Week 2: Learning Disabilities and Assistive Technology

I really enjoyed going through the website activities on learning disabilities. Some of these activities I could some what relate to since I had a hard time with reading and writing in school. It was always easier to communicate by speaking then writing. There are some assistive technologies to help with struggling writers like myself. A student could use a tape recorder to record what they would like to write and then put it on paper.  There are also some programs that will type what you speak.

I thought the decoding activity was particularly tricky. I have trouble spelling and sounding out unfamiliar words as a college level student. I can't image how hard it must be for a student with learning disabilities. The English language is no fun!!

Attention issues are difficult to overcome. As a teacher, I try to repeat myself as much as I can so that everyone can process what I am teaching. I think the issue of attention also must include learning styles. If a student has trouble paying attention and they are a visual learner then it would be extra difficult to pay attention to directions that are just verbally. Again, as a teacher I try to give verbal and written directions and notes. I am not sure of any assistive technologies that would help with attention issues.

Week 1: Assistive Technology Devices and Diverse Learners

Assistive Technology is a broad topic that can be broken down into high, medium and low. This means there is either a lot, a little or in between amount of technology used to assist someone with something. In every classroom, there are a diverse group of students who learn differently. It is important as a teacher that we are aware of these differences and differentiate our instruction.

There are a lot of different technologies that can help support differentiate instruction. This includes several different types of software. Wahl and Duffield (2005) give several ways technology can be used with a diverse group of students. One example they give is Kidspiration/Inspiration (Wahl and Duffield, 2005). This program allows students to create graphic organizers. For some students it is easier to use a program then to write out information in a graphic organizer. This could be due to hand writing skills or visual impairments. Another example they give is text to speech (Wahl and Duffield, 2005). There are several software programs or online websites that will do this. This will allow students who are having difficulties reading the text a chance to understand it. These are just two examples of how assistive technology can be used with a diverse group of students. 

Wahl, L., & Duffield, J. (2005). Using flexible technology to meet the needs of diverse learners. Retrieved from http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/763