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Advances in technology are changing the nature of teaching and learning at all educational levels. Because of innovative technologies, educators can now design courses, alter their instructional techniques, and present material in a variety of formats.
Because Universal Design Principles are increasingly finding their way into course and curriculum planning, students are more empowered than ever to choose an educational format that takes advantage of their learning preferences. For students with learning differences, these changes are good news.
Assistive Technology and Student-Centered Education
The past century has witnessed a gradual
transformation within education, from a reliance on lectures, board
writing, and book-centered study toward a student-centered, constructivist
model for education. Researchers such as Vygotsky, Piaget, Bloom,
and, more recently, Bruner and Gardner, have proposed cognitive-developmental
models of education. Their focus has been to understand how different
people perceive, transform, and convey concepts. The result has been
a widespread acceptance of the individual student as the focus of
the educational process.
Technology offers the practical tools to apply the principles of cognitive theory to teaching and learning.
What Assistive Technology Does
Assistive technology connects a student's
cognitive abilities to an educational opportunity
that may not be accessible due to a disability.
• A student who has difficulty decoding text can use a text-to-speech screen reader as a bridge between the written text and the ability to process the information aurally and cognitively.
• A student who has difficulty sequencing thoughts in text can use graphic outlining software as a bridge to visual processing skills.
What Assistive Technology Does Not Do
Assistive Technology alone does not guarantee academic success. A sound curriculum that develops academic skills is the foundation for a student's success.
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