Working in an Autistic support environment, I am constantly
creating adaptations and modifications throughout my classroom daily routines.
However, applying alterations into non-subject area classes, such as music,
gym, or art, is an extremely difficult task for me as a professional. For
example, this year, the fifth grade class is expected to utilize a program
called “Garage Band”. Garage Band is an application that is geared toward
Macintosh computers, and is designed to instruct learners how to play instruments
and read music through the use of technology. Although this is a fantastic
concept, and a way for the school district to avoid purchasing a variety of
musical instruments, it is not always the most effective resource for all
scholars.
Several weeks ago, I was facing a complication involving one
of my students and the use of Garage Band on a MacBook Pro laptop, owned by the
school district. My student faced a barrier when carrying computer-based
knowledge from home to school. At home, my student was able independently
operate a PC computer, with the use of a standard mouse. However, at school, my
student could not grasp the concept of a “touchpad” mouse, and was becoming
extremely frustrated when exploring the musical technology based material.
Luckily, as I was faced with the challenge of the technology
barrier, I was freshly introduced to the UDL goal setter checklist. I used the UDL
goal setter to interpret and organize what the most important piece of
information was to be acknowledged from the lesson. After observing the checklist,
I was able to make adaptations that would benefit the student’s educational
experience. This adaptation included the
use of Garage Band on an iPad, which allowed direct touch screen responses,
rather than the use of a touchpad mouse.
Touchpad Mouse:
Standard computerized mouse:
I think that as teachers many of us encounter technological barriers on a daily basis. Usually something won't work or won't load up properly. This is extremely frustrating, especially when you have a lesson planned. I can only imagine how upsetting it was for a special needs student to not be able do what they have always done. However, I am glad you were able to make modifications.
ReplyDeleteIt is extremely difficult and frustrating when technological barriers occur. Thank goodness for the individuals who work in the IT department of my school district for all of their hard work, assistance and patience! There have been a countless amount of times that lesson plans, Prezi presentations, videos and more have not worked due to WiFi or connection problems. In my opinion, it is important to remember to be creative when making modifications, even when coordinated with technology.
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