Day 1 - Introduction to Assistive Technology!

"Assistive Technology is about providing ACCESS to a task and improving performance of an individual with a disability." - Barbara Welsford


Lots of great information to start off the course!  To introduce ourselves, we used an app on the IPAD called Pic Collage.  It is easy to use and you can add pictures and/or text to communicate.  This is a great way for non-verbal students to tell us about themselves, or to communicate what they did all day. 

Barb presented a powerpoint on "AT - Past, Present, and Future."  We were introduced to the classroom of the past where everyone learned the same way and work was all about using lots of paper.  Today we have classrooms made up of students with many different learning needs, and physical and emotional needs.  Barb introduced us to a number of students and the assistive technology which they were utilizing in the classroom.  Some of the assistive technology introduced includes:

-         IPOD touch

-         adapted desk

-         portable keyboard with text to speech

-         laptop

-         pencil grip

-         fidget toy

-         move and sit cushion

-         DAISY digital talking book/document player

-         weighed pencil

-         weighed vest

      Before determining what type of assistive technology to use on an individual we need to do an assessment to determine the AT focus.  Some information we should consider in this process are:

 

                  -the skill sets and needs of the student

-the environment where the student will use the AT and the degree of knowledgeable support in that milieu

-the task the student is asked to perform

-characteristics of the technology itself

-the factors that are changing over time

 

 

      An important factor to remember is situations change as students grow, develop and learn new skills.  Their interests change, subject content changes, teachers change, and assistive technology changes.  Therefore, constant assessment of students’ strengths and challenges are necessary to see the most success.

     

  Communication

     
      We communicate on a daily basis, but I have never thought about the process.  We broke communication down into an act by which one person gives to, or receives from another person, information about that person’s needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge or affection.  Three components that are needed for communication are: communication partner, common language, and joint attention between the partners.

  

 

     Proloquo2Go

      We learned about an awesome communication app called Proloquo2Go.  We played around with it on the IPADs.  This technology replaces the old fashion static board, where students had to flip through a binder to find the pictures/phrases they were trying to communicate.  This app allows you to continue to build upon, and edit, folders of interest to the student.  Proloquo2Go includes both text and pictures to choose from.  It is excellent for non-verbal students who are trying to convey their ideas.  The downfall is the price!

      Here is an introduction clip which shows the basics of the program: