[Untitled photograph of students]. Retrieved from http://learn.org/cimages/multimages/2/elementary-students-computer-laptop.jpg
After learning about visual impairments, I started to think about my pre-student teaching experience and how I could incorporate AT in an elementary computer class. Although I only experienced one student with a visual impairment throughout my seven weeks, I wanted to discuss how I could use AT in my future classes in order to provide a better learning experience for all of my students. During my classes my students will be learning how to use a computer. This could range from learning how to log on to a computer, learning how to type properly, and learning how to use tools in Google classroom. My students will be spending a lot of time watching me model things and then trying to do it themselves at their own computer. This is just an idea of what my classroom might look like.
After learning about visual impairments, I started to think about my pre-student teaching experience and how I could incorporate AT in an elementary computer class. Although I only experienced one student with a visual impairment throughout my seven weeks, I wanted to discuss how I could use AT in my future classes in order to provide a better learning experience for all of my students. During my classes my students will be learning how to use a computer. This could range from learning how to log on to a computer, learning how to type properly, and learning how to use tools in Google classroom. My students will be spending a lot of time watching me model things and then trying to do it themselves at their own computer. This is just an idea of what my classroom might look like.
I could see myself
using large print keyboard stickers as a great way to assist anyone that is
visually impaired. This is a simple tool that could easily help out a student
while typing an assignment. Using magnification can also be a useful tool. Many
classrooms now come equipped with a projector device (similar to a traditional
overhead projector) which would allow me to magnify whatever it is that I am
showing my students on the whiteboard. Braille keyboard stickers would also be
very useful. My students do a lot of typing and need to be familiar with how to
use the keyboard properly. Another great tool would be a talking Web browser.
My students would be doing a lot of online work therefore they could use this
tool to talk to the browser instead of having to worry about typing the
information.
Being in a computer lab
gives me many opportunities to use AT for my students. The one barrier that I
might encounter would be the positioning of the student in their seat. Space is
often limited within a computer lab due to the amount of computers and tables
in the classroom. These areas are not always the easiest to access. I would
want to make sure that my student is at the end of a row and could access their
computer easily. One benefit of having one-to-one devices would be that the
student doesn’t have to make their way to the computer but rather the computer
can come to them. Saving a space particularly for students with disabilities or
allowing them to have their on lap top could increase their performance greatly
in my classroom.
I really like how you gave a description of what a typical day in your classroom would look like first to enable you to determine what exactly your students may need who have a visual impairment. The large print keyboard I think is an awesome and simple way to help students with visual impairments take part in your classroom successfully. Also, for those students whose impairment is more severe the braille reader and talking web browser I feel are excellent ideas to allow students to be as successful as possible. In addition, it was awesome that you considered the seating and placing students on the end of rows. That is something some people probably would not think about at first, but that could alleviate much confusion and problems in the classroom. Awesome post! Love the pictures! Didn't even know you could do that!
ReplyDeleteI really liked that you focused this on what you could do in your future classroom. I also found online some good applications that changed the coloration on the screen as well as the font size. Differentiating in a computer class would be very interesting because of all of the available AT that you could implement.
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