The future of assistive technology

The article The future is in the margins:The role of technology and disability in education reform (Rose & Meyer)  speaks about the future of teaching and learning using new methods of instruction, such as the Universal Design for Learning, especially when it comes to students with disabilities. Rose and Meyer (2005) argued that this reform will take place when we view education as a tool for learning to learn instead of solely acquiring knowledge.

I agree with the authors in that there must be a reform in our society's thinking when it comes to the concept of learning. I am always fascinated by the current brain research regarding learning. Definitely, such information should guide teachers' instruction. After all.. teachers work with students' brains, aren't we supposed to be brain experts?

When I worked with students with disabilities, assistive technology was always a relief.(I am familiar with Alpha Smart, special calculators, visual aids)Such tools are used to enable the student with special needs to access his/her grade level curriculum. Assistive technology definitely aleviates some of the pressure such students receive when being compared with his/her grade level peers (especially after NCLB!). Rose & Meyer (2005) argue that the future of assistive technology will benefit students with special needs more because teachers will view such tools as a way to differentiate learning, particularly for special populations.

When I think of Universal Design of Learning, I immediately think of a beautiful ramp built-in as part of the architecture of a big and fancy building. Such visual reminds me that students with special needs can and should be part of our classroom without making their disability so obvious. Their "ramp" can be built-in as part of the architecture and structure of our classroom. Therefore, if a teacher implements the components of Universal Design of Learning, everyone in his/her classroom will have access to such tools. After all, who says people without a wheelchair cannot use the ramp?

Because I teach a dual language classroom, I already have a special population of English language learners (ELLs). Therefore, I already implement elements of the Universal Design of Learning such as "providing multiple forms of representation." So when I deliver a lesson, I make sure that all of the stduents' senses are activated for learning. I would like to work more on the concept of "providing multiple means of action and expression" when it comes to assessment. I am aware that each student will be more successful expressing themselves in another form than the one asked for (such as written), however I am still exploring ways in how I could implement such differentiation in an orderly fashion.