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.
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Hi Meghan: I agree so much with your comment about everyone having to be on board for the AT to work for a student. There also has to be the technology available. If a student is encouraged to use Kurzweil and the computer with the scanner is in another room or even on another floor, it is very hard for the student to be able to use it and be involved in class. Then the student is on his own at home, as you said. So much to consider.
ReplyDeleteMaking the Appropriate Match is definitely a process, it is dynamic and ongoing. The process involves so much including (as you know from the article:) the personality of the user, environment (milieu) it is to be used in and the technology itself and the TASK the student is being asked to complete. As Paula notes, considering where the AT is in the school and its accessibility is a big factor.... when we recommend a program like kurzweil we always discuss this and suggest maximizing the software to achieve accessibility by converting text to audio or a text file so it can be read with the free Natural Reader on every machine in the school. Still... everyone needs to see the potential and be on side. Thanks Meghan and Paula:) great comments
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