Josh's Story
Observing Josh and learning about his habits coming into preschool showed the importance of having an open mind to unique situations with students and to be willing to think outside of the box for assistive technologies that can assist them in their education as well as everyday life. Josh had a teacher who was patient and dedicated to his education and improvement. She observed Josh's tendencies and saw his love for books. She adapted to using a AT called the "Book Worm" which allowed for a recording device to be coordinated with certain pages in any given book.
Josh utilized this tool to bridge the gap from his nonverbal state, to one where he would follow along with his teacher's recorded voice. It was amazing to see the excitement he showed when the book could be read out loud. He controlled when the recording started for each page. I believe that this probably gave him a sense of independence when using the device. When feeling independent, I think it is possible for tools like the book worm to phase out while the student becomes more advanced.
It goes to show what powerful tools assistive technologies can be when paired with teachers and people who care to take the time to make them work for the the student they involve. These positive experiences of students doing what they love lead to better life opportunities and inspiration to use their gained knowledge.
No comments:
Post a Comment