That's All Folks

From when I began this class, I never heard of universal design for learning, UDL, or even assistive technology, AT.  Now that I have a clear understanding of each and have explored many different AT devices I can use in my classroom and match to students with specific disabilities.  This information will only strength my instruction and help my students succeed.

From my earlier posts to now, I have found that, personally, I am much more comfortable writing my blogs.  In the beginning, I found myself having to look more information up before I could write a concise blog.  Earlier in my blog, I had to research what talking word processor software was.  Once I gained that knowledge, I was able to look at Sarah’s IEP and determine that talking word processing software was the device she needed.  I was then able to find two devices that would suit her needs.

My adventure of assistive technology is coming to an end but this is only one chapter in my book of education.  Learning is a never ending journey and I continue to keep an open mind in learning about teaching techniques and assistive technology devices that are up and coming.

Tech Matrix

As mentioned before, another useful tool for teachers is called Tech Matrix, http://techmatrix.org.  This is targeted more for teachers than a game for students.  This website allows teachers to enter the subject, grade, IDEA disability category, and the type instruction support they wish to seek for their student.  Upon entering all the information, a range of products that can be used for that particular student shows up.  To compare all of these products to find which one best fits your student, simply check all the product boxes and click compare.  A matrix will appear outlining and comparing every product.

I searched for alternative access devices and systems for a student with Autism in a middle school mathematics class.  I received four results and generated my matrix.  Below, only part of my matrix can be found because it was a very lengthy matrix, showing how in-depth they compare products.

I think this is a great website for teachers.  It finds products that one may have never heard of for a particular student.  I definitely recommend this to all!

Stick or Switch

Thus far, we have been discussing the facts and applications that can be used for AT devices in a mathematics classroom.  My next two posts will be suggested activities that teachers can use in the classroom to help with a topic.

To help students investigate the probability of sticking with a decision or changing their answer, a game Stick or Switch can be found under Algebra on the following website, http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html.  This game gives the student three doors, shown below.  The student picks one door and another door is opening revealing an object behind that door.  The student then has the option to stick with their original choice or switch to the other door.  Once they decide, the second door is opened and reveals if they won or lost.  The game records the number of wins and losses along with the percentage.  There is also a button on the side of the screen called Strategy.  This brings you through three sets of questions that have students answer about probability.

This is a great game to use for a probability unit.  It makes students think about sticking with their original choice or switching and the reward or reprimand that can come with their decision.

iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch for Students with Severe Disabilities

For students with severe disabilities, apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and other handheld devices can be used to provide visual support.  These apps can teach functional skills and focuses on the essentials that students with severe disabilities need such as options to customize both presentation features and content.  If students have difficulties with motor skills or attention deficits, the application should allow changes in response time and methods of response.

In today’s society, the iPod, iPad, or iPhone, are becoming popular in the classroom for visual support.  iPrompts presents a picture-based prompts that are programmed by teachers and parents to help their students stay on task and transition between activities.  This app provides hundreds of photos that can be chosen from but also allows their own pictures to be used.  This can be seen below.

iCommunicate and First-Then are other applications that uses digital photos to create picture schedules, such as past event cards, and gives the option to record a message that can be linked to a picture.  Picture Planner, targeted toward students with cognitive disabilities, construct personal picture schedules on a computer and then can be used on a mobile device or printed.

IDEA vs. ADA

There are differences between the rights and requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in grades P to 12 and the rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in higher education.  A lot of the technologies used at the college level are the same as the technology used in the P to 12 environment but the laws affecting students and the process is different.

IDEA does not cover higher education so colleges do not have a legal responsibility to students with disabilities or the need to involve parents in the decision making.  In higher education, two federal laws protect students with disabilities.  The first, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the second is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).   Section 504 applies only to college and universities that receive federal funds but ADA covers all higher education establishments.

Overall, a disability cannot exclude a student from be accepted into a college, academic program, class, resident hall, or college activity since the ADA law guarantees access to equal opportunity.

Special Education Technology

The Learning Centre on the SET website is a great resource that provides educators with a guide to successfully implement AT devices for students with disabilities.  This can be a very complex process and can take years to perfect.  Successful implementation of AT devices for a student depends on the careful attention to the implementation steps.  Making It Work: Effective Implementation of Assistive Technology Guide breaks this process down into seven sections along with an introduction and references and recourses in PDFs for anyone to open.

