Assistive Technology

Alejandra Segundo
CSN Education Department, EDU 214
06/15/2020
 Text to Voice/Phonetic Software
• There are many forms of technology that can be included in a classroom. Most forms of
technology are introduced for educational purposes. A current form of technology that
focuses primarily on students with special education needs and or disabilities is the
Phonetic Spelling Software.
• Many students struggle with sound and how words are pronounced. Students can also
struggle with reading words backwards and not fully comprehending what they are
reading.
• The Phonetic Spelling Software helps students with Dyslexia (learning disorder that
involves difficulty reading and pronouncing words) by reading out loud words, sentences,
or even paragraphs. Students with Dyslexia have a hard time visualizing words and
remembering how a word is spelled. Even if a student with Dyslexia remembers how a
word is written and pronounced, they still have the difficulty of writing the word out. It’s
common for students with Dyslexia to think they are writing a word correctly but in
reality lose their sense of direction, for example a student could have meant to have
written the word “dog” but instead wrote “bog”. A variety of free spelling softwares can be
downloaded straight to your computer.
• An additional learning tool that can help a student with their pronunciation and spelling if
they do not have access to internet or a computer outside of the classroom is the
Websters Spelling Corrector NCS-100 that retails for $30.00. The Websters Spelling
Corrector can be found on Amazon or can be purchased at your nearest Walmart.
 Assistive Software for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing
• This form of software helps students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
When students are in their free time or are in group activities, their
focus is directed to whatever they are doing. It’s hard alone trying to get
over 30 students to settle down and direct their focus back to you but
how does this play out for students who cannot hear what is going on?
• Teachers have come up with a way to send a signal to a students hearing
aid that lets them know their attention and their focus should be
directed towards their teacher.
• An app called FlipGrid also gives teachers and students the opportunity
to turn on subtitles and live captioning. This is a great opportunity for
students to follow along with lesson plans and classroom discussions so
that they are able to have a better understanding for current and future
assignments.
• FlipGrid is free for all students and teachers worldwide. All students and
teachers need to do is log on to info.flipgrid.com and sign in with either
their Google account or Microsoft account.
 Emerging Technology
• Computers in todays classrooms are great forms of educational uses.
Students can use the laptops to take notes, watch videos to enhance
what they have learned or need to practice, and great for projects and
homework.
• Students can download a variety of apps and software that can help
guide them through difficult assignments.
• There is also new software available where students can interact with
their teachers online not just through a text box but through video chat.
This is a great way to eliminate any wrong misconceptions about an
assignment or can be used to ask for extra help.
• Computers give great opportunities to students in and outside of the
classroom. The biggest opportunity given to students is the chance to
take the computers home. This opportunity really helps students
families who cannot afford to buy one or have multiple other students
within their household that also need to use a computer.
 Emerging Technologies
• Many of us grew up with standard printers. You type up a file, you
need to print a document, or you need to scan a copy, the printer has
your back. You just press a couple of buttons and out comes your
important sheet. This is different compared to the new 3D printers
that are now being welcomed into classrooms.
• The new 3D printers are a great use for visualizing and promoting
hands on activities.
• With 3D printers students are able to come up with different pieces of
art that enhances their creativity.
• 3D printing is creative, fun, and worth the wait but what other
educational purpose does it have? 3D printing can be used as an
online group discussion that influences students to become digital
citizens. Throughout their entire educational career students must
have good social and participation skills and doing so with something
that is so fun and interactive is a great way to build up those skills at a
young age.
 Innovative Uses
• Virtual reality is a new form of technology that is slowly
making its way inside classrooms. Virtual reality is quite
expensive but it is a great way to enhance different learning
opportunities.
• Virtual reality is used to take students on field trips that are
far out of their permission range. For example, if a student is
learning about The Great Wall of China then a teacher can set
up the virtual reality to display the actual wall of China.
Students get a real live impression of what the bridge would
look like and even have the opportunity to walk and move
around and get the full scenic view.
• Virtual reality can be used for many forms of field trips and
learning opportunities with real life experiences rather than
just looking at a picture.
 Innovative Uses
• A last innovative software that can be used for
educational purposes is the game Kahoot.
• Kahoot is a free gaming system that allows
students or teachers to input questions that
the class as a whole can answer.
• This is a great way to prepare for any
upcoming exams or tests or just a great way to
practice what you already know.
 References
• University of Texas. (2017, September 15). The Use of Technology in Special Education.
The National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from: https://degree.utpb.edu/articles/education/technology-in-
special-education.aspx.

• Masters in Special Education Program Guide. 5 examples of Assistive Technology in the Classroom.
Retrieved from: https://www.masters-in-special-education.com/lists/5-examples-of-assistive-technology-in-the-
classroom/.

• Castelo, Micah. (2020, March 31). Using Assistive Technology to Empower Students with Disabilities.
Implementing Assistive Technologies in the Classroom Gives Students of All Abilities a Voice in their Education.
Retrieved from: https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2020/03/using-assistive-technology-empower-
students-disabilities-perfcon.

• McConnell, Jeanette. 7 Benefits of Using 3D Printing Technology in Education.

Markers Empire. Retrieved from: https://www.makersempire.com/7-benefits-of-using-3d-printing-
technology-in-education/.