Assistive Technology Interview - Reflection

      Recently I sat down with my Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) to discuss two students who have been identified and will be receiving support, in the form of their very own iPads to use during classroom activities.  This lead to a discussion on the procedure and wait times for Assistive Technology support for students within Halton.  While I knew of the process and was aware of the timelines for students receiving AT, I still found it interesting to see just how well Halton is meeting the needs of our students.

      Speaking with my SERT Jeff, we discussed just who is eligible for AT within the board.  In order for a prescription to be assigned to a student, a formal assessment needs to be completed on the student, with the results outlining a specific need for AT within the classroom.  The students who are identified as needing AT, would show certain deficiencies in terms of fine motor skills, visual motor skill (e.g. The ability to copy notes), organizational skills, or just maintaining sustained attention during prolonged tasks.   Once a diagnosis is confirmed, Jeff can then write out a formal assessment on a mere two page form, requesting the AT device or software, and the technology should arrive at the school within a four to six week time frame.

      During this time, students can begin training on the AT device while they are still waiting for their prescription to arrive.  Halton supplies schools with extra laptops, iPads, LiveScribe pens, software and other devices just for this purpose.  Students will receive training from the SERT directly, or in the case of my school, an Educational Assistant who has been assigned as an AT teacher, to assist in training students who are new to the technology.  Likewise, teachers can be trained on the devices and software as well, to better assist their own students.  Training can come from in house experts or itinerant teachers contacted by the school SERT.  Quite often, full and half day PD workshops can also be provided for certain types of devices and software.

      As I have posted and blogged about many times, Web 2.0 tools are becoming used more regularly, replacing many old forms of software, that the board has paid lots of money to license out and provide training for.  Programs such as Premier Tools, Worksheet Wizard, and Dragon Naturally Speaking, seem to be becoming more obsolete, as easier to use programs such as iPad notebook, and Dragon Dictation are easier to use and free for everyone.  As for as next steps go for Halton, I find that the board is doing an excellent job with keeping up with the demand and need for more Assistive Technology within our schools.  While some discrepancies still exist between schools and the availability of technology for students, I find that my school in particular is doing a fantastic job with providing necessary tools for students.  The only next step that I can see for the board, is creating an online document that tracks students AT use, and what types of training the student has gone through, so future teachers can be made aware of this quickly and easy.  This can be done however, at the individual school level.