Assistive Technology Infographic Paper

 

Iris Velazquez

School of Education, Liberty University

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Note

Iris Velazquez

I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Iris Velazquez

Email: ivelazquez4@liberty.edu

 

Technology Trends Infographic Paper

The use of Assistive technology in the classroom is steadily rising because of how well it allows more students to access learning, curriculum, etc.

To make the teaching profession stronger and create even more possibilities for student learning, teachers can lead and collaborate to create positive, strategic, inclusive, equitable, and critical innovations with technology within education (Hughes & Roblyer, 2022, p. 52).

When students present with a learning delay or difficulty, they need tools to help them better understand and access content.

Assistive technology (AT) can be a game changer for students with disabilities—when they’re matched with the right assistive technology tool for them, they can better access curriculum, learning, and opportunities for success inside and outside the classroom (Sullivan, 2019).

The advantages for using assistive technologies are many but the most important are that they increase academic success for students who are better able to access content. Another advantage is that many are free to use and do not require payment. Disadvantages may include additional time and work for teachers to learn how to use the new technology and some assistive technologies are only available through paid subscription “Some AT costs a lot” (Sullivan, 2019), which can be a barrier for some teachers or school districts with lower resources. The author, Jennifer Sullivan of the article “Rethinking Assistive Technology” believes that it really does not take a lot more time for teachers to learn new Assistive technology as many are very simple tools that can be used in a moment’s notice. (Sullivan, 2019).

 

 

References

Hughes, J. E., & Roblyer, M. D. (2022). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (9th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9780137544622

Kurzweil 3000. (n.d.). Kurzweil education. https://www.kurzweiledu.com/k3000-firefly/features.html

Sullivan, J. (2019). Rethinking assistive technology. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/rethinking-assitive-technology  

TalkingPoints. (2022). https://talkingpts.org/

Texthelp, inc. (2023). Don Johnston. https://learningtools.donjohnston.com/product/snap-read/

 

The technology that I use the most to help me differentiate learning materials is the Google App Translator extension. I teach in Spanish to Dual language students (many are newcomer students who recently have immigrated to the United States) and know very little English. Because much of the learning materials that I use are in English, it has become essential to have access to Google translate to ensure that all my students can access the learning. In the textbook by Roblyer and Hughes, they promote the notion that the technology/software that is used in the classroom should be analyzed so as to ensure that it can be meet the different learning styles and needs of students. “Will learners understand and navigate through the software successfully and is it accessible for all learners?” (Roblyer & Hughes, 2022, p. 138). Another assistive technology that I make available to students is read aloud text features on some of the different apps that students use. Some of my Dual Language students have learning delays and they benefit greatly from the text to speech features. One of the key instructional strategies that should be used with English Language Learners is to differentiate by using multiple modalities (Kaplan, 2019).

References

Hughes, J. E., & Roblyer, M. D. (2022). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (9th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9780137544622Links to an external site.

Kaplan, E. (2019). 6 essential strategies for teaching English language learners. Edutopia and Lucas education research. https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-essential-strategies-teaching-english-language-learnersLinks to an external site.

 

  https://1drv.ms/v/s!AomDKW_PJ8bggwQr7lCTTWr9pqg-?e=9IXQ7HLinks to an external site.