Assistive Learning Technology

As inclusion efforts for special needs students increases, it is more important then ever to support those students through the use of assistive technology tool kits. According to Kelly Ahrens, author of Build an Assistive Technology Toolkit, these assistive tools are offered both in computer software and online. There are many tools available for students with special needs including: magnification tools that enlarge texts and images, on-screen keyboards that allow students to type using a mouse rather than a physical keyboard, narration software that reads on-screen text aloud, speech recognition software that allows students to interact with their computers using their voice to direct usage, and visual and sound notifications which can warn students of pop-up windows or computing errors.  Kelly Ahrens notes that although need for assistive technology toolkits is immense for students with special needs, many students do not get access to this support because only district IT personal can download software on to school computers. With large districts having multiple school locations and computer lab sites, downloading assistive technology software for one student on one computer, remains a difficult task. To combat this issue, Ahren's suggests that school districts download software onto all district issued computers using disk imaging and Microsoft Installer Files and that all teachers advocate for district-wide site licensing for AT (Assistive Technology) software. Not only will this district-wide usage of AT software benefit a wide range of students who fall under the category of special needs, but it will make professional development easier, because teachers will only be asked to learn one software program instead of having to adapt to many. It is clear that tools like online spell check, online concept maps, and audio texts, among the other tools previously discussed, will positively impact students with special needs, and make inclusion a more successful process.

The article Build an Assistive Technology Toolkit, did not address the use of iPads for more personalized toolkits. iPads are not only equipped with apple software, but have the additional benefit of offering thousands of apps to personalize tablet use. Dragon Dictation types what students verbally say, which can benefit students with disabilities that effect fine motor skills like typing. TapToTalk is
an app that gives a voice to nonverbal students by showing thousands of pictures that students can click on to communicate for them. For example, if a nonverbal student wanted to eat, they could click on an icon with food on it, and the icon would verbally state to others that the student wanted to eat. Therefore, this app allows nonverbal students to verbally communicate their thoughts and needs to others. The app store on iTunes offers apps for students with learning disabilities, autism and
Aspergers, communication and speech disabilities, and more. The advantage to using iPads as a tool
for assistive technology, is that it can be personalized to an individual user according to his/her needs. Although computer software offers many tools for students with special needs, it does not cater to the needs of individual students, which can impact the success of inclusion within the classroom. The only downside to using iPads as assistive technology, is that they must be personally purchased in order to be effective personalized tools. Even if schools could afford classroom sets of iPads, students still would not have the freedom to personalize their iPad for their own use. Therefore, individual students would have to purchase their own tablet device in order to benefit from its personalization.

This article meets NETS-S student standards 3c, 5c, 6a, and 6b because assistive technology allows students to evaluate and use "digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks" and helps students learn to use technology systems productively and effectively. In addition it helps set students up for lifelong learning. It also meets NETS-S teacher standard 2c and 3b because it allows students to personalize their education in a way that supports their learning styles and unique abilities and requires collaboration with parents, students, and IT members. Most importantly, the assistive learning technology toolkit allows teachers to meet standard 4b: "Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources" (NETS-S).  

Ahrens, K. (2011). Build an assistive technology toolkit. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(3), 22-24.

NETS-S (2014). In ISTE NETS-S Advancing Learning in the Digital Age. Retrieved February 12, 2014

Tips to Integrate Social Media in the Classroom

           With students becoming more and more involved with social media and technology use, effective teachers must learn to integrate social media in their classrooms to keep students engaged in learning.  One school piloted the use of social media sites Hotseat and Purdue Zip Tips, where students went on a virtual field trip and posed questions to experts using Hotseat. After piloting this virtual field trip, teachers got together and reflected on their experiences creating ten tips for teachers to integrate social media in the classroom. These tips were recorded in an article written by Jamie Loizzo and Peggy A. Ertmer titled 10 tips for Implementing Social Media in the Classroom. One of the biggest themes in reviewing these tips is the need for preparation and skill on the part of the teacher. In order to help students be successful in integrating this technology, teacher's must be well-versed in how to use the technology and how to troubleshoot basic problems.  In addition, technology use for a classroom requires a high bandwidth in order to access videos, resources, and allow students to comment on material. Therefore teachers must inquire of their IT personal if the districts bandwidth will allow for social media use in the classroom. In addition, because most social media sites require the use of an email address to hold an account, teachers must ensure that all students have a personal email account. Depending on the grade level, some students might already have email addresses, while others do not. Thus, teachers must be able to help students create email accounts that can be deleted after the activity is completed. One of the biggest obstacles to integrating social media in the classroom is the lack of access to devices like computers and tablets. Therefore, the teachers who piloted this experience recommend that teachers ask students to bring their own devices from home to participate in activities, which increases accessibility. Finally, teachers must encourage good netiquette and digital citizenship by discussing appropriate and inappropriate behavior before beginning the activity.

