Background
Scenario
You have noticed that your early learning environment within your faith-based organization is super diverse this school year. Your class alone has a high percentage of underrepresented children of color, English language learners, low-income children, and children with special needs.
Instead of expecting all your young learners to react to a lesson plan activity in the same way, you have decided to plan for a diverse group of learners by focusing on the principles of universal design because of the academic and social benefits. Therefore, you begin planning to make accommodations for children who learn in different ways by incorporating the use of assistive technology to enhance learning for all children.
You understand that assistive technology devices can help young children, specifically children with special needs, communicate with others, access and participate in different learning opportunities, and help them get their needs met. You have decided to incorporate assistive technology into your early learning environment to help with common skills young children learn, such as: attaching larger grips to zippers and buttons to making it easier to get dressed, weighted blankets or toys that provide slight pressure on the body and help some children feel more calm and focused, and a roller ball mouse with an oversized trackball to move the cursor on the computer for a child who struggles to grip and use a standard mouse.
Directions
You will develop a plan to incorporate assistive technology into your early childhood environment. You will incorporate into your plan a graphic organizer like a table that includes an analysis.
Step 1: Research
Age Group: Select one of the following age groups.
Infants and Toddlers
3-5-year-olds
6–8-year-olds
Assistive Technology: Identify two types of assistive technology devices to be used in each area below. You may have overlap in assistive technology being used in each area. Try to select assistive technology that will be unique to the area and enhance the experience in the area.
Schedules, Routines, and Activities
Social Skills and Behavior
Computer or Electronic Devices
Communication
Literacy Skills
Gross and Fine Motor Skills
Sensory
Describe Use: For each assistive technology device, clearly describe how it can be used in the learning environment to support the needs of diverse learners.
Descriptions of usage should be specific to each individual area and apply to all children in the age group/setting.
Descriptions of usage should be age and developmentally appropriate and applicable to your specific setting.
Images: Include an images of each device (e.g., clip art, online photographs, internet images from websites, etc.)
Other Details:
Use professional and people-first language.
Create a reference list for support resources, if needed.
All work should be formatted professionally and use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Step 2: Compare, Analyze, and Summarize
You will organize the information from step 1 into a chart, table, or map. A sample table is given for reference. You may use this sample table for your assignment.
Your graphic organizer must include:
Two types of assistive technology can be used in each area
An explanation of how children might use each device
Images of the tool or device
You may include information in a chart, table, or map with supporting details attached in a separate document, as well.
Module 02_Assistive Technology Table_Example.docx
Submission Requirement
Submit your completed assignment (table or table and writing) by following the directions linked below. Please check the Course Calendar for specific due dates.
Save your assignment as a Microsoft Word document. (Mac users, please remember to append the “.docx” extension to the filename.) The name of the file should be your first initial and last name, followed by an underscore and the name of the assignment, and an underscore and the date. An example is shown below:
Jstudent_exampleproblem_101504
Additional Resources
Writing Guide
APA Guide
Creating a Chart, Table, or Map in Microsoft Word
