/article/assistive-technology-kids-learning-disabilities-overview  discusses different types of learning disabilities that AT addresses and more tools available for students with learning disabilities.  I believe that as educators, we must always remember that we are teaching all children regardless of who they are and at times we may have to modify and/or make accommodations in our classroom so each child is receiving the education they deserve.

Note Taking and Annotation Made Better For All

    It’s no secret that pen and paper has been on its way out for some time now, but that doesn’t change the fact that we tend to scribble down random notes so that we can remember to email our teacher and fellow classmates about questions we have from the readings. What if we could somehow simplify the process and make things easier for teachers, students and all others? There’s a program that I was recently introduced to and I thought that it’s worth sharing so others can know what kind of direction educational technology and note taking is going. The program is called NB and is an annotation taking tool developed by the Haystack Group at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

    How it works essentially is let’s say that the class book or readings are posted online in a PDF file and everyone in the class including the teacher, the teaching assistant and the students have access to the file(s). After reading through the material, if the student has a question, they would usually try to send over an email to the teacher or classmates in hopes of trying to make understanding of something they read. This method does work, but there’s many variables that can keep the process from going smoothly. Unchecked or multiple emails that can be missed, etc. One of the many things that NB can do is allow it’s users to post notes directly to the readings themselves. Not only can the instructor see the note, but the fellow students can as well. They can answer the question that you have and there’s even features such as a voting option. Is there a question that seems multiple people have, but nobody has an answer to? A voting type option can be created where it can be voted on by users and it’s made much easier for the instructor to see it first before other questions that may not have scored as high. And let’s not leave out the teachers on this one. They can, for example, use the annotations as a way to make sure the students have read the material. They could require the students to make a certain amount of annotation posts as either questions or answers to fellow classmates questions, etc. It’s a win/win for all involved.

   These are just a few of the many available options for teachers and students to take advantage of. On top of that, new features and options are in current development and will be eventually added in. In my opinion, I feel that NB could be a very powerful and useful addition to those who choose to use it. The ease and simplicity of compiling reading, annotation and group work/socializing into one online location should be very enticing. When you factor in what NB can do, it’s no surprise that pen and paper is fading away just that much more.
   

Hey Teacher, if my Science Experiment is in VR, Can I cause Explosions?

This article, from EdSurge news, suggests that virtual reality (VR) could be a “tectonic shift” toward closing the gap between the rapid technological advances and slow methodology changes in schools.

VR could help students learn and retain information better by making learning into an active creation rather than simply reading text or watching a movie. For example, students could fly through a blood stream while learning about cellular biology. The author (who has vested interest because she works for a VR startup) explains that this would also help with shortened student attention spans. (He/she never explains why, but I assume because it would be interesting enough to hold attention longer. This makes me wonder how long this will remain novel to the students.)

Though actual experiments are expensive, time consuming to set up and prepare for, potentially dangerous, and require space and real time, an experiment done with VR eliminates all of these problems while still offering the student the opportunity to do the experiment. I see a lot of value in this argument because I see these factors majorly limiting high school experiments even in affluent school districts. Ideally the VR would be so advanced though that it would still require the same precision rather than having just a few options and channeling the user toward the correct method. If schools can't afford the costs of science experiments now though, I doubt they'll be able to afford the investment of a VR system.

VR also serves as an opportunity to use technology in the classroom in a more meaningful and interactive way than movies or e-texts that simply present the same information the same way but digitally. It could be a great learning tool, it just seems expensive and new. 

Federal Funding for Tech-Schools

According to this article from the EdSuge news page, the Department of Education is considering extending funding to post-secondary technology schools with the purpose of allowing low-income students to learn modern technology skills so they can eventually get “high-paying, high-tech” jobs. To me, this seems like a great idea. Students from economically underprivileged areas will struggle paying the ever-steeper cost of a college degree yet the odds are against them succeeding in a career without post-secondary education. These scholarships would go to support the group of students who don’t qualify for the Pell grant, yet are still in acute financial need. Government-sponsored technology schools would be a great avenue for interested students to receive the necessary training to become successful programmers, designers, inventors and technology entrepreneurs. This education would lead to high-need, high-paying jobs and help break the cycle of poverty. (As a counter point though, this article, also from EdSurge, pointed out that 74% of STEM graduates with a bachelors don’t work in STEM fields. It didn't explain why or where they went instead though. Is it other lucrative fields, the lack of jobs, disinterest, or something else? Technology is simply one aspect of STEM too, so perhaps it's the 26% that gets jobs?)

