Greg Guy
ED 505
July 4, 2012
Assistive Technology Paper
Assistive technology is a great tool to allow all students and equal opportunity to have success in
the classroom. Not all students learn the same way or at the same rate, so it is important to find tools
and ideas to allow all students the opportunity to succeed. The thousands of new tools that have been
made available to students and teachers because of technology make it a great deal easier to help all
students learn in the best way possible. It is important for teachers to identify and become familiar with
their students and the assistive technology used by their students. If the teacher better understands the
technology being used they can better form their teaching and their lessons to accommodate their
students. The range of assistance varies from student to student so it is important find ways to use
technology that benefit all students.
There are varying degrees of assistance needed by students to be able to succeed. Being
familiar with your students is the most important thing in allowing students to give their best chance of
success. Teachers must know their students and in what ways they learn the best so that the teacher
can adapt lessons to ensure student success. There are all types of student assistance so that is why it is
so vital to know what level of assistance is needed by their students. Students with mild disabilities
often only need small accommodations to allow them to be successful. Assistive technology with a
student with mild disabilities can be as simple as printing out notes for a visual impaired student or
allowing students with writing difficulties to use a word processor to complete their work instead of
having to hand written the assignments. Some students have more significant disabilities that can cause
some them some major issues in the classroom. There are many great assistive technologies to help
students with more significant issues. Teachers can use a system of hand signals for students that have
speech problems to allow the students to be able to more easily communicate. There are also new
types of voice recognition software to non-verbal or limited verbal students to more easily be able to
communicate with their teachers and their peers. There are also many new types of technology for
students with physical disabilities. A GTEkeyboaord is an on-screen keyboard that can make it easier for
students with physical disabilities to work than the traditional keyboard. Adaptive furniture such as
desk or chairs is also important in allowing a student with a physical disability to be comfortable in the
classroom. Students with sensory disabilities can need a varied range of assistance to allow them to be
successful in the classroom. Students with vision problems may need some assistive voice software that
can read material on a computer screen to them verbally because they may not be able to see the text
well enough to read it. However, for a school that may not able to accommodate students with verbal
reading of text there are computers that allow students to enlarge text so that is easier to read.
Behavioral issues can often the most difficult thing to manage in a classroom. One tool that can be used
is an electronic organizer to help keep the students on task. Often times when students act up are when
they do not have anything to do or do not know what to do. The organizer can keep them on task and
keep them busy. Frustration can also be a main reason for behavior issues so handheld computers can
quickly assist students to help them avoid frustration. Another difficult area to accommodate in a
classroom can be gifted and talented students. However, technology has been very important in helping
teachers better accommodate these students. A virtual learning environment can be a great tool for
these students because they can be constantly challenged with new assignments in reading,
researching, drawing, and other types of assignments.
Technology has played a major role in allowing teachers to help their students learn in the best
way possible. Teachers are constantly looking for new ways to present information to their students.
Technology has been huge in helping teachers find the best possible way to present information so that
all students have the opportunity to obtain the knowledge. The varied new forms of assistive
technology allow all students a more equal opportunity be able to be successful in the classroom.