Hawking and high expectations (Week 14)

Andrew Beigel’s article about preventing the abandonment of assistive technology devices talks about the importance of the “human” touch in ensuring that a device reaches its full potential in helping a student. He notes that a student must feel “inter-personal, non-academic support” to continue using a device which means teachers have to have knowledge of how the device works and have high expectations of the students who are using them. If a teacher doesn’t call on a student who needs a speech aid, for example, then he or she is not getting the most out of his educational experience.

Beigel says that “learners who are not like their teachers face lowered expectations.” But just because a student has a speech problem or other disability doesn’t mean that they can’t grasp complex educational topics. Stephen Hawking, who has severe disabilities due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is one of the world’s top physicists. He was in graduate school when diagnosed and had already proved his intelligence and aptitude in physics so it was probably easier for him to find teachers to push and challenge him, despite his physical difficulties. If he had developed his disability in elementary school, would he have been given the same opportunity to develop his talent?

http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/articles?370

Universal Design: Can It Work? ( Week 13)

I agree that the concept of Universal Design is solid. As the authors of the first article note, who would argue against a plan to consider the needs of a wide range of students when designing instruction and curriculum? However I am concerned about implementation. Teachers who have students with disabilities should begin lesson planning with those students in mind, rather than just trying to modify existing materials, as discussed in the Spooner article. But I don’t know if it’s possible to design a curriculum that would really meet the needs of all students. Integrating flexibility into curricular design can help, but I think some students will always need special attention to achieve their full potential. I could see Universal Design being twisted into an excuse to devote less resources to those particular students.

The idea of assuring that standardized assessments are accessible to a wider range of students strikes me as a worthy goal, but how do you do it? Create a variety of assessments that can be used to pass courses? This brings to mind the portfolios that schools like School Without Walls use instead of Regents exams. I wholeheartedly support efforts like that.

AT Trial Periods (Week 12)

I work at a high poverty school in a district that can be slow to respond to students needs for assistive technology so I was interested in the abstract on recycling in the mini bibliography about writing on funding for AT for young children. I went to the source of the article http://www.fctd.info/resources/newsletters/upload/FCTD_May05_Issue38.pdf and found another topic that was also interesting --- the need for better trial periods. The Family Center on Technology and Disability was advocating for at least a two week trial period for the use of AT devices to ensure that they are a good match to the student. The typical couple hour period isn’t nearly enough. The article also talks about the need for districts to get adequate training for staff who are going to be helping the students use AT devices. Without adequate trials and training, useful devices can go to waste and students can be left floundering. That doesn’t make sense when there is such limited funding to start with .

http://www.fctd.info/resources/newsletters/upload/FCTD_May05_Issue38.pdf

Computers as Behavior aides (Week 9)

This article on the use of computer technology to help students with emotional and behavioral issues struck home for me because I had to do just that this year with one of my wild classes. Kids were showing up any time and not doing their work and my mentor teacher suggested that I use a computer based daily grading system so that students could monitor their progress and have something to feel proud about --- computer based positive reinforcement. Now I have the students “time stamp” to show what time they get to class. This computer log has helped combat lateness. Students can also see a log of their participation and grades, etc.

This article also brought to mind the growing use of Second Life, the virtual world, in educational settings. Schools like RIT are setting up virtual classrooms and virtual labs that allow students to do virtual experiments that would be too expensive in real life. For example, RIT has a virtual Tensile Tester that is in heavy use. But virtual classrooms can also help students who have social issues, giving them a chance to practice social skills and classroom participation without the anxiety of face to face contact. A person who is too shy to speak up in a classroom, might feel more confident in a virtual classroom or posting to a discussion board.

I was also interested in the idea that computers can be “non-critical” motivators.

Suing for Technology (Week 8)

The list of court cases in this article that illustrate how parents have sued to get better access to assistive technology and special education services for their children, was interesting to me because the Rochester School District is getting ready to revamp its special education system after a scathing audit of its services. 

Many Rochester students with special needs are currently being sent to schools outside of the district and the Rochester district pays these schools. Presumably these schools can provide technology and services that the RCSD does not have. Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard intends to curb this practice, bringing many students home. This has raised questions about how the district plans to provide the services these kids need and has prompted the threat of lawsuits. 

I wonder Brizard’s decision will result in extensive AT purchases and if not, will parents fight?

Federal Laws and AT (Week 7)

The list of federal legislation regarding Assistive Technology shows an increasingly expansive attitude towards what school districts must provide to help students learn.

The 1970s saw the inclusion of students with physical disabilities who don’t qualify for special education but might need various devices to help them participate in school activities.

The 1980s saw the inclusion of young students aged 3-5 and the Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act.

The 1990s saw a flood of legislation that expanded people’s rights to assistive technology, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. This is all heading in the right direction but I wonder what percentage of students who need assistive technology are taking advantage of the laws. Some districts have been known to fight AT expenditures because of limited funding. I suspect that they might not offer the purchase of some needed devices to students whose parents aren’t advocating for them. In some cases parents may not even know of the devices that exist to help their children. I also wonder how much money has been spent fighting over these laws in court.