The first section focuses on gathering the information you need about the student.  The second section establishes IEP Goals, the third conducts assistive technology trials, the fourth identifies assistive technology solution, section five develops assistive technology Implementation Plan, the sixth adapts lesson plans for the integration of technology, and finally, the seventh section is about following up and planning transition.

Making It Work: Effective Implementation of Assistive Technology Guide can be found at the link below.

http://www.setbc.org/setbc/topics/effective_implementation_of_assistive_technology.html

Texas Assistive Technology Network

Texas Assistive Technology Network (TATN) is a module that is for people who are going to be involved in the AT device decision making and/or implementation of the device to the student.  This module focuses on planning for the use of the AT devices and services that are decided by the IEP team for the student to actively participate.  From this module you will learn the purpose and results of AT, the big ideas in the implementation of AT devices, planning for the implementation, and evaluating the effectiveness of the AT device.

This website had materials that are needed for both the presenter and the participants.  There are sides and notes for the presenter on the material.  Along with the slide show there is a demonstration planning form for a student named William and completed TIPS (Texas Implementation Planning System) for William.  As a participant in this module, there is a notetaking guide, booklet, and a TIPS Blank Template for them to fill out.

Designed Augmentative Communication Systems

To meet the communication demands of the home and community, the student’s augmentative communication system can be designed for these environments.  For the home, as mentioned before, training for family members can help.  In the community, field trips can be set up by the teacher to improve the awareness of the augmentative communication system as well as letting the student work with someone who does not know very much about the augmentative communication system.

Students who use an augmentative communication system can also have designed boards to match the communication needs for each activity.  There are so many resources out there to help with the design of augmentative communication systems for activities in school, home, and the community.  Below is an example of a communication board needed for a cooking activity.

Augmentative Communication Systems at Home and in the Community

From my previous post, we know what augmentative communication is and how it can be incorporated in the IEP.  It is also important to support the use of augmentative communication systems while at home and in the community because different settings provide different communication demands.  Training for the family to use the augmentative communication system should be provided.  Training included strategies that expand the use of the system and provide new vocabulary for the student.

In the community, people are less familiar and may be less accepting of the student with the augmentative communication system.  If the student communicates with someone who is unfamiliar with the system, communication can be a challenge but the teacher can create a positive experience between the student and the unfamiliar partner through activities and field trips.

Augmentative Communication

The IEP is an important aspect for a student with disabilities.  Augmentative communication evaluations should be part of the development process for nonspeaking students.  If augmentative communication is determined necessary for the student, the components need to be outlined in the IEP along with the use of the augmentative communication system.  The academic goals and objectives set for the student should also show their participation and achievements using the augmentative communication system.  “There are three goal areas to consider for augmentative communication users: communication, instruction/academic, and social interactions” (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2012).

There are also two additional components that must be included in the IEP for a student using augmentative communication.  The first is a list of all the augmentative communication services that are to be provided and the second is the identification of the party responsible for the maintenance and operations of the device.

With inclusive classrooms becoming popular, knowing AT devices and communication techniques for all students will only help me when I have my own classroom.

Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness is defined as a condition that a person suffers from a sense of powerlessness.  This feeling can prevent students to be successful in the classroom. 

There are five tips to overcome learned helplessness.  The first is the build a daily expectation of communication.  This can be done through activities like letting the student choose the activity they want to do.  The second tip is to construct a daily report that is communicated by the student.  The third is to allow natural consequences; this includes a less restrictive environment.  The fourth tip is to provide students to make a choice whenever possible so the student uses their augmentative communication system.  The final tip is to provide powerful phrases so students can reject or protest.

These tips can be very helpful personally when I am in the classroom.  I do not want my students to become dependent on me doing things for them while they need to experience it and become independent.

Low-Tech and Mid-Tech Adaptions

There are so many low-tech and mid-tech adaptions that can assist students with disabilities in completing math assignments.  These AT devices range from stamps to calculators.

A useful low-tech tool can be as simple as addition and multiplication charts.  Onion Mountain Technology makes more intricate tools for students with disabilities.  They have “fraction rubber stamps, a manipulative number line, laminated addition and multiplication tables, and a special ruler that has multiple transparent overlays to help students understand the relationship between the different units of measure” (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2012).  Calculators with large oversized buttons help students with poor fine motor control.  Students with learning disabilities and visual impairments can use talking calculators to help them check their work by reading aloud every keystroke the student enters.  There are also calculators that show the entire math problem on the screen.  This is beneficial for students because they can see their own work.

