Before this week I had not heard the term Assistive technology. Through exploring websites and participating in class discussions and assignments, I now feel that I have a better understanding of what ATs are and how to use them. I visited several additional sites other than the ones that were assigned and found a lot of good information.
Dr. Sheldon H. Horowitz from the National Center for Learning Disabilities defines Assistive technology as, "Assistive technology refers to any item, piece of equipment, or product that is used to increase, maintain or improve the ability of individuals (with disabilities) to perform specific tasks." This definition infers that not only technology equipment is considered assistive technology. Dr. Betty Nelson stated in her lecture,"Assisitve Action in Technology in Education" that a pencil grip can be considered assistive technology if used to aide in the handwriting of a student with disabilities. (or without for that matter). Teachers and parents need to be aware of and well versed in the software available because not all students with learning needs requuire the same type of learning accommodation and not all students need the same assistive technology (National Center for Learning Disabilities, ND). I found this information on one of my favorite websites when researching education topics, http://www.education.com/. This site offers a multitude of resources and articles about almost any education topic. I was able to type in assistive technology and find several wonderful resources about AT. There are also several articles that are wonderful for parents to learn about what ATs are and what would be best for their student with disabilities.
Another website that I learned a lot from was one that Dr. Lan assigned, http://www.atto.buffalo.edu. It was very helpful and easy to navigate around in. It gave several examples of what AT was and how it is used in the classroom. The tutorials were detailed and gave wonderful of ideas for implementation in the classroom.
The University of Washington has a great site that is very informative about AT. http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?109 It gives a great definition of what AT is and how to use them. It is a good resource for teachers and parents as well.
Believe it or not Wikepedia was a great resource for AT as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology. It specific examples of what ATs were and how to use them. There is a content box that will link you to any part of the site that you want to read about. There is information on what the different types are, audio, visual, tactile, etc.
The last website I am going to talk about is the Family Guide to Assistive Technology, http://www.pluk.org/AT1.html#10. I really liked this site because it gave stories of children who have used assistive technology and what their journey was like getting there. Each story is connected to a topic such as choosing the right assistive technology or how to make assistive technology apart of a child's education. It made it easier for me to connect their scenarios to students in my class or maybe future children to come.
I have enjoyed reading and learning about AT and hope to implement some of the products into my classroom.
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