#AllKidsCanLearn - Trends in K-12 Assistive Technology

Description:

This interactive presentation is tailored for teachers and other professionals working with students with disabilities in the K - 12 environments. The application of assistive technologies in the K - 12 environment has greatly changed over the last 10 years. In previous years, the assistive technologies that were available were highly specialized. Today’s educational environment contains mainstream technologies that can be adapted or fitted with assistive technology for students. Through the lens of students with disabilities, we will explore mainstream technology tools that are becoming the future of assistive technology, and how they support these students. Through the use of interactive presentation tools and activities, we will explore web-based tools that provide text to speech, speech to text, visual supports, vocabulary support tools and more. We will also explore the Google environment, including Google Drive, Google Docs, Chrome extensions, and Chrome browser supports for using the internet. Participants will also explore iOS tools, including built-in accessibility options and how to apply them and the differences between and benefits of each. Throughout the presentation, participants will be encouraged to provide feedback and suggestions by posting to an interactive Padlet. Participants will leave with knowledge of available mainstream technology tools and the assistive technologies that K - 12 uses to support students with disabilities to be able to access their curriculum and instructional materials.

Practical Skills:

• We will focus on easily accessible assistive technology tools that support students with disabilities. We will demonstrate how to access each of these tools as well as how they work. Tools that will be addressed: iOS device settings and apps, Windows OS and MS Office tools, Google Chrome extensions, and free web-based resources.

Prerequisites:

• None