           I think that social media use can be more effectively implemented in grades 9-12, because students are old enough to adeptly use social media sites like Twitter and Diigo with more skill and safety. I think that the best way to use social media in the classroom is to help students connect to a larger learning community. Twitter is a great networking device that, when used appropriately, can provide useful resources to students. For example, if students create a twitter account specifically for academia where they are accountable to who they are following and what they are posting, they can follow experts in a field and learn from their research and knowledge. Students could explore their interests by following experts of different fields, and be accountable for this exploration through maintaining a blog, or other written documentation of findings. The only danger I foresee in implementing social media in the classroom is cyber safety issues. Because many social media sites are networking sites, it is hard to monitor who students are in contact with and what information is being exchanged. Even with good lessons on digital citizenship, students may find themselves in dangerous situations. This makes the need for good filters and privacy settings a must when implementing social media within the classroom.

The use of Hotseat and Purdue Zip Trips meets the following ISTE Standards: teacher standards 1d and 3b and student standard 2a.  This lesson allows teachers and students to work collaboratively with experts in the field using virtual environments. It also allows students to be more successful and innovative because they can ask questions and participate in online discussions with peers, teachers, and experts.


Loizzo, Jamie, and Peggy A. Ertmer. "10 Tips for Implementing Social Media in the Classroom." Learning & Leading Through Technology : 32-35. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Reflecting Upon My Personal Learning Network

RSS Feeds:

Using my blog, I created an RSS feed that subscribes to New York Times Education, Education Week, and Education Next alongside many news resources like BBC and NPR.  Each RSS feed shows the headlines of five news stories at a time and I can read through each and choose an article that interests me. RSS feeds keep me updated on new educational research and worldwide news quicker and require me to go to only one source (my blog) to view upcoming news.  I learned some pedagogical ideas about teaching including having high standards for students to reach, allowing high school students more time to sleep in the morning to increase cognition, and allowing students to create learning menus to personalize learning.  One of my favorite articles from Education Week was 'Learning Menus' Empower Students to Tailor Curriculum which discusses programs that allow students to choose different ways to meet core curriculum standards.  For example, while all students have to participate in note taking on a certain subject and complete an activity, students get to choose from a number of options about how their assessment should occur. They can do projects, puzzles, videos, etc. to show that they have mastered certain subject matter. These choices allow students to take responsibility for their own education and personalize learning in a way that maximizes progress and engagement. I would not have happened upon this article without the RSS feed from Education Week that fed directly to my blog. Of all the education feeds I subscribed to, I enjoyed Education Week the most, because the news stories featured there were more pedagogical and offered more insight on best teaching practices. The New York Times Education feed was broader in the education domain and included information as critical as educational policy and as frivolous as qualities appreciated in college dorm roommates.

Twitter:

For my twitter account I followed DML Research Hub, Edutopia, Education Nation, NEA today, EdWeek Teacher, Politics K-12,  and U.S. News Education. I really enjoyed using twitter in my personal learning network because the educational groups I followed offered great resources about the field of education. I especially enjoyed the fact that twitter only allows users 140 characters to share their ideas, so ideas are concise and straightforward. It made browsing much easier. I chose to follow these organizations because they offered a lot of resources and because I had already had some of the organizations in my RSS feed and knew they had great credibility. I followed discussion hashtags: #edtech, #education,  and #edreform. I learned some of the upcoming technology uses in the classroom and more about the implementation of iPads. In addition I learned about some of the reform policies and how certain organizations/people advocate for extreme reform policy (total personalized learning with little accountability of standardization) or reform in moderation.  I did not post any tweets myself.

Diigo:

Although diigo allows you to access your bookmarks from any computer, because I always have my laptop with me, I found it to be of little use in that regard.  However, I do think that it can be a great networking tool because it allows you to form groups with like-minded people and have access to their resources, which can give you a more wide array of material.  For example, upon doing a group project on up and coming educational video games, I networked with two classmates and we were all able to combine our resources and research onto one page.

Ning Group EDU PLN

I enjoyed this Ning group because it offered a variety of resources including blogs, discussions, education links, and videos. Like many blogs, the quality of each depended upon the user, but most of the blogs posted on EDU PLN were professional and helpful.  I really enjoyed reading some of the discussion forums because they were concise and provided insight on a number of topics in the education domain.  Many of the videos featured on the EDU PLN website discussed how to have appropriate netiquette and included topics like how quickly to respond to emails, how to protect yourself by using privacy settings, and what words and phrases to avoid during digital discussions that are disrespectful.

Overall Reflection on PLN

I think that the tools in my PLN would help me greatly in my career as a teacher because they provide networking opportunities for me and keep me updated on the latest resources and research. In regard to networking, I feel that the most helpful tool in my PLN was twitter because I could follow a number of educators, researchers, and education organizations. I also found that twitter, with its concise statements and hashtags, made searching for resources much quicker and easier.  I felt that although Diigo and EDU PLN also had networking options, that the networking possibilities were much more limiting because there were not as many members as Twitter.  My favorite tool in my Personal Learning Network is the RSS feeds which allow me to browse through the upcoming and current news and research quicker and without the hassle of visiting multiple sites. I really enjoyed being able to go to my blog and read the headlines of current new stories to decide which topics interested me.

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