Current Trends in Assistive Technology &
Education
Electronic resources can be found at
http://bitly.com/MAK_Tech
Kirk Behnke, M.Ed., ATP
Assistive Technology Specialist
Outline
• Past developments for Assistive
Technology (AT) in Education
• 1975 – 2004 Legal Evolution of AT
• 2009 NCTI brief : “5 Key Issues in
Assistive Technology ”
• 2010 National Education
Technology plan
• 2014 Current Issues
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• 10 Top Tech Trends In Education
Survey (Project Tomorrow, Feb 2014)
• Current Issues & Trends:
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Student Assessment
Funding
Digital Instructional Materials
Built-in Tools and Scaffolds
Use of Mobile Technologies
BYOD and flipped instruction
Apps
Common Core Curriculum
MOOCs
Authentic Gaming and Social
Networking
Past Developments
• Shift from a medical to
social model
• Shift from professional
driven to consumer driven
services
• Universal Design
• Professional development
& qualifications for AT
providers
• Continuing technological
advancements
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The Legal Evolution of Access
• EHA 1975 Access to schools
• IDEA 1990 Access to classrooms
• IDEA 1997 Access to general education
curriculum
• IDEA 2004 Access to instructional materials
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2004
Congressional Intent of IDEA 2004
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Improved student performance
Increased accountability
Strong parental participation
High expectations for student
achievement
• Linked to the general education
curriculum
• Accessible instructional materials
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Congressional Intent of IDEA 2004
IDEA 2004 affirms emphasis on
Assistive Technology as a means to
support educational achievement
• Requires consideration of AT in the IEP process
• Places responsibility for decision-making with IEP
committees
• Requires accessible instructional materials
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2009
5 Key Issues in Assistive
Technology (2009)
1. Convergence
2. Customizability and Universal Design for Learning
(UDL)
3. Research- or Evidence-based Design
4. Portability
5. Interoperability
Reference: National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI) conference
November, 2009
Article by Meris Stansbury, eSchool News 12/2009
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1. Convergence
• Single tech platform to perform multiple tasks
• Run multiple applications
– Application for access &
accommodations
– Application for productivity
• Accessible e-book reading devices
• Online sites for digital libraries/repositories
2. Customizability and
Universal Design for Learning
• Customizable assistive technology
• Flexibility in software and applications to meet
the needs of diverse learners
• UDL strategies to offer
variations for challenges
and additional supports
2. Customizability and
Universal Design for Learning (cont.)
• Accessible gaming and
“edutainment”
• Some UDL features and access
for gaming should include:
– captioning of dialog
– text-to-speech capabilities
– ability to magnify areas of
the screen
– ability to use an adapted
controllers
– customizable colors for color-blindness.
PlayStation Network
3. Research or
Evidence-based Design
• Assistive Technology effectiveness should focus on
features, usage, and the user population, rather than
individual products
• Inherent accessibility on everyday electronics
• Research needs to provide user
information of technology re:
– Features
– Conditions
– Tasks
4. Portability
• To help promote independence,
portability is critical
– Least restrictive environment
definition
– portable technologies are helping
to redefine “least restrictive
environment” and are boosting
independence.
• “netbooks” – portable
technologies
• Open-source AT
– Carry AT software on their
jump drive and use it whenever
appropriate.
5. Interoperability
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Between operating systems
Exchanging information
Professional development on AT
Integration of “adaptive” software on a main
drive for access throughout the campus
• Cloud computing (sharing software
applications)
2010/12
National Education Technology Plan (2010-12)
1. Learning: Engage and Empower
2. Assessment: Measure What
Matters
3. Teaching: Prepare and Connect
4. Infrastructure: Access and
Enable
5. Productivity: Redesign and
Transform
Reference:
http://www.edudemic.com/thisis-the-official-u-s-nationaleducation-technology-plan/
2014
Identified Current Trends
in Assistive Technology
and Education
Moment for reflection…
Student educational needs come first –
technology tools are last
The SETT Framework
S = Student/Skills
E = Environment
T = Tasks
T = Tools
Adapted from Joy Zabala www.joyzabala.com
Assessment
• Academic standards
• Accountability of schools
and teachers
• Doing away with
alternative assessments
aligned to modified
achievement standards
• Public feedback
• In Texas, “Life without a
STARR-Modified”
Stimulus Funds
– Aftermath of stimulus funds and the
“big spend down”
• “…to consider investing in ‘state-of-the-art
assistive technology and training’ affords the
field a rare opportunity to define and shape
(implementation).”
• Note: NCTI brief also underscores the importance
of state-of-the-art AT training for educators, and it
lists possible uses for IDEA-based stimulus funding
for schools.
