For the last part of Module 3 we explored Assistive Technology. The most common form of assisitve technology is translation services. We were asked to take a look at a few different translation pages. My favorite has always been Google Translate. It's been helpful in the past to look up a work for a homework assignment (Foreign language students, Google Translate will not do your homework for you! I've seen too many students do this and I warn you now, Google Translate is a computer and translates directly what you type, which will often come out grammatically incorrect in another language.) or to translate a web page I wanted to explore that was in a language I did not understand. Google Translate is a great free internet resource to use. I even have a Google Translate widget on my blog. I tried out the paralink website as well, which was nice as it translated the language lists with whatever language you were using (If I was translating from French to English, I would select "Anglais," the french word for English). I could see this being particularly useful for people who do not speak English. Babel fish is very similar to Google Translate, except it is run by Yahoo. World Lingo is nice as you can translate a document, however, it does cost money. All in all, these websites can make the WorldWide Web more worldwide.
Next I explored Microsoft's website to learn about the accessibility tools that Windows 7 has to offer. For those hard of hearing, it is possible to use text and images in the place of sound, via the ease of access center. I was particularly interested in this setting because my Grandmother is hard of hearing, and I would like to be able to share things on my computer with her. I was able to turn on visuals and captions very easily, something I had no idea even existed already on my computer without any installation or purchasing software.Text can be read out load for those who have trouble seeing with a program called Narrator, or it can be made larger and thus easier to read with a program called Magnifier. Another option that interested me was an option to make it "easier to focus on tasks." It explained how to select this option on your computer so it would do several things at once to make it easier to work, such as turning off background images, making notifications quicker, magnifying the text, and more. I could see this being especially useful in the classroom when working with a student who may have trouble concentrating on the task at hand.
I spent time looking at "Supporting Diverse Learners" to familiarize myself with more assisitve technology that I could use in the future in my classroom. One thing here that stood out to me was "Digital Text." Digital text is " text stored as strings of characters." It reminded me of the Leap Frog reading pads they have out for children to help them learn to read. I've been using these educational toys with my younger cousins for years. Using them in the classroom is a wonderful idea. Children love to be read to, and it helps them learn to read for themselves. This tool allows them to be read to and read along, to select words or phrases one by one to be heard, or to guide the reader as they go along. I'm happy to see technology used at home be used at school as well.
The last topic we were asked to look at was photosensitive epilepsy, and how it can effect children using computers. The Epilepsy Foundation has a page set up to explain this condition. They define it photosensitive epilepsy as "exposure to flashing lights at certain intensities or to certain visual patterns [that] can trigger seizures." They also note that condition is actually more common in children, so teachers should know some background information on it. For use with computer moniters they advise to:
- "Use a flicker-free monitor (LCD display or flat screen).
- Use a monitor glare guard.
- Wear non-glare glasses to reduce glare from the screen.
- Take frequent breaks from tasks involving the computer."
So, if you have a child in your classroom with photosensitive epilepsy, it can still be possible for them to use technology with the rest of the class, as long as their doctor allows it and you take certain precautions.
Assistive technology allows classrooms to be more accessible by all students, and for them to connect to other students around the world. It's important for teacher to know how to utilize this technology to help make this happen.
