{"id":3294,"date":"2018-08-21T10:45:08","date_gmt":"2018-08-21T18:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/?p=3294"},"modified":"2018-08-21T09:38:11","modified_gmt":"2018-08-21T17:38:11","slug":"back-to-school-at-that-supports-student-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/back-to-school-at-that-supports-student-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to School: AT That Supports Student Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cartoonBy Carly Pacheco, Deputy Director of FREED Center for <\/strong>Independent Living\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Get your pencils, get your books, and don\u2019t forget your assistive technology (AT) — it\u2019s back-to-school time!\u00a0 I am an AT nerd, I\u2019ll admit it.\u00a0 As a past Special Education Teacher turned Independent Living Center Deputy Director, I have seen firsthand how all types of technology, modifications, hacks, and more can really change people\u2019s lives.\u00a0 AT can be simple or complex, high or low tech, expensive or free.\u00a0 Since it is back-to-school time, I\u2019d like to share some of my favorite AT supports for education.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Communication\"Ipad<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has come a long way. There are so many supports for students with speech disabilities.\u00a0\u00a0 AAC devices may be accessed by touching a screen, activating a switch, or even using one\u2019s own eye gaze.\u00a0 Students can use pictures and text to communicate, or spell out their messages by typing.\u00a0 Check out the Voice Options<\/a> website to see a just a few of the choices that are available.<\/p>\n

Writing and Reading Support<\/h1>\n

As school curriculum has progressed, there are many ways writing and reading support can be accessed by students (with or without disabilities).\u00a0 Most new textbooks come with digital versions so that your computer can read the text aloud, convert it to large print, and offer all sorts of other integrated assistance.\u00a0 There are also dedicated programs like Read and Write Gold<\/a>, Inspiration<\/a>, and Co:Writer<\/a> that provide support for students who need it.<\/p>\n

Scheduling and Organization<\/h1>\n

Lives are busy, and a critical life skill for anyone to learn while in school is how to organize one\u2019s day and tasks to get it all done.\u00a0 There are so many options available to support students to learn these skills and manage their days.\u00a0 There are apps<\/a> that can be loaded on a tablet, phone or even a watch to provide reminders, help organize schedules, and provide prompts.\u00a0 There are also simple visual schedules<\/a> for students who are learning self-direction.\u00a0 Even a simple student planner can be considered assistive technology.<\/p>\n

Note-Taking<\/h1>\n

\"blackAs students get older, one challenge that may present itself is an increased expectation to take notes.\u00a0 Some teachers use electronic technology to develop and present their material, so many can provide notes to students who need them, others rely on copies of another students notes, recording devices<\/a>, etc.\u00a0 For students who want to take full control of the information, there are some amazing note taking pens like the Livescribe Smartpen Echo<\/a> that record audio and the correct section of the lecture is played back by tapping the pen on your note paper.<\/p>\n

Make a Request<\/h1>\n

If you or a student you know could benefit from AT to support their education, talk to the school\u2019s administration office or special education department about the need and request an assessment.\u00a0 You can also check out the AT exchange<\/a> to borrow a device you think might be helpful \u2013 devices can be loaned to the individual directly or to a teacher, specialist or organization.\u00a0 You can also contact your local Independent Living Center<\/a> to talk to an AT advocate who can provide more resources and ideas.\u00a0\u00a0 Determining how AT can best support you is critical while in school because the technology will likely continue to benefit you at work, at home and in living an independent life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Carly Pacheco, Deputy Director of FREED Center for Independent Living\u00a0   Get your pencils, get your books, and don\u2019t forget your assistive technology (AT) — it\u2019s back-to-school time!\u00a0 I am an AT nerd, I\u2019ll admit it.\u00a0 As a past Special Education Teacher turned Independent Living Center Deputy Director, I have seen firsthand how all…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,51,80,10,29],"tags":[8,17,94,23,76],"class_list":["post-3294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aac","category-apps","category-computer","category-education","category-technology","tag-apps-and-software","tag-computer","tag-education","tag-learning","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3294"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3300,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3294\/revisions\/3300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}