Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Blog Post #7


What assistive technologies are available to you as a teacher? Select a few and discuss how they may be useful to you.


Nova Chat- Hannah


Many children in the United States suffer from some form of communication impairment. It is my job, as a teacher, to provide them with some sort of way to better communicate. I have done the research and there are many devices that would aid in the this. My favorite one that I came across was the Nova Chat. The Nova Chat is used by people who have ALS, Autism, Down-Syndrome, and Parkinson's disease. From the outside it looks somewhat like a heavy- duty ipad. It is actually a device made specifically for children and adults with hearing or communication impairments. All you have to do is find the button that best represents what you are trying to say and push it. Nova Chat gives you the option to communicate using simple words, phrases, or even pictures. One thing that I thought was really neat is that on the Nova Chat you can use different voices to communicate. A few of the options would be a child's voice or even a British voice. The Nova Chat is also now available to communicate in Spanish. I was not completely sold on this device until I saw the video Julia Using Her ALT- Chat device. Nova Chat is a device that I would definitely want to use in my classroom.

BAT Keyboard by Infogrip-Amber

Infogrip's BAT Keyboard is a one-handed, compact input device that replicates all the functions of a full-size keyboard, but with greater efficiency and convenience. The BAT is easy to learn and use. Letters, numbers, commands and macros are simple key combinations, "chords," that you can master in no time. Best of all the BAT's unique ergonomic design reduces hand strain and fatigue for greater comfort and productivity. The BAT is the ultimate typing solution for persons with physical or visual impairments and is proven to increase productivity when used with graphic or desktop publishing software.

FM Systems- Brittnee

Students with hearing problems in a quiet environment can hear really well, but putting them in an environment that is really loud changes everything. Students that are hard of hearing use many different devices, but the one that I found that could help students would be the FM System . Kids of all ages can use these devices, because when they enter a classroom with all sorts of different noises their hearing becomes muffled and they have a hard time making out what is being said by the teacher. FM Systems are devices that uses  radio transmission to send auditory signals. This device is wireless, portable and battery operated. While the teacher is giving a lesson or talking they will have a microphone attached to a transmitter that is hooked to their body and as they talk the student will have a receiver connected to their clothing or an input cable or by connecting it to the actual hearing aid itself. I found that students will be able to hear a speaker from either 30 ft- 200 ft depending on the power of the antenna. According to the  American Speech- Language hearing association they describe the FM Systems as being like miniature radio stations operating on special frequencies. These devices can be used anywhere that has too many loud noises. Ex. movie theatre, restaurants, or even in church.   

2 comments:

  1. Hannah,
    I found Nova Chat very interesting. I really liked how you explained everything well. When you said, "All you have to do is find the button that best represents what you are trying to say and push it," it shows how simple and convenient this product is for impaired people. Good job.

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  2. Great idea, Hannah! I think it would be neat if a classroom had several of those so that kids without communication impairments could commmunicate with students with these difficulties to make them feel included, to allow them to work in groups, and to keep them on the same page as their classmates. It can also help students learning vocabulary to visualize!

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