Unit 5- Assistive Technology in Assessment
In the past two weeks, we explored the challenges learners with disabilities face, and discussed ways to accommodate those learners with the integration of assistive technology. Upon hearing this topic, the first thing came into my mind was the recent pass of Stephen Hawking. Suffered from that kind of serious disease, lost most of his normal physical functionalities, Hawking still created tons of stunning work that made him a giant. And that had a great contribution from his assistive technology- the wheelchair, the input device, the muscle movement sensor...
The first week of this unit I was very intrigued to solve the the puzzle where multiple challenges a teacher faces in the classroom. There were students with vision impairment, hearing impairment, mobility impairment, language barriers and learning difficulties. That's what educators need to put into consideration when having students with special needs. I enjoyed exploring and brainstorming solutions for each learner's challenges, and it made me realize how important Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is. The concept of UDL analyzes the "what", "how", and "why" of learning. It provides multiple means of representation, expression and action, as well as engagement. It accommodates students with disabilities and without. This is where assistive technology can really help improve the life and learning of students with different needs.
This week, the Rowland article mentioned a lot of applications that instructors may use to accommodate those with disabilities. The article also mentioned several speech-to-text apps. As far as I'm concerned, speech-to-text technology is very significant in the education world, because it not only assists students with vision impairment, learning disabilities, but also is very helpful for students who have different cultures and languages. I'll take myself as an example. My mother language is Chinese, and when I started learning English, my teachers emphasized the importance of developing all four areas of the language- listening, speaking, reading and writing. Yet not all students have equally balanced development of the four skills. I can't really say my four skills are equally developed, so when I watch a video or listen to a podcast or a song, it's always very helpful if there are captions on or scripts I can refer to. Or when I read an article, if there is audio to it, I'll have better understanding of it. It doesn't really mean that I have some sort of learning disability, but for a student who is not native to the local language, different expressions of the same content can be very beneficial. I visited GVSU Disability Support Resources office one time, and was introduced the text to speech technology we have on campus. It is absolutely revolutionary and very helpful for students with disabilities, and learners of other languages can also benefit from the technology that we have to offer.
The first week of this unit I was very intrigued to solve the the puzzle where multiple challenges a teacher faces in the classroom. There were students with vision impairment, hearing impairment, mobility impairment, language barriers and learning difficulties. That's what educators need to put into consideration when having students with special needs. I enjoyed exploring and brainstorming solutions for each learner's challenges, and it made me realize how important Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is. The concept of UDL analyzes the "what", "how", and "why" of learning. It provides multiple means of representation, expression and action, as well as engagement. It accommodates students with disabilities and without. This is where assistive technology can really help improve the life and learning of students with different needs.
This week, the Rowland article mentioned a lot of applications that instructors may use to accommodate those with disabilities. The article also mentioned several speech-to-text apps. As far as I'm concerned, speech-to-text technology is very significant in the education world, because it not only assists students with vision impairment, learning disabilities, but also is very helpful for students who have different cultures and languages. I'll take myself as an example. My mother language is Chinese, and when I started learning English, my teachers emphasized the importance of developing all four areas of the language- listening, speaking, reading and writing. Yet not all students have equally balanced development of the four skills. I can't really say my four skills are equally developed, so when I watch a video or listen to a podcast or a song, it's always very helpful if there are captions on or scripts I can refer to. Or when I read an article, if there is audio to it, I'll have better understanding of it. It doesn't really mean that I have some sort of learning disability, but for a student who is not native to the local language, different expressions of the same content can be very beneficial. I visited GVSU Disability Support Resources office one time, and was introduced the text to speech technology we have on campus. It is absolutely revolutionary and very helpful for students with disabilities, and learners of other languages can also benefit from the technology that we have to offer.
Chang, it was interesting to read about how an English learning student goes about learning English. I had never thought about the four skills. Of course we think about speaking and writing, it not listening and reading. I am so happy to hear that DSR was able to help you get the text to speech technology.
ReplyDeleteChang, I never thought about how we really learn a new language. You had a very wise teacher who taught you to listen, speak, read, and write. Listening is the key to success and I forget to do that at times. I will definitely be working on that skill.
ReplyDeleteChang- as a language teacher, I can relate to the importance you mention of all 4 language areas. For my students learning Spanish, I know i sometimes will slow down audio we are listening to as students are still"fine-tuning" their Spanish language listening skills.
ReplyDelete