Friday, April 3, 2015

Blog Post #12

What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher?



What is assistive technology?

Assistive Technology is any form/ type of software/device/equipment that assist anyone who has a disability to function more easily or in a more efficient manner. 

Examples of how one may use assistive technology
1.
Communication
2.
To Hear
3.
To See
4.
To use the Computer
5.
To Play Games
6.
To Learn














AT- Communication

There are many forms of assistive technology to help people with disabilities to communicate. For example people who are unable to speak now have the option of using technology to communicate. Proloquo2Go is an app that allows people to speak though the use of technology. This app has many symbols and pictures so the one can chose a symbol and it will verbalize it from any apple devise. As teachers we could have a student with that are unable to speak but we also may have students who are just unable to communicate in a verbal manner. So whether educators have a student with a disability or just someone who is trying to learn how to communicate clearly you could use this app. This app is available on iTunes.





https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/proloquo2go-symbol-based-aac/id308368164?mt=8




AT-Deaf and Hearing Impaired

I think we have all met someone or know someone who was deaf. When I was in the elementary school I remember one of my classmates having to use assistive technology. She was not completely deaf but was hearing impaired. I remember my teacher having to wear a microphone. It went around the teacher’s head and had a peace that she talked into right in front of her mouth with a small black box that hooked to her belt. The student had a receiving speaker sitting on her desk. With out this device she would not have been able to hear the teacher when she taught. This was basically just to make the teachers voice amplified so that the hearing impaired student to hear her.  But of course this was many years ago.
            

            But not of course they have upgraded this technology, now they have almost the same exact thing only virtually invisible plus it is wireless. These types of things can help teachers while lecturing to keep the attention of the students but it can help any hearing impaired student be able to learn more efficiently.










AT- Blind and the Visually Impaired

         Blind and Visually impaired students could be totally blind, Color blind, or maybe just not able to see as well as others.  As a teacher one should become aware of any students who may be visually impaired. In the classroom if a student is simple unable to see perfectly or from far away the teacher could just move them to the front of the classroom so that they are able to see the board but this may not always work. Students who are blind will need extra assistance but there are many forms of technology to make this less stressful. For example the Mountbattern Brailler, this is a system that can help anyone who is blind learn to read and write using Braille. Not only will this help the student this device makes it easier for teachers to help the students by using the technology software that comes with the machine. Not only is this great for the student and teacher this devise is one of the most high-tech systems on the market.

http://www.mountbattenbrailler.com/whymb.html



3 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading your post. Keep up the good work!

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  2. Great Post Shelby! your post is very through and filled with good information. I myself have never heard of "Proloquo2Go". But now that I have I am very intrigued. Im very glad that we have finally gotten to a place where certain handicaps won't hold back students from learning or achieving their best.

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  3. Great post Shelby! I really enjoyed reading your post and I think we had some of the same ideas. I liked how you gave a picture for each device you were talking about.

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