Adaptive/Assistive Technology Assignment

Students with Cognitive Difficulties

Webspiration: http://www.mywebspiration.com/

Webspiration is an excellent set of tools that provides students the access to a variety of frameworks to brainstorm ideas, gather and organize information, build comprehension, and develop written essays, and more. Using these tools, students can improve their thinking, organization, and writing skills.

WYNN: http://www.freedomscientific.com/LSG/support/wynn_support.asp

Wynn is a computer program that reads text aloud while highlighting spoken words, and includes reading, writing, studying, productivity, and Internet features. When using WYNN, students who experience reading and writing challenges, are given tools to overcome such difficulties. WYNN allows for highlighting of text as it is.

Students with Physical Difficulties

Dragon Naturally Speaking: http://www.nuance.com/dragon/index.htm
Dragon is an excellent speech recognition software that allows students with physical difficulties to speak their text instead of writing it. Students can experience success in different areas, especially in writing, as this software enables them to tell their stories without worrying about what their handwriting would looks like, their spelling, or how slow their writing is compared to their thinking.

IntelliKeys: http://www.intellitools.com/intellikeys.html

IntelliKeys is a smart alternative keyboard. It is easy to handle, and its keys can be easily reconfigured by sliding different overlays onto the touch-sensitive area. According to the Intellitools website, The universal design of the overlays provides large, well-spaced keys in high contrast colors to help students locate letters, numbers, words, and directional arrows. Concepts are broken down into manageable components, with streamlined choices, fewer concepts at a time, pictures to support learningeven student photographs for personalization. This keyboard allows students with physical (and other) difficulties to easily handle the keyboard.

Students with Sensory Difficulties

Low Vision:

Keys-U-See: http://www.ablenetinc.com/Assistive-Technology/Low-Vision/WirelessLarge-Print-Keyboard

The Keys-U-See keyboards are designed for those who have visual difficulties. The two designs have increased background contrast and large letters so that low vision students can use the keyboard more successfully.

TTS MagniLink Vision: http://www.visioncue.com/MagnilinkVisionwithTTS.html

This excellent screen is a video magnifier with an added test-to-speech functionality. Students with low vision can touch the screen to listen to the displayed text. This device can be useful when the student completes a reading assignment and has difficulties recognizing certain letters/words.

At-Risk Students

BrainPop, BrainPop Junior, and BrainPop ESL:

http://www.brainpop.com/

BrainPop is an excellent tool for all students. However, at-risk students may find the simple explanations and a variety of resources more entertaining, engaging, and motivating. Struggling students can find animated information and fun activities about a variety of topics (from both Brainpop and BrainPopJr). The BrainPop creators have done a fantastic job introducing new topics and illustrating complex concepts in a child friendly way.

Windows to the Universe: http://www.windows2universe.org/

Windows to the Universe is a great resource for teachers. It includes Earth and Space sciences related instructional materials in three levels (Elementary, Middle, and High School levels), which allow teachers to differentiate instruction in their classrooms. The site includes a variety of images, movies, animations, and data sets that explore the Earth and Space sciences and the historical and cultural ties between science, exploration, and the human experience.

Gifted and Talented Students

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Audacity is a free and user-friendly software for recording and editing sounds. Teachers of Talented and Gifted students can have their students use this software to create podcasts about a variety of topics discussed in class. These podcasts can then be uploaded to the Internet and can serve as a resource for the rest of the students.

Skype in the Classroom: https://education.skype.com/

Skype in the classroom is a free and easy way for teachers to open up their classroom. Skype in the classroom continues to grow rapidly, and allows users to meet new people, talk to experts, share ideas and create amazing learning experiences with teachers from around the world. Talented and Gifted students can connect to other classrooms, authors, experts, etc. and provide, exchange, and receive information about anything!