Unit 5 Reflection: Assistive Technology

It was interesting thinking about assistive technology from the teacher/instructor perspective the past two weeks. I grew up with a sister with significant physical disabilities. She is wheeelchair bound and only has limited functioning of her left hand; no use of the right. She struggled through school more so physically and socially than academically, but they were linked. Her disabilities were a hindrance to fitting in with other students, which as had a negative impact on her learning in a small public school system.

My parents enrolled her in Durant-Tuury Mott school in Flint which was a school devoted to students with disabilities at the time. A Google search shows it is now a montessori school. I would go with her and my parents for assessments and they had rooms full of adaptive equipment to handle almost any physical limitation. What they did not have at the time was the digital technology that would have helped a tremendous deal. This was in the early 80's. She did well at DTM, though it was a segregated system now frowned upon.

In the early 90's, my parents bought us a Nintendo NES. I took total advantage of this and played too much (don't tell my kids who complain about our stricter screen-time rules :) My parents witnessed my sister sitting back watching me play without any engagement, so they purchased the EMiO - The Edge Joystick so my sister could play along.

You can see in the above pic the size difference form the original. It was GINORMOUS in comparison. I spent more time helping her push a button she couldn't so her game would not end so soon, but it worked. We were playing together. All in all it was a success in getting my sister and me to engage each other more meaningfully. My parent's only regret was that the controller did not plug into the Commodore 64.

How does this apply to the class topics? We reviewed UDL and standards governing access to technologies so students have more equal chance of success. We discussed the practical use of such technologies, and how they can aid in assessments to facilitate education. From my history and experience, the value in assistive technology is deeper than engaging technology to access the same learning content as the other students, but also the supportive social context that fosters learning. When learners are left out and unable to engage, there is an indirect ostracizing that can impact the emotional development and investment in the learning community. Participation is key.

Digital technology has brought much learning content in the classroom to a more accessible platform. Though some students may still need some support to engage the technology fully, this is far ahead from where we have come.

Unit 4: Realistic Enhanced Assessments Using Technology

There was a lot covered these past 2 weeks that also included Spring Break and a midterm paper!

It was good to review Weeks 7/8 & 10 to see how all the elements flow together to address a
seemingly simple topic yet has many depths and resources to explore for Unit 4: Technology in Assessment.

Being relatively new to the education and technology field, I was not aware of the numerous resources
available to instructors that can assist with assessments. The adult learning environment that I am
engaged filters some of the tools that seemingly apply to k-12 education; however, the aspects and
tools used game me ideas for qualities that I am exploring for adult instruction and use of technology.

The most appealing technologies to me included the virtual reality sims presented by BK in Week 10.
Simulations are vastly popular in healthcare because they offer a safe environment for practicing skills
that would otherwise add risk or cause harm to patients in the real world. As exciting as technology may
take us, there are a few considerations that cause some pause to fully pursue these tools:

1. Alignment with learning objectives, instructional strategies and assessment. The virtual reality sims appear to be designed to aid instruction in a somewhat narrow field of instructional engagement. This is fine as long as the instructional goals fit within the parameters of the sims, and as long as the data collection and reporting features are also aligned with the learning objectives and instructional strategies.
2. Cost. Education is a significant industry that affords many opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop innovative instructional delivery tools including technologies. These technologies come at a cost. Like text books when i was in elementary school, the rich schools has the newly published and printed books, while poorer schools used their leftovers. Can the technologies be affordable enough to reach broad applications and audiences?
3. Accessibility. The latest development of apps brings many tools for use in the classroom. Most older kids and adults have access to tablets and smartphones that allow for downloading apps for use. The assessment technologies explored in Week 8 shed some light on the exciting use of these in classrooms, though I smirked when I saw the video with each student sitting in a circle with an ipad at their seat. My kids go to a charter school, and are not issued or told they need to have smart devices to engage in their education. Cousins attending Byron Center are given MacBooks. The disparity is interesting, and I question the fairness in the economic aspects of education and opportunities for kids who don’t have either personal or school resources to keep up with technology trends.

Lastly, as national education standards are starting to expect better use of data in the classroom requiring use of such assessment technology, will the proper resources be provided to the students AND the educators for proper use of the technology? The data output is only as good as the quality of input, and there is a growing pressure on instructors and schools to become data managers as it relates to use of technology and formative assessments.

I am looking forward to  incorporate technologies discussed in Unit 4, and feel more prepared with the
theory to select the tools that will enhance the curriculum, instruction and direction for student growth!