"Technology is a lifeline"

Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams

Technology has become so commonplace in today’s schools, offices and homes that we rarely stop to think about its impact on our lives. But for students with disabilities, technology can mean the difference between a full and meaningful life and one lived in seclusion from the rest of the world.

“Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams” amplifies the message that seems to be spoken only as a whisper in most educational settings: For students with disabilities, assistive technology is not an option, it is a necessity. Voice activated computer software, wheelchairs, talking calculators and many more devices not only allow students to access their education in the classroom but also improve their standard of life.

On Guam, parallel to the sentiments shared in the video, assistive technology, or AT, is not widely available in the public schools. Students who are fortunate enough to have access to AT devices receive them during or after elementary school. Sadly, especially for students who are nonverbal, elementary school is not soon enough. Preschool programs, such as the one shown in the video, that introduce students to AT would greatly improve student achievement by allowing them to access the devices at a younger age.

AT devices allow people with disabilities to have a voice with which to communicate with the world. They provide mobility to people who would otherwise never be able to join in on a soccer game. Stories such as that of Lucas Bratcher, the Euphonium player shown in the video, exemplify how assistive technology allows people with disabilities to realize their dreams in the face of adversity. For people with disabilities, assistive technology is a “lifeline” with which they can enjoy all the things in life that we take for granted.

“Enabling Dreams” highlights the lack of awareness and planning as reasons for the absence of assistive technology in schools. This is definitely true for Guam. However, I would also add our ever-present funding issue to the list. I do not have a remedy to our budget issues within GPSS but I would suggest (if the Superintendent cared to ask me) that the school system look to tomorrow for the answers to the questions of today. That is to say, the start-up fee of purchasing AT devices may be costly but can we really put a price on the education of our children?

Pacman - Online Educational Games in the Classroom

Pacman- Online Educational Game
Bringing Technology to the Classroom

Student-centered learning allows instructional activities to focus on the needs of the student. Students' abilities, needs, interests and learning styles become the focus of how the units are presented to the class. This method of instruction is beneficial to student learning because it allows the student to explore the concept on their own. This promotes an atmosphere that allows each student to access the curriculum in the general education classroom regardless of their level of English proficiency, disability or learning style.

An online educational game is a good example of a student-centered activity that allows hands-on student interaction. The online game, Pacman, focuses on spelling skills and transportation-related words. Though not flawless, this game's method of repetition and fast-paced interactive style allow for a fun reinforcement activity to support the lesson during free-time.

Pacman is geared towards first grade students learning how to spell different words. The game would be best used as a spelling assignment on transportation. After the spelling lesson has been introduced, the students will learn how to play the game and a volunteer will help demonstrate it by challenging the teacher . the game will be set up as a challenge with two computers and projectors. The teacher will have students take turns playing the game.

This type of activity is beneficial to students because it allows student-to-student interacting, experience with technology in the classroom and provides a different method of learning for the students. Pacman allows students to continue learning their spelling words, increasing their recall of the words, especially before an assessment. This activity transforms free-time from just playing into actual fun learning!

This activity will also allow the teacher to observe the students; how they interact with one another, their strengths and needs and it will allow the teacher to evaluate the learning activity and plan for future lessons.

Aileen Alfonso, Jeanalyn Benavente, Shawnette Celes, Gabbie Fejeran, Laura Jiblits

Mingoville Online Educational Games

Welcome To Mingoville Pacman

From: s.celes, 5 days ago

Welcome To Mingoville Pacman

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

SlideShare Link