Assertive Technology
“Moving technology use to a world of reality for students, especially those with varying abilities and disabilities, is our ultimate goal.” (Puckett, 2005) I had never considered the ramifications of not having technology available to students with disabilities. This article opened my mind up to the world of possibilities for students with mild disabilities.
Why would we not want to rise to the challenge of creating a curriculum that would suit the needs of all of our students? As a teacher, I would strive to see that all of my students thrived in my classroom. I think that not only should this apply to students that are disabled, but to the students in the advance classes as well. I would want to seek new ways to keep them engaged as well. I think that having an interactive lesson plan, would help students of all abilities maximize their education. Right now the objective in the class room is stay in the middle.
The article by Kathleen Puckett also points out that getting the technology into the hands of the teachers is difficult task. I believe that it is important to train the teachers on the emerging technologies. When I was in the business world, there was a constant focus on training, or improving our skills in different ways. Sometimes I think that administrators forget that teachers need additional training as well, especially in the field of technology. This left me wondering, how do we implement assertive technology in our classrooms? And how would the school pay for all of this?
I really hope that when I enter the classroom, that some of the assertive technologies are available for my use. I really like the idea of the tool kits that were presented in the second article. This would give you a variety of technologies to use.
The other article focused on the benefits that the students gained from the assertive technology. Joey is a great example of how everyone adapted to the technology and made it work. “They quickly learned that using the right combination of adaptations could impact his education and his interaction with his peers.” (Sax, Pumpian, Fisher, 1995) Students like Joey can often enhance the educational experiences of the other students. They can learn a great deal from Joey.
This article made me really think about how valuable this technology can be. It made me questioned how teachers can gain the skills necessary to meet the needs of kids like Joey? And where can teachers get the assertive technology? I’m sure that there are teachers out there that have never heard of this. So, how do we communicate the benefits of this technology?
Puckett, Kathleen. (2005). “An Assistive Technology Toolkit: Type II Applications for Students with Mild Disabilities.” Retrieved June 30, 2009 from https://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/pamagee/W531%20Su08/Assistive%20Technologies.pdfSax, Karen, Pumpian Ian, Fisher, Doug. (1995). “Assistive Technology and Inclusion.” Retrieved June 30, 2009 from http://www.newhorizons.org/spneeds/inclusion/teaching/sax.htm
“Moving technology use to a world of reality for students, especially those with varying abilities and disabilities, is our ultimate goal.” (Puckett, 2005) I had never considered the ramifications of not having technology available to students with disabilities. This article opened my mind up to the world of possibilities for students with mild disabilities.
Why would we not want to rise to the challenge of creating a curriculum that would suit the needs of all of our students? As a teacher, I would strive to see that all of my students thrived in my classroom. I think that not only should this apply to students that are disabled, but to the students in the advance classes as well. I would want to seek new ways to keep them engaged as well. I think that having an interactive lesson plan, would help students of all abilities maximize their education. Right now the objective in the class room is stay in the middle.
The article by Kathleen Puckett also points out that getting the technology into the hands of the teachers is difficult task. I believe that it is important to train the teachers on the emerging technologies. When I was in the business world, there was a constant focus on training, or improving our skills in different ways. Sometimes I think that administrators forget that teachers need additional training as well, especially in the field of technology. This left me wondering, how do we implement assertive technology in our classrooms? And how would the school pay for all of this?
I really hope that when I enter the classroom, that some of the assertive technologies are available for my use. I really like the idea of the tool kits that were presented in the second article. This would give you a variety of technologies to use.
The other article focused on the benefits that the students gained from the assertive technology. Joey is a great example of how everyone adapted to the technology and made it work. “They quickly learned that using the right combination of adaptations could impact his education and his interaction with his peers.” (Sax, Pumpian, Fisher, 1995) Students like Joey can often enhance the educational experiences of the other students. They can learn a great deal from Joey.
This article made me really think about how valuable this technology can be. It made me questioned how teachers can gain the skills necessary to meet the needs of kids like Joey? And where can teachers get the assertive technology? I’m sure that there are teachers out there that have never heard of this. So, how do we communicate the benefits of this technology?
Puckett, Kathleen. (2005). “An Assistive Technology Toolkit: Type II Applications for Students with Mild Disabilities.” Retrieved June 30, 2009 from https://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/pamagee/W531%20Su08/Assistive%20Technologies.pdfSax, Karen, Pumpian Ian, Fisher, Doug. (1995). “Assistive Technology and Inclusion.” Retrieved June 30, 2009 from http://www.newhorizons.org/spneeds/inclusion/teaching/sax.htm
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