new frontiers and latest developments in assistive...
TRANSCRIPT
New Frontiers and Latest Developments in Assistive Technology
Dave Edyburn, Ph.D. University of Central Florida
3 Components of Assistive Technology
• AT Devices
Products
• AT Services
Support, Training, Etc.
• AT Outcomes
Measurement of Benefits and Outcomes
1. The Problem
The Achievement Gap
Student Achievement
Education as an Economic Resource
Economists have come to view educational attainment is an important variable for assessing the economic vitality of countries around the world (Checchi, 2006).
As a result, in a global economy, a country’s educational system is now viewed as the raw materials of economic growth in the Information Age, in much the same way that agriculture, lumber, and minerals were the raw materials of the 1800s industrial society.
Checchi, D. (2006). The economics of education: Human capital, family background and inequality. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
2. Who needs AT?
Who could benefit from AT?
• The field has struggled to implement an “AT Child Find” model. That is, who is at risk for school failure and could benefit from the routine use of AT?
• Diane Golden created the following expectancy figures:
The Achievement Gap
Below Average Achievement
AT as Performance Support
At the present time there is no evidence to indicate that every student who needs AT has access to appropriate AT devices and services.
And yet, one could argue that 50% of the students in every classroom are in need of tools that will enable them to achieve the higher academic standards we now expect.
2. What Happens When Assistive Technology Goes Mainstream?
Screen Enlargement
Screen enlargement used to be for people with visual impairments.
Now, we can all change the size of digital text using a zoom feature.
Text to Speech
Text to speech used to be only for people who were blind or had reading difficulties.
Now, speech is a common feature in digital learning materials.
Designing for Academic Diversity
As we consider the future of assistive technology, we may need to recognize that we are not so special after all. The fields of differentiated instruction and universal design for learning have taught us that learner variability is found in every classroom. And that with attention to special needs, we can design learning materials that are accessible to a greater percentage of the population than ever before.
Newsela
Newsela
Performance Support
Given what we know about the stages of learning:
Novice, Advanced Beginner, Competent, Proficient, and Expert
doesn't everyone need assistive technology when they struggle to complete a task?
4. What Happens When New Product Development Disrupts an Entire Industry?
AAC
Dynovox
AAC
Tango
AAC
Proloquo2go
5. Viewing the Future Today
Convergence
A variety of trends can be found in the field of educational technology that have significant implications for assistive technology as they converge:
• Cloud-based applications
• Big data
• Predictive analytics
• Personalized learning
Read&Write
Thinking the Unthinkable
Up and Down the Ladder of Abstraction
Bret Victor
http://worrydream.com/#!/Tangle
Wolfram Alpha
A new area of technology applications involves what is known as Computational Knowledge.
For example, autonomous vehicles involve the convergence of a variety of smart technologies involving sensors, databases, and algorithms to complete tasks that were formerly only possible to be completed by humans.
Wolfram Alpha has built a computational knowledge engine. Let’s see how this might work and examine its implications for individuals with disabilities.
The Future of Work
Where Machines Could Replace Humans – And Where They Can’t (Yet)
www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/where-machines-could-replace-humans-and-where-they-cant-yet
