ISCI 761- Blog Post 4 - Online Digital Tools as an Adaptive Technology Resource

Reading Guides, Masks, and Overlays for Tracking Used as Assistive Technologies

"Assistive technologies, defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (USA 2004) as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability," along with alternative instructional methods and principles of Universal Design--the idea of designing instruction with all students in mind--can and should all act as guiding forces in our teaching and interactions with students." (Copeland, 2011)

"All students, whether they are perceived as being typically able or differently. able. have special needs--and special abilities. It is critical that we see all children as children first and help them find their abilities." (Copeland, 2011)

Using assistive, or adaptive, technologies can benefit not only the disabled student, but all students in your classrooms or libraries.  What tools and technologies can be catagorized or labeled as an assistive, or adaptive, technology?  I really loved the checklist of questions Copeland shared in the article we read this week.  Here is the list of questions to use when evaluating any resource to determine if it is a good fit for your students.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR SELECTING AND EVALUATING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
    * What is the task at hand? What is the goal or objective the student will attempt to achieve?
    * Will the technology increase the interest level of the typical student or a student with a similar learning style (e.g., a visual learner)?
    * Will the technology serve as a distraction for the typical student?
    * What are the concerns for students who are differently able in terms of being able to complete the lesson?
    * Will the technology allow or enable the students who are differently able to participate in the lesson and/ or related group work?
    * How are the students going to share the available hardware and software? What types of licensing are needed?
    * For students who are differently able, do they have technologies specified in their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)? If so, can these technologies be brought with the student to the school library for instruction and activities?
    * Who is going to assist the students with accessing technologies?
    * What level of assistance do we expect to be required for typically able students? Differently able students?  (Copeland, 2011)

Many of us are probably familiar with line guides that help students track text while reading.  These are especially helpful for students with reading disabilities, but all students can benefit from these line guides, especially if they are easily distracted by all the other text on the page or lose their spot while reading.

Image Description: A picture of physical line guides which are small plastic devices used to overlay text in a book.  Park of the strip is gray and part is transparent highlighter color that displays portions of the text while reading.

While searching for online digital tools that can be used as an adaptive technology I found several Google Extensions that can be used in the same way as these physical line guides.  This is really helpful because older students do a great deal of assigned reading online for their classes.  One is called Screen Mask.  Screen Mask is used just like the physical reading line guides, as they cover up text as you are reading while highlighting or uncovering just the text in a smaller area for the reader to focus on.  Chunking the text is a strategy many students with reading disabilities use to help aid in comprehension so that they don't become overwhelmed with too much text at once.

Image Description: A picture of an example of the screen mask being used on a website page.  Part of the page is shaded gray and another section is unshaded and the page is white.  Followed by another section on the page shaded gray.

BeeLine Reader is another free Google Extension that helps the reader focus on text.  BeeLine Reader uses different color text to help your eyes track sections of text and move to the next line more easily.  This simple tool makes a difference in student fluency and comprehension as it allows the reader to read faster and more focused.  I tried this Google Extension on several of the articles we were assigned this week, and honestly, it was hard for me to focus on all the different colors on the page.  I know every reader and learner are different, so I would love to see if this is beneficial to others who have difficulty tracking text.

Image Description: A picture of a website page with the BeeLine Reader being used on the page.  The text starts out in a black font, then half of the line changes to blue font, and then it switches back to black font for half of a line.  The next line begins by using black font, and then switches to red font halfway through the line.  This continues down the entire page of text.

Tint and Track Virtual Overlay is a paid service from Crossbow Education, but there is a free Google Extension that does the exact same thing.  Often the bright white screen can be tiring and hard on the eyes, and especially for students with disabilities, it can be hard to focus.  Of course we can dim our screens, but using a screen overlay or tint can be calming and aesthetic.  Screen Shader Smart Screen Tinting  uses a orange screen tint that is calming, alleviates eye strain and fatigue, and is appeasing to your brain.  

Image Description: A picture of an advertisement for the Screen Shader.  The image shows a laptop opened to a website and the Screen Shader being used.  The left half of the page is the normal website with no Screen Shader being used and it is white.  The right side of the laptop has the Screen Shader in use and it is shaded a light orange.

Don't you just love all of the free Google Extensions we can provide students with in the classrooms to help aid them while working so that every student can be successful as we equip them with the tools they need?  Every learner is different and with a variety of available Google Extensions, teachers and librarians can find the tool that is just right for the student.  A word of caution:  students often download any and every Google Extension there is available whether it's educational or not, and whether they need it or not.  What Google extensions have you found to be helpful and useful as adaptive technologies to assist students with disabilities, but also beneficial for all students in the classroom?

Citations:

Copeland, C.A. (2011). School Librarians of the 21st Century. Knowledge Quest, 39(3), 64-69.