Assistive Technology in the Classroom

     Every teacher must be accustomed to creating effective lesson plans throughout their entire teaching career. One thing that every teacher should always consider is incorporating lesson plans that accommodate the different needs of each student. Technology, for example, has been advancing more and more in the recent years. Many teachers in today’s society lack the knowledge of the up-to-date technology and are lacking in incorporating even just the slightest of technology in their classrooms. Some students need more accommodations and moderations than others, such as those with disabilities. Technology in lesson planning is one way to accommodate students with disabilities.

            This leads to the idea of Assistive Technology. In the video, “How Assistive Technology Enables Dreams,” Susanna Sweeney-Martini, a student from the University of Washington says that “Assistive Technology is the major foundation of my life.” Simple things such as computers, a voice activated software, and wheelchairs are essential assistive technologies that allow students with disabilities to function. There are a lot of schools out there that are unaware that assistive technology has also become more advance. In the video, Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler from the University of Washington Disabilities Opportunities Internet-working and Technology Program also states that “What most people don’t realize is that assistive technology, technology that helps people with disabilities use computers has been progressing at the same rate.” In that statement, Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler is addressing the rate of technology improvements over the past few years. Many schools and teachers are unaware of the many modernized assistive technology that are available.

Some teachers may think about how they can help their student(s) with a disability to excel in their education, but just have no idea about the types of assistive technology that are out there. I believe that one effective way of getting teachers educated about the up-to-date assistive technology available is to provide a course for all teachers to take. Terrence Cavanaugh confirms this when he states that, “To provide more extensive experience and education to instructional and educational technology specialists concerning assistive technology, a course should be devoted to the presentation of the basic concepts and applications of assistive technology” (Cavanaugh, n.d., par. 13). Once schools and teachers become more aware of the advancing technology, better efforts will be made to get their student(s) with disabilities the tools they need, as well as, incorporating the use of technology in their lesson plans more often. The world is advancing and educators must do all they can to keep up with these advances.

 References:

Cavanaugh, T. (n.d.). The Need for Assistive Technology in Educational Technology. Jacksonville, FL: University of North Florida. Retrieved from https://www.unf.edu/~tcavanau/publications/need_for_assistive_technology_in.htm

Edutopia. (2005, February 02). How Assistive Technology Enables Dreams[Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video