Reflections on Assistive Technology!

“Assistive technology (AT) is any device that helps a learner with a disability completes an everyday Task”, (Adebisi, Liman, & Longpoe 2015, p.2). For example, a calculator for dyscalculic students, a TV remote control for those who find it hard to walk or a hearing aid for hearing impaired.

What are the Advantages and Difficulties?

We need both individual and social acceptance. (Adebisi, Liman, & Longpoe 2015, p.2) maintain that “…the potential for assistive technology children with learning disabilities is great, and that its benefits include enhancing academic achievement in written expression, reading, mathematics, and spelling; improving organization…” and hence greater self-esteem and social acceptance.

The difficulties are not with the technology. They are with the expense incurred and cultural acceptance. Most parents are not comfortable enough with their child’s need for assistance, due to social prestige, and therefore avoid use of the same. The technology as of now is also expensive and everyone may not be able to afford it.

What is a Teacher’s role?
“An essential element of this attempt is partnership between classroom teachers and assistive technology specialists”, (Adebisi, Liman, & Longpoe 2015, p.2). Hence this is a collective effort between teachers, specialists, parents and school managements. The teachers are implementers of the curriculum and their role is immense. All tools would fail if the teacher would be able to or resist integrating them in the classroom.

How will I use it?
Although assistive technology is of great help for expanding the range on inclusion in a class, it helps all students to get a better grip on learning. For example, a dyscalculic child would find a calculator handy, but I can also use it with the whole class while having a session on critical thinking in maths. Here I would prefer to have students to focus on thinking skills and automatize calculation work for them.

Educate
“Teachers should be up – to – date in the AT skills acquisition. This training should include making teachers spend time researching and reading the recommended books and be current in the global use of assistive technologies”, (Adebisi, Liman, & Longpoe 2015, p.4).

Educate myself on four fronts (a) knowledge of tools available, “Mathematics Assistive Technologies”, (Adebisi, Liman, & Longpoe 2015, p.4), (b) knowledge of the students and types of needs that they have, (c) understand the culture of the school and (d) how to develop empathic relationships.

For example, in a school in Chennai, India, there was a student who came in wheel chair. His class was on the 4th floor with only stairs to reach there. However, his team of friends had no issues picking him up and taking him to the 4th floor or any other place as the need arose. The school had a shortage of resources financially but enough love was abounding in the culture to allow for the student to thrive.

Plan
“Studies on teacher planning have shown that effective planning revolves around carefully constructing learning activities to achieve specific goals and outcomes”, (W & M, 2010, p.4). The central goal hence is learning and technology is a tool for achieving it, among other things. This is something that must not be forgotten.

I would like the students who need assistive tools to learn how to use them, however, I would also like the whole class to learn to use some of the tools that are universally applicable. Such as a speech to text or a text to speech tool.

Hence, my plans would be at two levels:

1: Assistive technology used for those who need it.

Plan lessons with awareness of the students that are using assistive tools. I would keep my plan loosely held in order to be able to switch the strategies if need be. I would bank on “adaptive expertise”, (Bransford, n.d., p.133). This would be a plan where students using the assistive technology tools are using them exclusively. For example, hearing impaired students using a hearing aid or students who find writing difficult using a pen grip.

2: Assistive technology used for all students.

My focus for planning would be – how do I design lessons where I can integrate the assistive tool for all students, as given in the example above for calculator? Or have a lesson where all students used a speech to text tool to work on a task.

Implement
Implement the lesson with space for me to be able to observe the students working. I can use “flexible grouping”, (Markle, 2018) for the same. I would ensure that the groups are created in a way that students using assistive tools are paired with students with a bent towards empathic relationships.

Reflect
Self-reflection on teaching (2020) would be mandatory for me. I would start by asking myself, “What are my own perceptions of my teaching?” Every response and reaction of mine in the classroom would be the base to make me aware of my own perceptions.

For this I will use a combination of self-journal, student feedback and informal discussions with peers and parents.

Educate!
Implementation and reflection would bring to my notice my gap areas. To fill them, I would be back to self-education and the cycle goes on.

Conclusion
Start with student needs. “Teachers should know that every child’s assistive technology needs are distinctive. Children’s needs should be matched with necessary technology rather than matching available tools to student needs”, (Adebisi, Liman, & Longpoe 2015, p.5). and keep continuous growth cycle moving.

“It has therefore become imperative to emphasise that using technology promotes sense of belonging and interactive participation in the classrooms for children with learning disabilities”, (Adebisi, Liman, & Longpoe 2015, p.6).

However, keep learning as the central goal and not technology. “Choosing technological tools and resources last keeps the focus on learning and helps teachers choose technologies that support and enhance learning for their students”, (W & M, 2010, p.6).