Google R&W Assignment and Article Reflection

Google Read&Write Assignment 

Today's class was spent very productively creating our website for Assignment #2.

Our group (Wendy, Amanda, Allison and myself) decided to create a website in Google. This was my first experience doing this type of website so I was glad that Amanda had done one previously. It is always nice to collaborate with others and utilize everyone's talents on an assignment like this. I am looking forward to it all coming together. 

Article Takeaway

Because our class today was dedicated to the assignment, I thought I would take the time to read and provide my main takeaways from one of the articles that was suggested for us to consider the research aspect of Assistive Tech.

Edyburn, L. Dave. Ph.D.(2003). "Learning from Text" from Special Education Technology Practice.

The idea that students are pushed along through the education system based on an ideal "normal" or "typical" learner profile and that many are not able to reach their full potential simply because they haven't learned how to read or interpret the material in the same way sounds irrational. Unfortunately, this happens all the time. We push students through, concept after concept, even when mastery hasn't occurred and expect them to continue to compensate and play catch up throughout their schooling careers. 

Performance variables:

"What should be done when a student fails to learn necessary information because he can’t read the instructional materials? Given the value placed on curriculum coverage, common educational practice has been simply to assign a failing grade and move on to the next topic." (Edyburn, 2003)

If you only have a certain amount of time to cover one subject and you have students all at varying levels of comprehension and reading skill, then they will all learn and get through material at different times. Teachers are bound to have students that will simply just "fail" but will have to move on. General Ed. classes have a "one stop fits all" approach with modifications and adaptations being implemented by the classroom teacher and supporting teachers but clearly the model needs tweaking. We have to be able to incorporate specialist teachers into the classroom environment more so a team approach can be taken to help those students access the material appropriately. There seems to be a lack of resources and time for this to occur in a manner that will serve students appropriately. 

"What happens when a student fails to learn to read? Historically, educators search for different instructional methods or materials. Seldom do they raise the question: Are there other ways of performing the task? Routine failure to attain appropriate levels of academic performance should trigger assistive technology consideration. That is, compensatory strategies that use 

technology to enhance performance." 

(Edyburn, 2003)

I feel like this quote links in with the UDL approach of designing lessons and curriculum that all students can access. Students would be able to utilize tools needed to take in information, process it and then produce whatever assessment task is being asked of them. If we approached activities in this way, our "struggling learners" or students needing more time to engage with material or students needing to approach learning in their own way would be given opportunity to show us what they know, instead of being set up to fail in the current system that still heavily relies on paper and pencil tasks, and read and response type activities. 

"The paradox of assistive technology...is that while members of an IEP team are mandated to consider assistive technology possibilities, limited knowledge about assistive technology often deprives the team of opportunities to actually consider the full array of technology possibilities for enhancing performance. Further, since the question of remediation vs. compensation is implicit rather than explicit, decision-making about the use of technology to enhance performance is often suspect." (Edyburn, 2003)

This 'paradox' is how I feel currently with the state of knowledge and comfortability of teachers working with students needing assistive tech to access their materials. 

For many teachers, they are still working from the paper and pencil type tasks and many are rigid in the preparation of course work for their students. Adapting and changing their "ways" to accommodate students needing assistive technology is going to take a shift in thinking and embracing the fact that these students are going to be successful, it's just going to look different than it has in the past.