Far from rejoicing about funding for these schools, the article focused on concerns. The think tank TCF has suggested that such schools could actually prey on students and sap government money without maintaining quality education or providing results (much like for-profit colleges). There is also the concern that students will be assessed based on standardized testing instead of portfolios—rather strange considering the nature of the education would be focused on creating projects. 

The concerns addressed are serious and could be destroy the entire project if the TCF’s fears manifest in reality. However, if the government monitor these schools and continue the funding, I think the schools could be very beneficial to students.

"Glogster:" like Presi but better?

The Czech-founded website, Glogster, is a lot like Presi—even founded the same year (2009)—although both have undergone serious changed over the course of the years. Instead of a 3D space, though, Glogster uses a poster format to organize ideas (which is better for students prone to nausea and for students with disabilities who could be confused by Presi’s wild movement). Though not available in many languages, Glogster does support a Spanish version, which would be helpful in many bilingual classrooms. Also an improvement to Presi is that the Glogster library of already-created presentations isn’t simply everything users have made, but rather the best and most accurate presentations. This library is available with both iOS and android phones. It’s designed for classroom use, to support or even replace other textbooks (though it would take extreme knowledge, organization (and arrogance?) on the teachers’ part to completely choose his/her own curriculum from a massive library of information instead of following a textbook. Other suggested educational used are to document fieldtrips while they’re happening—sound like facebook anyone?), create lectures, and self-educate using the library. The "Glogs" in the library are incredibly visually appealing and interactive (incorporating sound, video, text, images). “Glogging” is easy with lots of template options and vines explaining how different features function. Once you get past the welcome page and into the library though, the site ascetics diminish with a really dated looking “rate it” box at the bottom. (Check out this model Glog from the library—the whole site aesthetic diminishes greatly.) An account to create Glogs and using the library is free to all, but unfortunately, unless you have a teachers license, online courses through “Glogster School” carry a fee.

Presi--A Good Presentation Tool?

Presi, though now a well-known player in the presentation world, is engaging and fun but not necessarily the best presentation tool.

One of the main benefits of Presi is the fantastic visual connections between material and ideas that can be created in a virtual space. For visual learners, seeing arrows, charts and ideas physically grouped together is very helpful, not only when watching a presentation but also by creating presentations when trying to make sense of new information. Because organizing information is a tested method of studying, Presis could help some students learn. (I think it would be less helpful for other learner types though, so as a teacher I wouldn’t mandate it but rather offer it as an option to complete an assignment.) With Presi Collaborate, up to 10 users can work on a single presentation at the same time. There is also an app, but it is only available for iPads.  

More so than Glogster, there is a lot of artistic freedom (though figuring out how to use different features has been known to cause more frustration than it was worth; the user interface could be improved for users enjoy the opportunity for creativity). The program is free though (with the option to pay for special features).

Most problematic, however, is that screen readers don’t necessarily work with Presi so students with disabilities who rely on this technology will be unable to use Presi. Using PowerPoint just for these students, doesn’t seem ideal because PowerPoint doesn’t create the information connections for which Presi is specifically useful. Adding a way for all students to benefit while still using Presi, not a different medium, would be good.

Apple Ipads Helping To Educate In The Special Education Field

It certainly is an amazing time to be in the special education field and being able to take advantage of the technology that is currently available to help in teaching those with special needs. One piece of technology that I think is great and most everyone has either heard of it, or owns one, is the Apple Ipad. The Ipad is a staple in the daily life of many people, but it's what lies inside some of the built in features that many may not know about. They are features that are being used in special education classrooms in many different locations and being used by many different types of students with various challenges.

One of the features that can be used, for example, is the "guided access" feature. It allows the instructor to hold a student in the application that's being used by blocking the usage of the "home" button. And if that's not enough, the instructor can take it one step further by disabling different areas of the screen from reacting to touch, as a means to keep the student focused on what's being taught without distractions. Some of the features that many people use every day, such as FaceTime, can assist those in communicating with sign language and the dictation feature can be used by those with reading impairments such as dyslexia. These are just a few examples of the many other possibilities.

I suggest checking out this article because I think it shows what kind of an impact that the Ipad has on the education world, more specifically the special education world.

I believe that with the use of technology such as the Ipad, current and future students, as well as the teachers, in the special education field will certainly benefit for the better.