Last Week's class

well i must say that after last week's class I feel much better about Boardmaker. When I was home trying to figure out how to create my book I was very frustrated. After about 5 hours, and a call to my PST I thought I figured it out. Then... I saw some of the books that my classmates created. wow you guys did a great job!! I enjoyed the rest of the class when we experimented with assistive technology. It was great to know how to do the online keyboard, and the sticky keys. I felt a lot of frustation, and it put things is perspective for me. I find it hard to type hitting the space bar when I see a key I want, and others find it frustrating not being able to type quickly. It really is true you need to feel teh experience to really get it.

Matching Assisitive Tech

I can remember in elementary school when my best friend got glasses she was embarrassed to wear them, thinking that she would stand out, despite knowing they would help her see and succeed in school. In high school she wanted contacts, her parents said no, leading her to not wear her glasses in school. She skimmed through school by the skin of her teeth, never being able to see a board or text is part of this problem. No one ever considered her wishes leading to her not using the technology. I know that this seems unrelated, but reading the first page of the chapter that 8-75% of technology is abandoned made me go mmm.

The article made me think/realize everyone needs to be on board for what is truly the best option for our students and children. At school if we are going to invest resources in helping students we need to know that adults at home are supportive and want to be involved in the process, as well and foremost the child must be wanting the assistive technology. Although it feels some days like all of our waking hours are at school, in reality it is not. I am left thinking now how unfair it is to a student to have technology at school for assistance, then go home and use another system. We do not turn off and on easily, why do we expect a child to? Matching children up to assistive technology needs to be a detailed procedure to ensure that the child and all who live and work with the child are comfortable with the assistance. The twelve questions listed in the article are very important to consider. I enjoy that question one is What do you want to do? After all it is about the person using it.