Archives - November/December 2006
Adding Assistive Technology to the Classroom
David Davis, Coordinator, Florida Instructional Technology Resource Unit, Chipley, FL
More and more teachers are incorporating inclusion strategies into their classrooms. As a result, teachers face a wider range of learning styles and skill levels than ever before. Assistive technology provides teachers with tools to optimize the success of special needs students. These tools grant teachers the ability to meet individual student needs while keeping the entire class on schedule.
What is Assistive Technology?
Assistive technology is a broad range of devices designed to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a student with a disability. Assistive technology may include high technology (e.g., a portable word processor) or low technology (e.g., a pencil grip) equipment or product systems. It allows people with disabilities the same access to information and production as their peers.
An example of assistive technology is digital text, which can be spoken out loud by a computer. This process is known as text to speech. Text to speech is useful for students who struggle with reading, have visual impairments, and are English Language Learners. Some students find listening to text helpful in reducing eye strain while others use it as a time saver. As teachers become familiar with text to speech programs and other methods of assistive technology, they will find many uses for them in the classroom and at home.
Effective and Easy-to-Access Assistive Technology Programs
There are many assistive technology programs that are affordable for the classroom. For example, NaturalReader, offers a free version of their program that can be operated with Windows® 98/Me/NT/2000/XP. Any text that the user can select on the screen, can be read aloud using NaturalReader. Students and teachers can hear word processing documents, PDFs, e-mails, or Web pages read aloud.
NaturalReader also comes in an inexpensive commercial version that saves text as audio files. This process is known as text to audio. Teachers can easily make audio versions of text so students can study by listening to a CD or an MP3 player. The commercial versions of NaturalReader place text to speech and text to audio toolbars directly into Microsoft® Office programs and Internet Explorer.
Read more about NaturalReader
Another inexpensive program is ReadingBar, created by ReadPlease. Similar to NaturalReader, it can be used with Windows and reads any Web site aloud to the user. ReadingBar also adds a text to speech and text to audio toolbar to Internet Explorer. A nice feature of ReadingBar is its ability to highlight each word on the Web page as it is being spoken. Text and images on Web pages can also be enlarged.
Read more about ReadingBar
Assistive technology programs that convert text to speech can also be useful in learning keyboarding skills. Speaking Notepad, produced by Qwerty Studios, does more than convert word processing documents, e-mails, and Web sites to speech and audio files. It can convert text to speech as a student types. This feature can help train students to refrain from looking down at the keyboard as they type. The program has a simple interface that works well with younger students. Text font, font size, color, and background color can all be easily customized to match each student’s preferences.
Read more about Speaking Notepad
How to Use Assistive Technology Programs
With the classroom digital toolbox filled with text to speech tools, it is time to test how assistive technology really works. Have students access the Internet, the school or classroom Web site, or even some of the files students created in your class. Any file that students can view on screen, can now be read aloud, enlarged, or rendered to an audio file to meet students’ learning needs.
It is important to remember that text to speech, and other assistive technology programs, do not have to be limited to special needs students. Inclusion is successful when all students feel an equal involvement in the classroom. Assistive technology can benefit everyone. To see more Internet Resources recommended by Mr. Davis, please visit the
Resource Center.
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Interviews with Real Teachers: Strategies to Help Special Needs Students Succeed
This month, Interviews with Real Teachers presents Hanne Denney, a Special Education Teacher at Arundel High School in Gambrills, MD to hear how she successfully uses Assistive Technology in her classroom. Ms. Denney also provides insight on how to better help special education students succeed in general education classrooms.
Question: What differences, if any, do teachers encounter in a special education and a general education environment?
