Museum of Assistive Technology Presentation

By Emily Harayda

ETT 101

November 1st, 2016

Did you know…

Students with special needs and learning disabilities could

benefit from, and may need specialized instruction to reach their full potential?

Here are some tools that may be of benefit to you and your students to ensure everyone is given the best

possible education experience.

Concept Mapping Mind Mapping helps students during

the brainstorming process to not only capture their ideas, but to

structure and organize their ideas. This can be a great way for students with learning disabilities to visually see how all of their ideas are able to

connect and fit together, and therefore come together to make a

well thought-out and organized paper.

One great resource I found with this that can be used with your students is MindMup. The link is https://www.mindmup.com/?utm_campaign=elearningindustry.com&utm_source=%2Fthe-5-best-free-mind-mapping-tools-for-teachers&utm_medium=link If you have a free membership with MindMup you get an unlimited number of maps, no account login, you are able to save your maps for six months, and export your maps.

For writing…

Some of the concept mapping software out there also allows students to toggle between a web and an outline so they can choose which one is best for them. (Example of concept mapping shown to the left)

Word Prediction Software

Word prediction software makes an educated guess on the next word the

user is typing, based upon the

first letters of the word they have

already typed. This can be of great

benefit for those who have physical

disabilities affecting their typing, a slow

typing speed, or trouble with

spelling

One great option for this is Co:Writer by Don Johnston. Some of the features that are

available are speech recognition, iOS keyboard,

and vocabulary support. These downloads can be purchased at

http://donjohnston.com/cowriter

For writing…

There are also certain software’s that are capable of remembering words you have previously typed so they will come up in the future when you hit the same letter (This can be useful with names especially).

Text-to-Speech Software

A text-to-speech program really comes in handy if you have students who have poor reading skills. This program reads aloud what the student has written either word-by-word, sentence-by-sentence, entire paragraph, or the whole

document.

NextUp.com offers software that I would recommend for use in the classroom. Not

only does their software read your work back to you, but it

also is read back in a somewhat natural voice

which can really help when it comes to finding errors.

For writing…

The speed of the voice can be adjusted for students based upon what they are comfortable with. This allows the students to hear their work out loud in order to proof read it to correct both syntax and spelling errors that they could have normally overlooked.

Talking Spell-Checkers

Talking spell-checkers are almost an advanced or specialized version of text-to-speech software. Talking spell-checkers read aloud all of the mis-spelled

words and then proceed to read aloud every suggestion that the word could be. If students have a hard time with spelling this is great software to have

because they can make their choice on the spelling of the word based on how the word sounds. This also comes in a little handheld device that can

be used anywhere.

For writing…

Recorded Books Recorded books can be of great benefit to students who have trouble reading

and comprehending what it is they are reading, but are able to understand material of their grade level.

For reading…

When a person reads the book aloud it helps the child to comprehend and decode what it is they are reading, that way they are able to understand the

story just the same as their peers.

High Interest-Low Level Books

High interest-low level books come in handy when you have students who are able to understand material at their grade level but they have not yet

mastered the skills to read on their own.

For reading…

http://www.highnoonbooks.com/index-hnb.tpl The link above leads to a website called High Noon Books that offers a wide array of high interest-low level books. A great resource to keep in mind if you find yourself with struggling students.

This presents age-appropriate content to them at an easier reading level so they are still able to enjoy the same assigned class stories as their peers.

Scan/Read Systems

Scan/read systems are a

combination of a scanner,

computer, speech output,

and optical character

recognition software. It

reads printed text aloud, while also displaying on a computer monitor. The

software highlights the

text on the screen while it is reading in order

to help the student keep up with the reading.

For reading…

Users scan the pages that are

going to be read, and from there

the software turns it into an

electronic file. For larger books, such

as novels, there are often times websites that

provide text files that are already

converted into e-text.

Assistive Learning Devices

For communication…

Assistive listening devices are tools used to help with acoustics in the classroom. They are

broken down into two categories: personal amplification systems and sound-field

amplification systems. A personal amplification system consists of a

student wearing a small receiver with ear phones or ear buds and a sound output device. A sound-field amplification system is when the

teachers voice is heard throughout the room using speakers.

Personal amplification system

Sound-field amplification system

Augmentative communication devices have text-to-speech, or just speech technology. They can range anywhere from homemade picture boards to computerized systems that range up to thousands of dollars.

Assistive Input Devices

Keyboard Labels Usually have a higher contrast and larger letters and can be adhered

to a regular keyboard. This can be used for students who have difficulty distinguishing the keyboard. Another option is

keyboard labels that leave unnecessary keys blank to make it less confusing for students with learning disabilities.

Pointing Devices Are typically used for physically disabled students who have a hard

time with isolated finger movement. This allows them to press the keys necessary to successfully use a computer.

For computer use….

Keyguards Are a great tool when trying to teach students how to type and only

press one key at a time. It is a metal or acrylic cover that has holes for all keys. This comes in handy when you have students who experience

poor fine motor skills.

Onscreen Keyboards Is a display of a keyboard on the computer monitor that can be used by

simply clicking on a letter with the mouse, or leaving the mouse over the letter for a certain period of time. This is great for students who had limited movement of their hands or limited muscular control.

Assistive Output Devices Touch Screen

A touch screen typically uses icons and graphics for you to

physically touched as opposed to a mouse and keyboard for a regular computer. These are great to have when you have younger kids who can’t yet

type, a physical impairment, or trouble controlling the mouse.

Expanded Keyboards Have larger keys and larger print

that traditional keyboards. This is a great tool for children that have a physical disability and therefore lack fine motor

skills.

Mini Keyboards Are just the opposite of an expanded

keyboard. It is smaller in size, allowing students with motor

impairments that restrict their range of motion to type. These

also come in one-handed keyboards as well for those

who may have more dexterity in one hand than the other.

Customizable Keyboards Can be created in order to

satisfy a students individual needs. You can program a key to enter in an entire

word or just specific text to allow students with physical

disabilities to use a computer.

Single Switch A single switch is designed

for students that have a severe physical disability and are not able to use any of the

other output systems. A highlighter moves from item to item and when it hits the item the students want to

select they perform the single switch (flexing a fist, turning their head, pressing

their foot, etc.)

Screen Readers Speak the content on the screen for those who are

visually impaired or easily fatigued from magnified

screens. This tool is essential if you have students who are blind; this way they can do

all things their peers are doing on the computer as

well.

For the gifted and talented…

For the gifted and talented….

For English Language Learners…

Using technology with your gifted and talented students can be of great benefit. It allows for differentiated instruction that is able to address their own unique needs. This allows students to remain engaged with their peers by working on their appropriate levels of challenge. One child could be working on their first-grade reading skills on a website, meanwhile your gifted student has passed the first-grade level and is on to third grade, and still engaged. On top of all of this, teaching your gifted and talented students tools such as email and video chatting/conferencing allows them to connect with their peers or friends who have similar abilities to them.

Technology can be crucial when working with students who do not have English as their first language. It allows for comprehensible input using visuals, hands-on activities, vocabulary, and cooperative tasks. They can do activities on language software programs in order to become more comfortable not only speaking English, but understanding it as well. Another way technology comes into play is helping the teachers that have English learners in their class. They are able to use technology to address the language diversity and barrier they are finding in their classroom and it also offers many ways and articles on how to deal with this diversity.

Using some of the recommended assistive technology tagged along with good teaching

strategies can really make a difference when it comes to reaching the potential of your

students.