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Digital Instructional Materials
• Provision of accessible instructional
materials
– Students with Print disabilities
who qualify
– Students who don’t qualify as
having a “Print Disability”
• Publishers who offer online materials
• Schools and Universities who
offer online learning
• Online repositories of instructional
materials
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Built-in Tools and Scaffolds
• Co-digital natives using and having
built-in technologies readily available
• Some schools and districts do not
have the “just-in-time” supports that
digital natives are used to at home
• Website accessibility requirements – per section 508
and ADA requirements for receiving federal funds
• School campus and district internet access
• “Cloud” access and building capacity and infrastructure
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Use of Mobile Technologies
• School or District
Implementation
• Platform specific or
variety
• Management of
devices
• Teacher training
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iPad introduced April 3, 2010
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Bring Your Own Device
• BYOT, BYOD, BYO-AT
• Bring Your Own Device
issues:
– Policies
– Practices
– Insurance/liability
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5 Trends in Education for 2013
January 8, 2013 by Scott Sterling
http://www.scilearn.com/blog/201
3-trends-education.php
1. Marriage of BYOD and
flipped instruction
• BYOD will lend itself to a flipped
instructional classroom
• Flipped instruction demands access to
technology outside of school
2. Where are the apps?
• Tablet devices acquired, check
• Apps to run them, not checked (??)
• Everyone has their favorite apps
• Go back to SETT framework
• Use the right app at the right
time, for the right reason
keeping in mind the
educational goal of the
student
3. Educational Companies and the
Common Core
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Standards have been identified
Knowledge and skills based
K-12 and College and career readiness
Recognize that implementation requires
providing students with disabilities with a
range of needed supports
• Companies need to provide
technology options
and flexibility
Reference: http://www.corestandards.org/in-the-states
4. MOOCs and secondary education
• MOOC – Massively Open Online Course
• Higher Ed efficacy of online learning vs.
traditional face-to-face instruction
• K-12 needs to prepare students going into
higher ed on technologies,
LMS and other
technology
competencies
5. Authentic gamification
and socialization
• Building in a “game” atmosphere for learning
(engagement)
• Building social networking platforms for
education (e.g. edmodo)
• Making learning more authentic and
personal
• Use of social media for
your own professional
development
(Twitter, just sayin’)
10 Tech Trends Students Say Are Changing
Their Education, Feb 5, 2014
• 2013 Speak Up Survey from Project Tomorrow,
which CEO Julie Evans – preliminary survey results
The 2013 results :
• 400,000 surveys from 9,000 schools and 2,700
districts across the country
Respondents included:
• 325,279 students
• 32,151 teachers and librarians
• 39,986 parents
• 4,530 district administrators
# 10 What Devices Belong in the
"Ultimate School"
• Ranking of the relative importance of devices
in their classroom experience:
– Laptops (56%)
– Digital readers (51%)
– Tablets (48%)
# 9 Social Media in Schools
• Student use of twitter,
Facebook, Instagram,
and other social media
outweighed
Administrators,
Teachers and Parents.
• Students are looking at
social media as a
pervasive part of the
way they are living
#8 Gaming is growing;
and the Gender Gap is Closed
#7 An Increased Interest in
Online Learning
• Students desire to have more control over
their own individual learning
#6 Paying Attention to the
Digital Footprint
• 64% of HS students admitted to being
careful about the things they post online
• 39% said they advise friends about the
content they post -- 32% saying they stopped
interacting with friends who post
inappropriate content
• 44% of high school students said they believe
a positive digital profile is an important part of
their future
#5 Using Different Tools for
Different Tasks
“They like the devices, but they are more
focused on using the right tool for the task at
hand,” and many times tablets don’t seem
to fit.
#4 Mobile Devices for Schoolwork
• Use mobile devices for day-to-day tasks and
leverage their learning process
• 12% of respondents said they used
their mobile device to text their
teacher during class
#3 Use of Video for Classroom
and Homework
• 46% of teachers are
using videos in the
classroom
• 33% are using video to
supplement their own
learning – “Kahn
Academy effect”
• 23% of students are
accessing video created
by their teacher
#2 Internet Connectivity
• 64% using a 3G or 4G enabled device to
connect to the internet at home
• and 23% additionally through internet
enabled TV or Wii console
#1 Personal Access to
Mobile Devices
– 62% wanted to bring their own devices
to the classroom
Discussion: The future of AT is…
• to improve student performance on a variety of
technology and non-technology tools
• a tool to lift student educational and life
expectations
• built-in features access for
everyday technologies
• to prepare our students to
advocate for their own accommodations
in a digital world
• addressing student needs which are foundations
for good AT implementation
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Kirk Behnke, M.Ed., ATP
Senior Education Specialist,
Special Education,
Region 4 ESC
kbehnke@esc4.net
Private consulting contact
http://MAKtechsolutions.net
kirkatp@outlook.com
Twitter @kbehnke