AT Implementation Article

I found this article to be very interesting and I agreed with many of the points it raised.

One of the areas the article looks at is training of teachers in the use of ACT.  I agree that this is a major issue in the adoption of ACT by teachers.  The reasons for it are many, they include training, time, and wiliness.

One of the issues with the introduction of any AT is training.  While every teacher who interacts with the student receiving the AT should receive training it does not always work out that way.  Sometimes schedules can't be arranged so that everyone can attend, sometime teachers (and in my experience, specialist teachers) are left out.

The second thing is time. Teachers are, for the most part, juggling more things in the run of the day than they can really manage.  Unfortunately anything new that is introduced often falls to the bottom of the pile.  They simply don't have the time to take on anything new.

The article discusses the notion of introducing AT training in teacher preservice education.  I don't necessarily disagree with this idea but it is not the solution to training teachers in the use of AT.  If the correct use of AT means matching the technology to the student then the training that teachers require must also be unique to the student.  Teachers can learn the basics in a class or PD session but they can never learn everything they need to know that way.

After reading the article I thought about my experiences with AT and ACT in my schools.

With one particular student who had a cochlea implant and microphone system my experiences was very positive.  The system was easy to use, I could raise or lower the volume on my end whenever I needed to and the student could do the same.  The only issue that I had was that the student was often "forgetful" and it could sometimes be days before he would remember to bring it to my next class.  Truth be told he probably didn't need the system in my class but it was on his IPP so I expected him to have it and for me to use it.

I have also seen issues with the deployment.  In one case that I have seen recently a non verbal student has been given an Ipod to help communicate with classmates and teachers.  Unfortunately the school does not have a wireless network and has been refused one because they don't want students surfing the net.  This has limited the potential for communication and usefulness of this technology with this student... I understand that the search for solutions continues....