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The Assistive Technology Landscape in 2012 and Beyond
Abi James
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What is Assistive Technology?
An umbrella term used to describe products that give someone with a disability a level of independence and enable them to carry out day to day tasks
World Health organisationAny product or service designed to enable independence for disabled and older people.
www.fastuk.org
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When Is Technology “Assistive” to a student?
• Technology “scaffolding” to enable independent learning
• Overcomes barriers to learning• Provides tools to compensate for task that are
more difficult and time consuming• A recognisable adjustment to reduce the
impact on their studies
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But assistive technology solutions must...
• Lesson difficulties• Enhance learning
‘a mismatch can hamper the students ability to use coping strategies to manage their dyslexia’ Stacy (1998)
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Current “assistive” technology landscapeWilkinson, Viney & Draffan 2012
• 85% of DSA students in a recent survey had not used AT before entering HE
• 49% not identified until FE or later.• 67.5% used it daily• 70% said that their kit “helps them keep
up”
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Current “assistive” technology landscape
Price (2010) quotes a students whose dyslexia “affects the ability to multi-task and whose low-level skill operation does not work on automatic pilot”:
I have wonderful sentences in my head but to write means that I have to think about the shape of letters and the spelling. This slows me down considerably.
Strategy: Student used Dragon to get her ideas down quickly
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Assistive Technology & Training: Student Feedback
• Students needs change through their course• Integrating assistive technology into a student’s life
often requires them to learn additional skills on top of new academic skills.
• Wilkinson, Viney & Draffan 2012:– 80%+ found AT training helpful or very helpful– 30% would have liked access to reminder sessions
• Better approaches?– Study strategies using technology– Drop in sessions– Online resources
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Technology Expectations Vs. Technology
Enhancements
What makes up the technology landscape for DSA students?
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Technology expectations are led by technology already in use at..
School Home and daily life College Their peers
What does it mean to be a 21st century learner?
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2006: Facebook,Wikipedia Google Apps,
2007-8Netbooks, iPhones Internet access via mobiles > computersCloud computing
2009 TwittereBooks go consumerAndroidWindows 7 releasedCloud-based API’s emerge
2010
The iPad!
The Kindle
Proliferation of App stores
2011:
TabletsSocial Media meets collaborative learningGoogle Chrome book
Computing developments since 2006 in homes & schools
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HE Trends in Technology beyond 2012, NMC Horizon Report
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The Here and Now… 2012
• The Informal Learning Revolution promised by learning platforms & m-learning is being achieved through – social networking, – cloud-based tools & mobile apps
• Rise of the Social Reading concept• The Flipped Classroom
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The Here and Now… 2012
• Universities are moving on to the cloud– 25,000 students and staff at the University of
Westminster now use Google Apps Education Edition
• Mobile apps are being used in learning & to support students
• App-ification — many tools each for a small, discrete task
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Trends in Technology beyond 2012: New means of controlling tech
• Gesture based interface can inhibit or enable accesse.g. using web-cams, Kinect devices to recognise sign languages
• Speech control becoming prevalent
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Trends in Technology beyond 2012: Digital identity for all
• Being able to transfer accessibility requirements between web-enabled devices
• Cloud4All, GPII• Bringing personalisation to the cloud
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Trends in Technology beyond 2012: Mobile Devices
• Accessibility on mobile devices will only improve– Demand led– Legislation (508 review in US)
• Expectation that mobile devices will be used in learning- One to one tablet provision- Bring your own device
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Upcoming Technology Shifts
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Beware the App-ification of software
• Average shelf-life of an iPhone app is 90 days (2009). Developers keen to re-release and amend apps
• OS updates on mobile devices (and Mac) are frequent and often out of user control
• How can we support apps (including Mac app store purchase) over the length of a degree course?
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Migration to web apps
• Now seeing a movement to develop HTML5 apps – browser , widget or mobile based
• Platform independent & more opportunity to be accessible.
• A.T. is already moving this way… Texthelp Web apps
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Windows 8 expected late 2012
• Windows 7 but with a tablet interface• For desktop users, maybe no change?• Still not known what the full impact of
accessibility will be but VI support for touch interface will be built-in.
• Windows store will mark apps as accessible
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Windows 8
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References & More information:
21st Century Learning Quiz: www.setuk.co.uk
DSA Student survey: Wilkinson, Viney & Draffan 2012: DSA Student survey: “Can we find the missing piece?”
Technology Strategies for studying: http://www.lexdis.org.uk/
James and Trott (2008): Support maths and engineering students with dyslexia and mathematical difficulties with Tablet PCs. Presented to NADP conference 2008
NMC Horizon Report > 2012 Higher Education Edition http://www.nmc.org/news/and-eli-release-horizon-report-2012-hied-edition
Price (2012): Creative solutions to making technology work: three case studies of dyslexic writers in higher education http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/20356/
Thanks to E.A. Draffan and Kevin Brunton for providing student and assessor insights.
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Further information
Iansyst LtdFen HouseFen RoadCambridge CB4 1UNTel: 01223 420101
Abi James [email protected]