Assistive Technology

The PowerPoint's above are examples of using assistive technology. Assistive technology is defined as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system whether acquired off the shelf, modified or customized that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities." Teachers are able to modify lessons for students both physical and developmentally disabled. Familiarizing yourself with these types of tools will be beneficial in allowing students with disabilities to participate in the classrooms.  While doing this assignment I learned how to use many different devices and tools. I did not have any problems with using any of these tools. I enjoyed becoming familiar with the tools, and would have to say many of them are rather easy to find and navigate to. When I opened  the magnifying device I immediately knew using this tool could benefit  a student with a low vision disability. The print becomes magnified and much larger then the original print. This is a great tool for a student with a low vision disability, because it will allow him to read the print on the screen.  Also, changing the display setting to something without high contrast can help the student with a vision impairment. I also learned about other great features in the Windows program, such as Sound sentry, and Toggle keys alerts. Both can be used to assist a student with a hearing impairment, and make lessons assessable for the student. I also liked taking the screenshots in this activity. The control and print screen key must be pressed in order to snap a shot of the screen. All of this assistive technology will be beneficial for me in my future career. I am grateful for these types of devices and tools that were created for students with disabilities. I will be learning more about the features available and how to use them so I can better assist the students that could benefit from this technology in my classroom. The NETS-T standards demonstrated in this assignment