Assistive Technology to Support Math

Last week, my blog entry focused on using assistive technology to support writing. This week, my blog entry will focus on using assistive technology to support math. I hope you find the resources below useful!

Chapter 5 Focus Questions

3 Key Questions to be Considered When Selecting Educational Applications to Meet Students' Goals and Objectives
- According to Assistive Technology In the Classroom by Dell, Newton, and Petroff, when selecting educational applications to meet students' goals and objectives, there are several questions that must be considered. The first question is, "What is the intended outcome of the use of the educational application?" The second question is, "Is the educational application likely to fulfill its stated purpose?" The third question is, "Can the educational applications be used as an alternative to traditional classroom activities to enhance students' participation?"   

Educational Applications That Address Automaticity/Math Fact Fluency
- FASTT Math (Basic math facts)
- Timez Attack (Focuses on multiplication facts)
- ArithmAttack (Played online or downloaded)

Technology Tools to Address Visual-Spatial or Motor Control Difficulties
-  MathPad (Talking math worksheet program)
- MathPad Plus (Extends to fractions and decimals)
- Virtual Pencil Arithmetic (For students who are "pencil impaired")
- Virtual Pencil Algebra (Extends to algebraic equations)
- Number Navigator (Simple "math processor" with customizable colors, fonts, and font sizes)
- Microsoft Word's Equation Editor (For students with good mouse control but difficulty with handwriting)
- Math Type (For students in advanced math classes)
- Scientific Notebook (For solving equations)
- Meander's Annotator (For handwriting problems in geometry) 

Educational Applications to Teach Math Concepts, Math Skills, and Problem Solving
- National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (VP)
- Illuminations (Online activities)
- Computing Technology for Math Excellence (More VPs)
- Internet 4 Classrooms (High-quality resources)
- Virtual Laboratories in Probability and Statistics
- Math Playground (Free, online math activities)
- Conceptua Math (Fractions)
- Destination Math (Math reasoning and conceptual understanding)  

Low-Tech and Mid-Tech Adaptations to Assist Students with Disabilities With Math Assignments
- Manipulatives
- Rubber fraction stamps
- Manipulative number line
- Laminated addition and multiplication tables
- Ruler with transparency overlays
- Large calculators
- Talking calculators
- See 'n' Solve Calculators
- "Coin Abacus"
- "Coin-u-lator"
     
Suggested Activities

1. Explore Virtual Manipulatives- I visited the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives' website and was very impressed. It's great that you can choose a grade range, a math category, and even specific topics. When you're planning a lesson, you want to try to reach as many learners as possible. This is one way to try to reach visual learners, as well as learners who may have good mouse control but have difficulty using physical manipulatives.

2. Add to your portfolio- After conducting a search, "websites for teaching math" I found many great resources:
- http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/newsletter/0704/math.cfm 
Offers a list of the "Top 10 Math Websites." It also provides links and descriptions to the websites.

- http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/08/a-list-of-great-free-math-websites-for.html
Offers the same thing as the link above, but it offers more resources and a clip art image of each.

It's amazing just HOW many math websites there are out there for teachers to use! Many of them can be found by using a simple search on Google or another search engine. 

Chapter 12 Focus Questions

Strategies Teachers Can Use to Overcome "Learned Helplessness"

According to Assistive Technology In the Classroom by Dell, Newton, and Petroff, there are several strategies that teachers can use to help students overcome "learned helplessness."

- "Build a daily expectation of communication through specific activities such as choose the activity during recess, picking a book to read, or identifying where to eat at lunch."
- "Construct a brief daily report to parents that is communicated by the student."
- "Allow natural consequences to occur and provide avenues for repair. This includes setups that alter the environment to provide less support or sabotage."
- "Provide powerful phrases on the device for students to reject or protest something."
   
How Augmentative Communication (AC) Can be Integrated Into the IEP
- AC must be considered for all nonspeaking students
- Specify components
- Specify USE of components
- Incorporated into goals, as a way to accomplish the goals
- Include list of the AC services to be provided by related service personnel
- Include identification of the people responsible for maintaining and operating the device  


Importance of Supporting the Use of AC Systems at Home and in the Community
- Communication demands of home and community can be very different from those at school
- Parents and family members must be included in AC planning and implementation. This will help them support the child's attempt to communicate in other environments.
- Reinforces skills learned in school  

How a Student's AC System can be Designed to Meet the Communication Demands of Home and the Community

HOME
- Consider family involvement, culture, and places/activities that students frequent
- Teachers must be actively involved
- Provide training to families
- Provide direct instruction on the use of the system
- Identify vocabulary that is relevant to the home
- Teach family members to provide opportunities for communication and to wait
- Provide sample data and evaluation sheets for home and community
- Give parents permission to expand the child's communication
- Keep it simple!

COMMUNITY
- Teacher can plan field trips in the community and special activities with devices that have been programmed to ask specific questions
- Practice interacting with unfamiliar people     

How to Monitor the Progress of a Student Using AC for Rate and Quantity of Progress in the Development of Language and Communication
- Monitor for progress in increasing communication skills
- Monitor for progress in developing communication skills
- Instructor's behavior must be monitored as well, to document and/or adjust the support they provide

Assistive Technology Implementation Resources

Assistive Technology Implementation: Working Together to Make a Measurable Difference
The link above, is an invaluable resource for implementing AT. The website has many training modules that are free to view. For example, there is a module about about reading strategies to use with students. You can download a presentation slide, as well as notes. Each module clearly identifies the purpose, objectives, and downloadable materials. The presentation slides are organized and laid out clearly, with great visual representations to engage the audience.

University of Kentucky Assistive Technology (UKAT) Project
The link above, is another great resource to use when learning about how to implement assistive technology. The UKAT Toolkit includes an overview of AT, an overview of the toolkit, instructions, tools, sample application of tools, as well as resources. Downloadable presentations are available for users to learn more about AT and how to implement it with students. I did not care for the layout of this website, as much as I liked the first website (it was not as ascetically pleasing), but it is still a great resource.

Chapter 14 Focus Questions

How AT Can Serve as a Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities in College

- Under Section 504 and the ADA, colleges must provide, at no cost to the student, reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities

- Some examples include:

* Note taking- use of a portable note taker

* Understanding lectures- Assistive listening system

* Taking tests- text to speech software for reading support

* Accessing course materials- Captioned videos

* Reading- eBooks

* Completing papers and assignments- Graphic organizer applications

* Accessing the Internet- Providing screen magnification

* Registering for classes- Making college web-based systems accessible

* Telecommunicating- email, text messaging, instant messaging, and voice-relay systems

How Apps Can be Used to Provide Visual Supports for Students with Severe Disabilities

Apps can be a wonderful way to provide visual supports for students with severe disabilities. Below, are reasons why apps tend to work for students with special needs:

 

- Highly motivating for many students

- Consistent, repetitive practice needed to master functional skills

- Simple, uncluttered presentations

- Customizable

- Graphics

- Spoken instructions

- Adjustments in response time

- Variety of response methods

- Auditory feedback keeps many students engaged

- Customizable level of difficulty   

—Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom. (2nd ed., pp. 3-22). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.