AssistiveTechnology

Strategy: This website is a conglomerate of online, interactive storybooks in many languages. [|__http://en.childrenslibrary.org/__] How it increases success: These students find tasks like reading extremely difficult and by being read to and listening while following along, reading proficiency increases. Strategy: Soothsayer is a word prediction program that will help students struggling with typing ability. [|__http://ahf-net.com/sooth.htm__] How it increases success: For students who are easily frustrated by their lacking typing skills, Soothsayer will predict the word they are typing and then students only need to click the word, obviously speeding up the process and limiting the frustrated outbursts. Strategy: For students that have jerking hand motions and can’t use the computer mouse because of this, joysticks are a excellent replacement. [|__http://www.infogrip.com/product_view.asp?RecordNumber=98__] How it increases success: Joysticks allow for more control and grip of the mouse, and allow for more clear indications (lights etc.) for clicking, dragging and other actions. Strategy: Alternative keyboards allows students to program repeated and often used functions and commands to a click of a button. [|__http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Alternative-Keyboards/X-Keys-Pro-USB-58-Keys__] How it increases success: Students don’t have to focus on the input process but instead on the project and product, which obviously increases success. Strategy: Increase the max computer sound by downloading this plug-in. [|__http://www.fxsound.com/__] How it increases success: Students who cannot hear a video or a music clip are disadvantaged, especially in a lnaguage classroom. This plug in allows students to create a volume level comfortable to them. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Strategy: JAWS is a screen reading software that reads your screen text and web pages to you. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/jaws-product-page.asp__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How it increases success: Clearly, a student with vision impairment will need help reading and researching on a computer. It would be so inefficient to have a para or teacher sit and read word for word to the student. To increase independence, students can use JAWS to read to them. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At-Risk Students <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Strategy: Popplet allows students to organize thoughts, pictures and brainstorm before beginning a project. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://popplet.com/__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How it increases success: Because it increases organization, students will feel more able to successfully complete their projects and tasks. Additionally, popplet is colorful, interesting and all-around engaging.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Students with Cognitive Difficulties **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Students with Physical Difficulties **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Students with Sensory Difficulties **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Strategy: Sliderocket is a great PowerPoint alternative that is much more engaging. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://login.sliderocket.com/__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How it increases success: By engaging and encouraging at-risk kids with high success levels and enjoying the process of the project, they will become more successful. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Strategy: Private journaling in a language class as a sponge or free time activity for students who finish their assignment early is a great way to harness their energy and turn their extra time into useful projects. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://penzu.com/__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How it increases success: By putting these students to work in a open-ended assignment, they can really make the journal their own and explore types of writing and they won’t disturb anyone else when finished with a regular task. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Strategy: Khan Academy is a great beginning point for students who want to discover and work on more advanced tasks. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.khanacademy.org/__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How it increases success: This site is not just trowing students into a world of complicated tasks, but tutors them in each area they want to discover so that it becomes useful information.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Gifted and Talented Students **