Assistive Technology

         
          This past week in my IT class, I have been learning about assistive technology, which is anything that helps increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. In this class, I learned how to take pictures from a website and place them in a PowerPoint presentation by resizing the picture to fit the slide. Since there might be a child in my classroom that is using a low vision computer, I learned how to change the display to a high contrast extra large scheme that would be more readable for this student. I also learned how to use the magnifier, and I placed a magnified picture in my power point. I learned how to set the Toggle Keys in the Window Accessibility Features in case I have a student in my classroom that has a physical disability that causes them to engage a computer key setting. If I have a student with a mild hearing impairment, I can use the Windows Accessibility Features to set the options so a visual alert flashes in the active window when the computer sounds an alert. If there is a student in my class that has a physical impairment and as a result needs to use a pointer to access the computer, I can set the options so the keyboard is displayed on the screen. The most fun thing I learned was how to place a picture in the power point and add a sound to it. I learned how to make adjustments to the mouse that may be useful for people with certain needs. These kind of things were not easy for me to do, but with the help of my classmates and my instructor, I was able to get it all accomplished.
          These lessons all tie to the ISTE standards to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, to design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments, to model digital age work and learning, to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility, and to engage in professional growth and leadership. This lesson ties to the common core standards of integration of knowledge and ideas, production and distribution of writing, research to build and present knowledge, comprehension and collaboration, and presentation of knowledge and ideas.
Link to my presentation: Assistive Technology