Assistive Technology

This is an article I found on YouTube that gives a little more detailed explanation as to what Assistive Technology is, as well as the different types of assistive technology.

High-tech devices help kids with disabilities

Technology strikes Again! I chose to read this article because last year the principal at my school had a group of twelve teachers go down to our A.B.A classrooms and observe how the teachers in those classrooms use the technology discussed in the reading. Students in the class were using computerized tablets to communicate with the teachers and aides in the room. I found the technology to be very effective and extremely cool. The communication between the child and teacher became incredibly easier, allowing the teacher to spend more time instructing rather than just trying to communicate.

As a strong advocate for the implementation of technology in education, Assistive Technology in my opinion is a way of technology doing its job to differentiate in the classroom. With the use of smart boards taking over our regular education classrooms, it is time to create and apply new technologies to our special education and applied behavior analysis classrooms. Although such technologies are incredibly expensive the ability to communicate in a more efficient way is priceless to a child’s development. While observing and interacting with the students in the classroom I was able to see the many different forms of technologies the teachers used. From a simple clip board with pictures printed off a computer and attached with Velcro to the use of computerized tablets every use of technology made their daily routines easier. If you get the opportunity to observe in a classroom that uses these technologies I would recommend doing it, it is incredible the benefits technology can bring.