Assistive Technology Internet Modules

The Assistive Technology Internet Modules provide various modules that give learners a chance to acquire knowledge about types of assistive technology. In class we have been discussing UDL and we are now expanding on this concept by looking at various types of assistive technology, proper use, and how they can be implemented to help meet students needs. The website looked at AT from three different points of view, Assistive Technology Assessment Process in the School Environment, Assistive Technology Consideration in the IEP Process, and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). Each section provided information along with a pre and post assessment for users to assess their learning. Below you will find a brief synopsis of each section mentioned above:

Assistive Technology Assessment Process in the School Environment

• The first module gives background about AT in the assessment process. AT is available to a wide range of students and not necessarily the students receiving speech and language services, which is often a common misconception. The module continues to discuss guidelines  to match students with the proper AT devices. 

Assistive Technology Consideration in the IEP Process
This module revealed the legal regulations under IDEA of 2004 and how they impact students with IEP's. One surprising fact I learned is once a student is being considered for an IEP the team must consider, even if it is not used, AT devices. There is a specific section in an IEP that ask if students qualify for assistive technology. 

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) 

• The final module discusses what devices can be used to turn words into written text. It also explained the difference between text to speech and speech to text which is often used interchangeably but this is not correct. ASR relies heavily on the environment and applications which are sometimes out of the teachers control. If speech is an issue students can be given a microphone so the device can better understand the student.