Assistive technology is any device or visual support that a student needs in order to be successful in the classroom. By using this technology it opens up doors in education for students to be able to participate with their class. Over the years assistive technology has become popular in the special education classroom and the general education classroom. Assistive technology does not need to be something that is operated by power, but can range from a specialized pencil grip to a voice output device. Some examples of assistive technology are: highlighters, writing slant boards, visual support strategies, text-to-speech software, personalized computers, and wheel chairs.
The assistive technology piece that I am going to highlight in this blog post is Proloquo2Go. Proloquo2Go is an application that operates through symbols, and allows students who cannot communicate through voice to communicate through the application. The application also supports language and literacy development. Proloquo2Go can be personalized to each student and has a bank of 20,000 symbols to choose from. The company has coined the saying, "A voice for those who cannot speak," and that truly is what this program does for students with communication barriers.
Since my school is an inclusion-focused school, this technology would be of a great support in my classroom if I had a student who was not able to communicate verbally. This application allows for the schools to be more unified in the support of inclusion, because it gives students the opportunity to communicate with peers and teachers. Without this communication device inclusion would be more difficult. The nice thing about Proloquo2go is that it is an application that can be added on to any device, whether it is an iPad, computer, or iPod. The following video shows a student using Proloquo2Go in school. By using this technology she is able to communicate with her teacher and peers. Please take some time to view this video. If you have any assistive technology products you find beneficial in your classroom please comment below.
No comments:
Post a Comment