Hanne: I was hired three years ago as a special education teacher. However, I also taught one general education class at the time. I found few differences between the two types of classes. Both follow an established curriculum, and both groups of students completed the same summative assessments. I found that the strategies I was taught to use with my special education students also worked for the general education students. Since that time, I have treated every student as one who needs support for optimal learning. However, one difference I have noticed between the two classes is that the special education students often lack confidence. Many do not see themselves as successful learners, and may anticipate future failure. When teaching in both environments, it is important to remember that using differentiated learning and teaching to diverse learning styles helps all students, not just special education students.
Question: What kind of assistive technology do you use in your classes?
Hanne: Many students have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) which specifies the use of assistive technology for learning and assessment. For example, some students have the accommodation of using an electronic speller for written work. Unfortunately, the school system does not supply the spellers, and students must bring one from home if they choose to use it. We also rely on word processing programs (with spell-check) for students whose written response is stronger if typed. Some IEPs may specify using calculators for math classes and even social studies classes if it has a mathematical component (e.g. calculating map distances, interpreting graphs, etc.).
A number of our students have the accommodation of verbatim reading on their IEP for reading assignments and/or assessments. We can read aloud to the student, which requires an extraordinary amount of effort for a teacher, and is not the most effective technique for the child. Another option is to use a reading system similar to Kurzweil. Programs like Kurzweil Educational Systems allow teachers to scan documents into a computer system which then reads the material to the student (usually through headphones). This program is so effective that I have allowed students without this accommodation to use it in class during review time or free reading. Most learners benefit from hearing material read aloud. Although it doesn't take long to scan documents, using a program like Kurzweil does take extra planning time.
Question: In what ways do you see technology helping special needs students become more independent?
Hanne: Using technology helps the student learn self-accommodation. If students can master technology, they can overcome their limitations. The dyslexic student who learns to use a computer with spell-check can write essays that accurately reflect cognitive abilities rather than disabilities. Similarly, reading programs help a student develop stronger reading skills by allowing him or her to practice looking at words while hearing them. Over time, the student’s reading rate and confidence grows, so he or she is able to read more without the program.
Question: What materials (textbooks, technology, other teachers, etc.) do you rely on to help you come up with inclusion, intervention, and/or remediation lesson plans?
Hanne: I use many resources to help me prepare for teaching. The first and most important resource for any teacher is other teachers. I seek out colleagues and ask them for lesson plans, strategies, and graphic organizers that they've had success with. I ask both general and special education teachers for tips. If I have a specific concern, I go to someone who has experience with that issue. I also seek out teachers who have moved into leadership positions, or who are serving as mentors. My colleagues and I share books and professional publications as well. Sometimes I ask someone to observe my classroom to give specific suggestions.
Secondly, the internet is an unlimited resource for teachers. I’ve realized that if I have a good idea, someone else has probably had it before me and has posted a completed lesson plan on the computer. I look at a lot of teacher files online, and adapt them for my classes accordingly. I also subscribe to a number of online newsletters so I stay informed about current issues in education. Third, I trust my instinct. No one knows my students better than I do. I am my best resource. I know my students’ needs and goals, so everything I do is geared towards what we hope to accomplish together. Finally, I refer back to the curriculum of the school district and the State standards. I have to ask myself, what do I want the students to learn? Then I can consider appropriate strategies for teaching.
Question: Give an example of a teaching strategy used in your special education classes that would transfer to a student in need of remediation in a general education class.
Hanne: I often use a strategy known as modeling with my special education students. A student will try something new if they can see it being used. So, if I'am introducing a graphic organizer for a specific purpose, we’ll do it first together on the overhead or through computer projection. Then students will practice the skill individually. If a student still doesn’t understand the task, I might sit with them and talk it through, modeling my thought processes and asking questions about their thoughts. I even model journal writing, by writing a paragraph when I ask them to write. This modeling shows students that I enjoy these activities, and that I think it’s important enough to work on the skill myself. And if I am struggling with something, I let the class know that as well. I often ask questions out-loud that seem basic, but they are the questions students are embarrassed to ask themselves. Modeling a strategy is an excellent technique for teachers to use with all students.
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