Tracey’s presentation around technology and inclusion was profoundly informative. I learned so much and appreciated sharting so much of her personal experiences. I think she and her organization is doing such important work around disability justice advocating for inclusion and accessibility.
Tracey talked about technology’s importance to support inclusion in making education accessible to special needs students. She reminded us to understand that some students will need technology forever”. Our responsibility as teachers is to understand and acknowledge this and strive to make it accessible and available for these students to feel valued and accepted for who they are and supported to learn in ways that are possible for them to know.
Equally important is to note support and challenges exist in schools. You may not have all the technological resources you need to support students’ needs. When faced with limited or lack of resources, advocacy becomes paramount; it involves finding what happens when students cannot get the help they need. Knowing what students need is the most critical step to support them. Tracey pointed out to understand students’ needs, ask students what they need first; if they can’t tell you what they need, ask their parents and ask another student. I appreciated when Tracey shared this because letting students voice their needs empowers them and helps them take ownership of their needs and learning. Ongoing conversations and collaboration among families, teachers, and educational students are also essential to figure out the best support and resources for students who need them. Tracey reminded us that understanding students’ needs is fundamental to support them to understand them.
My takeaway from this presentation is that technology creates opportunities to support students with additional needs. Sometimes as a teacher, you may not have all the resources you need to have to support inclusion and help students who need them, and it is essential to know your student’s needs so you can keep them in the ways they need support. If you don’t have the necessary resources to support inclusion, it is essential to have those conversations early on to have those resources in place.
Key the takeaway from the presentation
- Accommodations you make for one student will support every student in the classroom.
- Accommodations you make for one student will support every student in the classroom.
- Accommodations you make for one student will support every student in the classroom.
- Accommodations you make for one student will support every student in the classroom.
- Accommodations you make for one student will support every student in the classroom.
- Accommodations you make for one student will support every student in the classroom.
Tech tools to use in classroom
- Live transcriber
- Google lenses
- Voice amplifier
- Little pen used by learners who have trouble focusing
- Smartboard
- AAC. modified keyboard to support communication
https://edtechuvic.ca/edci336/2022/03/04/week-eight-bcedaccess-guest-lecture/
Taken from course lecture by Micheal
