Caitlin Maynard
ITEC 7500
Reflection – Standard 3.4
3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology - facilitate the use of adaptive and assistive
technologies to support individual student learning needs.
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One of the requirements of the Instructional Technology program at Kennesaw State
University is complete field experiences that demonstrate our mastery of PSC and ISTE
standards. During ITEC 7445, Multimedia and Web Design, the unstructured field experience
required us to work with a student with a disability in order to explore the world of adaptive and
assistive technology. Since this was completed during the Summer of 2019, I arranged to tutor a
colleague’s five-year old son at the local library. While he had different disabilities, the only one
marked in his IEP dealt with motor skills. Throughout the summer, I introduced him to rubber
pencil grips and large triangular pencils and crayons to help with writing the letters of the
alphabet. The artifacts included with this reflection are my Initial Thoughts regarding Adaptive
and Assistive Technology (AT), the WATI Assistive Technology Consideration Guide, the AT
Implementation Plan, and the AT Module Post Reflection.
Element 3.4 of the Digital Learning Environments standard deals with Adaptive and
Assistive Technology and the ability to facilitate the use of such devices to support individual
student learning needs. Through this unstructured field experience, I was able to meet the
requirements of this element by becoming familiar with AT devices, researching which types
would best benefit the student I was working with and his needs, collecting the materials for
work sessions, and finally analyzing data after each lesson to monitor growth or adjusting future
lessons as needed.
While completing the AT Module, I realized there was so much about adaptive and assistive
technology that I did not know. It made sense for items like screen readers or headphones for
recorded read-alouds to make the list, but I didn’t even consider a printer before even though I
have definitely provided printed handouts and notes to my students. Before this module, I
thought technology had to be digital, but I quickly learned that the devices can be as simple like a
binder as a slant board or a rubber pencil grip. Working on this module also helped me
understand what was taking place in my personal life. Right after this course, my son entered the
first grade and his teacher noticed he had difficult time sitting still. After reaching out to the
school’s Special Education Coordinator about possible interventions, the teacher gave my son a
Core Disk beanbag cushion to sit on during class. The cushion allows for sensory stimulation
without getting out of the chair, which was a constant issue for my son. As a mother, I was
appreciative of this technology as it met my child’s needs and as an educator, I felt more
equipped to find ways to help my own students.
While I enjoyed working with the five-year old and seeing him experience growth as we
worked each week, I would have liked to change the age of the student I worked with for this
artifact. It was difficult at times to discern whether he was struggling because of the motor skills
or his vision; he also had a hard time telling me how he was doing because of delayed speech
development. His mother was very appreciative of anything I could do in terms of growth and
stimulation and I also thought the experience was positive, but I do wonder if I could have gotten
a deeper understanding of how effective AT could be if I had worked with a student who could
vocalize their emotions in a better way.
The work that went into creating this artifact impacted both faculty development and student
learning. First, my own personal development regarding AT was increased as I didn’t really
have any previous experience or training. I was unaware of all of the different devices, with and
without digital features, that were available to assist students and their learning experiences. The
impact can be assessed by how I have moved forward in my own classes by assessing and
meeting student needs. In turn, this has impacted student learning. I have placed more
importance on using AT, from providing printed notes to talking with Special Education
caseload teachers about ensuring students have what they need as determined by their IEPs. The
impact is assessed by analyzing student growth on assignments and content targets throughout
the semester.
