A4. ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Fostering Self-Directedness

Educational Technology Tools

Encouraging engagement starts will allow students to take an active role in their learning. One way educational technology tools help with this is through websites that support independent student-driven goals and self-directedness.

Epic! is an app that encourages self-directedness through reading and vocabulary activities. Through Epic! learners are able to access a large digital library of educational books and videos (EPIC!, n.d.). To support individualized student needs and thinking, this app allows learners to choose from a variety of different genres that interest them. Once students have finished a book in their library, they can take quizzes based on the reading and receive immediate feedback on their comprehension and knowledge of the material. EPIC! also includes badges for students to earn based on various reading achievements, and educators can track what students are reading and how much they are reading (EPIC!, n.d.). An important feature of this educational tool is that students can read on or off WiFi which allows students with no access to the Internet at home to continuously engage with reading. With this app, students are in control of their learning goals. For additional accessibility, each digital book within EPIC! includes an audio version to support all learners (EPIC!, n.d.). Teachers are able to use this tool to track students and create assignments based on reading comprehension.

EPIC! App Features and Design

Screenshot provided by: EPIC. (n.d.). EPIC homepage. Retrieved from https://www.getepic.com/

Nearpod is an app that promotes interactive, student-centered learning through self-paced lessons (Nearpod, n.d.). Teachers are able to upload lessons directly onto the online site or search through pre-made options and edit to meet lesson needs. While the teacher creates and assigns the lesson overview, it is the role of the individual student to develop independent thinking skills and demonstrate their knowledge. Students are able to work through the lesson plan on a computer, tablet, or phone at their own pace and check their understanding of the material through quiz games and other virtual assessments which offer immediate feedback (Nearpod, n.d.). This tool supports student learning goals by focusing on individualized learner needs and offering competency quizzes and group collaboration projects. Nearpod also offers teachers formative assessment data to show where each student is and what areas they are struggling with.

Nearpod Pre-Made Lesson Examples and Library Search Feature

Screenshot provided by: Nearpod. (n.d.). Nearpod library. Retrieved from https://nearpod.com/t/search?t=1

Assistive Technology

Finding technology that supports individual student needs allows balanced instruction and promotes exclusivity in the classroom.

Proofreading assistive technology allows students to work through their individual grammar, spelling, and overall sentence structure needs. Through a free online browser extension for any computer or tablet, Grammarly allows students to write, update, and receive feedback in real-time. To support student writing needs, Grammarly offers four main sentence structure categories: correctness, clarity, engagement, and delivery (Grammarly, n.d.). Students are able to submit through a WordDoc or type directly into the app, view an overall score for their writing, and set goals depending on their writing needs. This assistive technology meets individual student needs and learning in an educational setting by providing personalized writing feedback and assistance with setting goals.

Grammarly Demo Document

While there are countless apps available to assist with individual student learning needs, assistive technology also includes physical devices that can be used off WiFi. IntelliKeys is computer hardware that offers keyboard typing support to students with physical, cognitive, or visual disabilities (BLTT, n.d.). Plugging directly into a USB port, this device uses various Braille and speech-enabled overlays that resemble traditional keyboards. IntelliKeys can also be customized to include visuals and other characters not found on a traditional keyboard. To meet individual learning needs, this form of assistive technology offers educational technology resources to students with disabilities in an accessible way. Depending on their learning needs, students can customize the IntelliKey keyboard for a personalized and inclusive version of traditional technology.

IntelliKeys Assistive Technology Classroom Example

Screenshot provided by: Grammarly. (n.d.). Demo document. Retrieved from https://app.grammarly.com/

Video provided by: CLTRobertshaw. (2009, July 9). Young student using IntelliKeys USB. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9hdMJmAZ5Q