Below is the See N' Solve made by Onion Mountain Technology.

Being a math teacher, knowing the tools that can help your students is key.  I hope to utilize all the low-tech and mid-tech adaptions I can; whatever to help my students be successful.

Concepts, Skills, and Problem Solving Applications

Along with automaticity, students also have to be efficient in math concepts, math skills, and problem solving.  Educational applications to help with these concepts, skills, and problem solving can be found on numerous of websites for Grades K to 12.  One website that is an excellent resource is the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives.  This website can be categorized by subjects like Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, and many more.

Another application is called Math Playground.  This program provides free, online math games in the form of word problems and logic puzzles.  A game that can be found under word problems section is called Thinking Blocks that provides practice with solving addition, subtractions, multiplication, division, and ratio word problems.

Destination Math helps develop students’ skills in math reasoning, conceptual understanding, and problem solving.  This application provides step-by-step instructions to practice problem-solving skills.

When I am in the classroom, I cannot wait to utilize these applications to help my students.  I love that these are games that can help my students improve their math concepts, skills, and problem solving.  These are not just topics they can use in the math classroom but in the real world as well.

MathPad and MathPad Plus

Students with disabilities can have trouble with writing numbers, aligning digits, and creating shapes or angles.  Some students that have visual-spatial or motor control issues can have trouble copying math problems from the chalkboard or book making the results of these problems hard or impossible to read.

There are tools out there for students that have trouble with visual-spatial or motor control difficulties.  MathPad, it is a talking worksheet that lets students complete arithmetic computations with whole numbers just like using pencil and paper, an example can be found below.

MathPad Plus has all the features of MathPad but allows a student to compute with decimals and fractions.  A option is given for students to see a problem represented as pie charts, fraction bars, or decimal grids, which can be beneficial to visual learners.  A picture of MathPad Plus can be seen below.

There are so many different tools out there for students with visual-spatial or motor control disabilities.  MathPad and MathPad Plus can help students of all ages depending what they are learning.  At a younger age, MathPad is perfect to help these students.  As they get older, MathPad Plus can help when learning decimals and fractions since they already know how the program works.

Automaticity Applications

For automaticity, also known as math fact fluency, there are educational applications that can be used.  Before we can suggest educational applications, we need to define automaticity and fluency.  Automaticity/math fact fluency is defined as the fast and accurate processing of information. 

Technology-based activities that address automaticity/math fact fluency are FASTT (Flunecy and Automaticity through Systematic Teaching with Technology) Math, Timez Attack, ArithmAttack, and Arcademic Skill Builder.  FASTT Math helps students acquire math fact fluency by measuring how long it takes a student to answer the question and tracks the student’s progress.  Timez Attack solely focuses on multiplication facts while ArithmAttack allows students to practice basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  “Arcademic Skill Builder math games are designed to help develop automaticity in addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, integers, fractions, and ratios” (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2012).

Below is a picture of FASTT Math.

I think that all these programs will be beneficial for students just learning their addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts.  Without a solid automaticity for arithmetic facts, students can fall behind and become lost.

Key Questions for Selecting Educational Applications

Key questions that should be considered when selecting educational applications so students can meet their goals and objectives are as followed.

First, “what is the intended outcome of the use of the educational application? For example, is it meant to strengthen math skills in problem solving or is it meant to build speed and accuracy with basic math facts?” (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2012).  Second, “is the educational applications likely to fulfill its stated purpose? For example, if the stated purpose of the activity is to build problem-solving skills, does it provide the explanatory feedback needed to do so or simply assess whether or not problems are solved correctly?” (Dell et al., 2012).  Third and finally, “can the educational applications be used as an alternative to traditional classroom activities to enhance students’ participation? For example, will students learn as effectively using online math manipulatives [LB3]as they would using traditional manipulatives?” (Dell et al., 2012).

With these three questions in mind, we, as educators, can help students meet the goals and objectives that are set for them and they set for themselves.  By selecting the correct educational applications, students will be successful.

AT and Math

Since the beginning of my blog, we have discussed UDL and how it relates to AT, communication and computer access, IEPs, and the writing process and how it relates to AT.  From here on out I will be discussing AT and mathematics.

Personally, this will be my favorite section to blog about since I strive to be a math teacher one day.  Knowing all the AT devices I can use in my math classroom will not only make me a better educator but help all the students I will one day have.  If I am part of an IEP team, I will be able to make the best suggestion I feel for the student along with being able to help students that do not have an IEP but still need that extra help.